The other day I was talking to a newlywed bride and she shared with me her love of all things Thanksgiving and how she incorporated all the warm fuzzies and comfort foods into her wedding. After thinking a little further, I thought what an absolutely fantastic idea! Who doesn’t love Thanksgiving, right? Holiday season is rapidly approaching so we gathered some inspiration to help plan a Thanksgiving or Fall wedding with all the trimmings.

First up, soup!

I think most of us can agree that as fall approaches and the air gets cooler our thoughts turn to something warm…like soup! I can remember when my best friend got married in late September in a classy backyard wedding and she served butternut squash soup in little pumpkin bowls. This is not a new trend, it’s just been reborn. This wedding was over 20 years ago but I can tell you that it was one of the most memorable parts of the wedding and talked about by all the guests. It is so darn cute, yes, cute and fun to be eating the soup from a carved out little pumpkin. Oh, and I forgot – outrageously yummy!

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Here’s a great idea for an autumn salad…I’ve made this one myself. Fresh and full of flavors and different textures. Dried cranberries, pears, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese with poppyseed and balsamic vinaigrette – not your ordinary salad. Delicious!

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Of course a Thanksgiving wedding must have turkey! How much fun it would be to have  the groom start off a new annual family tradition by carving the turkey and offering his bride the first bite. Not only do we have the first look, now we have the first bite!

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Now let’s not forget all the turkey related fixings such as stuffing and gravy. And what goes better with gravy than mashed potatoes. Mounds of buttery, whipped potatoes. Oh my! Whipped potatoes not your thing? How about asking for sweet potatoes? Yum!

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Now we need to toss in some vegetables. Carrots, peas and green beans are always a safe bet since most family and friends will more than likely like at least one of these. Don’t try anything too exotic because you want your guests to enjoy their meal and rave about how good it was for years to come, not rant about what were they thinking by serving rutabaga casserole! (Please no hate mail from the rutabaga lovers of the world.)

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And lastly, dessert! Just because we’re talking Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you can’t have your cake and eat it too!  Wedding cake that is. But there are lots of additional yummy desserts that you can offer your guests too. How about pumpkin bread, pecan pie or even bread puddings and apple crisp. Really, there are so many awesome choices including these amazing apple cupcakes with caramel buttercream. And what about this uber cute DIY apple pie in a can. To die for!

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And let’s not forget some great drink offerings like mulled cider, hot toddies and even creative ways to serve up a cold drink. Another great DIY!

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So what do you think? Does a Thanksgiving wedding with all the wonderful comfort food fill you with a warm fuzzy feeling? What are some of your favorites? If you’re doing a backyard Thanksgiving wedding (clearly not in New England), are there any favorite family recipes that you would like to cook up?

Happy Thursday!

xoxo