Twelve years ago, my husband and I were married on a sunny September day. The temperatures reached nearly 90 degrees, which made guests glad that our outdoor ceremony was brief! We held an intimate gathering at a park near our hometown – one where my great-grandfather was the groundskeeper for more than 40 years. My bridesmaids wore different colored dresses – two wore navy blue and two wore golden yellow. Our groomsmen sported boutonnieres made of pretty white daisies and the flower girl carried a basket of fresh fall blooms. The reception venue was decorated with the same navy blue and golden yellow color scheme, and we served a seasonal buffet-style dinner. We kept our decorations simple and offered our guests a personalized favor bag filled with fall-themed goodies to take home. Overall my wedding was exactly as I planned it – even with a few minor mishaps along the way – and it was truly a day I will never forget!
To achieve a similar country-style wedding, first choose a venue that holds special meaning to you and your fiance. We chose the park because of its sentimental ties, and we chose to have an intimate ceremony so we would not have to recruit a large number of helpers to take down the chairs after our vows. We also kept our music simple by using a portable stereo system, but an outdoor ceremony is a wonderful venue for a harpist or guitarist. Our ceremony was brief and meaningful with music that was significant in our relationship, a bible reading that was recited by a close friend, and a family-style prayer where the entire wedding party joined hands as they bowed their heads. One word of caution for an outdoor wedding, the bride may not be able to make a spectacular entrance as she begins to walk down the aisle – our guests were able to see me in my dress as they were seated. I would have changed our wedding bulletins by printing them on fan program paper so our guests could have cooled themselves during the ceremony.
Our brief ceremony was followed by an outdoor receiving line and then it was off to our reception venue. We were lucky to book a reception location that was only a few short miles from the park, and most of our guests followed the bridal party directly to the hall. For those guests that chose to only attend the reception and dance, we made sure to include specific directions in our invitations since it was located “off the beaten path”. As guests arrived at our reception they were greeted with cool beverages and a light appetizer before the meal was served. We each have large families that are blessed with many children, so we included specific favors for the kids and designated a certain area to be “kid friendly” – with games, toys and no breakable decorations. We were surprised by how many guests thanked us for this child friendly area, and I have suggested it to many brides since that day. My husband and I both grew up on dairy farms, so we cordoned off the children’s area with fresh straw bales that we purchased from a local farmer. The straw color was a perfect match to my bridesmaid dresses, and they not only made a great “boundary” but they gave the kids something to play on. To complement the straw color, we covered our tables with navy blue plastic tablecloths. Our centerpieces on each table were simple – bundles of ripened grain tied with a pretty navy ribbon. The wedding cake was made by my grandmother – it was one of the last cakes she decorated before retiring from the cake business. To celebrate my sweet tooth, our personalized favor bags included mini chocolate bars for each guest, a leaf-shaped cookie cutter and a small jar of homemade apple butter. Each favor bag was tied with blue and yellow curling ribbon and finished with a fall-themed tag that thanked each guest for joining us on our special day.
You can focus your autumn-themed wedding on a number of catchy phrases such as:
- Apple of My Eye - serve apple pies rather than a traditional wedding cake, decorate with freshly harvested apples of varying colors and sizes, decorate with apple-scented candles.
- The Perfect “Pear” - mix deep brown hues with light green and rich red, add diced pears to fresh fruit ambrosia, send guests home with a Perfect Pair kitchen timer.
- Sweeter then Honey - place miniature honey pots on each table and invite guests to sweeten their tea, scones or cornbread; hand out personalized honey jar favors; decorate with pure beeswax candles.
- Fall in Love - transform your reception venue in a gorgeous fall forest with scattered maple leaves, pine boughs and scented candles; add colorful leaf soaps in each restroom; select from our extensive line of fall wedding favors to match your theme and convey your personal style!