Fall Flower Ideas You'll Fall in Love With
So much about autumn makes it an ideal time for weddings, and the flowers of the season are no exception. Check out these four festive flower ideas inspired by fall:
1. Flower and Colors of the Season
If you’re looking for the flower of the season, Christy Doramus, floral stylist and owner of Crowns by Christy in New York City, says dahlias are the way to go. “Dahlias are my favorite flower for fall weddings and they come in so many beautiful colors, both soft and bold. Brides who love the full look of peonies can opt for dahlias in the fall, which look amazing mixed with garden roses, ranunculus or even hypericum berries,” she says.
Sunflowers and hydrangeas are also popular, adds Doramus, and make an impact mixed with chamomile and eucalyptus.
As far as colors, Melisa Imberman, owner of The Event Of A Lifetime, Inc. in Millwood, New York, says bright pastels and saturated jewel tones are in. She adds that many brides are selecting blooms in shades of yellow, orange or burgundy this season.
2. Garden-Inspired Arrangements
Incorporating non-floral elements such as vines, berries and fruit to arrangements can add texture and visual interest, says Imberman. Think “natural, unstructured arrangements, like they were just picked from the garden,” she says.
Incorporating fruits and vegetables in arrangements can present a still life asymmetrical type of look, adds Caroline Bailly, owner of the floral event and design company L’Atelier Rouge, New York City.
However, she suggests staying away from the usual suspects like gourds, grapes and apples. “Use rainbow kales and artichoke leaves as foliage, beets and root vegetables, persimmons, mushrooms, mini oranges and kumquats.”
3. Farm-To-Table Look
Some brides and grooms, inspired by the farm-to-table food movement, are opting to shop locally. By doing so, they’re supporting local nurseries and choosing flowers native to their wedding location, which can help the environment.
For a truly rustic look, many couples are using local blooms and vegetation to create free-form arrangements. “Couples are utilizing greens, vegetables, fruits and spices for an earthy and fresh vibe. Rather than perfectly rounded bouquets, they may choose ‘L’ or ‘V’ shapes with free-form cascades of vines and foliage,” says Imberman.
If going green is your thing, but you’d like a more polished look, stick to densely packed, dome-shaped bouquets. Instead of leaving stems exposed, have them wrapped in textured fabric, velvet sashes, or ribbons. Same goes for groomsmen boutonnieres – you can have the stems wrapped in satin or grosgrain ribbon rather than leaving them bare.
4. Tablescapes Over Centerpieces
Displaying a variety of containers instead of one arrangement in the center of each table is gaining popularity, says Imberman. “Mix in traditional with modern and formal with rustic,” she notes.
Bailly agrees and prefers staying away from a traditional vase. “We love the idea of designing floral compressions. We also love the idea of organic runners of flowers and foliage that cover the entire length of the table,” she says.
If you don’t love flowers, consider succulents. Even though they are in all year round, for fall you can get them in seasonal colors such as aubergine, cactus green and pomegranate. Plus, if you decide you want to add a little bit of flowers to the mix, the leaves of succulents resemble petals, so the two will mix well together.