2012 Top Wedding Colors

(1) It looks like the kind folks from the Pantone Color Institute are responsible for this one….Tangerine Tango & Pink. Pantone declares tangerine tango as a “bright and encouraging color” and as such, is a perfect combo for your spring or summer wedding. However, tangerine alone can certainly be a bit overwhelming used on its own, so it could use a little sumpin-sumpin’ to calm it down a little. Enter hot pink. Now I know you’re saying hot pink…how can that be calming? There’s something about pink that despite the shade adds a softness to whatever it touches. Can’t you just picture your bridesmaid’s bouquets in all roses of tangerine and pink with maybe a little yellow thrown in for fun?

(2) Blush Pink & Pewter Gray. Now I’ll admit to being a pink fan from way back, but this pink is not the pink you would be pairing with the Tangerine Tango hotness mentioned above. This is the softest of pinks, think the faint blush of a baby’s cheek. Paired with grey, which is on a high it hasn’t seen in years, it’s a gorgeous and elegant color combination. Throw in a little bling with some diamond mesh wrapped votives or mercury glass vases and you have a stunning look that will create an audible intake of breath when guests first lay eyes on your reception venue, I promise! Grey IS the new black!

(3) Blue Willow & White. At a loss for what else to call this color and very hesitant to tag it with a handle like Royal Blue which sounds like it belongs in a nautical themed wedding, I’ll call it Blue Willow like the famous china of the same name. Of course, Pantone would call it Sodalite Blue, another on their list of hot colors for 2012, but hey, what do they know, right? You’d think they were color experts or something! The great part about this shade of blue is that it’s flattering to just about everyone, so your bridesmaids will love you for it! Ditto your groomsmen, since men are famous for their love of blue. Not to mention with the emphasis on vintage still in full swing, despite Huffington Post’s misguided assertion that vintage is dead, you can use readily available pieces of blue & white china for centerpieces and decor. Throw in a little red if it’s a military wedding or sunny yellow which looks fabulous with blue & white and you have an amazing color palette.

(4) White On White – The beauty of white for a wedding is absolutely unparalleled. When you think of white, most people think of a stark color, but white can be so much more. How about cream, ivory, buff, eggshell, vanilla, magnolia, ecru, beige…the list of beautiful whites goes on and on, including an off-white called Starfish tagged as a hot color for 2012 by Pantone. Mixing different shades of white in your wedding decor can look incredible together if you’re careful about the undertones of the whites you are using. Some whites have a bluish undertone, giving them a cool look, others have a brown undertone which tends to warm them up a bit. The fun part about using white on white is you can play with texture to really make the differences in the whites stand out. An example would be using a stark white tablecloth for your reception tables with a beautiful khaki (also a form of white!) damask runner and a cluster of milk glasses vases as the centerpiece filled with peonies, roses, and dahlias all in different shades of white and cream. Even versatile burlap which comes in ivory and natural can add interesting texture to your tables and centerpieces.

(5) Red & Pink – OK, I’ll admit this is a stretch, even for a dyed-in-the wool pink lover like myself, but I have seen some truly amazing combinations of red and pink that were simply stunning. With this combo, you need to be careful about the color red and pink you choose. Hot pink and red…not so much…pale pink and red… ahh, yes, gorgeous! You really need to underplay the use of this palette to avoid it looking a little Valentine-y, but if you don’t morph into overkill, it can turn out looking elegant instead of cheesy. For a classic look, pull in some silver touches like mercury glass with your centerpieces. Put your bridesmaids in blush pink short dresses with red rose or peony bouquets and have groomsmen wear pale grey suits with pink ties and hints of red handkerchiefs poking out of their bread pocket. Your friends will call you crazy until they see the effect all together at your wedding, then they’ll call you innovative and daring!

(6) Sweet Lilac & Margarita- I’ll admit these were stripped straight from the Pantone Hot Color Chart, but can you imagine this dynamic color duo? In 2011, pewter and eggplant, grey and plum, purple and silver were done to death. This is such a fresh and light approach to the heavy handed purples we saw last year with the fun zing of a soft lime added to the mix. With the innovative things florists are now doing with shades of green in bouquets including green hydrangeas and Bells Of Ireland, your bridesmaids could wear dresses in lavender tones and look incredible. Lilac, like blue, is a color that looks great on just about everyone, whether of fair or dark complexion and can be paired with either gold or silver.

(7) Rainbow – Before you start saying I’ve taken leave of my senses on this one, hear me out. Can you remember being stuck in a hideously ugly bridesmaid’s gown of some horrendous color, but you did it, because you loved your friend? Well, this is not one of those times. Although you could dress each of your bridesmaids in a different color of the rainbow of your/their choosing, why not try dressing them all in black, (groomsmen, too) with fun rainbow splashes of color in parasols, bouquets, shoes, socks, boutonnieres, and ties. Trendy and summery accents like pinwheels would be great with a rainbow-themed decor, but if you really want your wedding to stand out, why not do a complete “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” wedding complete with ruby slippers for you and a yellow brick road rose petal aisle runner? Weddings don’t have to be stiff and staid affairs anymore, so a rainbow theme wedding would be great for the young and young at heart.

(8) Olive Green & Topaz – Ahhh, the colors of fall, rich, vibrant, gorgeous….but some of them, including chocolate brown done to death in recent years. Chocolate brown and green, chocolate brown and blue, chocolate brown and pink…enough, enough! Surely, there are other fall wedding colors besides chocolate brown and ________! Enter olive green and topaz. Yellow topaz, being the birthstone for the month of November, and olive green, a warm and inviting color with a masculine feel, make a great color combination for an autumn or woodlands theme wedding. Also absolutely gorgeous with either gold or silver accents, blinged out tree branches would look great with this duo as would moss, gold mercury glass, or tree round cake stands. And imagine some topaz color heels with sparkly rhinestone accents peeking out from under your gown or an olive green sash with topaz colored beaded accents. Awesome…that’s you!