Hi there! Mackenzie, HHF floral designer here! Fall (or autumn if you’re feeling fancy) is for sure our most popular wedding season. The moderate weather, the beautiful changing colors, and moody, cozy vibes make it perfect for weddings, at least here in the Shenandoah Valley. Maybe one of the best reasons to choose a fall wedding date, though, are the absolutely stunning flower varieties in bloom. In case you were wondering what flowers you can expect for a fall wedding date, you’ve come to the right place! Although your exact date will determine the prime flowers for your wedding, here are some of the focal flowers (aka the stars of the show) that will likely make an appearance in your fall wedding flowers, as well as a couple of my personal little favorites:

Lisianthus

Typically blooming in mid-August with a second flush in the fall, lisianthus are our farm’s answer to roses. These absolutely stunning flowers have the romantic appeal of your typical rose, but with colors ranging from deep purples, to blushy pinks and peaches, to soft lavenders, to moody rosey browns - plus, no thorns! Lisianthus (or, as we affectionately call them, lissies) are an absolute farm fave - our Lady Monarch even named her dachshund, Lissie, after these stunners!

Dahlias

Right around the time that we’ve harvested the last of our first lisianthus flush, our dahlia field starts exploding with color, and it is truly a sight to behold. Look, since we’re all friends here, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: I am not a fan of dahlias. I know, I KNOW; it’s not because they’re not beautiful! Dahlias are fragile little divas that don’t last as long as we wish they would, so if I’m looking for some flowers to keep in a vase at home to enjoy long term, they’re not my first choice. However! Since flowers for weddings are all harvested and designed within a few days leading up the event, these temperamental little ladies are perfect for a fall wedding! Their range of shapes and colors make them perfect for almost any color palette, and their relatively short vase life is irrelevant when they really just need to be perfect for a single day. And don’t let my less than enthusiastic opinion of dahlias scare you - these are a super popular flower for both weddings and everyday, and I might be the only person in the world who isn’t their biggest fan :)

Chrysanthemums

Since I’ve already let you in on one of my personal biases, here’s another: chrysanthemums, especially heirloom mums, are (unofficially but also kind of officially) Harmony Harvest Farm’s signature flower, which means everyone on this farm is absolutely obsessed with them. We have a pretty impressive collection of both heirloom and hybrid varieties of mums, and some varieties you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else. These incredible flowers have it all - incredibly long vase life, rainbows of color, and unbelievable shapes and forms. If your only experience with mums are the big planters you see on every porch in your neighborhood during the fall season, you’ll be blown away by the wild diversity of these farm-favorites.

And now for a few of my personal favorites - these might not be the star of the show, but they add a little extra oomph to any fall wedding arrangement:

Strawflower

Even though I sometimes have to fight to get these as fresh-cut flowers (we typically dry most of these since they hold their color and shape so perfectly), strawflower’s beautiful autumnal colors and funky vibes make them one of my favorites for fall. Their papery petals and bright yellow centers give a certain texture and color that just really do it for me. Plus, as mentioned before, these are my favorite dried flowers - so if you want to dry a few stems from your wedding bouquets or arrangements, these are perfect for that!

Celosia

Even though our celosia typically starts blooming at the end of summer, this is the flower that marks fall for me. These vibrant flowers come in a range of fascinating shapes and forms, and also happen to be amazing dried flowers as well. 

Amaranth

Another one of my fall faves (that makes a wonderful dried flower as well) is amaranth. These drooping flowers are absolutely perfect for earthy toned arrangements, although they can fit into a range of color palettes. Their almost fuzzy texture and draping forms make them an interesting and lovely addition to any fall wedding.

If you’re thinking of choosing a fall wedding date, but are worried about what local flowers will be in bloom, you can rest assured that there are plenty of beautiful flowers that you or your florist can work with.