Colour of the Week: Sangria

I love fall weddings, so we're going to continue on our fall colour theme with this week's choice: sangria. The colour is named after the Spanish punch made from red wine and citrus fruit. Some people have gotten the impression that sangria is in the purple family, but I think they're confusing it with claret. Sangria is a deep, luscious red, which makes it the perfect fall wedding colour.

One of the wonderful things about using sangria as a wedding colour is that you'll have so many flowers to choose from. The most obvious choice? Red roses, of course. There is nothing more classic than a red rose bridal bouquet--my mother had one at her wedding. Many brides have only red roses in their bouquets, but they also look wonderful with white flowers, like gladioli, calla lilies, and stephanotis. If you want a bit more drama, add some deep, dark callas.

If you're not interested in roses, you'll have plenty of other options. Gerbera daisies make sweet, cheerful bouquets, while cosmos add a bit more mystery. Orchids make any bouquet special, and dahlias will knock anybody's socks off.

Serve sangria at your reception, and give away tiny jars of wine jelly as favors. Sprinkle each table with rose petals, and serve black forest cupcakes for dessert. If you have a fall theme, serve candy apples and mulled wine, and scatter the ground with fall leaves.

If you're looking for a fall palette, sangria works beautifully with burnt tangerine. Add a burnt orange to create more depth, or highlight with dark chocolate.

















If you'd rather add yellow than brown, try a sweet banana cream colour. For a bright, cheerful palette, combine sangria with tangerine and lemonade.

















Sangria looks beautiful with orange cream. Add brush for a soft, pretty palette.




























Sangria is a great accent for a black and white wedding, and it also works well with navy. If black is a bit much for you, try a light slate grey.




































If you like green, you're in luck. Sangria pairs well with grass green, sage, light apple, and olive.

Colour of the Week: Navy

Navy blue is a classic wedding colour. Elegant and regal, it automatically turns an occasion into an event. It is most popular in fall and winter, and is usually saved for evening, but those kinds of rules are happily falling by the wayside these days. You might be surprised by the number of colours that work well with navy: whites, blacks, browns, oranges, yellows, reds, greens, pinks, purples--they can all work as long as you have the right shade. Click here to see how one couple created a magical night of mystery with navy, purple, and silver.

Don't be turned off because of its associations with 'preppy weddings'; a navy wedding can have any style. Use navy fleur-de-lis for an event inspired by French royalty; make sure you serve a croquembouche for dessert! Be inspired by classic Dutch style by choosing a navy and white floral pattern. Want something that's both timeless and cheerful? Use navy blue polka dots, and pair it with a cheerful yellow or pink.

If you're worried about finding navy flowers, you're not alone. There are very few flowers that come in a true navy. Delphiniums can come close, as well as irises, but you'll probably have to make some compromises. You can try finding dark blue hydrangea, and, depending on the season, you might find some dark blue lupine, but chances are, you'll have to include flowers from another accent colour. Click here to see the creative solution one florist found.

Don't limit yourself to the natural world. Drape the walls with luscious navy fabrics, and fill vases with shimmering glass beads. Look around for navy table settings; you can even tint the water in your centerpieces vases.

Navy is a bold, dramatic colour, which means it can overpower soft shades. Make sure you pair it with a colour that will stand up to the presence that navy will naturally create. Navy pairs very well with other blues, like forget-me-not and periwinkle. If you want something icy, try pale blue and steel blue. For a simple look, pair it with a plain light blue.

Blue, orange, and brown make for popular 2011 colour palettes. Try using navy with dark coral and dark chocolate. If brown's not your thing, try navy and clementine.

Just because a colour is soft and pretty doesn't mean it can't hold its own against the powerful navy. Navy works beautifully with lemon cream, light purple, and orange cream.

Navy and white are beautiful together, as well as navy and cream. If you want to add something extra, you'll have lots of colour choices. If you're using cream, add dark taupe green or burgundy. If you'd rather have white, try indigo or light apple green.

Looking for something bold and fun? How about dark hot pink, apple green or sangria?

Of course, you can always opt for the classic palette: navy, black, and white.

Colour of the Week: Sage

Sage has been a popular wedding colour for a few years now, and it looks like it's here to stay. It has a wonderful etheral quality, and its soft, organic vibe will make people feel comfortable and at home. You'll love it because of its versatility; it works with browns, oranges, cream, blues, yellows, reds, greys, white, and black. Some people are even trying it with pinks and purples--you're welcome to give it a try, but make sure you find the right shades! Because it works with so many colours, it also works at any time of year and at both day and night events. Click here to see how one blogger created a forest theme with sage.

Don't be afraid to include natural elements in your decor. The sage plant has pale green leaves with a beautiful, sweet smell; some brides like the look and smell so much they incorporate the plant into their florals. Use pots of sage as your centerpieces, and mix them with other herbs, like rosemary. Create an herb bouquet with sage, rosemary, and lavender. If you're wanting to create an natural ambiance, don't be afraid of twigs, branches, and grasses; when done well, they add a rich, organic element to your decor.

When it comes to bouquets and centrepieces, look for sage-coloured greens, like hosta and lily leaves. Sage-coloured greens look beautiful with white flowers, like calla lilies, lily of the valley, and alstroemeria. You can also find sage-coloured hydrangea for centerpieces and bouquets, as well as helebores, bells of ireland, and even orchids.

Sage is not an overpowering colour, so feel free to make sage the star of your colour palette. Accent it with brush and mocha, or add coral for a splash of colour. If coral is a little too splashy for your taste, try an orange cream instead.

If you're wanting an all-green theme, pair sage with olive and dark olive. If you want to break up the palette with something light and airy, try brush.

Sage can also work with blues, but it can be a little trickier to find good matches. Try pairing it with light mocha and pale blue, or a blue with a hint of lilac. If you're not interested in brown, try sage with dark moss, taupe green, and light blue.

If you're feeling daring, try pairing sage with black. For a bold, dramatic move, try it with sangria or dark indigo.

Colour of the Week: Tangelo

Tangelo is an unusual wedding colour, but more and more brides are seeing its potential. The Tangelo fruit is a cross between a tangerine and a pomelo grapefruit, which gives it its rosy orange colour. Tangelo is beautiful as either a main colour or a highlight, and it can be paired with many other shades. Click here to see how one couple combined it with hot pink to create beautiful bouquets and decorations.

Gerbera daisies, cannas, calla lilies, tulips, alstroemeria, and tiger lilies all come in a deep tangelo colour. My favorite? The chrysanthemum.

For your decor, have tall vases brimming with real tangelos and tie tangelo ribbons to the back of each chair. If you're lucky (and you look hard enough!), you might be able to find some vintage tangelo chairs, or maybe some chair covers with tangelo highlights.

At the reception, use slices of tangelos to garnish your dinner plates, and serve a tangelo cheesecake for dessert. Serve tangelo cocktails, or have pitchers of tangelo punch on every table.

Tie bright tangelo ribbon around your favor boxes, or, for something unique, give away personalized packages of tangelo soap (it smells so yummy!).

Here are some of my favorite colours to pair with tangelo:

For a dramatic effect at your black and white wedding, use tangelo for a splash of colour. Use tangelo highlights, like ribbons and flowers, to brighten up your black and white decor. Pair tangelo callas with white tiger lilies, or have a bouquet filled with giant white and tangelo chrysanthemums.

If you like bright colours, pair it with hot pink. Have tangelo and pink cloth pomanders and the end of each aisle, and have a bouquet filled with pink and tangelo gerbera daisies.







Add more to your palette with coral and antique yellow. Have a bouquet filled with nothing but calla lilies, as callas come in all these shades.

If you're not wild about pink, but are still looking for something bright and cheerful, add lemon yellow and clementine to your palette. Fill your bouquet with bright gerbera daisies, or use alstroemeria for a softer look.

If you're looking for something softer, pair it with coral. Combine tangelo roses with coral peonies, or highlight a white bouquet with coral and tangelo alstroemeria.