Planning an Autumn Wedding

Everyone gets married in the spring. Planning a wedding in the months of May and June is expensive, tedious, and can be downright boring for those who do a lot of that type of thing. Eventually, the selection process for wedding décor, colors, cakes, and wedding favors becomes meaningless and monotonous for a wedding planner. You, as the couple getting married, may not realize it while it’s happening, but the end result will not be quite what it could be.

An autumn wedding, on the other hand, is an exciting affair that doesn’t happen all that often. Couples tend to shy away from the later months of the year because temperatures get colder and the holidays are right around the corner. Won’t projected guests be tied up with other plans or have a hard time getting a free weekend with all the kids activities that happen in the fall? What about football season? No one wants to miss the game of the year because you’re getting married that day. That could be a disaster, couldn’t it?

If you’re thinking that this all sounds a bit neurotic, you’re right. If you don’t understand why, you’ve probably never planned a wedding before. These are the thoughts that run through the minds of brides and groom everywhere when put under stress before the big day. The “experts” in wedding planning will tell them that spring is better because the weather usually cooperates and guest lists tend to be more complete. Football is long over, baseball is just beginning, and the kids are getting ready for summer vacation.

Those are all good reasons, but when you start planning, you’ll find that the demand for spring wedding venues means higher prices. Fall, on the other hand, tends to be more affordable because halls don’t generally get booked heavily between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. You’ll also find lots of bargains with back to school and pre-holiday sales going on, everything from linens to fall wedding favors. The savings alone can make waiting the extra few months worthwhile.

If you live in the northern part of the country, fall means foliage. Think of the wedding photos you can take with a backdrop of orange, red, gold, and brown to offset that stunning white wedding gown and selective choice of bridesmaids’ dresses. If you live down south, fall means cooler temperatures and breezy nights. You’ll be more comfortable, your guests can relax, and you won’t have to worry about excessively hot temperatures or seasonal storms. You can just enjoy yourself. Fall, after all, is a ball.