Inspirational Ideas for Styling the Color Red in Your Wedding

With all the hype around neutral wedding color palettes, you might be wondering: Is red a good color for weddings? Absolutely! Red is classic, sophisticated, and will never go out of style. While soft pinks and enchanting blues always seem to top the list of popular wedding colors, don’t shy away from bold shades like red before considering all the ways to style them for elegant and impactful wedding day decor. Whether you’re choosing subtle accents, like a bold cherry lip, or celebrating in a sea of blushing red roses, bringing the color red into your wedding adds an air of romance and passion. If you’re ready to consider using red in your color palette, keep reading for some of our favorite ways to style this bold and beautiful hue. What Does Red Symbolize in a Wedding? Gifting a dozen red roses is the quintessential romantic gesture for a reason, so it only makes sense to carry over the color of love into your wedding day celebration. Drumming up feelings of love and passion, red is an ideal color to symbolize your loving union. Depending on location and family traditions, red can have a deeper meaning for weddings, as well. In some Eastern cultures, for example, it’s customary for brides to wear red dresses as a symbol of luck, good fortune, and happiness. What does the color red mean at a wedding? Ultimately, red can symbolize whatever you want it to mean. While it can be a special touch to denote cultural or familial traditions, your wedding is a celebration of new beginnings, where you can also create your own symbols and meanings to associate with your love. What Colors Look Good with Red for a Wedding? While red is a bold, statement-making color on its own, pairing it with other hues can create different vibes for your red wedding theme. Whether it’s brightened up with whites or softened with blush tones, red brings warmth and vibrancy to any setting. Contrasting or coordinating, crimson shades are a popular choice for wedding themes. Here’s some of our favorite blends with other stops on the color wheel for elegant wedding design: Soft Romance Shades of blush, peach, and pink bring out the sweet side of red. Combining burgundy and dusty rose tones together for a chic, sophisticated, and feminine feel, especially when you incorporate silk ribbons and draped pearl strand accents. Wine and Roses Earthy tones of burgundy, wine, and berry blend perfectly in our romantic marsala color collection, adding richness and depth to early autumn nuptials with rich red shades in ranunculus, dahlias, roses and more flower favorites. Colorful Contrast Balancing out the passionate warmth of red with calm and cool blues, a burgundy and navy color palette brings rich vibrancy to your rustic fall wedding with florals, draped linens, and colored candles in abundance. Joyful Holiday On the opposite end of the seasonal spectrum, red is an ideal color for Christmas wedding themes, sprucing up cool weather spaces with poinsettias and roses that pair perfectly with evergreens and endless sparkling string lights. Red Wedding Theme Ideas You’ll Love Whether you’re accenting with touches of red or going all in on crimson, it’s a hue that’s sure to make your color palette stand out. If you’re looking for ways to use red in your wedding decor, try out some of these ideas for incorporating red into your big day in big (and small) ways: Accessorize Your Look With Hints of Red Whether it’s a family heirloom from grandma or a nod to you and your partner’s favorite film, jewelry, shoes, hair clips and more are easy ways to bring a bit of red into your wedding day attire: Red Makeup: Depending on your wedding style, a classic red lip might be just the thing to complete your look (and ensure your smile stands out in pictures!). Red Shoes: Add a dash of Dorothy with silky crimson kitten heels. It’s a great way to celebrate your red wedding theme without having to click your heels three times. Red gemstones: Ruby-red jewels bring a passionate touch to your bridal attire when you opt for colored gemstones in your earrings, necklace, or hair accessories. Red groom’s attire: Boutonnieres brighten up the groomsmen’s suits when they feature a red focal flower, and you can get creative with the styling by trying red flowers beyond traditional roses, like a structured dahlia or exotic anthurium. Try on a Red Wedding Dress If you’re not from a culture that traditionally wears red for their wedding, you might not have colorful wedding dresses on your radar. That said, lots of brides today opt for wedding gowns beyond traditional white, and a red dress can be an eye-catching choice. Want to surround yourself in red but don’t necessarily want to wear it? Deck out your wedding party in red dresses instead tomake your white dress stand out. Exchange Vows Beneath a Cascading Crimson Wedding Arch What’s better than a handful of red roses? A literal waterfall of red roses draped over your ceremony arch. You’ll be taking your first steps as life partners surrounded by an abundance of beauty in the color of love. Plus, monochromatic red floral installations really pop against the lush green of a perfectly manicured lawn and won’t visually overpower you and your spouse in photos. Add a Dash of Red to Your Ceremony Space While a red wedding arch makes for a stunning focal point, you can bring red throughout your ceremony location as well. Dress up your welcome sign with red flowers and ribbons, drape your ceremony chairs in red fabric, and light up the pathway with red flower-adorned hurricane lanterns. Create a Romantic Rouge Winter Wonderland As far as red wedding decorations go, ruby red tones work perfectly for winter weddings, especially when paired with loads of winter evergreens, branches, and a dash (or more) of sparkle. Snowy landscapes make for an amazing wedding backdrop when you’ve cozied up the space with rich reds and an abundance of glowing candles. Aside from roses that are easy to style any time of the year, holly, winterberry, amaryllis, anthurium, and poinsettia bring in red accents with a subtle nod to seasonality. And a winter wedding doesn’t mean you can’t utilize your favorite florals in your decor — artificial florals are in season all year round! Deck the Tables in Rosy Hues Red reception tables add sophistication and provide a colorful base for styling your centerpieces and decor. Whether you're looking for floor to ceiling scarlet or just a dash of vermilion, there’s so many ways to dress up your reception tables in red: For an elegant Alice-inspired red wedding theme, pair red tablecloths with crisp white flowers and towering green topiaries. No need to paint the roses red this time. If you’re working with a color palette in red-friendly shades like Romantic Marsala or burgundy and blush, try shimmering red glass place settings and wine glasses for an elegant touch. Red flowers make a statement on their own, so let them shine in floral centerpieces by surrounding them with neutral tones and metallic accents. Treat Your Tastebuds to Scarlet Snacks Don’t forget the feast when you’re planning decor — drinks, apps, and dessert displays can all play a part in your beautiful red wedding theme. Consider interesting display options that incorporate red, or bring carmine and cherry hues right into the food itself. Deliciously red menu items to consider include: Red velvet cupcakes Sangrias Gazpacho Caprese Bowls of fresh berries It’s a fun and inviting way to bring your color palette to the tasting table and a chance to think creatively about the menu. Make Memories With a Red Floral Photo Wall Photo booth rentals might be all the rage these days. But if you want to put a personalized touch on this trend, use your DIY skills to create a personalized space for guests to take their own pics!. A wall of red florals could make the perfect photo backdrop — and you can put it together in a snap. Try monochrome or gradient roses or be creative by mixing textures, greenery, and flowers for a lush look. Leave a polaroid and a photo book with instructions to take two pics — one for guests to take home, and one for you! Bring Your Red Wedding Dreams to Life With Ling’s Moment Ready to fire up your creative side and design your red wedding decor? Ling’s has everything you need to DIY your day, from designer flower boxes and premade bouquets to linens and accessories. With Ling’s Moment, you can create your wedding your way. Looking for more ways to DIY red wedding flowers? Check out our blog for creative projects and style inspiration, and be sure to tag us on instagram @lingsmoment with your gorgeous red wedding pics!