Colors:

Storyboard Wedding Why It Works Wednesday

I hate to be the one to point it out but there is a visual assault that starts to happen right about this time of year.  The loud loud reds start to blare, the intense neony greens that we try to pass off as reds counterpart click into action and everywhere we look we are hit with a visual cacophony!  Call me crazy, call me over saturated in the red & green = Winter Christmas department, but I am over it and have been for a long time.  Its not to say that I am anti-red and green, just someone who actively searches for an alternative, some other way of expressing the winter holiday season.  Naturally this sets one up to explore lots of other color avenues, like my dear mother who was a big big fan of the pink Christmas, dusty pink not bubble gum thank you very  much!  While alternative colors for the holiday season are all well and good, I personally always seem to find a neutral palette the most pleasing.

While it may not be the popular choice, there are a lot of couples that seek out the winter season for their wedding day.  There are brides that relish the cool air, the option of the cardigan or wrap as the perfect accessory, while there are others that have a soul mate in winter decorations.  Thinking about this brought me back to my feelings about the Hallmark version of the holidays & I started to twitch a bit.  I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to somewhat shying away from holiday/winter weddings, they just don’t often click for me.  Then I started thinking there has to be a better mouse trap, a better way to evoke that very same wonderful winter feel without all the noise, you know?  A way to celebrate the winter touches like pine cones, holly & greens in a chic & sophisticated manner.  Thats when I found it, a single photo that opened my eyes to an entirely new world of winter decor….  Thistle Wood Farms  {a fantastic home blog} recently visited the 2013 Southern Living Idea House and did a fantastic write up of all the wonder elements that were at play, one of which was the decorations greeting guests right from the start at the main door.

Neutral Winter Wedding Decor via Thistle Wood Farms

To say I swooned would be an understatement!  This is it, my white winter decoration great whale, a chic neutral winter palette that is everything!  As I tried to peel my eyes away from the beyond gorgeous chevron door {I need this in my life but I digress…} I fell deeply in love with what they had done in the decoration department.  The palette as a whole is Beige, Ivory, Green, Frosty Jade, & a smattering of deeper brown with touches of metallic, le sigh right!?  The combination is one of the more aesthetically pleasing pairings that I have seen in some time.  There is a certain peaceful harmony that exists with this kind of color scheme for winter decor.

Naturally the next thing to look at after the color palette were the elements used, generous fat cut ribbon in masterful layers, fresh cut {maybe not but we can play along!} long pine needle branches with over-sized pine cones, short needle branches & gilded berries sprinkled throughout.  The resulting look is larger then life yet it doesn’t feel intrusive due to the more reined in color palette.  Now imagine a chic winter wedding with a similar palette & beautiful over-sized decorations, well placed of course, equal in mind to the chic sophistication with which Southern Living has delivered it.  I don’t know about you, but in my mind, it is stunning and I want to be there!

We’re never going to fully get away from the elements that represent this time of year but in truth that is why winter brides love it so.  There is a freshness that can be achieved with winter decor that can rival that of fresh cut summer flowers, you just have to know how to wield winter’s powers to get it there.  There is a true beauty in what Southern Living has done and the fact that they were not afraid of going big shows us just how powerful & equally enchanting going a route like this can be.  Just because a palette is comprised of neutral tones certainly does not mean that it will be any less impactful and striking.  In fact, with the right elements, placed together the right way, I dare say this tonal range can be the most captivating of them all!

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