We love fall weddings—“it’s not too hot and not too cold, all you need is a light jacket!” September and October are popular wedding months for several reasons: the beautiful natural scenery, opportunities to lower wedding costs, and a general warm, cozy feeling that accompanies the busting out of sweaters and hot cider. However, autumn presents its own challenges, particularly to a couple hoping for an outdoor wedding.

Things to consider when planning a fall, outdoor wedding:

1. Prepare for inclement weather: Remind guests to be prepared for cold weather ahead of time via your wedding website or an insert in the invitation. Another option is to provide shawls or blankets for your guests. 2. Use in-season flowers to keep wedding costs down: Regardless of your color scheme, look to fall wedding ideas for your flowers. Off-season flowers can dramatically raise your wedding costs, so unless your heart is set on peonies, opt for chrysanthemums, roses, or sunflowers instead. If you’re embracing fall colors, you can also incorporate harvest elements like wheat, leaves, and cranberries into your bouquet!

By Autumn Wilson Photography

3. Double-check weekends for holidays: Most fall wedding ideas pull from the holidays, like Halloween and Thanksgiving. However, many people forget to double-check that their wedding date doesn’t fall on a holiday weekend! Check to see if Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot fall on a weekend if you have any Jewish guests, and avoid the weekend after Thanksgiving. Keep in mind some of your guests might have annual plans for Veteran’s Day or Halloween weekend, although these dates are generally acceptable. 4. Plan ahead for pollen: Even if you don’t usually suffer from allergies, the influx of pollen during autumn can incent allergy symptoms. Have non-drowsy antihistamine and eye drops on hand to be on the safe side, especially if you or any of your bridal party members are prone to allergies. You don’t want red, puffy eyes in your wedding photos! 5. Have a back-up indoor site: A rule of thumb for an outdoor wedding during any season of the year, but especially an autumn wedding, is to have a back-up indoor site. Some outdoor venues will have an indoor site available in case of horrible weather; otherwise you might want to plan on re-locating to a friend’s house or other location.

by LC Photography

6. Choose a warm signature drink: Keep your guests cozy and take advantage of fun fall recipes by serving a warm signature drink, such as hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps or hot cider and spiced rum. 7. School is back in session: If many of your guests have school-age children, avoid scheduling your wedding on a weekday. Also allow for adequate travel time for out-of-town parents when scheduling a weekend wedding.

Check out our fall wedding ideas!

Once you’ve accounted for all of the fall outdoor wedding concerns listed above, it’s time to start planning the rest of your wedding! We have a lot of great fall wedding ideas, including incorporating fall recipes, lowering wedding costs by using nature as your décor, and tips for fall wedding guests. Read our fall wedding ideas posts for inspiration:

• ‘Boo’-tiful Black Bridal Gowns
• Fall in Love with Fall Wedding Ideas
• Fall Bridesmaid Dresses in Sage Green
• Fall in Love with a Plum Bridesmaid Dress
• Halloween Wedding Ideas: No Tricks, But Lots of Eye Candy!

Are there any tips for planning a fall outdoor wedding that we forgot? Help us out by sharing below!