Modern Holiday Colors
Good morning lovely lions!
We had our first real cold snap over the weekend here in the mountains of Western North Carolina and honestly, I had to refrain from breaking out the multitudinous holiday decorations I have in my arsenal. I am a sucker for the holiday season, no matter what you celebrate (or don’t). Winter weddings have been stuck in a rut for a while, so I’m presenting three variations on a theme for a fabulous fete. I have a vintage Christmas playlist cued up on Pandora, so let’s tackle some color and décor ideas using texture to enhance your event!
Let’s start off with a classic Christmas color combination with a funky vintage flair:
I can already hear the chestnuts roasting on that open fire when I see this combination. It has that traditional red and green combination, but the color palette includes some rich woody brown and some tasty buttercream yellow for contrast. Imagine having your bridesmaids wearing chocolate brown matte satin gowns and carrying traditional kissing balls (aka pomanders) of boxwood, holly berries, and fragrant evergreens like fraser fir, Leland cypress, or juniper, hanging from a buttercream satin ribbon. Instead of Christmas trees or a large altar arrangement, consider having large evergreen topiaries studded with sugared berries and holly boughs.
Are you a non-traditional, funky spouse-to-be who loves autumn colors, but wants to get married in the crisp winter time? Let me introduce you to the idea of combining a little winter cool with the warm of fall’s oranges:
Except for the hit of sky blue, your palette is straight autumn Tuscan sunset. I’ve seen a lot of chocolate browns and coppers being used in décor for this holiday season, which is a throwback to the mid 1970’s. I’d challenge you to use the warm clay color (far right) as your base color for dresses/linens and experiment with flowers in tones of golden yellow, rich orange, with hits of light blue. Confused as what to use? Imagine a over-the-arm arrangement of bella donna delphinium, terra cotta roses, red kangaroo paw, skeleton leaves, wheat, and some loops of sheer gold ribbon at the base for a textural contrast. Concentrate on the usage of dried materials in amongst fresh flowers to give a embodiment to the transition between autumn and winter.
Looking for something a little more 1950’s Audrey Hepburn glam? Cue Rosemary and Bing crooning to each other on “Count Your Blessings” and check out this Tiffany’s tribute:
You could have SO much fun with this combination, and it is very appropriate for a holiday fete. It reminds me of a Vermont winter…can you tell I’m a sucker for the move White Christmas?
Imagine that signature baby blue being used in the wired-posey bouquets of a troupe of black cocktail-dressed ladies (perhaps with blue sashes) in with hints of rich purple and luscious ice white flowers. You could even use white amaryllis for your focal flowers, along with little fluffs of purple allium, delphinium blooms strung on silver wire, and sprays of crystals to give your wedding a marvelous glam feel without being glittery and over the top. Instead of white mini Christmas lights, look outside of that and try the big C9 faceted bulbs strung on large evergreens in LED white or blue. You could use heavy purple linens topped with a blue-and-white runners with black china…such a beautiful contrast of colors.
Well lions, I hope I’ve given you some new ideas about holiday décor ideas, looking outside of the usual Christmas trees, dark red, and white mini lights strung up everywhere. Give your holiday wedding a makeover and think of the impression you’ll make. Until next time, dearest lions!
many thanks to amanda for this wonderful post! you can reach her at eustoma.grandiflora@gmail.com
love, lindsey
say hi: lindsey@dandylionevents.com