Pantone Color Forecast

As we all know, Minnesota can be a bit "behind the times" when it comes to fashion. Meaning, when the Pantone color fashion Gods forecast that the "it" color of the season is going to be honeysuckle we know that the trend will get here about a year later. So, I've decided to challenge my brides to be as forward thinking as those on the coasts.

This year, the hot colors are vibrant! The "it" colors are very summery and perfect for midsummer weddings in Minnesota. A few of them even go together as different shades of the same color. So, without further a-do here are the hottest trends for 2011. Obviously, the most popular color will be honeysuckle. This is a deep, mauve pink with gray undertones.

Next we have Fire Cracker, which is a subdued Terra-Cotta color and the correlating Beeswax would look absolutely fabulous with Firecracker! Beeswax is an understated Goldenrod color. It is deeper than a sunflower yellow but not to the depth of mustard.

The final two shades that are the trend this year are Regatta and Lavender. Regatta reminds me of a deep periwinkle sky and Lavender is, well, light purple. A beautiful soft purple that stands the test of time. I think that a very interesting and surprisingly beautiful combination would be Lavender and Beeswax!

I realize that an easier combination would be Honeysuckle and Beeswax but I think that has been done before. In fact, I've found some inspiration boards on the web that have been put together with those colors. I decided that although these colors a beautiful, I wanted to do something a little different.

The deep goldenrod color set against Lavender is just such a lovely combination. It is eloquent and spirited at the same time. I think this color combination is forward thinking and timeless. This is why I chose it as my favorite for 2011.

Now, not to say that Honeysuckle and Beeswax with a touch of Firecracker is not a beautiful combination...because it IS but I think (humbly) that this year's HOT colors have inspired many cool combinations and I really want brides to think about what best fits their style. I also want to make sure they are happy with their color scheme 20 years from now. Classic with a twist is always a good thing.