Over the past few seasons, the color combination of chocolate brown and Tiffany, robin’s egg, or baby blue has reigned supreme. Now, though, it seems folks are ready for a change. The hot new color combo according to the gurus is purple and red.
This colorway can wind up looking like you’re getting married in the middle of a meeting of the Red Hat Society:
but it doesn’t have to. Don’t believe me? Take a look after the cut and see the possibilities.
Bridesmaid’s dresses are a great place to start with this combination. Choose a dignified shade of purple and mix it with deep red flowers.
or mix it up a bit with different shades and mixed blooms.
Continue the theme with the ceremony decor, like this amazing chuppah:
Don’t forget chair covers…
…or reception centerpieces. Whether you go tall…
….or short
my bet is that it will look fabulous.
Is this a color combination for everybody? No, of course not. But if you like what you see here, it’s a good one to consider.
My cousin got married in June and she used a pastel type purple with a deep red as her colors. I think it look wonderful. She also darker purples and lighter reds to accent things, like the waistline of the bridesmaid dresses and the edging of table clothes, etc.
Love it! I prefer the more sutle colors and not the mix of the Red Hats! Tho I really appreciate the red hat attitude!
I love that final centerpiece – just gorgeous! But I will still never-never put those colors together for my wedding. Several reasons, including 1. purple isn’t my favorite color anymore, 2. my cousin got married when I was little, and purple was one of her colors – some of the most 90s dresses ever, in purple and black, and 3. I have had bad experiences with our local Red Hat groups, and thus don’t even want to hint at their colors.
@ Sarah: Sounds gorgeous! And tasteful.
@ Jennie: Subtle shades is definitely the best way to go with two such powerful colors.
@ Cassie: Like I said, it’s not for everyone. Whatever colors you do choose, I bet they’ll look lovely. Best of all, they’ll make you happy. And you’re not alone in having had some annoying run-ins with the red hats. I almost didn’t buy a gorgeous and wildly flattering ruby red velvet hat recently for fear that someone might mistake me for one of their number. Alas! I still feel I can never wear it with a purple dress even though it would kick sartorial butt.
If Cassie and Twistie wouldn’t mind, could you expand on your run-ins with the Red Hat people? I find I have mixed emotions – yes, I’m happy more people are wearing hats, but I don’t particularly care to be tagged as being part of a group to which I do NOT belong, simply because I’m wearing a red hat. OR purple.
LBD, the group is based around a poem that starts off: When I am an old woman, I’ll wear a red hat with a purple outfit that doesn’t match.
The poem is really about not allowing age or the opinions of others to stop you living your life the way you want to and being vital. Unfortunately, the branches of the club I’ve run into (had run-ins with) have been all about pack behavior.
I saw a group of them in a department store once insisting that a young woman couldn’t buy a red hat because she wasn’t old enough to join their group. Sweet.
Mr. Twistie works for a non-profit theater group for seniors. Among their various good works, they take shows (plays, musical reviews, story telling groups) around to schools, hospitals, and various senior groups. Whenever the local Red Hats call, Mr. Twistie shudders because he knows they’ll want a lot of extras tacked on for free and give everyone involved a hard time.
I was in a museum once when a group of Red Hats came through, pushing everyone else out of the way. It seems that since they were there, the rest of us weren’t to look at the pretty pictures.
I’m sure there are perfectly nice people who join the Red Hats, and even branches that are doing some good, but every single one of them I’ve ever met up with has been obnoxious, rude, self-important, and the complete antithesis of the spirit of the poem to which they are doing homage.
UGH, UGH, UGH. I’m familiar with the poem, and, I regret to say, I am also familiar with pack behaviour. Once you mentioned that, Twistie, I was able, unfortunately, to envision all sorts of other unpleasantness. And also, the h3ll? I wasn’t familiar with any sumptuary laws that forbad the wearing of red hats to people under X age. Just because YOU’RE wearing one, Ma’am, doesn’t mean that I can’t. Or anyone else.
And THAT is why I don’t want to be associated with a group – because it’s too easy for a group to dissolve into a pack.
I hope that young woman persisted in buying her hat. And now I recognize that prickle at the back of my neck – it’s been my personal experience that people who are happy in exclusionary groups can easily slide into pack behaviour – which I abhor.
The next community over from mine was the subject of a reality show on CBC called “The Week the Women Went” (the basic premise being that those poor sods would be completely lost without their womenfolk — sexist, much?)
Anyhoodle, one fellow, who owns a wonderful cafe with his wife, was beset by a large group of red hatters, and they were AWFUL. He knew ahead of time they were coming, and so did up a fixed menu with a few options, which is much more manageable when you’re feeding 20 people in one go. Well, a bunch of them had dietary restrictions, but nobody bothered to tell him until he’d already served them all their food. He was a bit slow in getting them served, as he was all flustered, and a bunch of them were actually going IN TO HIS KITCHEN and helping themselves! I’m sure there was some exaggeration for television, but word on the street afterwards was that they really were a bunch of demanding, overweening old biddies who held themselves in VERY high regard.