The key to building the decor of your wedding reception is found in choosing the right wedding cake design, and this is equally true for a fall wedding. The cake stands as the visual focal point of the reception hall. It is usually the largest single decoration for your reception hall and it is what your guests will see first when they enter your reception hall. As a result, you want to choose a fall wedding cake design that will develop your theme.

Depending on the theme you are trying to develop there are any number of fall wedding cake designs you could pursue, but a bright red cake adorned with daffodils or a light green design with daisy's are probably out. Instead, the autumn season is a great time to employ a rich chocolate colored cake (most bakeries will allow you to put any flavor of cake inside that you want and if your pastry chef is any good no one will be able to tell until the cake is cut) accented with blues, greens, or reds.

Indeed, a wedding cake iced in a rich chocolate ganache with chocolate roses or white chocolate roses and accented with high quality fresh fruit can be a stunning work of art that harkens to the traditional fall decor while maintaining a distinctly modern touch.

Likewise, lining dark chocolate scrolls vertically on the side of a fall wedding cake is a simple way to make a dramatic statement. Once again, use fresh fruit or flowers to accent each tier and cover the base of your cake jewelry.

Or why not choose a fondant design that artistically employs both chocolate and cream colored fondant. There are so many possibilities. Imagine a cream colored cake with chocolate silhouettes embedded in to the fondant.

Furthermore, you could always choose an off white, three or four tiered, stacked cake decorated in a deep gold rope at the base of each tier and then strewn with lifelike marzipan leaves (or use silk leaves in autumn colors if you can't find a pastry chef with the skill to create the leaves) to develop your fall wedding theme.

I would be remiss to conclude this article on fall wedding cake designs without pointing out that some of the most dramatic options are not cake at all: Take the Pavlova for example. This healthier alternative to cake can draw as many ooh's and aah's on display as they do when they melt in your wedding guest's mouth.

For a fall wedding cake substitute, try a hazelnut pavlova brushed in chocolate and topped with an apricot whipping cream and dressed with a handmade chocolate design as simple or intricate as you choose. Or perhaps you would prefer some of them be topped with a fresh seasonal berry. They can now be displayed simply by placing them on a chocolate covered cake stand big enough to hold your desired number of servings. As you serve them, consider adding a drizzle of apricot sauce to each plate for a truly unforgettable wedding experience.

The great opportunity that autumn weddings bring from a design standpoint is the chance to play with the rich, warm colors of the season. There is so much you can do to embrace the season and in turn end up with a celebration you will look back on with pride for years to come, and as far as the reception is concerned it all begins with a well thought out fall wedding cake design.