The colour of the flowers in your arrangement are important. They’ll need to match, complement or contrast the overall colour theme of your wedding. 

Here’s some popular colour combinations for autumn weddings:

Burgundy and gold: This is a classic for an autumn wedding. The richness of the burgundy contrasts nicely with the glittering of gold and brings a traditional autumn vibe to your special day.

Jewel tones: Mix and match opulent jewel tones like emerald green, ruby red, and sapphire blue for a bright and vibrant colour scheme. Going for red and blue flowers with plenty of rich green foliage is the best way to achieve this look in bouquets, corsages and centrepieces.

Neutrals: Neutral colours like beige, grey, and ivory, with hints of green can bring a cosy feel to your wedding. Keeping the colours neutral will allow the bride and groom to stand out while creating a calm and classy ambience.

Navy blue and burnt orange: While it may seem like a bold or unusual choice, navy and orange create a colour palette with panache. Navy blue is a classic wedding colour and pairs very well with burnt orange/rust, creating a striking but well-balanced look.

Deep purple and sage: Deep purple accents will bring a regal feel to your wedding, while hints of sage and some light-coloured foliage will provide a natural element that ties into the feeling of autumn.

Now that you’ve got some colour scheme inspiration, it’s time to think about which flowers work well.

Roses: A staple - roses are good for all seasons. They grow all year round so there will be no shortage of fresh flowers for your big day. Red, orange or deep purple roses are best for autumn weddings, although you can’t go wrong with a classic white rose.

Dahlias: An autumn favourite. Dahlias come in all shapes and sizes, giving you the flexibility to tailor your bouquet exactly how you want it. They also come in a variety of colours, so you’re bound to find some that fit your theme.

Asters: As a smaller bloom, asters make for a great accent flower. They come in shades of purple, blue, and white – all complimentary colours with popular autumn hues.

Chocolate cosmos: Another small bloom, the chocolate cosmos brings depth and dimension to your flower arrangements. A dark reddish-brown colour, it’s the perfect addition to your autumn bouquets.

Hydrangeas: One of the most versatile flowers, you can alter the colour of hydrangeas based on the pH level of the soil. They can be purple, pink, blue, white, or green depending on the acidity level of the soil. If you time it right, you may even end up with multitoned blooms for your wedding day.

If you’re designing arrangements yourself rather than getting a florist’s advice, there are a couple of fundamental rules to follow to craft the best-looking bouquets.

The ‘3 5 8 rule’

The ‘3 5 8 rule’ is an easy to understand floristry trick used to achieve the perfect arrangement. You’ll need:

• 3 types of flowers: Choose three varieties as the main focal point of your arrangement. Picking flowers of different sizes and colours will add some dimension to your bouquet.
• 5 stems of greenery: Greenery will add texture to your arrangement and give the flowers something to contrast against. Don’t be afraid to use a variety of different stems. 
  Top tip: Just because it’s called ‘greenery’ doesn’t mean it has to be green. Depending on your colour palette, reds, browns, and oranges may be a better choice.
• 8 filler flowers: Filler flowers are the smaller blooms that fill the gaps between the focal flowers and the greenery. Typically, only one type of flower is used as the filler flower, but there’s no harm in experimenting with multiple types.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with height and other dimensions when crafting your arrangements, you don’t know what will look best until you experiment.

The Golden Ratio

The Golden Ratio (or Golden Spiral) is a mathematical formula which, when used in design, creates natural-looking compositions. It’s a reliable rule to use when building your aesthetically pleasing bouquets and arrangements too. 

For centrepieces and similar décor, your arrangements should be two and half times bigger than the container they’re in. 

For the bouquet, try to follow the golden spiral as closely as possible to draw in the eyes without detracting from the person holding it.