2013 is a big year for change. While traditional colours and themes will always be favourites, this year’s brides are bolder and more game to try new things, new colours and new combinations.
Coloured wedding dresses are already becoming more common but we’ve scoured our colour palettes and inspiration boards for new themes and schemes that are a little unconventional, but still beautiful and here’s what we’ve come up with!
You can incorporate these colours as part of a larger colour scheme or colour block like crazy! Either way, they’re gorgeous colours that deserve a place, big or small, in any modern wedding.
1. Mint green
Gold and mint green are two of 2013’s hottest runway colours and when paird together, well, they look smashing, especially as part of a wedding theme. Mint green is crisp, fresh and subtle and it’s an excellent base colour for spring and summer weddings. It is also a spectacular hue for bridesmaids’ dresses. Think mint green table cloths accented with gold place holders, tiny vases of wild spring flowers and antique gold organza sashes for chairs. For a little more formality and contrast, consider sprays of light green orchids as table centrepiece.
2. Gold
You’ll feel like a queen or a ancient Roman empress heading up a grand wedding banquet with gold as your wedding theme. Add a hint of regal elegance with this year’s most versatile metallic. Whether antique gold, yellow gold or a shade bordering on brassy, gold is a beautiful accent colour that will add a touch of class to any wedding colour scheme.
The trick with avoiding your wedding looking fake and tacky is experimenting with a variety of gold hues to avoid colour overload. Pale antique gold linens look especially pretty with table posies of blush pink and cream roses. If you’re going for a formal look, how about including gilt-edged china, or gold cutlery for table placements? Gold is a fabulous accent for a white wedding cake, and if you’re going for an au naturel theme, you could also think about incorporating spray painted twig baskets to hold wedding favours for guests.
3. Orange
Are you planning an autumn wedding? Orange is a daring (albeit a little obvious) choice for a pre-winter wedding. However, it’s such a vibrant hue, there’s no reason you can’t integrate it into a summer wedding too. You don’t necessarily have to go all out with orange accents to make a statement.
A neutral colour scheme of cream linens and gold placecards for guests is the perfect foundation around which to build your theme. Summer ideas might include bowls of zesty fruits interspersed with coral tulips and protea, or for something a little more nouveaux, how about tropical orange flowers encased in large hanging glass bulbs? Orange might seem a little extreme for your bridesmaids, so you might want to consider a more delicate pastel shade. We love nectarine, or even peach shades.
Autumn naturally brings with it an abundance of inspirational ideas, especially since it’s associated with harvest around the world. If you’re thinking about going rustic, place-holder corn dollies and carved pumpkin candle holders and sheaves of wheat can add a touch of warm, homely, harvest-time authenticity.
4. Monochrome
Monochrome doesn’t have to mean checker-board black and white. In fact, an elegant banqueting hall furnished with black, cloth-covered tables is an inspiring canvas for a wedding theme and it means you can add just about any colour to it. The key to pulling off a monochrome theme is simplicity. If you’re using black as a standalone colour for linens, drapes and chair coverings, you’ll obviously need to add contrast with white flowers, placecards and favour boxes. Vintage tromp l’oeil patterns are fast gaining popularity for weddings. Alternatively you may want to consider bringing in one or two other colours to break up the monotony of black and white. Gold is a particularly lovely accent with black, and you could incorporate it with statement decorative objects like gold candelabras or hanging lanterns.
5. Coral
Warm and feminine, coral is such a pretty shade for both spring and summer weddings, and there are so many variations in hues. Pale coral tones in the bridesmaids’ posies are gorgeous. Ranunculas are a beautiful variation on normal roses, and come in such a wide range of pretty coral hues. They’re also perfect for table centrepieces. For contrast in your own bouquet, why not opt for a few cream lilies and hot pink freesias? When it comes to décor, you’ll need to consider visual impact. Coral is such a warm and fiery shade, it can be overwhelming if overdone. Mint green and gold are two hot tones that work exceptionally well with this vibrant colour, but you could also consider sunshine yellows and cerise pinks for tableware, candle holders and bunting, as well as bridesmaids’ dresses – or even your own wedding dress.
If you want to move away from traditional white décor and linens, this year’s fabulous shades all have one thing in common – they all work together in harmony.
