Since the pandemic delayed thousands of couples' wedding days, many were forced to go ahead with the floral arrangements, colour schemes and menus they had originally planned – no matter what season their new wedding date fell on.
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Finally, brides and grooms have more time to plan their autumnal weddings, which are becoming increasingly popular due to the cheaper venue prices amid the cost of living crisis. But not all of them are choosing the expected fiery colours or hearty winter meals. To misquote The Devil Wears Prada's Miranda Priestly: "Reds for autumn? Groundbreaking."
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Wondering what the biggest wedding trends will be in autumn 2022 and 2023? We've asked the experts…
Autumnal wedding flower trends in 2022-23
It's well known that choosing seasonal flowers are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but that doesn't mean you have to be restricted by seasonal colours.
Celia Gaze, Founder and Managing Director of The Wellbeing Farm explained: "Rustic flowers are a key theme for autumn weddings and offer a more relaxed vibe. We are seeing more and more couples opt for dried floral bouquets using interesting textures like pampas grass, protea and feathers.
Couples are loving lush green foliage and rustic flowers. Photo: Julia West
"A good way to keep costs down is to ask family and friends if they could grow flowers in their garden for you. Roses in a variety of colours, dahlias, amaranthus, scabiosa, pampas grass, sunflowers, and even succulents and berries with loads of lush green foliage such as ferns and bracken can all play a role in an autumn wedding bouquet.
"You can even use things like pheasant feathers, autumnal leaves and artichokes for texture and variety."
If sustainability is a driving factor in your wedding decisions, then reusable silk flowers offer you more creative freedom – and an added bonus is that they're a "fraction of the cost of fresh", according to Oznur Ozdemir, Director of Mediterranean Occasions Venue Stylist.
"This also means that out of season flowers, if required, do not come at a premium," she added, explaining that they can be multi-purpose and "can be used in varying locations across the day, giving better value for money."
If you don't want fiery reds, Oznur suggests "timeless" greenery with a mix of muted pinks and baby breath.
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Autumnal wedding food trends in 2022-23
Informal buffets and sharing tables are set to be a hit – and with a selection of mouth-watering butternut squash, late-night sliders and pumpkin macarons on offer, we can see why.
"Delicious and decadent mushrooms or truffle arancini, butternut squash, red onion and goat cheese-based individual tartlets are very popular canapés during this season, particularly paired with figs or chutneys," said Roberta Burcheri, Designer and Lead Planner at Roberta Burcheri Events.
Pumpkins and apples are comforting seasonal foods
This could be followed with mains such as "quail with figs and walnuts or venison in red-currant jus, butternut squash tart, with savoy cabbage, roasted chestnuts and parmesan crispy sage leaf crushed new potatoes as a veggie option."
Celia also pointed out that buffets not only allow for more choice than formal, sit-down meals, but they also mean a lighter meal with smaller portion sizes. Her suggestion?
"More hearty, warm food such as burgers or hot dogs, hog roast, pork pies, cheese board buffet, wood-fired pizzas, fish and chips, S’mores, hot chocolate, cookie bars, nachos, sausage and mash, sticky toffee pudding, seasonal soups and toffee apples.
"Apples can be a great option for an autumn wedding and comfort food such as apple pie or apple crumble always go down well."
On the subject of sweet treats, Celia suggested asking guests to take part in 'The Great Wedding Bake Off.'
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"Ask your guests to make or bake a dessert or cake and then all the guests have to mark them out of 10 and the winner can get a prize at the end – it’s a great way of adding variety and interest and you could even use this instead of getting a formal wedding cake."
Follow that up with late-night treats such as hot cinnamon churros, warm cider and caramelised apples, and Roberta said you're onto a winner!
Autumnal wedding styling trends in 2022-23
In Celia's words: "Bold is back!" Following mixed colour palettes in 2021, as a result of delayed pandemic weddings, Julia West, Fine Art Wedding Photographer at Julia & You similarly said that 2022 and 2023 will see a shift back to traditional autumn tones – particularly one popular 90s colour.
"I think this year and next will see a real return to autumnal colours, with burgundy being a really big colour and Emerald green (my personal favourite). Burgundy went out of trend for many years in weddings, but now that 90s favourite is back in a big way, with bold rusts and more neutral creams.
Green and burgundy shades could be popular this year. Photo: Julia West
"Green is so popular in sage and pastels throughout the year but as we hit autumn, sage is being taken over by richer emerald green."
She added they're photographic and flattering – the perfect combo.
Aside from flowers, there are plenty of ways to integrate a pop of colour into your wedding venue. Celia suggested: "Why not use fruit and vegetables to create interesting table décor using figs, apples, pears, pomegranates, pumpkins and grapes which double up as décor and a further grazing option."
To add a personal touch, she said brides and grooms should "ask each guest to bring their own carved out pumpkin, which you can scatter, around the venue" for "mystical lighting." Alternatively, they can be filled with flowers for table and aisle decorations.
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