But if you aren’t getting married in white, that opens up every possible color in the rainbow to you. What to pick then? Well, right now a lot of brides are looking to shades of silver, steel, platinum, and just plain grey.

Grey? For a wedding gown??? Yep. I say don’t knock it until you take a look at it.

Take, for instance, this strapless Aria gown in platinum floral print on a cream colored background shown here with a narrow spring green sash (sold separately, which means you can do without, choose another color, go wider, or choose something with beading instead, if you prefer).

It’s simple, festive, and definitely not the standard wedding gown.

But shades of grey can go dramatic, too.


For instance, this steel tulle ballgown by Wtoo features metallic beading and embroidered lace embellishments. With all those ruffles, it’s definitely dramatic. And in that color, it would look spectacular with the currently popular pink and purple blooms.

Even the seriously budget-minded can get in on the trend with this steel blue Casrin strapless gown. In fact, it can be ordered for a mere $131.79, plus shipping. What’s more, just another $25.00 gets it in custom sizing.

Or you can go entirely custom, like this delicious gown made of vintage cream uchikaki with silver silk charmeuse trim:

White wedding gowns are great, as are ones in cream, ivory, blush pink, gold, emerald green and bright purple. But if shades of grey make a good frame for your face, seriously think about wearing one of them. It can look amazing.

And I know. My cream-colored wedding gown featured silver grey lace trim way back in 1993. Little did I know then I was a trend setter! I just thought it was pretty.

I’ve found a few examples of the versatility of copper, just in case you’re undecided on the matter.

(Image via Delightfully Engaged)
Here copper combines with red for a sumptuous, elegant look. It’s rich and warm.

Here a combination of aqua, copper, and old gold makes for a cool yet invitingly stylish look.

(image via One Fab Day)

(Image via Craft Foxes)
Here a copper-colored glass and a mass of kumquats make for a rich, but budget-friendly centerpiece. Click on the link to read more about it and get some great ideas for imaginative, inexpensive decorations from the Craft Foxes interview with Preston Bailey.

Image via One Wed)
But as I said before, copper can be rustic and simple, too. This dessert table is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. It also shows how great copper looks with neutrals.

So if you’re looking for a metallic to add to your wedding colors, don’t forget about copper!

I know, it struck me – child of the sixties and Yellow Submarine fan though I am – as possibly a bit scary and OTT… until I saw it done right.

The key, as shown in this fabulous photo of a real wedding featured at Design Sponge, is restraint. Keep the backgrounds to stark white or black, and use the neons sparingly. Stick to just a couple colors, but don’t fear them.

As you can see here, a bright white background and carefully considered touches of neon pink, neon orange, and lime green make for a festive, fun, yet surprisingly sophisticated look.


One way to show you don’t fear neon is to put it on yourself. From funky jewelry to fabulous fun tights like these (though I have to say I dislike pairing them with white shoes. I would probably go bold on the footwear with them), or spectacular neon nail polish, you can carry out your theme in bold touches from head to toe.

While I saw several people encouraging neon bridesmaid’s dresses, I have to say I’m not wild about that one. It sounds like a great way to alienate your best friends and any sisters-in-law you have in your bridal party… unless they all love neon, too. My advice? Stick to your background neutral and dole out neon details like the nail polish, tights, and jewelry. Trust me, your bridesmaids will thank you.

For flowers, go with gerbera daisies, or just go crazy and do fabulous faux blooms, like these felt and button flowers I saw at Blog.Celebration.Co.Za.

Another great place to use neon is the dessert table. Whether you go for a super bright cake:
like this one I spotted at Pink Cake Box, or a variety of colorful treats such as Parisian macarons:

or cupcakes:

… you can go big with neon in the desserts.

Yes, a marriage is a serious thing, and I do believe in taking the wedding seriously. But it doesn’t have to be solemn, or timid in color. Have a blast… of neon!

Dessert tables are expected to continue to be a big deal in weddings. Variety is the spice of life, and a wonderful way to end a reception meal.

A further wrinkle on this trend that’s on the rise for parties that last late into the night is a second spread of snacks offered to guests on their way out. Doughnuts, cookies, sliders, coffee and cocoa… this is the chance to offer up a tasty final gift to your guests.


Alternatives to flowers are another trend on the rise. Paper, brooches, fabric, feathers… if it can substitute for flowers, someone’s using it. This is a great trend if you’re dealing with allergies or want to DIY your bouquets and centerpieces over time. But real flowers are hardly going anywhere.

More brides have been doing DIY projects for their weddings, and that isn’t changing anytime soon. Whether it’s to save money, add uniquely personal touches, or honor a family tradition, using your own hands to put at least a couple pieces of your wedding together can be tremendously satisfying.

Green is clearly the way to go in the coming year. From invitations of recycled paper to living plant centerpieces, to packets of wildflower seeds as favors, brides and grooms everywhere are getting eco-friendly and loving it.

More weddings than ever are happening in the great outdoors. Whether it’s a garden, a beach, the woods, couples are choosing the sky as the ceiling they prefer. As someone who had an outdoor wedding and loved it, I say go for it… just make sure you have a backup plan in case of inclement weather.

Of course trends are fun, but never follow one if it feels wrong to you. You should do what matters to you.

You may have a favorite color that’s become something of a signature in your life. It doesn’t matter whether that color is sunshine yellow, inky indigo, or bright fuchsia: everybody will know it’s from you when your invitation arrives in the mail, because it’s in ‘your’ color.

Or you may choose a color because it’s culturally significant. Many a Japanese or Indian bride has chosen red because it’s as standard in their cultures as bridal white is in ours. And there are brides who decide that if red, white, and blue is good enough for Old Glory, well, it’s good enough for them.

You may choose the colors of your favorite sports team, or just go with the color scheme of the church or hall where you’re having your wedding. Then again, you may decide to go with what’s currently fashionable. That one’s easy. After all, you know that everything you need will be readily available in the colors you want! And if you already like those colors, so much the better.

You may even decide to pay tribute to someone you loved who has passed on by using their favorite color in your wedding. It’s a happy, subtle way to honor someone who has been important in your life, after all.

Or you may find yourself utterly flummoxed and hunt online for sites that will allow you to play with color until you find a combination that makes you smile.

You can put together an inspiration board and see what colors keep jumping out at you.

(I found this one at Wedding Aces)

Or you can even do what I did: not bother to pick. That’s right, I never picked specific wedding colors. I just found things I liked and put them together. I dressed the bridesmaids in the same shade of white I wore, added tartan arisaides all around, tossed in some pretty flowers and ribbons… and voila! A ridiculously attractive wedding. Red did seem to keep popping up, which worked just fine. I like red, Mr. Twistie’s mother was from Japan, and my late mother was particularly fond of the color. It wasn’t something I had particularly planned on, but it turned out nicely. All those tartans meant that the cheerful mix of flowers all co-ordinated with something else. And overall, since the day was a picnic in the woods, a bit of randomness and informality really fit the situation nicely.

Whatever colors you choose, it’s fine. Whatever the reason you choose them is fine. Color can – and should – be one of the fun bits of the planning, because it’s just pretty. So have fun with it. Choose something that makes you and your intended smile, and just take it to eleven… or whatever number will make you happy.

2. Wearing a colored wedding dress can be a nod to your cultural heritage. Various shades of white may be the go to wedding gown colors in much of the Western World, but in other parts of the world, different hues are considered ‘right’ for wedding garments. For example, in China, India, and Vietnam, red is the traditional choice for brides. In the Klamath, Modoc, and Yurok tribes of Northern California, brides wore gowns woven in white, blue, yellow, and black. And once upon a time, black was the top choice for Scandinavian brides!

3. Those who don’t feel like spending big bucks on wedding garb can instead save big bucks by choosing a colored wedding dress. Gowns specifically created for weddings are priced at a premium, whereas frocks meant for parties and proms (or even everyday outfits for gown-lovers) frequently have price tags featuring numbers that won’t make your wallet cry. Worried that you won’t find a style you like because you love that traditional wedding gown look? There are plenty of colored gowns featuring the same silhouettes and styles as traditional wedding dresses.

4. While I don’t have any reason to wear a gown these days, maybe you do. I’m sure you’re thinking: Re-wearing a wedding dress sounds even sillier than re-wearing a bridesmaids’ dress. But why not? If you don’t have the same dress dying skills as the lovely Toni, you can up your chances of having the opportunity to wear your big day frock again if you choose a colored wedding dress over a white one. You can get even more mileage out of your colored wedding dress by choosing one that can be altered into a cocktail-length dress after you say your vows. Or starts as a cocktail length wedding dress!

5. Including colored wedding dresses in your list of possibilities widens your range of gown choices – particularly if you’re also open to a variety of silhouettes. Sure, you can find colored wedding dresses that are identical to white wedding dresses, but you also have your choice of elegant ballgowns and sleek, simple evening dresses. And the more choices you have, the more likely it is that you’re going to find a wedding gown that is close to or even exactly like the dress you’ve been picturing in your head.

In fact, the article includes this quote from a bridal consultant named Susan Rodgers:

“I think they figured out that everyone really didn’t look good in white. … Nobody orders white anymore. It’s kind of a faux pas.”

And the article featured discussion of several individual brides who chose to wear other colors.

Bridal surveys at Bridal Guide, though, would dispute this idea. According to their 2002 survey, 57% of bridal gowns were white, 38% ivory, and the remaining 5% ‘some other color.’ This trend continues much the same in their 2009 survey which found that 58% of bridal gowns were white, 37% ivory, and – you guessed it – 5% in other colors.

The Knot breaks it down a bit further in their 2009 survey. They found that 27% of gowns were stark white, 25% diamond white. That’s 52% white gowns, for those who aren’t quick with their math. They further found that 39% of brides went for ivory, 4% for champagne or rum, and 6% other.

In short, far from being a ‘faux pas’ it would appear that white continues to be the single most popular color for wedding gowns.

Now I’m willing to believe (in fact I do believe) the number of women wearing dresses that are neither white nor ivory is a bit higher than The Knot and Bridal Guide would indicate, since the people who answer their surveys are the sorts of people who would read their more traditional guides to getting married. I’m guessing that there is a certain percentage of brides who would no more dream of wearing a white gown than they would of responding to a survey on The Knot.

So what am I trying to say with all of the statistics and all of the waffling? Just this. It’s not up to the experts or the rebels or the Wedding Industrial Complex or your soon-to-be-mother-in-law what color you wear. It’s up to you.

Whether you feel you look best and most bridal in stark white or lime green, ivory or incandescent orange, choose that color. Don’t let anyone else tell you what you should wear on your wedding day. Be the best, most beautiful you that you can imagine.

You can start right out with your save the dates.
These buttons from Zazzle run from $2.89 each down to $1.89 each, depending on how many you buy. Not wild about this one? There are other iris-themed save the date items available.

Of course, the most expected way to use a flower is in a bouquet. This one made me smile when I saw it:
The bold colors speak volumes to me, and I’m a complete sucker for an elegantly organized, simply tied bouquet.

I’m not certain I really like this cake from Cakes by Mez, but I do find it intriguing.
What? I’ve never seen the stems of flowers used as part of the design like that.
This simple yet elegant centerpiece would be easy to DIY. Seriously, do you even need instructions? And yet your table would look gorgeous.

Tables do not live by centerpieces alone, you know. Your and your new spouse will probably want to make a toast or two. If you want to carry the theme on and have a fabulous pair of glasses to keep afterwards, you might be interested in these gorgeous ones from Art of Glass.

Whether you concentrate more on color, shape, or literal use of the flower, iris is a great inspiration for a wedding.

(Hey kids, remember there’s one more day to enter the contest for this fabulous silk clutch here at Manolo for the Brides! Hurry up and give it a go!

The deets: High-school sweethearts Jena and Justin had themselves a gorgeous, chic, unfussy green, black, and white wedding in Whitney, FL. Green gerbera daisies, green hydrangeas and spider mums, and Jade roses looked even brighter when paired with black bridesmaids’ dresses, black-and-white gingham shoes by Jessica Simpson, matching gingham ribbon, and even a coordinating umbrella that the bride found because she heard it might rain.

Featured on this pink, green, black, and white inspiration board are damask border table numbers from Papeterie; pink, green, and white bridesmaids bouquets by Pure Joy carried by bridesmaids in black; pink, green, and white favor cards; a pink, green, and black button bouquet from the amazing Princess Lasertron; adorable bridesmaids in green with black sweaters and pink scarves; a sweet table by Ravishing Radish featuring a cake by Tallant House; a chic and blingy wedding cake from a dessert table designed by Couture Cakery; and finally, a floral centerpiece that features almost all the colors in this scheme (even if you can’t see them).