With its changing colors, gorgeous foliage, and cool temperatures, it’s no surprise that fall is one of the most popular seasons to say “I do.” Whether you want an indoor ceremony or a simple backyard wedding, there’s something so uniquely cozy about an autumn wedding affair.

From embracing the season’s natural beauty to taking inspiration from the holidays, choose an autumnal wedding to ensure your special day is one you won’t ever forget. To give you some festive inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of fall wedding ideas for everything from wardrobe to decor to food.

1. Embrace Natural Foliage

When it comes to planning a fall wedding, work with the season by embracing the natural foliage. Whether it’s bright red and orange falling leaves or rich autumn blooms, include nature’s festive beauty as a part of your big day.

2. Dress Your Wedding Party in Rich Colors

Use your wedding party’s attire to accent your fall-inspired decor! For dresses and tuxedos, choose rich colors such as burgundy, copper, or taupe, and consider unconventional textures like velvet for an extra layer of visual depth.

3. Serve Hard Apple Cider

Make use of fall flavors during your reception by incorporating festive punches and ciders into the bar. For a drink that many guests are sure to love, serve up a hard apple cider made from fresh apples or apple juice!

4. Opt for Pie Instead of Cake

If you’re not a fan of traditional wedding cake, spice it up by serving pie instead! Pumpkin, apple, or pecan are perfect flavors for celebrating the fall season. If you have a large guest list, consider offering multiple flavors to cater to everyone’s unique tastes.

5. Line the Aisle With Pumpkins

Needless to say, pumpkins go hand in hand with October wedding ideas. Pay homage to the autumn season during your ceremony by lining the aisle with pumpkins. Use a variety of shapes and sizes or alternate colors, and add some greenery or apple accents at the base. If you’ve included metallic or copper tones in your wedding, paint the stems to match!

6. Add Apple Accents

Adding apples is a simple and inexpensive way to add a bright pop of color to your fall wedding. Incorporate the fall harvest into your decor by adding baskets of apples or making DIY apple tealight candles.

7. Make Use of Gem Tones

Pull your ceremony together with colorful details. Rich gem tones like burgundy, emerald, and gold make for a great wedding color palette that ties in perfectly with the fall season.

8. Include Copper Elements

If you’re not a fan of more traditional metallics, add subtle copper elements to complement foliage centerpieces and candles. Copper tones pair perfectly with a green or pink color palette while ensuring whites and blacks pop.

9. Hang Foliage

Want to save space on your reception tables? Instead of large florals, opt for a sleek and simple candle centerpiece with beautiful autumn foliage suspended from above. You can even incorporate fairy lights to add to the magical feel.

10. Hold Your Ceremony in a Forest

Add a rustic feel to your wedding by holding your ceremony in a forest where the fall leaves can speak for themselves. Utilize tree stumps, hang lanterns from branches, and incorporate string lights to add to the warm ambiance.

11. Integrate Contrasting Pops of Color

Complement red and orange autumn hues with contrasting pops of color. Emerald and sage, for example, pair beautifully with warm tones while accentuating their brightness. If you want to get creative, you can even add black accents to create a moodier vibe.

12. Use Pampas Grass

Decorating with pampas grass is a great way to add a touch of boho to your wedding day. Its neutral color goes well with just about any color palette and looks great in most arrangements, whether it be centerpieces, wreaths, or bouquets.

13. Add Floral Chair Sashes

Add fresh autumn florals to your reception chairs to bring nature indoors. For an even more romantic feel, dress the chairs in velvet sashes and add small touches of flowers and foliage.

14. Serve Warm Beverages

Hosting a dry wedding reception? Rather than offering fall-themed alcoholic drinks, serve up warm beverages like lattes, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider to embrace the flavors of the season.

15. Create a Barrel Bourbon Bar

Serve bourbon to add a Southern flair to your wedding. Set up the bar on a wooden tabletop perched on barrels for a rustic feel alongside accents of leather and embossed amber glasses.

16. Design a Harvest-themed Reception Menu

Everyone loves Thanksgiving dinner, so bring the holiday to your reception tables by designing a harvest-themed menu. Offer turkey or ham for your entree and serve sides like butternut squash, corn, sweet potatoes, or whatever your favorite Thanksgiving sides are!

17. Decorate With Fairy Lights

Create a magical experience by decorating your ceremony and reception with fairy lights. Incorporate them into suspended foliage, pillars, and even your ceremony arch to add some twinkle when you say “I do.”

18. Opt For a Seasonal Snack Bar

If you don’t want to serve a full-course reception meal, style a self-serve snack bar with seasonal treats like fruits, pie, and smoky sliders. Keep it simple by decorating the bar with fairy lights and natural foliage.

19. Hold an Open-air Ceremony and Reception

Instead of an indoor wedding, embrace the season by holding your ceremony and reception outdoors. With an outdoor fall wedding, you won’t be limited by space when it comes to your guest list, and it may even be cheaper than booking an indoor venue.

20. Capture Photos Among the Foliage

Don’t miss out on the chance to capture photos in the fall foliage. Even if your wedding is indoors, get your wedding party together to snap a few portraits outside in the autumn leaves during golden hour.

21. Incorporate Seasonal Centerpieces

Make the season the focal point of the reception by incorporating festive centerpieces placed on slices of wood. If you want extra height, utilize sticks and branches and creatively wrap foliage around them to make something that’s truly unique.

22. Add Leather Accents

Leather accents are a subtle touch that can help tie your fall wedding together. Whether it’s leather place cards, ring cases, or even suspenders for the groom, these small details can add a warm, sophisticated feel to your big day.

23. Say “I Do” Under an Arch of Foliage

Reading your vows and saying “I do” under a floral arch always makes for a romantic and beautiful ceremony. Add in festive elements like branches and autumn leaves to tie it all together.

24. Add Touches of Plaid

You can’t have fall without flannel, so why not incorporate it into your wedding? We’re not asking you to wear plaid to your wedding—unless that’s your thing! Instead, consider adding touches of the pattern throughout your wedding, such as on your tablescapes or chair sashes.

25. Incorporate Feathers

Feathers are often overlooked but are a great way to incorporate the season into your wedding day. Add them to table centerpieces, on guest place cards, or even on reception menu cards. Feathers can also make a beautiful addition to a hairpiece in a natural updo.

26. Add Dashes of Warm Pinks

If autumn reds and oranges aren’t really your style, incorporate warm pinks into your wedding color palette instead. Deep pinks will pair well with burgundy, beige, emerald, or sage tones.

27. Carry a Fall-inspired Bouquet

What better way to embrace the fall foliage than by incorporating it into your wedding bouquet? Include rich-colored leaves, seasonal flowers like coneflowers, dianthus, and celosia, or maybe even a bushel of berries!

28. Accent Your Guest Book Table With Monogrammed Pumpkins

White pumpkins with you and your spouse’s monogrammed initials will make a great addition to your wedding guest book table. Use metallic, copper, or rich gem tones to contrast nicely with the white of the pumpkin.

29. Choose Moody Tones for Your Glassware

Instead of regular clear glassware, switch it up with colored glasses to add some flair to your tablescapes. Colors like red, amber, emerald, and even pink can look great on a tabletop with an assortment of foliage as the centerpiece.

30. Wear a Fall-inspired Hairpiece

An October outdoor fall wedding is a perfect opportunity to embrace your natural beauty. Rock your natural hair and add in a hairpiece with flowers, leaves, or even feathers to complete the look.

31. Opt For Rustic Wooden Seating

If your ceremony is outside, consider offering seating on wood stumps or benches to add a rustic, down-to-earth feel to your wedding that works perfectly with the fall foliage.

32. Wear a Flower Crown

If you opt to wear your hair down, consider adding some fall flair with a DIY flower crown. You can use real or artificial flowers, and even pair the crown with a veil—or ditch it, depending on your preference.

33. Keep Guests Warm With Cozy Blankets

Having an outdoor ceremony on a chilly day? Keep your guests warm by offering fuzzy blankets to wrap up in or complimentary scarves they can take home. Keeping your guests comfortable will add to the cozy vibe that comes with the fall season.

34. Send Out Plaid Invitations

Plaid is a traditional fall staple, but maybe you don’t want to incorporate it into your actual wedding day. If that’s the case, maybe plaid wedding invitations are more your jam!

35. Use White Pumpkin Place Cards

Instead of your typical reception place cards, write the names of guests on mini white pumpkins. To add to the autumn vibes, use burgundy, emerald, or deep orange paint for the calligraphy.

36. Make an Autumnal Flower Girl Crown

Adorn your flower girl in an autumnal crown that showcases the season’s beautiful flowers and foliage. When it comes to the flowers that will be scattered down the aisle, choose ones that match the crown and add to the festive feeling.

37. Incorporate Produce Into Centerpieces

When you’re thinking about fall wedding decorations, don’t stop at florals—fall is the perfect excuse to add some uniqueness to your centerpieces! Including produce like apples, berries, or even wheat can add a special, seasonal touch to your reception.

38. Add Pops of Black

Most people think of white when it comes to weddings, but the fall season can be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate darker tones if that’s more your style. Add pops of black, such as black silverware or candles, to contrast with your white dress and make you the center of attention on your special day.

39. Frame Corners With Autumn Flowers

If your ceremony is being held indoors, empty corners and pillars can feel out of place. Keep the venue feeling cozy and inviting by framing these areas with blooming autumn flowers like chrysanthemums, goldenrods, and amaranthus.

40. Hang Colorful Fall Wreaths

Put a spin on traditional green Christmas wreaths by incorporating colorful fall flowers, branches, and strings of berries. Set the vibe by hanging the wreaths on doors to welcome your guests into the ceremony. The festive colors will look especially nice against white or black doorways.

41. Have a Pumpkin Wedding Cake

Who doesn’t love a pumpkin roll? Serve the dessert alongside cake at the reception, or even better—have a pumpkin-flavored wedding cake with cream cheese frosting.

42. Wear Velvet Attire

What better way to stay warm in the cooler weather than with rich velvet accessories? Spice up the wedding party’s wardrobe with velvet dresses and tuxedo jackets, and complete your own look by adding some velvet statement pieces.

43. Include Edible Decor

Incorporate fruit displays that look good enough to eat as a clever way to fill in empty corners. Decorative barrels with apples, mini pumpkins, and berries will go a long way in tying your fall wedding together. Style the displays with wooden stumps, fall greenery, and candles.

44. Illuminate With Lanterns

Lining the aisle with lanterns is a beautiful way to illuminate the walkway, especially if it’s a cloudy fall day or if you’re holding your ceremony in the evening. Pair with pumpkins to create the perfect fall-themed ceremony. Alternatively, add suspended lanterns above your reception centerpieces to add a warm, ambient glow.

45. Add Metallic Touches

Bring out the magic of the fall season with subtle metallic touches throughout your decor. Paint pumpkin stems, adorn reception tables with metallic candle holders, or incorporate copper tones into your ceremony archway.

46. Get Crafty With DIY Apple Tealight Candles

Tealight candles are a lovely way to add ambiance to your wedding, but you can take it a step further by turning apples into candle holders. Simply carve out holes in the apples and place the tealights inside. Not only do they look great, but they’ll fill the room with an amazing apple scent.

47. Exit on a Hayride

What better way to close out the perfect fall wedding than by making your exit on a hayride? Cozy up as newlyweds wrapped in a fuzzy blanket before you head off to your honeymoon destination.

48. Use Terracotta or Burgundy Linens

Sometimes less is more when it comes to wedding decor. Embellish your reception tables with simple terracotta or burgundy runners or linens to add a small pop of color to the evening. Add candles or rustic vases to tie it all together.

49. Make the Fireplace a Focal Point

If your venue has a fireplace, take advantage by making it a focal point of your special day. Decorate the area with fall foliage and candles, and add seating to give your guests a cozy place to chat. If your venue doesn’t have a fireplace, a fire pit is a great alternative for an outdoor reception!

50. Choose a Muted Color Scheme

Let nature speak for itself by selecting a simple color scheme that makes the fall foliage pop. Colors like beige and muted sage tones contrast incredibly well with bright fall leaves.

51. Serve Caramel Apples

Make delicious caramel apples and serve them up at the cocktail bar. If you want to give them a bit of a kick, infuse the apples with whiskey before coating them in caramel for a yummy treat.

52. Seat Guests on Hay Bales

Bring the farm to your wedding with hay bale seating. It may sound unconventional, but it’s a great—and inexpensive!—option that looks beautiful in photos. Incorporate your wedding colors by adding styled covers to the bales for added comfort.

Whether you’re recently engaged or in the thick of wedding planning, this list of fall wedding ideas will inspire you to plan a magical day you’ll never forget. From the venue to florals and even cocktails, infuse the season’s beauty into your celebration for a wonderful seasonally inspired day.