Every bride wants the perfect myriad of colors to accent her dress and brighten the event center hosting the reception. Red and white are the perfect solution for the bride that wants to make a sophisticated and glamorous impression upon their guests. The beautiful thing about red and white is that together they can also be warm and homey, as well as elegant. It depends on the choice of flowers and the choice of decorations and dress styles. The choices are limitless for the couple, red and white wedding invitations, red and white wedding dresses, red and white flowers, centerpieces etc.

Flowers are the single largest element of the wedding that can set the tone. Why? Because they play such a vital role in the decoration. In fact, some brides actually choose wedding colors or decorations that match the flowers . The best part about choosing red and white wedding flowers is that they are the most abundant colors found in nature - which makes them cheaper and easier to find. You can find out more about red wedding flowers by reading my previous article written on the subject here. There's some valuable information for wedding planners, brides and grooms, or and anyone that's interested in DIY wedding decorations, or just arming themselves with facts before visiting the florist.

While vases full of flowers are a terrific way to decorate a reception hall, there are a thousand small things that add to the ambiance. Red and white wedding favors, for example. While it's not an easy task to find a favor that is strictly red and white, it's not impossible either; especially for brides having their wedding on Valentine's Day. There's a vast array of trinkets that can be procured by just visiting a local party shop during the end of January and beginning of February. Planning your wedding a year in advance? Try finding your favors after Valentine's Day for super savings. I often find Ebay to be the easiest place to find items, but Amazon is an excellent place as well. The most merchants with both variety and trust on the Internet (which coincidentally is probably the cheapest method) will be places like <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=48818&u=371887&m=9287&urllink=&afftrack=" rel="nofollow">MyWeddingFavors.com</a> and others that have been in business for years; The Knot and The Wedding Channel.

So there're flowers and favors of course, but there are tons of other ways to create an incredible centerpiece without a single flower in sight. While that might not sound like the ideal wedding, it will save those who suffer from allergies. Did you know that 10-20% of people suffer from allergies to pollen? If you have a hundred guests at your reception, that's ten to twenty people sneezing and having a conflict with your floral arrangement. Does this mean you have to forgo flowers altogether? Not at all! Instead, keep the flowers as decorations around the room, but off the guest tables directly. Use candles, plates, favors, tea sets or other centerpieces for decoration. Have an edible centerpiece of white chocolate fountains and strawberries - how awesome is that for a red and white theme?

Some other things to consider when creating a wedding theme with red and white:

Bridesmaid dresses, flower girls, tuxedos, wedding dresses, shoes are all ways to accent the wedding and a table, or a room full of people wearing red and white can be just as powerful as a roomful of red and white roses.

Jewelry and other accessories are another popular choice for adding small touches of red to an otherwise mostly white wedding attire.

The cake sits on a table in the reception hall and is like a beautiful statue. Forget ice sculptures or giant table settings, the wedding cake and all the plates and dishes on the tables can be their own decoration. There are also cupcakes that have red foil and white frosting, or an entire table full of glass jars filled with red and white candy. You can even get most of them wholesale at Amazon.com.

Be sure to check out the other articles on a red and white wedding theme for some ideas on what to do with the attire for you and your wedding party.

Most couples have a pretty set idea about what they want in color themes. Black and white were my personal favorites and those are the colors I chose from when I was 15 years old. My friends, however, picked red and black for their colors and I was thinking back on their wedding and realized it was not only beautiful, but the vibrancy of the wedding day was much more memorable.

Many people continue to talk about my wedding day, but more for the party and ceremony than the color choices. I always thought people would remember the choice of colors that I had. My dress was black and white and my bridesmaids were in black. What turned it to be was even better; my guests remembered how much fun they had at our wedding. While color choices are important to the couple, they aren’t as important to the guests. Your guests will look fondly on who the danced with at the wedding, how much they cried for joy at your vows, how breathtaking you looked as you walked down the aisle or, in our case, how drunk they got at your reception. What I’m saying is that color choices don’t have to be anything specific to please your guests. They should be what you, as a couple, want. They don’t have to be traditional or conformist. They can be red and black, or black and white or green and purple. You don’t even have to wear a white/ivory dress! Save an Additional 5% off Already Discounted Hot Red Wedding Dresses. Enter Coupon Code: LOVE14 – Expires 3/1/09

Red wedding gowns are vibrant and beautiful. And as I point out in my other posts, they’re not as nonconformist as one might think. As I mentioned in earlier posts, red wedding gowns were worn by the brides of patriots during the Revolutionary War. They were a symbol of freedom. And I see them as such today. Women today are free of the bonds of conformity and tradition. We can wear white or black or red wedding gowns! We have the choices and we make our own destinies. It used to be we were forced to wear bustles and corsets. Now we can choose to wear those. If you choose to wear a red wedding dress, you’ll look amazing and vibrant and all the wonderful things you imagine. And the great thing is that if you wear a red wedding gown, your bridesmaids can wear white.

Bridesmaid dresses are one of the nightmares of wedding choices. You have to take into consideration every figure and style choice as well as every coloring. Every color doesn’t go with every girl’s coloring; that’s a fact. While it’s not as fun to pick dresses based on skin tones, it is important. You don’t want your bridesmaids walking down the aisle (or worse, in the wedding pictures) looking dull. You want them to look effervescent, bold and beautiful. It’s important, therefore, to take into consideration their particular figures and skin tones. The great thing about red and black wedding themes is that you can put your bridesmaids in black. Almost every woman can carry black off. You can even add some lovely red accents like beading, stoles, wraps and jewelry; not to mention sashes and hats (yes I said it! Hats!) If you’re going for red bridesmaid dresses, you’ll want to pick a red that is perfect for their tones. You can take a look at Trinny and Susannah’s guide to wearing red . It’s a British TV show which has some really great advice on color choices for skin tones.

Black and red weddings have one flaw; you can’t put the groom in red. I know maybe some women have looked at the maroon tuxedos, but don’t…just don’t. *shudder*. Go for the black tuxedo with red cummerbund (or even a white tuxedo *yammers*). We bought our tuxedo and it was only around $200, it’s something I would recommend for every couple because you’re able to use a tuxedo again in your lifetime. In fact we bought a suit tuxedo which worked out for us quite well.

Red flower girl dresses are perfect for this wedding theme, so go all out and get her a bright red dress. Or a dress with little flowers will look so cute! The hard part is coming up with a black or red flower girl basket and I recommend making it. It’s relatively hard to find, and simple to make. Making a basket with some red satin fabric, ribbon and beading to a plain flower girl basket will look fantastic.

Picking out red and black favors is going to be very hard. Not because there isn’t much choice, but because the choices are so fabulous. Favors were one thing we skimped on and I don’t recommend it. I bought little picture frames for our guests, but they were tacky and cheap. Spend a little more and give your guests something to remember your wedding by. Don’t worry if the favor itself isn’t black or red, it can be put in a gift wrapped favor box or bag and used as a table decoration on the reception tables. There are tons of choices for favors and some of my favorites are the dark chocolate or silver wine stoppers. Personalized Wedding Favors - A creative way to make your reception tables that much more intimate.

If you choose a red wedding gown, you’ll want red wedding shoes to match. You don’t want little white shoes peeking out of from under your dress, they will distract from your spectacular color. You’ll want a gorgeous pair of shoes that can be dyed to match your dress! You can find a great pair of bridal shoes at shoes.com. They have incredible prices and your head will spin with the selections. Shop Bridal Shoes at Shoes.com!

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Red and black wedding invitations are probably one of the main reasons to choose a red and black theme! They're so gorgeous and modern, they stand out. Chic is the word I would most commonly think of when imagining red and black wedding invitations. There are two really great places to pick up some beautiful styles. Wedding Paper Divas Wedding Invitations & Bridal Shower Invitations has an enormous selection. For a more limited selection, but very specific: Chic & Modern Wedding Invitations to Impress Your Guests, by Modern Girl Invitations

A red and black wedding theme has so many choices. Don’t get so bogged down by tradition that you don’t have the wedding of your dreams. Many people tried to talk me out of my black and white dress; I told them that I had dreamed about that dress since I was 15! It was the right choice for me. It wasn’t traditional, but it was my perfect wedding. If you want a red wedding gown or even a black one, it’s your day. Remember that it only comes once in a lifetime. Don’t let anyone tell you how to have it!

Choosing colors for your wedding is one of the most important first steps when it comes to planning your special day. There are traditional colors that coincide with holidays and seasons. This is your wedding and you can choose any color you want, during any season.

A red wedding theme is traditional for a Valentine’s Day wedding. If you are not planning a Valentine’s Day wedding, or even a wedding near Valentine’s Day, you will still be able to find plenty of wedding and reception necessities. The color red is very bold, and dominant. If you coordinate with another less bold color or possibly even white, it can be an exquisite combination. Red comes in a variety of shades so a lighter red could work if you want to stay with an entirely red theme. It is important to pick your red color early on, because of the enormous number of shades there are. You do not want to have two clashing reds.

If you are going to have a red wedding gown, it is important you pick a flower bouquet that will be able to stand out against your red gown. If you are going to wear a white gown, and have your bridesmaids wear red, then the same rule applies, do not let their bouquets clash with their gowns. A gorgeous white gown, accented with a red bow or several red bows down the back would really tie your colors together. A red garter under the gown would certainly give you a bit more zest in your step. The men of the wedding party could wear traditional white or black tuxedos with red cummerbunds, corsages and bow ties. Red tuxedos may be a little much, and I would guess extremely hard to find.

For your walk down the aisle if you are wearing a white gown, a beautiful red carpet runner would really work with your theme. If you are really daring, a sexy pair of bright red wedding shoes would certainly be an attention grabber against an all white dress. If you are walking down a red carpet runner, your flower girl will need to have a different color of flower to throw down under your feet. White or pink roses would be beautiful. A red ring bearer pillow with the ring bearer in a black or white tuxedo would be smashing.

Your reception can be elegantly done with red accents. Centerpieces can include flowers, balloons, confetti, and so many more options for you to choose from. Red tablecloths would be a bold accent that would complete your red wedding. If you would like to be a little more subtle you can have a white tablecloth with red candles and other accents. Some caterers may give you an option to use red dishes. A wedding cake done all in red or with a red wedding cake topper is also possible.

Traditionally bold colors are in season during the fall/winter season. They will probably be easier to find, and you will have a bigger selection to choose from. If you are planning far enough in advance you may be able to buy your supplies at lower prices at the end of the season.

You can always start your wedding planning with a wedding planning checklist. That way you can tick off as you need to.

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.

As always find some great things for your wedding on Amazon.