“Autumn ... the year’s last, loveliest smile”

THE poet John Howard Bryant sure had it right when he wrote about autumn being the year’s last and lovely smile. This is why couples preparing for an autumn wedding should take full advantage of what is a beautiful time of year. Autumn is the most spectacular for colour and there’s every reason why you should make it part of your wedding day. Newlyweds will deservedly have the top table all to themselves on the big day but it’s worth remembering your guest tables are the focal point from which they get to absorb the special atmosphere.

In recent years wedding planners have placed huge emphasis on decorating tables with all kinds of chic, quirky and novel trinkets to keep guests enthralled; it’s a great idea and autumn weddings offer plenty of scope for inventive, seasonal table decorations.

A wedding planner will already be one step ahead on this topic, but you can also sit down with your partner and come up with a few novel themes of your own. A quick search through Google and Pinterest reveals more decorative table ideas than you care to imagine. For example, centrepieces make the table’s biggest statement and by adding depictions of a rustic, harvest theme you will really capture that autumn feel as there’s no point in trying to make it look like summer when it clearly isn’t. Wedding ideas can be a bit like sourcing quality food in that they are best enjoyed with the season in mind.

For example, couples often use mini fake fruits like apples, pumpkins and nuts as little props to hold guests names and indicate the seating arrangements at a table, and a ‘tablescape’ - when properly executed – can leave guests in awe. Mock foliage sprayed gold or silver (or both together) can make great centrepieces and by adding some browns, reds and dark greens, you’ll end up having a really nice table decoration, exclusive to you and your partner’s own concept and design.

Try and imagine that you are the guest seated at the table on a wedding day and visualise what kind of table decoration best suits the lighting of the hall and time of year. If you’re on a budget, you could just decorate the top table to such an extent that it holds the attention of guests. Whatever kind of idea, design or creation you settle for, it’s nice to tell admiring guests it was your own idea.