::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

I know, I know — you’re thinking summer, 4th of July, Patriotic, right?  Well, yes…but not always.  There are various shades of blue, and if you pair them with red properly, you don’t have to look like the American flag…unless you want to, of course!

I’ve said this before, but the best way to avoid looking too “themey” is to use two colors primarily (red and white, red and blue, or blue and white) with just small touches of the other color.  For example, I love these bridesmaids dresses in varying shades of blue, and they would be perfect with red bouquets!

Andrea Hallgren Photography:

The nice thing about blue is that there are so many varying shades, it’s easy to use your favorite colors, but not venture into 4th of July picnic territory (again, unless that’s what you’re going for, in which case, do it up!!).  But with varying shades of blue and red, you can invoke a winter feeling…

A springy affair…

Goodlight Photography:

Summer on a California beach…

Marisa Holmes:

Or a Nantucket clambake!

Stacey Kane Photography:

There isn’t a single shade of blue that doesn’t go well with red, from navy:

To cornflower…

Rebekah J. Murray:

To royal…

Merriment Events:

You really can’t go wrong!  Even Martha seems to be a big fan of these colors!

How cute are these little nuggets and their white cardigans and red shoes?!?!

I’m probably not a red pants for men kind of girl, but I LOVE the bridesmaid’s outfit!

In fact, there are a lot of cute bridesmaids outfits out there in the red and blue arena…

Indigo Photography:

Kristen Leigh:

Kristen Gardner:

Scott and Tem Photography:

Wedding Bee:

How about some flowers for you?

Indigo Photography:

Cherry Blossom Weddings:

Jessica Claire:

Snippet and Ink:

I love fun tablescapes — if I had an unlimited budget for my imaginary wedding (which I do…since it’s imaginary…) I would go CRAZY with linens, dishes, glassware, etc.!!

In the Now Weddings & Events:

Michele M Waite:

Wedding Cabaret:

Love Lee Homemaker:

Elizabeth Anne Designs:

Berries are a great way to add these bright colors, especially in the summer!

Jodi Miller Photography:

Simply Recipes:

Modern Beet:

Making Banana Pancakes (I love the names of these food blogs!)

Of course, if you’re not a berry person, there are other ways to dress up your treats!

Bakerella

Kate Headley:

Wedding and Cakes:

Are you having a red and blue wedding?  Are you going for a patriotic theme, or are you using red and blue in other ways?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

You heard a lot about this fun color scheme when our very own Cristin was getting married (we still need pictures, Cristin!), but red and aqua are SUCH a fun color scheme, I wanted to make sure they got included with the other red posts for Valentine’s Day!

Amy Atlas:

I love sugar like it’s a food group.  Let’s look at more fun red and aqua foods (and drinks)!

Amorology Weddings

Amy Atlas:

Apple Cider favors!!!  I love it!!! (100 Layer Cake)

Celebrations at Home:

Jonathan Canlas

Balloons and red and aqua seem to go together for some reason…I wonder why that is?

Green Wedding Shoes

Snippet and Ink:

Style Me Pretty:

Blue flowers, especially aqua, are kind of hard to come by, so ribbon is a great addition to bouquets and arrangements!

Jonathan Canlas:

Style Me Pretty:

Under Grace Photography:

Pure 7 Studios:

I love bright aqua bridesmaids dresses with that pop of red, whether it’s a bouquet, shoes, or even a hair accessory!

Amorology Weddings:

Ampersand Photography:

Crosswhite Photography:

Elizabeth Anne Designs:

Heather H Photography:

Love and Lavender (where was this picture when I was featuring leg warmers?!?)

Michele M. Waite Photography:

The Inspired Bride:

Okay, maybe not a bridemaid’s dress (although it certainly could be) but how cute is this blue crinoline under this red patterned dress?!? (Snippet and Ink)

PAPER!  Oh, the beautiful things you can do with paper!!!

Fiore Fresco:

Boutwell Studio:

Details by Ramey via Green Wedding Shoes:

Elizabeth Anne Designs:

Meg Perotti:

Love and Lavender:

Opulent Couturier:

Parrott Design Studio:

Promise Tangeman:

Style Me Pretty:

Do you like red and aqua together?  Stay tuned for more fun red posts leading up to Valentine’s Day!

I thought I knew from the get-go what my wedding colors would be.    A whimsical wedding at Glen Echo Park calls for an equally fun color palette.   I initially thought our colors would be light blue, red and white.  But we switched it from light blue to more of an aqua/teal and I’m really happy with the choice!    I’ve always loved aqua.  It’s calming yet bright and reminds me of water, which I love.  My little VW convertible bug is even aqua blue!  I joke that when I’m working with a couple, I automatically arrive with “something blue.”

The choice of red came from one of my not-so-secret indulgences:  red shoes.   I have a somewhat embarrassing number of red shoes.   I love them.  I can’t say no to them.  And I feel my prettiest in them.   Since every bride should feel her prettiest on her wedding day, I decided long ago that my wedding day shoes would be red.    Even if it does make my mother raise her eyebrows a bit… OK, a lot.  And since I want my bridesmaids to be just as sassy and gorgeous, they will each be wearing red shoes as well!  I picked a candy-apple red to match the vibrant reds found all over Glen Echo Park.

So there you have it…..  aqua (more of a blue-ish teal), bright red and a neutral white… maybe with some light blush pink as an accent where necessary.   I’m in love with the scheme and am having a blast building off of it.   Here’s a look at the combination.

This one’s from The Budget Savvy Bride

A fellow Knottie wedding with teal dresses and red shoes (sorry, don’t have a credit!):

Another collection of red and aqua: Couple photo by Jonathan Canlas, Invitation from Bella Bliss Design, Bride and Bridal Party photo by Art of Light, Candy Cones from Brides.com, Tablescape from Gentlandhyers, Cake and candy and centerpiece photo by Jonathan Canlas, Escort card by Rebecca Thuss, Ceremony Program by Martha Stewart, Shoes photo by White Box Wedding

My neice (who will only be 17 months old for our wedding) will actually be carrying a big teal and white lollipop just like this (instead of flowers).   Seeing as she likes to eat everything in sight these days, we figure this will be yummier than flowers…and it fits our theme perfectly!  Photo by Jamie Hammond.

This Indian wedding in California was shot by Lisa Lefkowitz.

This cherry blossom stationery set is by RSVP Stationary. Red and teal is perfectly whimsical for my vintage amusement park wedding… but this would also be a great option for any of you brides using DC’s cherry blossoms as inspiration!  It puts a contemporary spin on a very traditional (and common) inspiration for weddings in the DC area.

This adorable clutch by knitty bitties on Etsy would be a great bridesmaid gift!

These poppy escort cards are by Etsy seller Michelle Brusegaard, who has a lot of red and teal items with both poppies and tulips.

This Mexico destination wedding was shot by DC’s Lara Swanson.  The red and aqua colors were inspired by the colored spaces on a Scrabble board, which played a big part in their engagement!

This table setting is by Martha Stewart, who did a whole feature on this color combo a while back.  While I’m not usually a fan of carnations, I must admit that I L-O-V-E this look.   Since carnations are budget-friendly and will fit perfectly with my 1950’s vintage wedding theme, I have a feeling I’ll be using them.  If done right (such as these tightly-packed red carnations), they can be really gorgeous.  And, after consulting my gramma and grampa’s wedding photos over break, I discovered that their 1956 wedding used only one flower… carnations.   Perfect!

Speaking of red carnations, check out the tightly packed red carnations on the pomanders for this red and teal wedding, Pure7Studios.  Bee-yoo-ti-ful!

While red and aqua/teal are a great spring or summer combo, the weather outside is frigid so I thought I’d leave you with an inspiration board for a winter wedding.   The icy blues are reminiscent of snowflakes, but are warmed up by holiday reds.   The ladies at Masterpiece Weddings in Florida put this inspiration board together and I couldn’t have done it better myself!

So… what do you think?  It’s a vibrant and bold color combination for sure.   And while it can work with a lot of different wedding themes, it’s not for everyone.  With the holidays over and lots of couples newly engaged, we are officially in “Engagement Season!”  Would any of you newly-engaged couples out there consider this color combo? Do you have any color palettes of your own that you’d like to share?