Autumn inspiration for a countryside wedding venue

The romance of Autumn is spellbinding - there is a depth of colour to be found in the countryside like no other, natural beauty at every turn in the trees and landscape, with an emerging carpet of newly fallen leaves as the season evolves. 

For many, Autumn is the only choice as it offers so much variety for a unique countryside wedding. Rich and warm colour palettes, crisp mornings, quite often blue, cloudless skies and a wonderful array of florals to choose from.  

Even when the gardens are seemingly entering hibernation, there is still so much interest and texture creating a sense of natural beauty that is only heightened when in the countryside, with so much open space surrounding you.  

 There are many brides and grooms that although had planned for a wedding in the earlier seasons of this year, are now faced with the prospect of changing their wedding date to later this year or early next, due to the unfortunate situation surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic.  A complete change of season can present its own set of challenges but however tricky it may seem, rest assured an Autumn wedding in the countryside will be magical!

Imagine the candlelight, the warmth of the venue as you enter, the sight of magnificent wild flower arrangements and aroma of Autumnal foliage. 

Brollies and heel stoppers are always a wise choice so that you are as prepared as can be, but there will always be chance to have those all-important photographs outside at some point on the wedding day. Another top tip for the Bride and Groom is to have some lip balm to hand, just incase your lips are drier than normal!

If you have already picked a colour scheme of soft pink or pastels, don't worry - with a few little tweaks it can be perfectly suited to an Autumn wedding.  How about the addition of a gorgeous faux fur or sequined shrug or bolero to keep your shoulders warm, and the Groom could look incredible in a velvet tuxedo jacket with complimenting bow tie.  This would definitely add a bit of glamour to the bridal party and change the overall look just enough.  If you had your heart set on soft roses or peonies, perhaps you could consider mixing some garden roses and ranunculus with some richer coloured flowers such as dhalias and chocolate cosmos - they smell divine! 

  Fill your venue with candles...everywhere....on the dining tables, on the window sills and in all the nooks and crannies, perhaps guide your guests to the entrance of your countryside wedding venue with a simple path of hurricane lanterns. You can take full advantage of what this season has to offer and bring the outside in with simple but very effective foliage decorations too. 

 Make your food and drink offering seasonal to suit this time full of culinary delights.  Spiced mulled cider could be the perfect welcome drink to warm chilly hands, ideally suited to wedding venues in the countryside and then you could follow that with a feast in keeping to the season and surroundings too.

Martin Jackson, Head Chef at Priston Mill, our wonderfully idyllic wedding venue in the heart of the countryside near Bath, would suggest the following where seasonality and local produce are at their best: 

 Starter

 Ham hock and apple terrine with grape chutney and apple crisp shards

Carrot and cashew nut paté, picked radish, carrot and cucumber and a rye bread crostini (vegetarian/vegan)

~oo0oo~

Main Course

Gressingham duck breast with thyme, sweet potato fondant, carrot and caraway purée and a port reduction

Beetroot, squash, lentil and kale Wellington with a mushroom cream sauce (vegetarian/vegan)

~oo0oo~

Dessert

Pear frangipane tart with fig jam and cinnamon ice cream

For more inspiration for your wedding menus, you could take a look at the rest of Martin's mouth-watering dishes, which can be found on the Wedding Menus page of the Priston Mill website. 

The seasons this year have been nothing short of spectacular and we have no doubt that Autumn will be the same. 

There is one very important thing to remember...your wedding day will be amazing come rain or shine, and whatever the season. If you are one of those couples that are having to wait a little longer for your big day, don't lose hope, your day will come and when it does it will be worth the wait!

For any more information about Autumnal wedding inspiration at Priston Mill, please do get in contact, or if we can support you in any way to ease the pressure at this challenging time our team are here and ready to help! Our team can be reached on 01225 423894 or click here to email us.