One of the most challenging elements of wedding planning is picking colors- at least for me! Its so hard to make that commitment, because as we all know, those 2, 3, or even 4 colors you select can make a huge impact on the mood of your big day.
In an effort to stay on top of the wedding trends, Donna and I hit up as many wedding events and seminars as we can fit in. Two of these recent events that I've attended have included presentations by award-winning and nationally-acclaimed wedding/event planners, and of COURSE they both touched on the topic of colors!
At the April NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) event, the guest speaker was CEO and Managing Director of The Special Event Company, Sally Webb. She said that the hottest new color combination that she's seeing right now is yellow, combined with any shade of blue. Yellow is a fabulous choice for any season- it is perfect for the main color during spring or summer events, with navy, royal, aqua or carolina blue as Sally suggested, but also with the blooming colors of these seasons such as corals & greens. And in the fall it works well with deeper oranges or browns. Even in winter it could serve as an accent color with blue, black or white.
Last week I attended Forever Bridal's event featuring The Wedding Guys - Matthew Trettel and Bruce Vassar - who are Minneapolis-based wedding industry visionaries and trend-spotting specialists who put on fashion shows and plan major weddings. These two spoke about the concept of color palates versus the older tradition of one theme color. Now we are seeing brides pick palates of 3-4 colors, which is a more challenging thing to accomplish, but can bring more life and personality into the event. Matt and Bruce examine the colors that appear on the runway to predict what will be hot in approximately 18 months in weddings. They say that the upcoming year's hot colors will be muted tones, pastels, blushes, and even teal. (And for men's suits, charcoal gray- which makes me happy because that is what I had envisioned putting MY groom in next April :)
Now what's interesting is that while the planners had different ideas about what the current "hot colors" are, the message is clear- your colors can be whatever you want! The hot colors come and go in an ongoing cycle, so pick anything that makes you happy and feels like it is YOU. If you need help, talk to your wedding planner- give her one favorite color and let her help you select the accents. Or refer to magazines and websites for combinations that appeal to you. Last year's color combos will still be cool next year- if it looks good, it looks good!
Cake Photo by Bella Rose Photography. All other photos by Walters & Walters.
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