How to Plan an Outdoor Fall Wedding in the Mountains

Use autumn's colors in all phases of your wedding.

Fall is a beautiful time for weddings. When the changing leaves turn the landscape to shades of vivid reds and golds and the fall harvest is in full swing, outdoor weddings bring a feeling of home and hearth to the happy event. As a bonus, you’re more likely to secure a popular outdoor setting to tie the knot. Plan your outdoor fall wedding around the beauty of the season and you’ll have a wedding day to remember.

Things You'll Need

• Fall-blooming flowers
• Autumn-colored fabrics and accessories
• Outdoor mountain location
• Wedding cake to match your colors
• Rented arbor (if desired)

Instructions

1. 

   Choose your colors to highlight the season. Even if you want classic white for the wedding dress, one or two additional autumn accent colors will make the wedding party blend in with the surroundings.

2. Outfit bridesmaids in any shade of tan, gold, bronze or red. Since these colors can be overwhelming by themselves, try choosing bridesmaid’s dresses in neutral tones and use autumn colors as added details in sashes, ribbons or even in the bridesmaid’s bouquets.

3. Choose a location that will showcase the colors of fall. Parks with mature oaks and maple trees will offer a stunning backdrop for the wedding party. Look for architectural features, such as a stone bridge or gazebo to hold the ceremony. For a small private fall wedding, even a backyard filled with autumn foliage will create a warm, enduring atmosphere.

4. 

   Request sugar flowers that match the flowers in your bouquet on your wedding cake. Provide color swatches to the cake decorator when ordering your cake. Since bold fall colors can quickly overwhelm a wedding cake, choose a few colorful blooms as accents and use lighter colors for the rest of the trim and piping. Alternately, request fresh flowers on your cake. For this, you’ll provide the flowers to the decorator the day before and she’ll use special food-grade holders to insert the stems into your cake.

5. Decorate the wedding location with large fresh or silk flowers, wrapped with lengths of billowing ribbons or fabric bows to match. Attach these to the chairs that form the bridal walkway.

6. Consider renting a portable arbor, under which to say your vows. Check with a local rental company or call a formalwear retailer to locate one. These arbors provide graceful arches and sloping backdrops that you decorate with your own flowers and fabrics.

7. 

   Adorn your reception tables with autumn centerpieces in matching colors.

8. Think ahead in case the unthinkable occurs; bad weather. Although fall is generally a more moderate season than spring, inclement weather is always a possibility. With any outdoor wedding, it pays to have an alternate location on “stand by,” if needed.