Red Hot Brides

Photographer: Denny Sytangco

If you’re planning a summer wedding and you’re having troubles choosing a theme that could complement your red wedding gown, you’re not alone. Since the summer heat calls for cool colors, red wedding gowns could look off in a pastel-themed wedding. Don’t worry, there are ways to use summer colors and still be able to wear your elegant red wedding gown down the aisle.

Go Natural

Colors of nature are always a good idea to match with even the boldest colors like red. When choosing worldly colors, keep nature in mind; stick to tans, dark browns, cool blues, camouflage green, khaki and other “earthy colors”. Make sure to incorporate shades of brown, such as burgundy, auburn, wheat, sepia, sandy brown, burnt auburn, copper or cordovan, to complement your red dress.

Go Neutral

Aside from using browns, neutral colors like silver, beige, black, ivory, grey and white make great backgrounds to unify diverse colors. If you plan to use overpowering colors like red, using neutral colors helps in toning down the entire scene. The great thing about going neutral is you can keep the wedding theme in a more traditional feel, even if you’re wearing a very unconventional red wedding gown.

Neutral colors match perfectly to a deep red dress, especially if you want your walk-down-the-aisle to be more dramatic. It lets you pop out of the wedding setting completely, making you the center of attention. Besides, it is your wedding day and all eyes should be at you and your husband-to-be. Plus, neutral colors are flexible; they can be used in any season, whether you’re planning to wed on a summer, winter, autumn or spring.

Go Bold

If you don’t want to sink into the background, forget about toning down your red wedding gown. Instead, embrace the idea of using a bold red by choosing harmonizing colors like yellows and light pinks. Pick strong colors like a golden yellow and gray combo, but make sure not to exaggerate as using too much bold colors can be overpowering. Keep it elegant; go for one powerful color like orange, then use different shades to match it with your red gown.

So you’ve decided to wear an elegant and nonconventional red wedding gown for your summer wedding. As a general rule in choosing summer colors to complement your red wedding dress, imagine yourself on a beach with different women in bikinis; choose colors from their swimsuits that don’t blind you when reflected on the sun.

If you’re one of the many women thinking red gowns would not match any summer colors, think again! If you want to be safe and keep your wedding in a more traditional feel, go neutral or natural; these colors won’t let you down. However, if you want your wedding day to pop out and be more dramatic than it already is, go for bold or medieval colors; these colors allow you to match your red wedding gown and bring your setting to the next level.