The stunning brights of summer have now adopted warmer and more golden hues, providing a natural color palette for an elegant fall wedding. In addition to the complex array of tones that autumn provides, it also gives us a versatile accent piece for décor: the apple, signature fruit of the fall. With many lovely, eco-chic options, now is the time to take advantage of fall's favorite harvest. 

Apples mirror the colorful diversity of autumn leaves, so options for wedding décor are unlimited!  Yellow, green and red apples can be combined together, or paired with other colors to make gorgeous centerpieces.

Image: Orchard Cove Photography

Image: Kate Parker Events

Image: Orchard Cove Photography

Apples can suit either a rustic or more elegant style. Combined with hay bales, strung tin lanterns, and wine barrels, deep red apples create a more casual look, or make it sleek by placing apples in a cylinder vase with water and a few stems of seasonal flowers. This look was used to decorate a ceremony arbor.

Image: Kate Parker Events

Apples can even be used in your bouquet!

Image: Orchard Cove Photography

Whether they are picked fresh from the tree or made of sugar, apples make a delicious and colorful addition to your wedding cake.

Image: Kate Parker Events

A small slice could be made through the top of apples, where name cards could be held, or hand written names could be pinned into the sides of apples to make natural (and adorable!) place cards. Or, coat apples in candy or caramel for edible DIY favors. Concerned about sticky fingers? You can buy biodegradable cellophane to wrap your treats and compost the bags after your event. 

Image: Kate Parker Events

Why not plan an afternoon trip to a local orchard as a pre-wedding activity? Everyone in the wedding party, and visiting family and friends, can go pick apples together. These apples could then be used for any of the décor or favor ideas, or given to the chef to create a pies or sweet cider as a treat for everyone. Younger guests would love to help out by dipping the apples in a caramel sauce or candy coating, making the job of creating favors more fun!

Choosing organic, edible elements for your décor is always eco-friendly, because it cuts down on waste. Just be sure to plan ahead to use the fruits in your décor after the wedding, perhaps for the farewell brunch, or arrange for a donation. 

As the summer winds down, we're starting to think about rich oranges and deep reds. All the stores have already stocked their Halloween candy, school is starting, and the summer wedding styles are giving way to autumn's hues. But before we go there, how about one last summery, delicious, bright decor entry? There's nothing like a citrus-y colored wedding, complete with bold fruit accents, to make it an endless summer.

Images, clockwise from top left: Jonathan Canlas Photography, Rebecca Thuss, Real Green Weddings: Lovely Calla Lilies, One Love Photo

Use organic lemons or limes as part of your centerpieces, or as simple, crisp, and colorful seating card holders. They add brightness to your decor, and then spruce up a meal or drink the next day. No waste! Incorporating citrus fruits can also significantly cut down on your florals, as well (and that saves money, to boot!)

Best of all, these bright colors have enough pop on their own, allowing eco-friendly brides to minimize other decorations. It's easy to see how a bouquet or centerpiece created with just a few gorgeous, bold yellow and green blooms can make a style impression just as well (if not better!) than a large spray of more subtle hues.

Images, clockwise from top left: April Joy Events, Real Green Weddings: A Brown and Green Wedding, Jonathan Canlas Photography, Luce Bella Photography 

The pumpkins and cornstalks will be here soon enough, but until then, we thought we'd give summer one last bright and sunshiny tribute.

Who isn't dreaming of the sand and surf this time of year? We've caught the beach bug over here, especially after looking at some of these great photos. With images like this, how could we not be inspired to do a barefoot-in-the-sand entry?

All Images: Stehlik Photography

Give your guests the right first impression of your beach celebration. Beach Blanket invitations from Elum Designs give's guests a bright preview of your wedding, and are made from tree-free, 100% post-industrial waste cotton rag papers and soy based inks. 

Image: Elum Designs

A ceremony on the beach is so full of natural beauty that you're guaranteed a lovely setting without any additional decoration. But if you did want to add something, a canopy or chuppah embellished with palm fronds, or other local, seasonal flowers and plants would make a beautiful addition. Instead of using a traditional (and wasteful!) throw-away aisle runner, sprinkle flower petals in the sand to create your aisle.

Image: Stehlik Photography

Continue taking advantage of the gorgeous beach scenery by having your reception there, too. You can also cut down on your wedding's footprint by having your ceremony and reception at the same location, which avoids having all those guests drive from one place to another.

Image: Stehlik Photography

Adding beach elements to your florals is a creative way to enhance your theme and cut down on the amount of flowers you use. (Check out more ways to incorporate natural elements and use fewer flowers with no less style here.)

Image: Rosenow Floral Design

Image: Stehlik Photography

Don't stop at the flowers! Beach elements can add charm and elegance to all of your wedding decor. After you've asked your baker to use local, organic ingredients, discuss how to incorporate seaside colors and embellishments to your cake, like these:

Image: Studio 1923

Image: Stehlik Photography

Make a splash with creative seating "cards," table decor, and centerpieces. If you have the flair for calligraphy, these sand dollars make great DIY seating pieces, and, since they are personalized, are a great decorative keepsake to remind your guests of your special day.

Image: Studio 1923

Some sand, plus starfish or shells and soy or beeswax candles in reusable, borrowed, or purchased-and-donated-after-the-wedding glass bowls equals charming and eco-friendly centerpieces.

Image: Stehlik Photography

Driftwood has that beachy feel as well, and when paired with some flowers, can brighten up your table decor.

Image: Poppy's Petalworks

The best way to gather these natural beach elements for your wedding would be to spend some romantic pre-wedding time with your significant other on the beach collecting them from the sand. If you lack the time to do so, or you are having a destination wedding at the beach but don't live near one, consider a company like US Shell and purchase these decor pieces. They have an environmental policy that assures buyers that their shells, starfish, and other products are collected in a way that does not infringe on the eco-system from which they come.

Typically, hay-themed decorations call to mind images of the crisp leaves of fall, and russet tones of red and orange. While rustic hay bales are a lovely addition to fall wedding décor, they are just as charming and versatile in the spring or summer.

Cover the hay bales in fabric and secure them with a clip or bow for easy, casual seating during your wedding ceremony or reception. For the relaxed but chic celebration shown here, the bales were covered in vintage fabrics, and enhanced by the centerpieces and repurposed burlap on the tables. You could also consider accenting the hay bales with wildflowers in cheerful tin pails or other rustic, reusable containers.

Image: W. Scott Chester Photography

When choosing a fabric covering for hay bales, consider the comfort of your guests first and foremost. A fabric like burlap, although it evokes that rustic feel, would be too scratchy and could shed onto guests’ clothing. A thick fabric is important; canvas would be a good choice, and, since it is often used as a paint drop-cloth, it can be purchased on the cheap in a home improvement store, and then dyed. For a “homier” feel, use quilts as covers. These could be borrowed from family members and friends. Purchasing new fabric is a potentially expensive and less eco-friendly choice, so think of fabrics you can repurpose. You might consider tablecloths to cover the hay bales, because they can be rented, borrowed, or purchased, and then donated after the wedding.

Add color and comfort to your hay bale décor by adding pillows.

Image: Sean Watson Photography

Hay bale decorations and seating add casual appeal and personality to your wedding celebration.

 Images: Chelsea Elizabeth Photography

Best of all, hay is simply dried grass used as animal feed, so it is relatively easy to come by and inexpensive. In fact, you may be able to find a local farm that will lend you the hay bales free of charge, assuming you will pick them up and bring them back yourself. Using hay in your décor is a great eco-chic choice: it provides relaxed wedding day charm, is budget-friendly, and leaves no waste.

One of the hottest trends in summer wedding décor couldn’t be more eco-friendly. Vintage mason jars are taking center stage in every style of wedding, from rustic and charming to elegant and refined. Not only do mason jars add to many different kinds of décor, they also can be used in a variety of ways.

Tie a ribbon around the top of a mason jar, and fill with seasonal flowers for simple and attractive floral arrangements.

Image: Chelsea Elizabeth Photography

Mason jars can be used to keep bouquets fresh before the ceremony. Afterward, they can be placed on the tables at the reception to hold the bridal party’s flowers again, and enhance an elegant reception décor.

Image: Jonathan Canlas via Rocky Mountain Romance

On a warm summer night, mason jars suspended from a tree wink with lit candles, evoking images of fireflies, and creating a dreamy feeling for your celebration.

Image: One Love Photo

You can also suspend a jar filled with freshly picked flowers from a string of lights to add a colorful touch to a casual outdoor décor.

Image: Home-style Wedding

Place a soy candle inside a jar, and suspend from a garden lantern hanger. Add coordinating ribbon, and frame your ceremony aisle with these lovely decorations.

Image: Kate Parker Weddings

You can also gift your guests with reusable mason jars, and allow them to fill their jars with candy from a candy bar for a unique, edible favor.

No matter how you choose to use these versatile décor pieces, you definitely don’t need to buy them new. You can find them at inexpensive prices at thrift or consignment stores, estate sales, or via websites like eBay or craigslist. You may be surprised at the variety of styles and colors available, and you’re certain to find one that matches your vision for your wedding. If you don’t use the jars as favors, you’ll be able to resell them after your wedding. Beautiful décor, no waste…a green bride’s dream!