As a writer, I tend to think that as far as words go, I'm fairly knowledgeable.  Today has brought me yet another lesson in humility as I learned a brand new (to me) word that comes to play ever so fancifully in wedding decor.  The word is "ombre" which is a French term for gradient or shading.  As far as weddings are concerned, it's a one word solution to those of us brides who cannot pinpoint a specific color to which we would declare loyalty.  Why pick one shade of pink when you can have them all?  Using an ombre approach, one doesn't have to worry about swatch matching, color overkill, or florescent light tricks.  I'm going off in a tangent here...  Perhaps it would be better if I brought in some visuals...

Let's start off with a famous example.  Remember when Gwen Stefani wore her famously pink-tinged wedding gown?  Notice how the coloration doesn't go directly from white to hot pink but trails through a gradient, or ombre, of shades.  The effect is a graceful transition which adds softness to the shocking color.

Next we have a darling wedding cake with a bottom layer that uses an ombre effect to travel through all the lovely shades of purple one can find. 

An ombre effect doesn't have to be a direct gradient as we see here in this floral chandelier.  Instead, a more haphazard color approach is used to incorporate a more non-traditional "messy" look.  Still charming! 

I think the use of ombre coloration here is a refreshing way to display a traditional place setting!  This centerpiece arrangement is gorgeous! 

How fun are these shoes?  Not white.  Not pink.  Just perfect! 

And in a very delicate fashion, these napkins were tinted with an ombre effect which gives a more vintage-y look to this place setting! 

That's it.  I can't take it.  I want to incorporate an ombre effect everywhere.  On weddings, in decorating, or even in my garden!  It's so pretty!  Ask your wedding vendors today if they can accommodate your resistance to pinning down one or two colors.  I bet they'd love the challenge! 

Look anywhere and everywhere, and you'll find pink.  Interior design, fashion, even in sports, pink has become a dominating color.  I think people have found that whether it's bold or bashful, pink is a color that can be worked in to any design to pull someone's heartstrings in the right direction.  Have you decided to work pink into your wedding?  Maybe your entire reception hall is going to be swathed in a vibrant shade or maybe you just want delicate hints at the hue...  Here are some inspiration pics and ideas for you pink lovers...

 Gorgeous pink ranunculus:

Pretty pink flowers in a cute wire basket:

A lush pink floral and fruit arrangement:

A perfectly pastel pink peony bouquet:

Put your groom in the fun as well with a pink berry boutonierre:

Dress your gals in peach, coral, or hot pink dresses:

There's just nothing better than pink tulle on flowergirls:

Don't forget a peep-toed pink slingback:

And don't forget those pink mani/pedis:

Pink placecards will let your guests feel perfectly placed:

A pretty pink cake with fondant peonies:

Pink petitfours:

And last, but not least, pink pink cocktails!

So whether it's coral or beige, hot or peach, salmon or barbie, cardinal or raspberry, pink is showing up everywhere!  Are you going to take part in the pink parade??

QCWeddings.com has been serving the Quad Cities wedding community for over six years now, and lately we've decided that we needed a little bit of a face lift.  We talked to many of you at recent bridal shows and shared a few of the things coming to the site...budget tools, seating chart help, personalized pages, etc.  We CANNOT wait for you all to see all the tools and renovations that are coming down the pike very shortly!

One major discussion that we've been having around the office is what color palette should we use.  We all kind of agreed that our current color palette on the blog and message board is a little dreary and needs an update badly.  We tossed and turned around colors, and at one point, I thought to myself, is this really worth all the concern?  It's just a color choice, right?  And then I thought about when we started planning our wedding how one of the first decisions that we made (and one of the most often asked question throughout the engagement) was what colors were we using. 

Color is extremely important to people.  Whether it's weddings, websites, or widgets, having a set of complimentary hues around you can elevate your mood, bring on nostalgia, excite, or relax you.  As we became deeper and deeper into our color research, we found out that there is just a ton of research already out there on color choices and color therapy and what not.  It's fascinating! 

Here is a fun color chart provided by PaperSource.  Find your wedding colors on this chart...do the descriptions add up to what you hope your wedding day will be?  Adventurous?  Romantic?  Nostalgic?  Relaxed?  Exciting? Click on the images to open a zoomable readable version....is zoomable a word?  It is now, I suppose.  :)

So it's no wonder that your choice in color for whatever is an important selection.  We've narrowed down our selection to a few color palettes, and the new site design should be coming to you VERY soon!  We are so excited!!

For our second installment of local QCA color palettes, I used a picture of the gorgeous ceiling of the old Capitol Theater in downtown Davenport.  If you haven't had a chance to go to an event hosted in this facility, I highly recommend that you schedule a field trip!  The theater is ornate and beautiful in a very classic sense! 

This color palette makes me think of Marie Antoinette or very early spring! 

Here are some other items that my work well with this color palette:

bracelet by AMIdesigns

cupcake liners by CupcakeFlair

Oh how I love color palettes!  These kinds of posts are dangerous though!  They make me want to throw out everything that I have planned for our wedding and start all over!!  Good thing I gave my fiance veto power to reel me in when my wedding wheels get too roudy! 

Picking a color palette is probably one of the earliest decisions that a bride and groom make.  Often times, inspiration is taken from favorite colors, schools or teams that are important to the couple, or even from inspiration pictures that have been found in magazines or on the web. 

Sometimes, there is inspiration right in our own back yards!  Starting today, you're going to start to see some vibrant, unique, and rich color palettes derived from pictures taken of local landmarks and signature Quad Cities items!  

Starting off our tour today is a picture taken inside the Quad Cities Botanical Center.  Finding a color palette in nature is a fantastic way to start, and check out these gorgeous colors that were drawn from this picture!

Image courtesy of the Botanical Center