Happy Thanksgiving! Today seems like the last chance to celebrate an autumn wedding theme since it is the first official day of the winter holiday season and we’ll soon be swept up into the glitter and wrappings that come with it. So take a moment to remember the rich, warm colors and delicious treats from the fall.

Fall is also a great season for simple, do-it-yourself wedding projects. Wrap votive holders with fake autumn leaves with a rustic tie to quickly dress up your reception tables. Build a tower of cupcakes sprinkled with fall color and/or bake miniature pies with leaf print tops for a laid-back dessert. Pull together your fall wedding with other autumnal color touches such as brown bridesmaids’ dresses, pumpkin centerpieces and foliage inspired escort cards.

This week I’ve been picking out elements for the perfect fall wedding. I’ve brought all the elements together in this inspiration board – you really should start making these. Seeing everything together just feels complete, looks gorgeous and seems infinitely better than the individual parts.

For the do-it-yourself instructions and sources of all this goodness, check out the previous posts from this week! Purple, green and brown are such a modern twist on the traditional fall wedding color palette and adds a little bit of surprise to what your guests may have been expecting. Also, your bridal party will likely appreciate your color choices – who doesn’t look good in at least one shade of purple?

kate spade purple heels

And it allows you to sneak in these amazing, non-white wedding shoes

I love flowers – I mean who doesn’t. If they tell you they don’t, they’re probably lying. They smell pretty, they look pretty and it always helps if they come from an equally pretty boy. Nonetheless, I think plain flower arrangements for wedding reception tables are a bit boring. There are just so many more modern options today that you shouldn’t let those flowers stand alone.

fruits and flowers

This purple and green centerpiece incorporates limes, which add such a fresh edge to an otherwise traditional bouquet. I also love that they skipped roses – there are so many other pretty flowers out there that are so much more reasonably priced. And purple hydrangeas, sign me up please. The dark purple and bright greens have such an inviting contrast I can’t look away. Add in that this couple outfitted the reception hall with bamboo chairs and you’ve combined all three of my wedding colors with natural elements. I might add in a few candles (and obviously escort cards and dinnerware) to finish off this purple, brown and green reception table.

I know it’s the heat of summer so it may seem too soon to be thinking about bundling up with warm beverages. But as many brides know, you need to be picking out all your wedding details at least a season ahead of the actual ceremony so you have a chance to order it and put things together (and order a backup plan if necessary). So in the spirit of my purple, green and brown fall wedding plan I have chosen two very simple and do-it-yourself wedding reception elements.

truffles instead of wedding cake

I absolutely love the idea of having truffles in lieu of a wedding cake. They are easy to eat, simple to clean up and even more delicious to eat. Plus these truffles come with do-it-yourself directions to keep within your wedding budget. You can also make these a few days ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about assembling these cuties the night before your wedding. I love the modern bride option of skipping a huge, tiered wedding cake and these tiny delectable bites offer so many shades from my wedding color palette.

hot cocoa packet favors

And once you’ve started incorporating rich chocolate into your ceremony, why stop? Send your guests home with another easy do-it-yourself project – hot chocolate mix and red wine hot fudge favors. Check out Nonpareil’s online magazine for other great wedding tips and ideas.