HOT TOPIC

Local experts on autumn weddings

SEASONAL STYLE

We’re getting married in the autumn and want to reflect the season in the look and feel of our wedding – what would you suggest? Valerie says: Following the long hot summer, we’ve been looking forward to the bright clear skies and beautiful vibrant, rich earthy tones of autumn. It’s a great season for weddings providing a wealth of natural material for the big-day styling. Here’s a few ideas to help inspire you:  For your colour palette choose tones which reflect the natural seasonal changes, with accents of golden yellow, terracotta, burnt orange, bronze, deep red, russet brown and warm green.  As the evenings draw in, create ambience with glowing candlelight and fairylights throughout your venue. Using brass or copper lanterns and candleholders works beautifully with a warm colour palette and weaving fairylights through trees is a fabulous way to illuminate the changing colours of the autumn leaves.  For your ceremony décor use bold backdrops with autumnal floral installations and coloured muslin or cheesecloth drapes. Decorate the aisle with lanterns and vintage rugs in red and orange tones and include some beautiful handwritten signage on reclaimed wood as a lovely personal touch to welcome your guests.  Fill copper and brass urns with seasonal or dried flowers in warm tones with vibrant pops of colour. For a harvest theme, wheat sheaves, dried oats, poppy heads, dried ferns, and grasses will add extra texture to your floral arrangements. Make the most of the displays by reusing them after the ceremony to decorate the reception.  For the table styling incorporating brown glass apothecary vases

or stoneware ones to display vibrant autumn florals provides a striking contrast. Dinner candles in warm accent colours such as orange, ochre and rich red, look incredible paired with cheesecloth or linen table runners and napkins in complementary tones.  Bring the outdoors in by adding natural elements from your surroundings. Forage and gather dried leaves, pine cones, acorns and seasonal fruit to add a natural warm hue to the table décor and place settings.  Add a textured element to your table plans and place cards by using paper made from recycled material and eco-friendly fibres or seeds with the addition of beautiful handwritten calligraphy to impress your guests.  Include rustic elements like hay bales, baskets and vintage crates filled with apples and pears and a variety of pumpkins and squashes to add depth of colour and texture to your venue styling.  Create a cosy and inviting chill-out area for your guests using vintage cane furniture or velvet sofas with warm throws, vintage rugs and cushions in orange, russet, red and yellow tones.  It’s the season for fires, hot punch and toasting marshmallows, so to keep your guests cosy while they’re outside, provide baskets filled with blankets to snuggle up in.

www.vickyplum.co.uk www.vickyplum.co.uk

Valerie King | Owner | www.samphirevintageprops.co.uk

What wedding dress styles are great for autumn to look and feel great? Anna says: Our autumn and winter brides love a little something over their shoulders and often opt for a sleeve. They are really on trend right now and whether it be simple and fitted, blousy with a button cuff or short and sweet, there are a huge variety of gowns with a sleeve option, some of which are detachable to give you a different look for the evening.

Capes are another must-have accessory for autumn and winter weddings that will be hot for 2023 brides. They come in all manner of styles and designs to suit you and your dream gown. From full-length embellished sparkle to dramatic shoulder pads and elegant silhouettes, there is a cape for every bride, so don’t be afraid to experiment and really up your bridal game!

Anna Hare | Bridal retailer | www.purebrides.co.uk

Phoebe, a gorgeously simple sparkle crepe gown matched with an incredible statement cape from Milla Nova. UNDER CANVAS

We’re getting married in October as it’s our favourite time of year and we want to create a cosy atmosphere. We love the idea of having tipis for the reception but are worried about the weather. What happens if it’s wet and chilly? Rob says: The tipis can be set up in a sheltered part of the grounds and rather than raise the sides to make the most of the views, one or two can be opened for a few hours in the afternoon if it’s warm and sunny. It’s then simple to close the tipis up again and make them snug and cosy. They can also be positioned with solid access underfoot, to avoid wet or muddy feet and to minimise draughts. The internal firepit creates a cosy look and with an external, thermostatically controlled heating system too, warm air can be ducted into the tipis if needed. Surrounded by countryside with plenty of trees, the autumn colours complement the natural tones of the tipis beautifully and the large, central overhead rings can be decorated with seasonal foliage throughout the year. The catering is versatile too, with plenty of options to theme meals to the season.

Rob Barneveld | www.swantipis.co.uk

A TASTE OF AUTUMN

We haven’t decided on the menu for our autumn wedding yet. What would you advise? Emma and Lucy say: When it comes to weddings, we definitely notice a difference when it comes to the changing seasons. Over the summer months the focus is more on fine dining and the intricate details, while coming into autumn, we’re seeing demand for more wholesome sharing platters. We always use fresh local produce and try to adapt our menus to what is in season such as local lamb racks with asparagus in the spring compared to a rustic vegetable tagine main course for this time of year. We find that our dinner party menus also change from things like Cley Smokehouse seafood platters to winter squash soups and berry crumbles. We love catering for all seasons, but we have to admit we love the rustic, wholesome vibes of autumnal weddings the most. We have also noticed a huge increase in demand for vegetarian and vegan dishes too and have now added a couple more options to our 2023 menu to adapt to the current global change on how we look at food as a society.

Emma Boubaker and Lucy Britten | https://bayfieldcatering.co.uk