Purple - The Most Dreaded Wedding Color Gets a Makeover

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When you’re thinking of wedding colors, the color of purple eggplant may be the furthest from your mind. Some people even consider it to be a bit stodgy or exotic, but purple may not be as dreadful as you think. In fact, once you’ve discovered some of our ideas for a purple color palette, you may find that it is actually a striking and luxurious color teeming with personality.

The Color of Kings and Queens

Throughout history, purple has been widely documented as a color of privilege often associated with royalty. During medieval times, dyes for making it were only afforded by kings and queens. Hence, yielding the term “royal purple”.

What made purple expensive and available only to the nobility? The process of making purple dye consisted of extracting a substance from the mucous glands of marine snails. To make a gram of this dye, the process required thousands of snails. The art of making this type of dye originated in a Phoenician coastal town called Tyre; hence, it was originally called “Tyrian Purple”.

Colors To Coordinate with Purple

In designing palettes, the color purple provides a wide spectrum of shades and hues - making this color ideal for a sophisticated bride who is not afraid to showcase her opulent style. Did you know that historians even found that Cleopatra wore purple? She was certainly a diva ahead of her time when it came to fashion. And if you happen to consider yourself a wedding diva, then this may be the color you’ve been searching for. Let’s get started with our “color story board” below that shows how purple can be coordinated with various shades of pink, green, blue, and brown. We’ve also devised a light and dark palette to suit any reception whether it’s a summer or winter affair. Lastly, get some handy product suggestions for additional inspiration.

Example 1: A light color palette based on coordinating purple with pink and green, including different hues of purple rendered in lilac and lavender, including bright golden accents.

Purple Color Palette for Wedding

Description of color pairings and corresponding products you can use:

Light purple (i.e., an almost lilac color) and pastel pink - see (1) Lusetalleanté Floral Favor Bag in Lavender Blush or (2) Laudene Organza Favor Bag
Lilac and gold - tie each of these (3) porcelain favor boxes with a ribbon as seen in the picture. Notice how an accent of gold can complement lilac beautifully.
Lilac and lime green - you can also infuse a hint of pink for contrast

Example 2: A dark color palette based on coordinating purple with brown, pink, and green, including a hint of blue.

Purple Color Palette for Wedding

Description of color pairings and corresponding products you can use:

Medium purple (i.e., an almost lavender or violet hue) and brown - see (4) lilac organza rose favor bag or (6) purple heart-shaped sinamay box - you can also match a medium shade of purple with moss green, or chocolate brown.
Purple and jeweled blue - see (5) jeweled votive holders wrapped in lilac-colored organza - using jewel colors add an interesting hue to a color palette by creating texture and tone. A hint of silver, ivory, or white is also a nice way to add contrast to purple.
Dark purple and pink (i.e., this can be a bold hue of pink or even fuchsia) - you can create contrast with this color combination by incorporating a dash of green.

Remember: When using a monochromatic color scheme for purple, try using lilac, lavender, or amethyst. You may then want to add some contrast using brown, silver, or cream.

Inspirational Ideas Using Purple

If you’re convinced that it is indeed a great color, then it’s time to start planning the design and style of your wedding. We’ve highlighted below some of the web’s most inspiring places to find creative and practical ideas in putting together a purple-inspired event:

Purple Wedding Reception Ideas - A slide show from Brides.com.
Purple and Blue Wedding Bouquets - A slide show from BHG.com.
Purple Party Themes - A list of party planning ideas from Confetti.co.uk.

The web also presents many tools for creating color palettes. Our favorite tool is from COLOURlovers™. You can create color palettes using any number of colors. It is a great inspiration point for finding other color palettes created by users all over the world. Here is an example of a pretty purple color palette:

References

“What Colors Mean.” Fact Monster. © 2000–2007. Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster. 09 Aug. 2007 <http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769383.htm>.
“Tyrian Purple.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. © 2007. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 14 Aug. 2007 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074017>.