color Archives - Madelyn Ridgeway

What are your event colors saying?

July 10, 2015 July 10, 2015

The colors you use when hosting your event can say a lot about not only the event but who you are as a person. Should your guest come expecting a lively, exciting party, a sophisticated and passionate event or a calm and relaxing, vintage-inspired affair? The tone of your event is set with each component of the event starting with any correspondence you send and the colors you use.

Today I want to delve into what the colors you use for your event say about you and your event. It’s sometimes thought that a person’s choice of colors for their event tends to be a subconscious reflection of their personality. Today let’s take a look at the colors red and yellow.

RED– The color red is a strong, energetic color that evokes passion, energy, and demands attention. Events that feature red are usually those where the hosts want to make a bold statement. Red can be very versatile, though, with brighter versions being more energetic and darker shades being more powerful and elegant.

Keep in mind that red can mean different things to different people. Outside the western world, red has different associations. For example, in China, red is the color of prosperity and happiness. It can also be used to attract good luck. In other eastern cultures, red is worn by brides on their wedding days. In South Africa, however, red is the color of mourning.

If you’re looking to use red as a main color in your event, what you pair it with can contribute to creating a cohesive look that expresses who you are and what you want your guests to feel while attending your event.

Red flowers symbolize courage, respect, constancy, admiration and, desire.

Red events, especially in weddings create a warm and stimulation mood. Red is energizing. It excites the emotions and can evoke feelings of passion and excitement. But beware….The color red can stimulate the appetite, often being used in restaurants for this purpose. You might make some of your guests REALLY hungry!

YELLOW– like the sun, denotes positivity and optimism. A yellow event brings joy and happiness to your guests

Exuding warmth and vitality and usually possessing a great sense of humor, people who love yellow are usually cheerful and optimistic. They tend to look forward to the future and are intellectual, creative and idealistic.

A yellow event creates a warm, welcoming, cheerful and happy mood which can often lift up the spirits of your guests. You’ll often find yellow being used for events that celebrate new beginnings like baby showers.

Variations of yellow include; citrine, golden (lemon) yellow, cream and a darker, deeper yellow.

Yellow events tend to yell “let’s have some fun and be happy!” while Yellow flowers represent trust, compassion, respect, sympathy and warmth.

What about you? What feelings or thoughts to the colors red and yellow evoke for you?

Inspiration board: An Iowa friendship brunch

December 4, 2013 December 4, 2013

Today I’m sharing the inspiration board for a friendship brunch I recently had the honor of helping plan.

My client Betty came to me asking for help planning a brunch she was having to celebrate her friend Susan. Susan was a dear friend of Betty’s who passed away unexpectedly this past summer. Her birthday was in November so Betty wanted to bring together a group of Susan’s closest friends to celebrate her memory.

The inspiration for the brunch came from a picture of a beautiful yellow rose taken from Susan’s casket at her funeral. Betty’s daughter-in-law took a picture of the rose she’d been given and kept in her refrigerator for over a month after the funeral.

Betty decorated for Christmas the week before the brunch so we thought a Christmas feel for the event was more appropriate. Yellow is not a typical Christmas color but since it was such an important part of the event, it had to be included. So the requirements were:

1) Use the color yellow and incorporate yellow roses

2) Make the decor fit in with the Christmas decor already in the house

3) Add a bit of sparkle

Here is the inspiration board I created for the event:

I went with a yellow and grey color scheme and I was oh so excited! This is my favorite type of event to plan, one that has meaning and an obvious attention to detail.

Join me later this week when I share pictures of the finished event.

P.S. How fun is the idea of a friendship brunch! What a special event to share with your friends. I might just have to use this idea in the near future to get a group of my favorite ladies together.

Branding elements- Part I and Giveaway Winner

November 25, 2013 November 25, 2013

Today I’m starting a series in which I talk about the various parts of my new brand. As a business owner, it’s important to communicate what your brand stands for which should be who you are at your core. We’ll start by looking at the colors used and what each of them means.

Coral and navy are at the core of my brand color story; throw in some touches of gold and lots of clean white space and you’ve got a Madelyn Ridgeway Events beautiful, delicious smoothie of sorts! To be frank, I’m not quite sure how the colors came to be. It’s almost like I woke up one day and just knew these colors were supposed to represent my business. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the color coral. I even used it for my first wedding; the one I was planning in my head before my then boyfriend (now husband) had even proposed. Picture it: a beautiful, southern soiree where the bridesmaids wear long, flowing black dresses and carry a bouquet of striking, coral roses. When he FINALLY proposed I thought my bridesmaids might be too hot in black dresses so I ditched the idea. Needless to say, coral has long been special to me. According to the Pantone Institute, the most noted authority on color:

lighter shades of orange (peach, apricot, coral and melon) have the most pleasant word associations. They’re nurturing, approachable, tactile colors —velvety peach and delicious melon, healthy and flattering to most skin tones. Soft oranges are sophisticated and very eye appealing to the upscale affluent market.

Navy is a neutral in my book. Much like black it looks good with just about any color and is always in style. There’s something about navy blue that just reads classic and chic to me. The classic look of a crisp, white shirt and navy blazer on a man or woman won’t ever go out of style. I’m also a fan of complementary colors (colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel e.g. red and green). The contrast of the different colors such as coral and navy against a white background really gets me excited. Of the color navy Pantone says:

Blue is a cool calming color that shows creativity and intelligence. It is a popular color among large corporations, hospitals and airlines. It is a color of loyalty, strength, wisdom and trust. Blue has a calming effect on the psyche. Blue is the color of the sky and the sea and is often used to represent those images. Blue is a color that generally looks good in almost any shade and is a popular color among males.

I think the feminine softness of coral paired with the strong, chic navy blue make a great backdrop to build a strong brand!

What about you, what colors are you drawn to? In the next part of the series I’ll be talking about the core of Madelyn Ridgeway Events; the law of love.

Lastly, the winner of the launch giveaway is Heidi!

Contact hello@madelynridgeway to claim your prize!