Autumn Wedding Flowers

What Blooms Should You Choose For a Fall Wedding?

When the fall season arrives, so do colorful autumn wedding flowers.

You can choose from a wonderful assortment of colors such as a creamy whites, light to deep golden tones, autumn oranges, and rustic reds. Mix and match to your heart's delight until you find the perfect flower arrangement for your celebration.

To help you with your fall floral decisions, take a look at this suggested list along with the accompanying picture to get a better idea of what you might wish to use.

Amaryllis

The season for Amaryllis ranges from late fall to early spring, so it's a good choice for a late fall wedding.

Since it has no scent, it's perfect for floral table centerpieces, as it won't bother guests who may have allergies.

The Amaryllis comes in a range of colors: white, green, yellow, pink, red, Burgundy and orange. The Orange Sovereign variety is a nicely shaded orange that would suit perfectly!

Meaning: Symbolizes pride

Aster

Asters are a September blooming flower, which has a bit of interesting mythology attached to it. It is said that the Aster originated when Virgo scattered stardust over the earth. It gets its name from the Greek word for "star" and is also known as "starwort".

When choosing your autumn flowers, keep in mind that the Aster makes a good supporting flower in bouquets and arrangements, rather than being the main focal point.

Look for it in shades of lavender, red and purple.

Meaning: Known as a symbol of love and patience.

Calla Lily

Calla Lilies are exquisite flowers that have no scent. The orange, Chinese red, Burgundy and black varieties are excellent choices for autumn weddings. Other colors include: white, shades of yellow, pink to deep rose and "green goddess".

Calla Lilies are probably one of the most popular choices used in bridal bouquets and centerpiece arrangements. They are available all year, but their peak season is late winter to late spring.

Meaning: Symbolize magnificent beauty.

Cosmos

Cosmos bloom from midsummer to fall. They come in shades of white, pale pink, dark pink and in wonderful shades that are perfect for fall weddings - orange, red and a deep burgundy brown (ie. Cosmos atrosanguineus ("Chocolate Cosmos") - is the only variety that has a scent.)

These flowers are light and airy, so are perfect in casual bouquets.

Meaning: In Greek it means order and harmony.

Chrysanthemum

There are approximately 1000 different varieties of Chrysanthemums and its history dates back to 15th century B.C.

It comes in a huge array of shades ranging from solid colored to two-toned to multicolored. The most popular color choices for a fall bouquet are: white, yellow, green, orange, russet, red and burgundy.

Meaning: In Greek, the name means "golden flower". Individually colored ones have their own meanings: red symbolizes love, while white means truth, and yellow means slighted love.

Dahlia

The Dahlia is available in all shades, except for true blue. Their season is summer to early fall and they are fairly inexpensive, making them a good choice if you plan on having a lot of arrangements and bouquets.

Most Dahlia's do not have a scent, although growers are now beginning to create ones that do. So take care when choosing the type of Dahlia you want to use on your reception tables. Remember, some people have severe allergies.

Meaning: Depending on the color, Dahlias can mean: dignity, elegance, good taste or instability. Single-petal Dahlias symbolize good taste, while double-petal ones mean participation, and variegated ones mean "I think of you constantly".

Delphinium

Delphinium are available year round, although their peak season is June to October, making them an ideal choice for autumn wedding flowers.

There are 250 species of Delphiniums, most being predominantly shades of blue, violet, purple and white. You can also get hybrid varieties in a mixture of blue and purple shades, as well as cream and pale pink. A rarer variety of Delphinium comes in a red and yellow shade.

They have no scent, so feel free to use them as accents in table centerpiece arrangements.

Meaning: The buds of this flower are said to resemble a dolphin's snout. Not surprisingly, the name delphinium comes from the Greek word delphis, which means dolphin.

Freesia

This sweet fruity-scented blossom comes in all colors except blue. Freesia's are small and dainty and usually have 8 to 12 buds per stem.

Use them to fill out and accent bridal bouquets and floral arrangements.

The deep reds and yellow-orange blooms look amazing in a fall wedding bouquet.

Meaning: Innocence

Gerbera Daisies

A beautiful daisy-like flower, Gerberas are available all year and come in an large amount of colors and combinations. They are also available in a variety of sizes - regular size, mini and over-sized blooms.

You can get them in solid colors, two-toned, and variegated. Some have yellow centers and some have black. These gorgeous blooms carry no scent.

Use white, yellow, orange or red to spice up your bridal bouquet and to create brilliant floral arrangements for your reception tables.

Meaning: The traditional meaning is beauty and innocence.

Hyacinth

The season for Hyacinths is November to May. There are two varieties that most people are familiar with - the Grape Hyacinth (ie. Muscari) and the popular Dutch Hyacinth.

The most common colors are purple and blue hyacinths, although they also come in white, yellow, pale pink, peach, and fuchsia.

There are two important things that you need to be aware of: first, these flowers have a very sweet scent which will cause problems for people with allergies; second, these plants are poisonous, so wear gloves if you are putting together your own bridal bouquets and floral arrangements.

Meaning: Remembrance

Hydrangea

Available from July to November, Hydrangeas are absolutely lovely and are a favorite blossom choice amongst brides.

Colors include: white, pink, green, blue, purple and deep burgundy - and the shades of each vary in intensity. Some come in two-toned colors as well.

Meaning: Perseverance

Nerine Lily

Also called the Guernsey Lily, this beautiful flower comes predominantly in bright pink, but you can also get them in white, cream, peach, orange and crimson red (the last two being a perfect choice for fall and winter weddings).

The blooms are lily-shaped, with long, slim petals that sit atop a dark green leafless stem - similar to the picture shown. They are available fall through winter and carry a very slight, but unusual scent.

Roses

Roses are available all year and are the number one choice for bridal bouquets. Regardless of what season you marry in, you can't go wrong with choosing roses.

A few popular rose choices for this season include Black Magic (a deep burgundy rose - great for winter weddings too); Leonidas (chocolate brown); orange roses such as Terra Cotta (burnt orange color) and Tropical Amazone (Halloween orange); High Society (bi-color yellow and red rose); Kerio (a golden yellow).

There are many, many colorful options to choose from and it would be impossible to name them all.

Meanings: Orange Roses - Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion, Red Roses - Love and Romance, Yellow Roses - Friendship and Joy

Sunflowers

Sunflowers come in a variety of shades of yellow - from pale lemon to a deep golden tone (the color we most commonly associate with a Sunflower). Some varieties even come in rust and brown colors too.

Although summer is the real season for Sunflowers, they are most often associated with fall, and are used in autumn floral displays due to their bright yellow petals and deep brown centers.

Meaning: Warmth, Adoration and Pride