Autumn Wedding Food

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to have your wedding. We should know, we recently wrote the complete guide to plan an autumn wedding!

It’s a time when the bright colours of summer make way for the coppers, browns and yellows of autumn. The air becomes cooler, nights cosier and if you’re lucky, autumn can deliver some of the most glorious crisp sunny days. 

This guide will help those of you who have earmarked autumn as the season you’ll be getting married to choose food and drink to suit the occasion.

Food ideas for your reception

The ceremony is complete, it’s time to join your guests for the drinks reception. Usually, this time of day is reserved for canapés; small morsels big on style and flavour. So, how do you reflect the season in your wedding reception canapés?

It’s all about choosing your ingredients carefully. Autumn is a time of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Here are a few to consider.

Figs

Figs are a great, seasonal fruit. They are sweet and go really well with salty meats and cheeses, making the most of contrasting flavours. Think fig and goat cheese puff pastry tarts, or perhaps serve fig and manchego cheese wrapped inside some Italian ham - delicious!

Pumpkin

If there’s one fruit that springs to mind at this time of year, it’s the pumpkin. Used to carve scary faces at Halloween, the pumpkin is sometimes misunderstood; it’s worth remembering it’s a great ingredient as well. Check out this recipe for mini pumpkin tarts on the Great British Chefs website to see what we mean!

Apples

Another canapé, another seasonal fruit. This time the apple. Naturally sweet, apple goes well with both sweet and savoury dishes. The natural pairing for apple is pork. Pork cheek served with some apple sauce is a staple canapé at many events. For a veggie-friendly option, you could try these Jarlsberg cheese, onion and apple canapés!

Autumn wedding breakfast menu ideas

Onto the main event; the wedding breakfast. As with the canapés, this is another opportunity to use the season as your theme when setting the menu.

Red meats

The cooler weather calls for hearty fare. This is where red meats come into their own. A main of beef or lamb will go down very well at this time of year. Packed with flavour and pairing well with rich sauces, seasonal veg and a nice glass of red. For an autumn wedding, you can’t go far wrong. 

Game

Looking for something a little different to the usual beef or lamb? Consider serving game instead. Duck is a crowd-pleaser; it’s a rich meat that pairs very nicely with sweet sauces. Serve your duck with an orange-based sauce for a truly autumnal dish that your guests won’t forget.

Roasted veggies

If you’re serving rich meats, you’ll want to serve some seasonal vegetables with them. Autumn is a great time to serve potatoes, parsnips and carrots. Mix with some fresh greens for the contrast.

Risotto

A great alternative for vegetarians at this time of year is risotto. Risotto is a flexible way to offer up something tasty and hearty and can use a number of different ingredients for flavour. A mushroom risotto suits the season well, butternut squash also adds a seasonal splash of colour to a rice dish.

Food bar for the after-party

The party is in full swing and the guests have worked up an appetite again after all of the celebrations of the day. The evening food is another brilliant opportunity to stamp your personality onto the occasion, so here are some great ideas to consider for an autumn wedding:

A cheese lover’s platter

Believe it or not, the reason cheese is often served at the end of a big meal is that it contains alkali, which counteracts the effects of the acid from the food you’ve just eaten! Turn the cheese course into a feature at your wedding by offering evening guests a selection of cheeses served with biscuits, chutneys and fruits. It fits the season perfectly and is perfect for picking at.

Pies

Autumn is a time for pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Traditionally very popular in North America, these pies are another fantastic way to make a nod to the season and offer your guests something a little out of the norm. Get creative and serve mini versions of each!

Doughnut wall

Increasingly trendy at weddings, and admittedly not particularly autumnal, doughnut walls are a simple idea; a wall containing rows of pegs, from which ring doughnuts hang. Not only does a doughnut wall taste good, but it becomes an important part of the backdrop to the party.

Popcorn

Finally, another great evening snack for your wedding is popcorn. Popcorn is a great vessel for flavour, so you’re free to create flavour combinations to match the season. At this time of year, consider using cinnamon and perhaps even try this gingerbread popcorn recipe.

Drinks for an autumn wedding

The default drinks of choice at a wedding are often white wine, red wine and beer, but using a little creativity, you can fully embrace the joys of autumn when choosing your drink selection.

Hot chocolate

Particularly good if you’ve got kids celebrating the day as well, hot chocolate is a warm hug on a chilly autumn day. Setting up a hot chocolate station, complete with squirty cream and decorations is a fun way to serve a seasonal drink that anyone can enjoy.

Mulled wine and cider

Nothing says autumn like huddling together watching fireworks whilst warming your hands on a cup of mulled wine or cider. Provide your guests with this warming seasonal drink, not only will it taste great, but it will fill the room with a wonderful, seasonal aroma.

Mulled fruit juice

Don’t forget to take care of the designated drivers and teetotalers, mulled fruit juice is a great way to let everyone enjoy the seasonal flavours without needing the drink alcoholic drinks.  Read Delia Smith’s mulled ‘wine’ for drivers recipe for some inspiration.

Conclusion

So there you have it, everything you need to plan the perfect feast for your autumn wedding! Want to read more? Then take a look at our guide to choosing an autumn wedding colour scheme, or perhaps you need help with choosing what to wear to an autumn wedding, find out here!