Wedding Inspiration: Red White and Blue

Happy 4^th of July!  I would say Happy Independence Day, but it's really more of a "Happy you don't have to worry about your colonies anymore" Day.  So how am I celebrating our (my?) nation’s independence?  On the train from London to Dundee.  For a conference.  What a glamorous life I do lead.

In honor of the holiday, however, I thought I’d do some wedding brainstorming.  See, M likes the idea of a red, white, and blue wedding.  He’s British, I’m American, we’re celebrating the coming together of two nationalities, so what better way to honor this than with a color scheme that works for both of our countries?
I’m less enthusiastic.  It’s not that red, white, and blue weddings can’t be adorable – they can.  It’s just that I’m not sure if they’re really us.  We’re more than just an American and an Englishman, we’re individuals and a unique couple.  I want the wedding to be about us as a couple, rather than nationality (of which there will be plenty already).

But it seems unfair to dismiss his wedding ideas out of hand, just because they’re not mine.  So in the spirit of the day, I’ve been thinking about how we could make a red and blue wedding work.

Here are some of my favorite examples:

This wedding uses a full red with a more purple-y blue, keeping it looking fresh and summery.  I also adore this Telephone/Guestbook sign.

 

The use of a dark salmon or Nantucket red with the lighter sky and teals works wonders here.  You get the feel of red and blue but it's personal as well.  Adorable chair tags too.

 
This airmail stationary almost has me convinced that these should be our wedding colors.  So perfect for a destination wedding. 

So gorgeous.  It's almost pink and purple, but still maintains that red and blue look.  Loving the roses.

I think if I were to do red and blue, this is how I would manage it.  A lighter navy with darker and lighter salmon pinks make for a classic summer wedding palette.

These work well too, and have a cute pink and blue with red accents look.

One really popular way to do red and blue is a deep red with teal or Tiffany blue, like these examples.

I think the key is to vary the tones and combining salmon with a darker or purply-er tone, or red with teal or tiffany blue. This keeps it looking more like a wedding and less like a fourth of July picnic.