Color/Theme Brainstorming

[Amy1982]

So I'm having a hard time choosing colors for the reception.

It's a fall wedding, I love old black & white movies and anything vintage so I was thinking: dark, almost crimson red and gold with TONS of cream/ivory candles around the room--sort of like an old Hollywood theme.



However, if I do red floral centerpieces then I'd have to do gold linens, but I'm not sure how that would look. What about champagne or mocha? The carpeting in the reception hall is a dark burgundy.

I'm also thinking about the BM dresses as chocolate brown with dark red sash/trim of some sort.

I've heard all dark red flowers don't photograph really well, so what color flowers should I add to the bouquets to make them more photographic?

I want to do the names of old movie stars as my table numbers instead of actual numbers...like Catherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey...or something like that!

Any ideas for a slightly Old Hollywood/Vintage themed wedding?

This is the dress I'm thinking about buying:

[ljeagle]

Your pictures are not showing up!

[Amy1982]

Hmm...I'm not sure why. I clicked on insert image and then pasted the link into the box so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Any ideas?

Maybe if I just post the link?
http://www.maggiesottero.com/images/...front/V173.jpg

[maroki13]

I can see all of your pictures just fine.

[maroki13]

Could you use ivory tableclothes instead of gold? I still think it would look fine with ivory candles.

As for the flowers....what about adding in some ivory flowers if you don't want all red? I personally think single-color bouquets are stunning and look great in your picture, but I don't know how well they photograph in black and white (if that is what you were thinking).

I love the touches of red around the room....on the chairs and in the flowers, and the gold touches that are brought in; you could use gold vases to hold the red flowers (that would be gorgeous!).

[ljeagle]

They are showing up just fine now. No clue!

How about the red table cloths with a gold runner or over lay so it brings out the red centerpiece's.

[NovemberGal]

I don't have any good ideas at the moment, just that I love the idea of your theme and your color scheme. I also like the idea of Hollywood names for your tables...but it's Katherine Hepburn!

[Amy1982]

NovemberGal

Duh! I thought when I was typing her name that it looked strange...

Thanks for the compliments. I'm really trying for the classic look, plus with the ceremony being in a fire station and a fire truck as our transportation I thought the red and gold would apply to that as well...

I'm still not 100% sold on my dress, but it's hard to find dresses that aren't strapless. I've got really broad shoulders and it just feels and looks weird to go without something on my shoulders.

[TheaterDiva1]

Originally Posted by NovemberGal

I also like the idea of Hollywood names for your tables...but it's Katherine Hepburn!

How about famous Hollywood couples - either real-life (Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward) or in movies (Rhett Butler & Scarlett O'Hara)?

And I love the colors you mentioned - especially crimson & gold. I'm debating which is better with those two - black or ivory.

Are you doing favors? Can you get mini Oscar statuettes? If you so much as get a mold, it's easy to make them out of resin with gold coloring added.

And don't forget the famous Red Carpet - maybe as a runner for the ceremony, or when you walk into the reception. Also, make up Walk Of Fame stars to place down on the floor.

Are you having kids there, and will there be separate activities for them? There's a plaster kit you can get (I saw one at Picture People used for making a child's handprint) - kids can make handprints like in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Okay, maybe I'm getting carried away here... DH and I talked briefly about going that route. I'm an actress/comic and my goal is to be a star in LA, so this really hits home for me. I can't wait to see how this turns out!

Ooh - idea for decor! Copies of classic movie posters in gold/brass frames on the walls!

I'll be back if I think of anything else.

[Sapphire]

Those are exactly my colors! They are fantastic in my opinion!

[breezy]

1st I think the colors are lovely. I would keep the table cloths gold or perhaps champagne.

You could add cream to the bouquets to compliment them.

Also for dresses. Any good seamstress can add straps to a dress you fall in love with. I have broad shoulders and went strapless, so tried on tons. Most strapless dresses come with straps that are removable, so don't toss out a dress option without trying it on

[Leslee&Jake]

I would make the table cloths Ivory with a gold runner and then the red flowers. I think that would look really crisp and sharp.

[555Ann555]

Originally Posted by Leslee&Jake

I would make the table cloths Ivory with a gold runner and then the red flowers. I think that would look really crisp and sharp.

Me too Ivory with a gold runner might even save you money because a lot of venues have a choice of ivory or white table linen.

I'll try & hunt down some photos of dark red bouquets, are far as I know they'll be fine in colour photos, it's just that if you have any b&w taken from a distance it can just look like a dark blob...

But I'll come back with photos

[555Ann555]

Right.... These 3 photos are all from the same wedding. You'll be able to see that it all depends on the lighting conditions, the setting, & the processing how well you can see the detail of the flowers...

[555Ann555]

This wedding seems to have had stacks of red & gold too. Their centerpieces are incredible!

http://weddings.theknot.com/odb/them...te&pageIndex=0

[Leslee&Jake]

I was just wondering what light flowers would look like from far away. It seems to me that it would be difficult to see the details of flowers from a distance no matter what color they are.

[Steph]

THAT DRESS IS GORGEOUS!

[Amy1982]

Wow, lot's of good ideas. I'm actually going to use a red carpet for the aisle at the fire station...the trucks are red and gold so I thought it would go pretty well. The movie poster idea is great too! I was thinking about finding gold antique frames and putting pictures of old Hollywood couples in them and then placing them at the tables...or pictures of my parent's and grandparent's wedding photos.

I found THE dress today. I went to the bridal salon to show my mother and sister the dress I had in the post above and they said they liked it but didn't seemed real impressed, and I wasn't so sure about it either. So I took it back downstairs and was going to pull another dress I had tried on before to see if they liked it better...well next to that dress was one I didn't remember seeing before...at first my mother saw it on the rack and thought it looked "old" but I really liked it. I pulled it off the rack and put it on. It was a little too big for me, but I knew it was the one! I stepped out of the dressing room and they both said they loved it and it was a good fit for me. It's somewhat vintage looking and still has a big full skirt with lots of lace detail. It comes with a little jacket that has opera sleeves which I don't think I'll wear, but it's still gorgeous...and even though it's strapless it comes with tiny straps that can be attached if I want with metal hooks. Here's a link to the dress if anyone is interested:
http://www.marysbridal.com/bridal/5703.htm

Anyways, I think it will go really well with the red and gold decor at the reception too! I'll probably go with goldish type linens and red floral centerpieces with ivory/cream accents of some sort and LOTS of candles. Now all I need to do is figure out my bridesmaids dresses and what color flowers we'll all be carrying!!! I'm glad I have all of my vendors taken care of because figuring out colors and music is so freakin' complicated for me!

[DavidsWife]

Originally Posted by Amy1982

Hmm...I'm not sure why. I clicked on insert image and then pasted the link into the box so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Any ideas?

Maybe if I just post the link?
http://www.maggiesottero.com/images/...front/V173.jpg

My dress is maggie Sottero also, I think she does amazing things and her prices aren't bad either!!!

It's beautiful!

[m_t_rose]

I love the dress it is soo pretty

[peckmiranda]

That dress is GORGEOUS!!! I'm in LOVE!!!

I love your ideas. Sounds like your reception will be beautiful!

[heidijoy]

I think you'll make the best statement by focusing on red centerpieces and napkins, and just an accent of gold -- napkin rings, border on a menu, ribbon around a flower arrangement, etc. The red on white (or ivory) table linens is a classic, and even more dramatic with the red carpet.

We've chosen poppy red and sunflower yellow for our summer wedding and I think what's key -- which you've done right -- is to really match your colors to the season. (mint green looks weird in August, but OK in Spring).

Also -- for all brides -- COLOR ALERT. I was at David's Bridal and informed that shamrock green is such a hot color for BM dresses that there's a 22 week ordering period.

Finally, I hosted a conference in Universal City with a movie theme and found lots of great images (director's chair, megaphone, clapboard, tickets) on istockphoto.com. You can buy pix for $3 to $5 each and use them to create the visual identity for your printed materials (table cards, etc). Good luck, and you have great ideas!

[Marksbride]

Brilliant colors. They are going to look stunning.

[tnbride]

i think that pic of the gold and red is really pretty. Or ivory table cloths and then the red. I have a maggie dress too!!

[TheaterDiva1]

I love that dress!