Top Tips for Planning Your Autumn Wedding

Good afternoon everyone, I do hope you had a fabulous weekend. Today we are welcoming Tina Galasso, wedding co-ordinator at Crimble Hall back to the blog. As we enter October we are now thinking about Autumn and all the cosiness that it brings, so it is apt that Tina has her Top Tips for planning an Autumn wedding today.

More from Tina: 

For every person that feels sad at the diminishing day light and the last days of summer, another person is filled with glee at the thought of snuggling under a blanket on the sofa and lighting candles. If you’re an autumn-lover, it’s possible your perfect wedding day is planned around the colour of gold and orange leaves, warm spiced drinks and low evening sunlight. Here at Crimble Hall and The Peacock Room, we really do love the richness of colours in autumn and the feeling of a crisp evening. I love finding out what our team of chefs are planning on the menus for the two AA rosette dining in The Peacock Room, or a specially-designed menu for an intimate wedding.

From my years of organising and planning weddings at the historic Crimble Hall, I’ve put together my six best tips for planning an autumn wedding and really making the most of this special time of year.

Seasonal colours

Many people will reject an autumnal theme for colours, because they don’t want an orange wedding. However, the weddings that really work with this colour scheme use hints of deep russets, burnt orange and deep reds, set alongside the traditional white dress and a dark grey suit. Alternatively, rich cranberry and mulled wine colours work very well as a wedding theme colour throughout both autumn and winter. I think that these deep rich colours also look great set against the very ‘in’ copper – which could be used on candelabras for table decoration, or simply just as an accent colour throughout the whole theme.

Photo by Kate Williams Photography

Plan your photography around the low setting sun

Work out what time the sun will be setting on your wedding day, and ask your photographer to plan out some sunset and low light shots. We have beautiful gardens at Crimble Hall, as well as views out across the Roch Valley, so I’ve seen some gorgeous evening photo shoots here. We also have twinkling fairy lights strung up around the Secret Garden area which makes great photographs too.

Photo by  White Shutter Photography

Autumn fruits on the menu

I love reading the changing seasonal menus by our executive chef Rob Walker, who spends a lot of time finding the right taste combinations, and sourcing the very best ingredients. One of these that would make a perfect wedding main course is the rump of lamb with braised red cabbage, fondant potato and textures of carrots.
Blackberries, apples, damsons and plums are all delicious autumn fruits which can be used as a seasonal twist in any dessert. We also like using them in welcome drink cocktails, such as apple cider Hot Toddies, or a classic gin bramble.

Photo Source: top left / top right (photo by Set Free Photography)  / middle left / middle middle / middle right / bottom left / bottom right

Pashminas and cold toes

An autumn day can be chilly for bridesmaids, especially little ones. Most adult bridesmaids don’t mind baring shoulders and toes for the wedding ceremony and formal photographs, but it’s really nice to have a pashmina for each of them, for in between wedding photos and any standing around time. You can also perhaps think about getting them all a pair of ballet slippers to solve any cold toes or blisters later on in the evening too – it’s usually much appreciated!

Photo by York Place Studios

Free table decoration from nature

The autumn months are the perfect time to be collecting goodies from nature to dress the tables if you’re having a sit-down wedding breakfast. Conkers and pine cones laid around hurricane lanterns look beautiful and seasonal. Red, yellow and orange leaves can be used as decoration, and even whole branches can be artfully placed across the wedding cake table for colour. Tea lights placed in pumpkins can look beautiful – but we don’t recommend cutting scary faces into them for a wedding!

Photo by www.fotografo-bodas.net

Fairy lights – and lots of them

When the night draws in early, there’s only one thing for it. Lights and lots of them! Tea lights, fairy lights, lanterns, hurricane lamps – you name it. You can cluster them on a side table, place large lamps alongside a path to light the way, or like we do, string fairy lights around for a truly magical feel to the evening.

Photo by Steve Fuller Photography

We really do love autumn weddings and hope you do too!

For more information on Crimble Hall go to:

crimblehall.com / FACEBOOK / T: @crimblerochdale

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