Fall Wedding Flowers and Color Palettes
Fall Wedding Flowers
The PNW puts on a SHOW in the fall. With mild temperatures, Washington grows flowers through early November, or until the first frost. September and October will yield the most abundance and variety for fall flowers, but don’t let that deter you from a November wedding. Seasonal treasures such as dried fern, leafy branches, berries, and moss can provide an excellent source of color and texture for your wedding florals.
Here’s a list of what will likely be blooming during the fall in the PNW:
agastache
ageratum
aster
beauty berry
calla lilies
carnation
celosia
cosmos
dahlia
hydrangea
japanese anemone
lisianthus
marigold
mum
phlox
rose
rudbeckia
scabiosa
snapdragon
strawflower
zinnia
Fall Wedding Colors
There are lots of ways to incorporate color into your wedding: table linens, stationary, venue location, wedding party attire, dessert, etc. Obviously, my favorite way is with flowers. With the seasons changing, fall provides us with an abundance of texture and glowing hues. Lean into that as you plan your fall wedding colors. September will look wildly different from November, but here are a few of my favorite color palettes for fall weddings.
Elegant Neutrals
shades of green, copper, burgundy, dusty pink, and gray
For this elegant micro wedding at The Cathedral in early October, I used hops, clematis vine, and moss for the main greenery. Copper amaranthus added great texture, shape, and color while chocolate cosmos were the little dancing stars for movement. Distant Drums Roses were the focal flower, and dahlias, cosmos, lisianthus, and scabiosa pods brought the design together.
Autumnal Pears
vibrant colors found greens, peaches, creams, and reds
This design revolves around the beloved pear, an autumnal staple! Foraged greens in varying shades and textures provided the base for an authentic fall design. I used dried bracken fern, magnolia, hydrangea, and fallen limbs from the neighborhood to set the stage. The season’s last blooms were carefully used: cafe au laite dahlias, cosmos, roses, celosia, mums, and berried branches.
As we work with the season, you’ll notice that there aren’t an abundance of flowers. This is to highlight the fact that local, seasonal is gorgeous even when blooms are scarce. Try implementing seasonal fruits into your wedding to make up for it!
plum and honey
various hues of purple and golden browns
By the end of October and early November, it can be tricky to have a very specific color palette. It’s best to let your florist know the vibe you want and what they think will look best that time of year. For my “plum and honey” fall design, I was able to use the last of the dahlias and roses and pair them with whatever greens were available. Copper and golden toned product was easier to find, like mums and amaranthus. I also used plum-colored lilies grown in Oregon to give the overall design a little nostalgic feel.
When flower quantities slow down, be sure to add color elsewhere, like napkins, plates, and stationary. A venue like Almquist Family Winery provided a gorgeous fall backdrop to enhance the colors being used.
Late Summer Berries
lush greens paired with berry reds, pastels, and rust
Technically, this wedding was on the *last* day of summer, but I like to believe it would have still worked within two weeks of that time. Peony foliage and grasses allowed me to design with varying shades of green and an array of texture for interest. Typical fall tones like gold, rust, reds were found in rudbekia, while mums, dahlias, lisianthus, and pansies brought a brighter tone to the overall designs. The outdoor space at JM Cellars also provided a perfect space for that summer-fall transition season: sunny and warm but with a cozy fall in the air.
