Decadent Darkness – Wedding Theme

A moody palette for a cosy season

You can have some fun with your autumnal wedding palette. Autumn weddings can take the luxurious, rich colours and textures that a lighter spring or summer wedding would just be crushed under. If you’re planning an autumnal affair, here’s some gorgeous inspiration to get you in a luxuriously dark sort of mood.

Make white shine

Gorgeous dark colours make a radiant white dazzle. If you want a dark palette but are planning a white wedding dress, you can be sure you’ll be the centre of attention… and rightfully so!

Decadent Darkness
Dark lilies are a great accompaniment to white blooms and make a gorgeous display against a pure white dress.
Decadent Darkness
A deep green accentuates the dark colours and provides a gorgeous natural dark colour. IMAGE: Peppermint Photography

Heavy metal

We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again… metallics are a stunning way to lift the colour palette of a wedding. Adding a flash of copper or gold makes dark colours luxurious and opulent. And we love it!

Decadent Darkness
Keeping the background a single, flat colour gives a rich, dramatic look. IMAGE: Bluebirdpaper
Decadent Darkness
A gorgeous typeface adds elegance to a dark base colour. IMAGE: Bliss & Bone

LBDs

What’s more sophisticated than a little black dress? If it was good enough for Chanel, it’s definitely good enough for us. Your bridesmaids will feel sleek and chic – everyone loves a black dress! Also, as an added bonus, you’ll shine in white next to them!

Decadent Darkness
Elegant and chic, a plain black dress doesn’t have to be dull! Have fun with necklines. IMAGE: Adam Barnes
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Opt for lighter flowers if you go for a black block. IMAGE: Kendra Elise Photography

Light it up

Moody, dark and opulent. The perfect backdrop for some sparkling twinklers. Fairy lights, candles and stylish bare hanging bulbs will give pinpricks of light to add a little magic to the mystery.

Decadent Darkness
Hanging loads of lights above a dark tablescape will ensure your guests can see what they’re eating! IMAGE: Hazelwood Photography
Decadent Darkness
Candles will always be the most romantic lighting choice. IMAGE: Figure Wedding Photography

Surrender to the dark

A dark palette and colder season mean you can go for rich, thick, luxurious fabrics. Velvet is so on trend, and there are some beautiful dresses to take inspiration from. Velvet, heavy silk and antique brocade make sumptuous decoration for a luxury wedding.

Decadent Darkness
Velvet is such a luxurious fabric to include in a dark wedding a dark velvet adds texture as well as colour. Dress – Ralph & Russo couture
Decadent Darkness
Lovely heavy fabrics add a gorgeous luxury to a wedding arbour or aisle.

We adore the decadence that comes with a dark palette. Dark blue, plum, Burgundy and black can all work really well, together or separately. You could even pop in a blush or peach tone to lift it. But do you dare to go black? Black wedding dresses were all over the catwalks at New York Bridal Fashion Week recently – what do you think?

Looking for more style inspiration? Take a look at our style and themes pages