Ultimate autumn wedding harvest

Autumn offers some of the most delicious produce of the year, so if you are hosting a celebration during these months, make sure you make the most of local produce and the best of the season in your wedding catering.

As outdoor temperatures turn cooler, serve up wholesome delicious soups for starters to warm guests and line their stomachs before the evening party. Choose root vegetables such as butternut squash, pumpkin and turnip for the base of the soup, as these are in their prime at this time of year.

For the main course, add a side of sweet potato fries or roasted parsnips for simple yet effective menu additions which are at their tastiest from September to December.

Finally, for dessert, pick apple or pear-based puddings, such as apple crumble, apple pie or roasted pears. With a hint of cinnamon and lashings of cream or custard, these sweet treats will leave guests with an appetite for more.

While ice cream may not be your first choice for an autumn wedding, less conventional flavours can put a seasonal spin on this crowd-pleasing dessert.



Image: Treats on a Tricycle, treatsonatricycle.co.uk (photography by Kerry Ann Duffy)

Rebecca Bolton, founder and owner of ice cream business Treats On A Tricycle, says: “With so many fruits starting to ripen, consider flavours such as cherry, rhubarb and rosehip, and rum and raisin. For vegan guests or those who require dairy-free alternatives, we would recommend our stem ginger sorbet, Buck’s Fizz sorbet or simple lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate after a warm and satisfying wedding breakfast.”

For drinks, prosecco vans, cocktails served from vintage caravans and mobile milkshake shacks have grown in popularity thanks to wedding bloggers and Instagram. From originally popping up at festivals and other big outdoor events, this trend has now moved into the wedding industry as a fun alternative to a standard bar. Serve up apple martinis, hot toddy and cranberry cocktails, as these fruits are all perfect picks for autumn.

"If you are hosting an outdoor wedding, spread out the catering and drinks so that social distancing can be followed by using lots of smaller tables to prevent overcrowding. Prepare for all weathers by providing blankets and umbrellas for the guests during outdoor drinks." Steve Rollason and Louise Mengual, The Tipsy Tow, thetipsytowbar.co.uk

How to style your autumn wedding cake

Image: Just Like Mummy's, justlikemummys.co.uk 

Krystle Ijeoma Oguntayo, owner and chief cake engineer for Just Like Mummy’s, advises how to incorporate an autumnal theme into your wedding cake.

“There’s something just so special about the autumn months; it’s not too hot, not too cold and you can take advantage of the great hues of colour that are available. Incorporating splashes of colourful flowers and leaves in your wedding cake is really easy to do and the warm oranges, mustard yellows, rich reds and olive greens will add a level of vibrancy to your day.

“You can also play around with the flavours of your cake too. Our spiced carrot cake tastes fabulous and is enriched with cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, sultanas and, of course, carrots –a harvest festival in one slice.

“The ever-trending rustic wedding theme is set to stay and the semi-naked cake craze is going strong, so consider a log slice for your cake stand and add some pine cones atop the tiers or around the base to incorporate some autumn magic into your day.”