love meets design: love meets the patone color of 2012

If your have your finger on the pulse on the latest in fashion trends, you might already know that the Patone Color of 2012 is ... Tangerine Tango! Even if you aren't an extreme fashionista, I'm sure you've noticed in store windows the abundance of orange and other vibrant colors. Tangerine tango - or more simply put, orange - is an amazing color that I don't really think you see a lot of in weddings lately but is something I hope to see more and more of. In the past few years, jewel-tones such as magenta, plum, and bright yellows have been extremely popular so I think that there's going to be room for another bright color, orange, to make more of an appearance in wedding trends.

Orange gives everything an aesthetic energy boost; it's dramatic and sometimes even seductive. It's undeniably bold. When it comes to a wedding application, you have to be subtle with the use of orange otherwise you really risk taking the 'energy' a little too far. Because it's so eye-catching a little is going to go a long way. Think of ways that you could use orange as an accent color - or if you choose to have it as your main color, try to use a more neutral or less abrasive color to anchor down tone. More on this and suggested color combinations to come later.

There are so many options for orange flowers. If you really want to read into what orange flowers mean, here are a few examples.

Red orange flowers are a token of aggression, domination, pleasure, sexual desire and passion
Dark orange flowers are associated with the lack of trust and deceit
Gold orange flowers can symbolize wisdom, wealth and high quality
Citrus orange flowers suggest good health
Peach flowers stand for friendliness

This might be going too far into the 'meaning' of orange flowers though. All in all, if it looks good, go for it!

Here are a few things to think about though -

Orange flowers are going to be a very strong contrast to a white wedding dress - think about whether your dress is SO dramatic that carrying orange flowers might take too much away from your dress
Orange flowers are great for late summer or early August weddings. By then, the full swing of summer has already passed and autumn is in the not-so-distant future. Using orange too close to the fall you may fall in the danger zone of reminding everyone of Halloween or Thanksgiving (admit it, when you see orange you think of orange Jack-O-Laterns!).
Common orange flowers are roses, peach roses, strelitzia, lillies, and gerbera daisies

Here are few of my favorite orange color combos.

Orange & Brown - for a deep, fall-like feel

Orange & Pewter Grey - for something neutral; calming but not boring!

Orange & Lavender - vibrant without being too flashy

Orange & Navy - preppy or nautical; these two colors are on the opposite sides of the color wheel which makes them complimentary to each other.

Orange & Pink - for a real party feeling; doesn't it remind of of a psychedelic 60's party?

Orange & Turquoise - for a tropical, beachy feel

As I mentioned before, a little bit of orange can go a long way. It might make a great accent color - think about a grey/silver bridesmaid dress with an orange sash or a grey suite with an orange bowtie for the guys. I would say orange icing is on the "gone too far" end of the spectrum - so how about an sweet orange trim on the cake or candy?

Sweet Details