Hey ladies,

Well, I came on here for my stump on palettes and have just fallen in love with the sight.

I feel like my wedding has a bit of a personality disorder and now that I have many of the big things booked I can concentrate on this.

Here are the details:

May 16, 2009 – Long Island, NY

2:30 – Ceremony at my hometown church. It is in a small beach community. After the Catholic Mass, we will head to the beach for pictures.

The guests will go to a nearby hotel for drinks and a bus will pick them up for the reception.

7:00 – Reception is being held an 1920's style mansion and will be fairly formal. Not black tie, but close.

So my question is, I don't want colors too beachy because it really is not a “beach wedding” but, I also don't want long black gowns and have the girls wearing them during the day on the beach.

One more thing, the reception location is very charming but is very dark with wood paneled walls.

Here are some pictures

Hi Jeannine

Your wedding sounds gorgeous! I like Meg's idea above of adding just a splash of color. One idea would be to keep your main palette color nuetral, like a soft cream and chocolate brown. Then highlight the palette with a punch of color. Try papaya, a leafy green, a grey-blue (think the cool mist on the ocean horizon?), or even a rich teal? Any of these colors would look beautiful and classy amongst a cream/brown combo.

Another way to add a subtle hint of the beach, without making it a beach wedding is to use texture on the invitations, hang tags, etc. such as a natural color wraffia. This is a great way to add a natural (sea grass like) quality while maintaining the elegance of the occassion.

Have fun planning!