Tangerine Tango & Pink
It looks like the kind folks from
the Pantone Color Institute are responsible
for this one....Tangerine
Tango & Pink. Pantone declares tangerine tango as a "bright and encouraging
color" and as such, is a perfect combo for your spring or summer wedding.
However, tangerine alone can certainly be a bit overwhelming used on its own, so
it could use a little sumpin-sumpin' to calm it down a little...enter hot pink.
Now I know you're saying, "hot pink?...how can that be calming?" There's
something about pink that despite the shade adds a softness to whatever it
touches. Can't you just picture your bridesmaid's bouquets in all roses of
tangerine and pink with maybe a little yellow thrown in for fun?
Blush Pink
& Pewter Gray
Now I'll admit to being a pink fan from way back, but this pink is
not the pink you would be pairing with the Tangerine Tango hotness mentioned
above. This is the softest of pinks, think the faint blush of a baby's cheek.
Paired with gray, which is on a high it hasn't seen in years, it's a gorgeous
and elegant color combination. Throw in a little bling with some diamond mesh
wrapped votives or mercury glass vases and you have a stunning look that will
create an audible intake of breath when guests first lay eyes on your reception
venue, I promise! Gray IS the new black!
Blue Willow & White
At a loss for what else to call this color and very hesitant to tag it with
a handle like Royal Blue which sounds like it belongs in a nautical themed
wedding, I'll call it Blue Willow like the famous china of the same name. Of
course, Pantone would call it Sodalite Blue, another on their list of hot colors
for 2012, but hey, what do they know, right? You'd think they were color experts
or something! The great part about this shade of blue is that it's flattering to
just about everyone, so your bridesmaids will love you for it! Ditto your
groomsmen, since men are famous for their love of blue. Not to mention with the
emphasis on vintage still in full swing, despite Huffington Post's misguided
assertion that vintage is dead, you can use readily available pieces of blue
& white china for centerpieces and decor. Throw in a little red if it's a
military wedding or sunny yellow which looks fabulous with blue & white and
you have an amazing color palette.
White on White
The beauty of white for a wedding is absolutely unparalleled. When
you think of white, most people think of a stark color, but white can be so much
more. How about cream, ivory, buff, eggshell, vanilla, magnolia, ecru,
beige...the list of beautiful whites goes on and on, including an off-white
called Starfish tagged as a hot color for 2012 by Pantone. Mixing different
shades of white in your wedding decor can look incredible together if you're
careful about the undertones of the whites you are using. Some whites have a
bluish undertone, giving them a cool look, others have a brown undertone which
tends to warm them up a bit. The fun part about using white on white is you can
play with texture to really make the differences in the whites stand out. An
example would be using a stark white tablecloth for your reception tables with a
beautiful khaki (also a form of white!) damask runner and a cluster of milk
glasses vases as the centerpiece filled with peonies, roses, and dahlias all in
different shades of white and cream. Even versatile burlap which comes in ivory
and natural can add interesting texture to your tables and
centerpieces.
Red
& Pink
Ok, I'll admit this is a stretch, even for a dyed-in-the wool pink
lover like myself, but I have seen some truly amazing combinations of red and
pink that were simply stunning. With this combo, you need to be careful about
the color red and pink you choose. Hot pink and red...not so much...pale pink
and red... ahh, yes, gorgeous! You really need to underplay the use of this
palette to avoid it looking a little Valentine-y, but if you don't morph into
overkill, it can turn out looking elegant instead of cheesy. For a classic look,
pull in some silver touches like mercury glass with your centerpieces. Put your
bridesmaids in blush pink short dresses with red rose or peony bouquets and have
groomsmen wear pale grey suits with pink ties and hints of red handkerchiefs
poking out of their breast pocket. Your friends will call you crazy until they
see the effect all together at your wedding, then they'll call you innovative
and daring!
Sweet Lilac & Margarita
I'll admit these were stripped straight from the Pantone Hot Color
Chart, but can you imagine this dynamic color duo? In 2011, pewter and eggplant,
gray and plum, purple and silver were done to death. This is such a fresh and
light approach to the heavy handed purples we saw last year with the fun zing of
a soft lime added to the mix. With the innovative things florists are now doing
with shades of green in bouquets including green hydrangeas and Bells Of
Ireland, your bridesmaids could wear dresses in lavender tones and look
incredible. Lilac, like blue, is a color that looks great on just about
everyone, whether of fair or dark complexion and can be paired with either gold
or silver.
R a i n b o w
Before you start saying I've taken leave of my senses on this one,
hear me out. Can you remember being stuck in a hideously ugly bridesmaid's gown
of some horrendous color, but you did it because you loved your friend? Well,
this is not one of those times. Although you could dress each of your
bridesmaids in a different color of the rainbow of your/their choosing, why not
try dressing them all in black, (groomsmen, too) with fun rainbow splashes of
color in parasols, bouquets, shoes, socks, boutonnieres, and ties. Trendy and
summery accents like pinwheels would be great with a rainbow-themed decor, but
if you really want your wedding to stand out, why not do a complete "Somewhere
Over The Rainbow" wedding complete with ruby slippers for you and a yellow brick
road rose petal aisle runner? Weddings don't have to be stiff and staid affairs
anymore, so a rainbow theme wedding would be great for the young and young at
heart.
Green & Topaz
Ahhh, the colors
of fall, rich, vibrant, gorgeous....but some of them, including chocolate brown
done to death in recent years. Chocolate brown and green, chocolate brown and
blue, chocolate brown and pink...enough, enough! Surely, there are other fall
wedding colors besides chocolate brown and ________! Enter olive green and
topaz. Yellow topaz, being the birthstone for the month of November, and olive
green, a warm and inviting color with a masculine feel, make a great color
combination for an autumn or woodlands theme wedding. Also absolutely gorgeous
with either gold or silver accents, blinged out tree branches would look great
with this duo as would moss, gold mercury glass, or tree round cake stands. And
imagine some topaz colored heels with sparkly rhinestone accents peeking out
from under your gown or an olive green sash with topaz colored beaded accents.
Awesome...that's you!
Champagne & Black
Champagne, just the name brings to mind elegance, doesn't it? And
the color itself...not gold, not silver, not beige or pink, but a shimmery
mixture of all of these is just amazingly beautiful. Set off by flickering
votive's and paired with dramatic black, it will lend an air of wealth and
richness to your wedding even if you and your groom are on the champagne
taste/beer budget program! Imagine black satin tablecloths with champagne
colored pin-tuck runners and a white on white palette of flowers or ostrich
feathers springing from tall Eiffel tower vases...simply
breathtaking!
Peach & Silver
Amazingly, peach has staged somewhat of a comeback. If you're a young
bride, you probably don't remember the peach and sea-foam green of
the 80's. Seems everyone and their mother had a bathroom in those colors. Kind
of brings back some ugly flashbacks for those who lived it....ugh. Sea-foam is
actually staging it's own little mini-comeback, as seen in some recent trunk
shows of wedding gowns in unusual colors, as well as mint green. I can buy
sea-foam and peach separately, but together again? Absolutely not! In this case,
reunited doesn't feel so good, but how about the lovely and very subtle
combination of peach and silver? Peach and cream roses perched in silver mint
julep cups, bridesmaids in peach gowns with silver sashes and groomsmen in gray
tuxes with peach ties...an excellent, cool color combination for spring, summer,
even winter.
