Ask Abby
One last Dear Abby for the day! I am going to begin writing in my answers later this evening and will finish up on tomorrow’s AM post. I want to give you guys plenty of time to write comments and brainstorm with these brides!
I am planning a New York City wedding for November. The natural suggestion seems to be to go with a “fall colors” palette but for whatever reason I’m just not that into it — probably because the church sanctuary where we’re having our wedding has a beautifully gilded and painted domed ceiling in primarily medium-toned wood, French blue, gold and taupe colors. I feel like reds, oranges and yellows would clash there, as well as in our reception venue, which is likely to be a private club in soft neutrals.
I love the French blue and taupe color palette but I fear it will look “flat” once we get outside the church. Then again, NYC is all about greys and black and white. Also, I’m stymied as to what types of flowers would look good with French blue and taupe. Also, is that color combo just…over?
Initially, I was inspired by the Mariebelle chocolate boxes but went with the softer brown because I feel chocolate is somewhat overused.
Is there any way to freshen/liven up this color palette or give it some “pop”? Is there a warm color that would be a good accent to those two tones that I could consider for flower?
A. Erin has found this bridesmaids dress that she loves. My suggestion with this dress, is to go with creamy white bouquets with either a flat gold or pewter colored strappy heal. I think that tying a silk or satin ribbon around the base of the bride’s bouquet in that same blue shade would be gorgeous.
What do you guys think???
11 Comments about “Ask Abby”
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I think the taupe and French blue will be really pretty, especially since those are primarily the church's colors. I think she would be good to pull in some of the gold into the decor and flowers (maybe mums?), or even the color peach would be a really nice addition - autumn-ish without being overly orange! (peach roses or maybe calla lilies - there's an apricot variety of callas that looks like it would be perfect.) I don't think the blue/brown color combo is done or dead. :) As with anything, it's always a person's spin on the colors that keeps them fresh! Warming it up, as she says, will keep it from ever being "flat."
Maybe a peach or soft orange could add a warm color without feeling intrusive. Or add gold to match the gilding and the chocolate boxes?
If you don't want to add another color but want to invoke the season more, maybe you could use some fall images, like leaf silhouettes, or have favors of something that reminds you of fall.
Grey is really hot right now...what about french blue and grey? If you want to stick with the taupe, definitely pull in some gold touches -- it will play nicely off the taupe!
I'd check out some Vermeer paintings for inspiration. He often has amazing combinations of blues, browns, taupes, and golds. I think adding a little gold would be really lush and beautiful. You could also make your blue a little more saturated but still complementary to the church's blue, if you're worried about being too watered down. I think it's smart to pay attention to the venue when choosing the palette. There's no point in forcing a color palette onto a place.
Ok, I have insomnia, what can I say...I've been browsing around and just found this beautiful bridesmaid dress color:
http://www.simpledress.com/collection.php?page=zinnia " rel="nofollow">http://www.simpledress.com/collection.php?page=zinnia >
It would be a great way to punch up your palette a little...the bronze/gold and blue look amazing together, and would be beautiful with the pale blue of the church.
My suggestion would be to go with a complimentary blue, a little darker or lighter than the French blue, then something RELATED to blue's compliment: orange. Like an orangy yellow or and orangy red.
So maybe a gray-blue with a more muted coral color? or a nice soft green. you can compliment either one of those with a sable brown.
My plan is to go to home depot and try out colors on paint swatches.
Good luck, and congratulations!!
I did a wedding last fall that was just so gorgeous. The colors were a big part of the entire feeling of the day. The bridesmaids did were the chocolate, and it looked great.
See the video of her wedding to see how it all looked together.
http://www.blog.lifestagevideography.com/?p=30 " rel="nofollow">http://www.blog.lifestagevideography.com/?p=30 >
I dont think that because your wedding is in November that you would have to automatically go with a fall palette, especially if the ceremony and reception are going to be indoors. I say its your wedding, stay with colors that most express you and your fiance, and your personalities. The only problem with having blue in your color palette in november is that it limits your flower choices dramatically. I think a lot of brides choose fall colors for fall because the colors are so abundant and easy to find in the leaves, pumpkins, mums, etc. The only available blue flowers would be delphinium, hydrangea or you could probably use iris for a purply blue hue. Since your wedding is in November you'd be paying a premium too since hydrangea and iris are out of season. I dont know what your budget is like, but I myself am a frugal bride to be. Whatever you choose I'm sure it will be beautiful. Best of luck and congrats!
You guys are awesome -- thanks so much for your advice (I submitted this question). I love the idea of golds and maybe a soft orange or leaf silhouettes, and I'll definitely study up on my Vermeers. That's something I dEFINITELY never would have thought of myself.
Just fyi, these are the bridesmaids dresses I ended up choosing -- I really considered going with the more "in" gray but it just felt too cool to me with most of NYC being gray already!
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2944678?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_pla=dresses:women:dress&cm_ite=adrianna_papell_beaded_tulle_halter_dress:197894&cm_ven=Froogle&mr:trackingCode=AE67D567-56E5-DC11-AA92-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA " rel="nofollow">http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2944678?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_pla=dresses:women:dress&cm_ite=adrianna_papell_beaded_tulle_halter_dress:197894&cm_ven=Froogle&mr:trackingCode=AE67D567-56E5-DC11-AA92-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA >
thanks again everybody for your input.
-- the nyc bride-to-be
beth -- that video is amazing! it makes me wish matt & melissa lived in NYC so I could use them! Did you do the flowers...? lovely.
I think they're "heels", not "heals".