purple wedding

Wedding Inspiration for a Purple Passion Color Scheme

August 26th, 2010 | Author: Sarah

When planning a wedding and choosing colors, many brides bring out the usual suspects – pinks, whites, creams, blues, silvers, and even chocolate. But you want something different; you want something that sparkles, that impresses even as it surprises. For you, purple is perfect. Long associated with royalty – because kings and queens were once the only ones who could afford the luxurious dye used to create purple garments – purple is very rich, extremely varied, and always interesting. You could play it safe with soft lavenders, or you begin incorporating some purple passion into your big day.

Light purple colors are lovely, and they can be quite intriguing when paired with shades of pale or baby pink, lime green, powder blue, silver, or gold. Darker hues of purple work well with chocolate, light and darker shades of pink, and darker greens. These are all great options, but consider throwing convention aside and trying a monochromatic theme for your wedding: purple comes in any number of rich, gorgeous shades, and you can combine them for a dramatic, royal affect. Lilac, amethyst, lavender, aubergine, fuchsia, magenta, mauve, violet, wisteria, and other hues can be dramatic and dynamic when arranged in different combinations and accented with simple brown, silver, or cream.

A great purple passion bridal bouquet can be made from lovely wisteria, lilac, lavender double tulips, bluebird roses, pink godetia, and lavender dendrobium orchids. These are arranged with a touch of greenery, such as catmint or varieties of oregano. It is whimsical and elegant. Also try blooms in reds, blues, pinks, chocolate (chocolate cosmos and roses are great choices) or shades of purple.

Purple Passion Inspiration Board

The bride can opt for a white dress with a sash in her preferred purple hue, while her bridesmaids wear purple dresses with white or a darker or lighter shade of purple sash. Or again, if you really want to embrace the purple passion theme, consider a purple wedding dress. Upon first hearing this, you may think that a purple wedding dress would be hideous: they're not! In fact, they can be very sophisticated and chic. Dita von Teese, for instance, wore a Vivienne Westwood creation of purple silk taffeta that was anything but understated.

But you could also opt for a more sedate – but hardly boring – version. Assepoester makes a couture dress with a sleeveless v-neck top with ruffled neckline and a darker layered skirt. The gray tones literally tone the dress down, while the interesting lines create a thoroughly innovative and chic gown. Bridesmaids would look wonderful in gray or silver dresses.

Men can wear vests and ties of accent colors, such as another shade of purple, silver, cream, or brown, with a purple pocket square; purple tie clips and cuff links; or a purple vest with silver, cream, or brown tie. The men's attire is dependent largely on what the bride and her bridesmaids wear.

Depending on your tone, your reception venue can be decorated with pastel, soft purples and complementing white, cream, and pink tones, or your could go with a darker purple with lots of texture, including dark and light purple and white balloons, scented candles, rich purple table linens, solid white chair covers with purple ties, and other sensuous touches. There are plenty of purple wedding favors to choose from, and you could even opt for purple wedding reception centerpieces as well. There are plenty of ways to subtly tie in purple amongst your other complementary colors.

Purple passion can also extend to your menu. You can feature dishes made with the lavender herb, such as meat dishes, or you can add lavender butter into cupcakes and other desserts. Melt some butter and culinary lavender and dip artichoke leaves in this aromatic mixture. Try a purple signature drink: instead of passing out champagne, give your guests the purple passion for your toast. Simply take your regular champagne, add a splash of blue grape juice and a small handful of blueberries.

Purple is passionate, and its many beautiful hues are ideal for creating a passionate, loving, and fresh wedding.

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