Red Wedding Guide

Archive for August, 2009

There is something to be said for using colors that break from the norm. Like using a red wedding theme. Everyone can have that same old white, or black and white, or ivory.. not that those aren't beautiful, but come on, t.i.r.e.d. Let's face it, we're in a new millennium about to hit the first decade. The last millennium, well they changed the world of women's fashion forever.

In the first part of the 1900s women were wearing restrictive clothing that covered the ankles, squished your girly parts into oblivion and in general were thick, uncomfortable, heavy and oppressing (yes I know those are some of the same terms). In the second decade of the 1900s hemlines rose a little bit, skirts began to come in a little more and the pencil skirt was making it's debut! The 1920s was the drop waist dress, and then women went from wearing 3/4 length dresses to skirts above the knee. The equivalent of going from a whole piece swimsuit with cover to a thong string bikini. The 2000s are going to break some traditions too and it's starting with wearing red wedding gowns. This is a relatively new trend that is just in the beginning stages of a real fashion momentum. And it's about time.



Red is sexy. Red is vibrant. Red is passion, love and romance. It's hot and sophisticated. It's everything you want in a bridal gown and theme. If you want to see some great red wedding gowns, you can visit House of BridesSave an Additional 5% off Already Discounted Hot Red Wedding Dresses. Enter Coupon Code: LOVE14 – Expires 3/1/09, they have an entire section on red dresses and wow are they sublime.

A red wedding theme can incorporate all of those things. Romance, passion, sophistication, sexiness etc. is all part of the package when choosing the different shades of red. And there are hundreds of different shades. You can use different colors for vintage themes, country themes, modern, contemporary, patriotic or just a color theme like burgundy and navy or purple, red and black.

Red goes with so much and looks so great with everything. It's both masculine and feminine. That means the bride can wear red and the groom can wear a red cummerbund or ascot, in order to fit the theme. Dresses can be accented in red or full on, in your face, look-out-here-we-come red.

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There is a smorgasbord of red out there, so don't be afraid to experiment with your theme. Here are some ideas to get you inspired:

1. Bride wearing a red wedding dress? Put the bridesmaids in ivory and the groom in black. Add some chic black accessories and an ivory veil with red ribbon trim! Mix up the bouquets with white roses and black Callas, mm mm mm lovely. A little black goes a long way in making the wedding more modern.

2. Red bridesmaid dresses? Make the bride stand out in an off white dress with a red sash a la Vera Wang. Add a little navy and put the groom in a suit, and you've got a lovely undertone of a nautical theme, but not in-your-face style, just more subtle.

3. Modern looks require clean lines and sophisticated cuts. Go for bateau or halter necklines and sheath dresses. Think Audrey Hepburn meets Angelina Jolie. Clean lines puts that handsome groom in a suit, rather than a tux. For flowers, the Dahlia screams modern in my opinion, it's also a lovely shade of red that makes your go "ahhh". I like going "ahhh".

4. Vintage themes deserve some brighter colors. For a 50s theme try rockabilly dresse with white polka dots for the bridesmaids. If you've got a hankerin' (excuse the hillybilly, I have a little Atlanta in my bloodline), for some gorgeous vintage gowns you can try Unique-Vintage.com, I'm in love with their dresses. They have some really awesome looks over there. H.A.W.T! (in capital letters)

5. Make it a fun and funky red wedding theme with some cheesy hearts and roses. If you're that fun couple that loves to do the unexpected, really cheese it up with candy hearts, red and white roses and some fun short red bridesmaid dresses.

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Alfred Angelo Wedding Dress Style 1797NB

Alfred Angelo Wedding Dress Style 1797NB
Wondering what your bridesmaids should wear if you're wearing a red wedding dress? While many brides may think about using the secondary color, it's important not to clash in the wedding pictures. If your secondary color is navy, the pictures will look lovely with your red dress and theirs being navy. There aren't many colors that will clash, it really depends on the shades of red used in your dress and the bridesmaid dresses.

Bright shades of red include vermilion, persimmon, crimson and ruby paired with certain colors produce a contemporary theme. Really rich bright red dresses in this shade look great with navy, black and yellow.. The neutral colors such as cream and ivory also look amazing with these shades of red. These combinations result in a more contemporary theme. Another current trend to match with contemporary red themes is teal. Although it isn't my cup of tea, the teal and reds are quite stark paired together.

A modern rustic theme will use darker shades of red with other muddy tints of various colors. The darker shades include venetian red, falu red, burgundy, carmine and maroon. The darker the shade of red, the less a darker color will stand out. Pairing darker reds with browns, golds and deep shades of purple, like eggplant. Consider pairing some dirty purples with darker reds. For example, a falu red with what's called a thistle purple (a mixture of gray and purple).

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Looking for more romance? Try lighter shades of red or pastels mixed with white and pink. Red and pink actually do look lovely together, but they need to be toned with an ivory, cream or white so the eye isn't overwhelmed by one tint.



Sophisticated, elegance is always one of my favorite styles of weddings. For the cosmopolitan weddings black, gray, white and dark, rich purples. For more ideas of modern wedding themes with red, you can try the Japanese or Chinese themes. Bridesmaids in black Chinese dresses and chopsticks in their hair. One thing to remember about using red in a modern themed wedding is to keep everything simple. Usually, although not always, the less design and embellishment, the more elegant the affair.

My favorites pairings are bold reds and navy or bright reds with silver. I love the way red and navy can be nautical or patriotic. Symbolism in weddings has always meant a lot to me and I've often thought that red, being the symbol of passion, needs taming with a more sedate blue. Alternatively, I love the idea of passionate reds with silver. The best part about silver is your bridesmaids can enjoy wearing it. It can look quite gaudy, so be careful of the dress you choose.

What to be careful of when pairing colors:

While you may enjoy red and green colors together, unless it is a Christmas wedding, you'll soon find out your wedding looks more like a holiday party if you use them.

Silver and red may be my favorite, but they can look very “holiday wrapping paper” if not done tastefully. If these are your colors, and you're determined to have them, have a wedding planner go over the best options for a third color.

Pick too bright colors and your wedding may end up looking like an Easter Day parade. Fuchsia is gorgeous, but not so much with a orange-red dress.

If you're in doubt about what to pair with your red wedding dress, do what millions of brides are starting to do of late: wear your white or ivory dress and add some red accents to the dress. Buy a red white wedding dress with red piping or a white bow, or even a red sash around the middle. When you have these little accents to your dress, you can put your bridesmaids in the red dresses. Although after you see these red wedding dresses, you may not ever want a white one.

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I feel almost shameful writing this article on red wedding shoes. Not because I don't love them, but because I love them so much, I wore them to my own wedding. Despite the fact that they didn't match my dress in any way shape or form.

I'm really in love with the color red, I'm not sure why my whole wedding was black and white, when red is such a fascinating color. Of course, I've only come to adore the color red in recent years, but its such a fantastic color that who couldn't adore it.

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When I first started this blog about red weddings, I was planning on going into detail about just clothing. Pretty soon I became fascinated with everything in the entire genre. Red wedding flowers, red wedding cakes, red wedding everything! Once you start down the path of interest, the sky is the limit. There are invitations, centerpieces, favors, red wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, groom's accessories. You'd be amazed at the amount of material that can be generated by one subject. At one point, just before I began writing, I thought I might run out of material. My first post proved that wrong. It was nearly 1000 words. A thousand words about just red weddings in general. Not even specifics. There are hundreds of specifics to go into, including types, complimentary colors, accessories, and on and on. Just the shoes alone have hundreds of styles, shades, sizes, design information and much much more.

The red wedding shoe can be summed up in a few words: absolutely freaking gorgeous. My eye is always drawn to red, in fact I'm not the only one. I recently talked about an experiment where this woman put her ad up in two different ways (a singles ad), both said the exact same thing, same hair, same makeup etc, only one of them she had a red dress and one she had a different color (sorry i can't remember which one). I've looked all over the net for that show, but I can't find the specific one. If anyone can find it please leave a comment! Anyway, the point was that she got twice as many responses for the red ad than the alternative. That's pretty amazing. It's probably not conclusive evidence if a few more respond, but half? That, and the fact that my own inclinations draw me to red, sealed it for me: red is the most amazing color available.

Now if you're off to buy a pair of red wedding shoes to go with your red dress, you'll want to pay attention to a few things. Firstly, you'll want the exact shade of red on your dress, or your shoes will clash. One way to get the exact color is to buy satin white shoes and have them dyed red to match the dress. Another way to do that is to have a shoe that is mixed red and another set of colors. If your wedding dress is very long, most people won't see your shoes, but if you're wearing a short dress, you'll want to have matching shoes. One problem with wearing all red is that you'll look monochrome. There is something to be said for wearing a white, black or other color dress with a solid color red shoe and then using accents on your dress to match the shoes. This means wearing a red sash, or red piping, embroidery, beading or stole.

Next you'll want to consider the style of shoe. There are hundreds of shoes available including a funky platform shoe, a red wedding shoe shaped with wedge style heel in leather or dark wood, the pump style or a straight stiletto high heel. You can find more information on womens wedge shoes.Next you'll want to consider the fabrics, if you opt out of choosing satin.

There is the full leather matte look which is quite pretty and extremely comfortable. You can also choose a satin shoe which is not dyed, but matches closely to your dress in shade. Leather shoes can come in patent (like my shoes above) which are a particularly lovely look (and downright sexy if you ask me).

When considering design, a wedding shoe should be exceptional, unless it is going to be a casual wedding. Choosing the perfect wedding shoe is important, not only because you want to look gorgeous on your wedding day, but because you'll be on your feet for most of the day. Think about how you'll be sweating, standing, dancing and walking in your shoes for nearly 8-10 hours. By the end of the day on my wedding, my feet hurt so bad I wanted to chop them off with the cake server. Don't just choose a shoe for its beauty, like I did, choose a comfortable shoe that is breathable, has give, and remember to wear it before your big day so it's broken in! Just to give you a head start in your looking, I've put together some great ideas for a lovely pair of red wedding shoes.

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Red Dress Shoes at Shoes.com