Wedding Color Matching 101

I'm sure most of you remember (or at least slightly recall) color theory and the color wheel from grade school.  Now that it's time to put that knowledge towards picking your wedding colors, you may be trying to feverishly recollect what it was Mrs. Ames from 5th grade said about ROY-G-BIV.  Don't fret.  With this short color matching 101, you'll learn how to find you perfect wedding day palette in just a few quick steps.

A circle of color.  This is what we know today to be a traditional color wheel.  It is made of 3 main colors (or primary colors as they are also known); red, yellow, and blue.  All other colors are just mixes of those three main colors.  But how do you figure out what complements what?  First you must become familiar with these 3 types of color schemes:

1) Monochromatic: One of the easiest color schemes to get right.  Monochromatic palettes are shades (darks) and tints (lights) of the same color.  Example: Different colors of blue.  This palette is considered by most to have a relaxing and soothing effect.

2) Analogous: These colors are side-by-side on the color wheel and are considered pleasing to the eye.  This color scheme is a great opportunity to use one main color with multiple accent colors.  Example: Yellow paired with yellow-green and green or Blue paired with bluish-violet and violet.

3) Complementary: These colors are directly opposite each other on the color wheel and give off an energetic and dramatic feel.  Example: Blue with orange or Purple with yellow.  To be sure your palette isn't overwhelming, consider using one of the colors as an accent.  One example of this would be navy blue and cobalt blue accented by pops of yellow or orange.

When on the hunt for the perfect wedding day color palette, do your research.  Visit your local paint store and your local cosmetic store.  Paint swatches are free and are already put together in a monochromatic palette.  (If this is the type of color scheme you are going for then your work is already done for you.)  Eyeshadow sets are another great resource for seeing how certain colors go together and are also already paired in complementary color schemes.  A great website to help in the hunt for the perfect palette is allmyinvites.com.  Their color tool lets you mix your own colors and immediately shows you what colors will work best together.  Check it out here.  Once you've decided on a color scheme, look for pictures and inspirational photos that include the colors you are using.  Set your photos next to each other to create a collage.  Creating your own collage is the final step in finalizing your wedding day colors and will really help you see how your wedding vision will play out on your big day.

Happy Planning!

Allie

Personalized Photo Napkins To Make Your Event Picture Perfect

'Picture Perfect' personalized photo napkins are simply fabulous.  So inventive and unique, we love, love, loooove these napkins and had to share our excitement.  They make a wonderful keepsake idea for your scrapbook, they double as favors, and they are a super easy way to showcase your guest(s) of honor.  Not to mention they are a great way to make your event picture perfect (hee...hee...).

Have an engagement photo, graduation picture, or a candid birthday shot printed with your own special message.  (The perfect opportunity to embarrass the birthday boy or girl!).  Check out these before and after shots to see personalized photo napkins in action.

Happy Planning!

Allie

Four Fabulous Wedding Favor Ideas

As most of the readers know by now my daughter is getting married and I am planning the wedding. Favors are the topic of discussion this week and I have to say with all the great ideas out there it is definately hard to choose. Here are my top four favorite wedding favor ideas.

1. Votive Candle Holders  - I love candles as I think most people do. Not only can the votive holders be a great favor to send home with your guest but most of your guest will use the favor again at home. Votive candle holders can also be economical if you shop around.

2. Eco-Friendly - Everyone is going green these days and so are favors. I have found many great eco-friendly favors from note pads to coasters.  I also love the ideas of flower seeds. A friend of mine gave flower seeds as the favor at her wedding with a lovely card that read; Love in Blossom.

3. Donations - Many people are decided these days to give to their favorite charity in stead of spending the money for favors and I love this idea. In the past few years my daughter and I have lost a few loved ones to cancer and I think making a donation to the American Cancer Society may be a wonderful way to honor them.

4. Seasonal - I also love the idea of going with the seasons. Giving ornaments for winter themed weddings or fall leaf cookie cutter for a fall themed wedding. My daughters wedding will be a summer wedding and I have been thinking of raspberry ice tea mixes as the favor.

So many chooses but some many great ideas to choose from. Whatever favor you decide on should be something that fits in with the theme of your wedding. Make it fun and make it creative!! Good luck brides and mothers of the bride.

Carrie

Shopping Advise For Brides On The Go

You have sent your invitations, picked out your dress and tuxedo, and booked the location of your wedding ceremony and reception. Now it’s time to think about wedding favors for your guests, accessories for your ceremony and gifts for your bridesmaids and groomsmen.


Don’t wait until the last minute to place your order as you may find that a particular item is out of stock and will not arrive until well past your event. Or you find the perfect wedding favor that matches your theme only to receive an email or phone call that it has been discontinued and is no longer available.

With new trends and high demands on popular wedding favors, accessories and gifts, start by visiting bridal shows to get ideas and help from vendors. Shop at a local boutique or visit a wedding website that specializes in gifts and accessories. I recommend ordering at least 2 to 6 months before your wedding day so you don’t find yourself stressed out over the small stuff at the last minute.

Renee'

The Perfect Match

One of my fondest memories from childhood is of my sister and I swinging our polka dot legging clad legs on the side of our bunk beds as she somberly explained to me the rules of matching. We all know them. Patterns are paired with solids. Colors must be paired with a neutral. And the list goes on and on. These may have been suitable rules for navigating color palettes at one time. Luckily for those who love to play with color, most of them are now obsolete or like most rules of thumb, do not have to be followed exactly. Unfortunately these rules have been ingrained in all of us and have had the sad side effect of making a lot of people afraid to use color and patterns at all.

This strict "matchy-matchy" frame of mind can actually make planning your wedding, event, or even your outfit more difficult than it really needs to be. I am happy to free you from your neutral prison and inform you that it is now possible to be trendily mismatched. You may now often hear the phrase, "It doesn't have to match, it just has to go." As in go together and have some sort of unifying theme. Take a look at these adorable tea tins from http://www.marthastewart.com/. The patterns and colors do not strictly match. Yet  they all have a vintage feel and use muted colors. Instead of clashing, they say "of course, we all belong together!"

Another way to ease a little stress in a wedding and go with the intentionally mismatched look, is to let your bridesmaids choose their own dresses. There are a couple ways to do this. You could specify a color, or a few colors for your bridesmaids to choose from and let them choose the dress style.  You could also choose a dress and allow them to choose from a selection of colors.

This photo by Jose Villa photography, courtesy of Plum Invitations,  shows how these bridemaids each wear a different dress, yet still coordinate. The key is to make it appear intentional, not thrown together. You do this easily by picking one characteristic that is uniform, like style, fabric, or pattern.

When choosing your colors don't be afraid to use color combinations that you would not usually see together. A good way to think about color is, if it exists in nature it can exist in your color scheme! Gain inspiration from flowers for bright color schemes. For example, yellow and purple are often thought of as clashing. Take a look at this painting by David Wagner. It is a perfect example of how well these colors do compliment one another.

Use your colors confidantly and creatively. Remember that as long as there are a few basic cohesive elements, you can tie virtually anything of your own interest together to create a unique theme.

~ Jenna