Question:

What is your favorite color palette for autumn weddings? I feel like my brides are stuck in a rut!

Love ‘n Fresh Flowers

Answers:

My favorite autumn color palette to propose is “jewel tones” and ask the couple to let me take it from there. This palette almost always starts with a foundation of burgundy in the form of smokebush and ninebark foliage, then burgundy dahlias. Then I layer on pops of persimmon, peach, carmine, magenta, orange, and sapphire (porcelain berries are my favorite autumn accent). This fall burgundy and magenta together have been really making me happy. (photos: Katch Silva)

Jennie Love (Love ‘n Fresh Flowers)

______________________________________________________________________

I suppose I’m on the traditional side as one of my favorite autumn color palettes is rich, burnt orange and dark reds. Add in fall leaves and seasonal fruits like persimmons and pomegranates to the display and I’m even more thrilled!
My other go-to autumn color palette is the burgundy, plum and cream look. Burgundy dahlias, David Austin Tess roses, tardiva hydrangeas, plum scabiosa, etc. makes for a gorgeous design.

Alicia Schwede (Bella Fiori)

_____________________________________________________________________

When fall comes I love working with rust, brown, and gold colours. I love the ways these can come into play with cafe au lait dahlias and other pale flowers. The photos here show these flowers blended with ferns, rosehips and heavenly bamboo which worked beautifully with beeswax candles and gold silk ribbon. And the huge squash and pears from my farm were a perfect addition to mark the arrival of fall. (Photos by Ameris)

Clare Day (Clare Day Flowers)

_____________________________________________________________________

There are so many fun autumnal palettes available to floral designers, and I totally agree that it’s important not to get stuck in a rut. Perhaps by showing brides all of the potential color combinations fall flowers have to offer, you can help them branch out and find something equally beautiful (but more fun for you!). Based on what is growing in my garden, I will suggest several color combinations that are both adventurous and beautiful. The first would be burgundies and blushes. Dark fall foliage mixed with deep dahlias, berries, dark chrysanthemums, and black scabiosa provide a perfect contrast to Cafe au Lait dahlias, blush roses, and pale pink cosmos. The other color palette I tend toward is a very soft “pastel” version of autumn. I use only the lightest gold foliage and dried seedheads as a compliment to the nude colors of Cafe au Lait dahlias and the soft whites of anemones, cosmos, hydrangeas, etc. Autumn is also a perfect season to incorporate cute little veggies, herbs, and fruits! I think looking at what is growing locally at the moment (both in the garden and along the roadside) and finding fun, unexpected color combinations is key.

Emily Avenson (Fleuropean)

Fleuropean | Anna Doshina Photography

Fleuropean | Michelle Lange Photography

____________________________________________________________________

I am in love with muddy tones. Gregor Lersch noted that I love this color and he calls it “dirty solider underwear” (note he is from Germany so insert a strong accent and a bit of a twist from translating). Mixing a muddy brown with anything and everything makes for a new and exciting palette. Even the most vibrant of tones look moody and dramatic with a tinge of brown and it makes them perfect for fall. I use foliages that are showing hints of brown or gold. Sometimes this tone of color is a sign of stress or disease in a plant or is the result of the first frost. Blueberry and grapevine are good examples of a change in leaf color as the season progresses. Some plants just naturally have this color. I love nandina, heuchera, abelia, plum, mauve or muddy lisianthus, some types of fern, and eleaganus are great for this also. I also love the flowers that show that muddy mauve brown tone, like Koko Loko roses from Ella Rose Farm.

Holly Chapple (Holly Heider Chapple Flowers)

_____________________________________________________________________

Passionflower | Kathy Davies Photography

Although I adore the expected “fall colors”- oranges, reds, and burgundies, I don’t often design with these tones in autumn. I like to try and represent the season by using elements that are plentiful then, such as locally sourced amaranthus and dahlias, but I tend to suggest palettes that are a little subtler, and less expected. Coral, soft peach, and blush may be suggested in place of hot-toned oranges for instance, and this may be paired with deep plum-toned greenery, instead of a more expected bright red fall foliage. I love to add deep-toned berried branch or vine such as wild grape, privet, and viburnum, or white berried branch such as snowberry, or foraged dogwood branch. Lately, I’m loving pale beige and mustard tones found in such flowers as ‘Wonderous Light Brown” lisianthus, ‘Golden Mustard’ roses, and ‘Putumayo Beige’ carnations mixed in with plum foliages, soft blush tones, and soft gray or white accent materials.

Susan McLeary (Passionflower)

---

For more from the Botanical Brouhaha Expert Panel, click here!