Whether you are a stripes or dots fanatic - you will love these eco-friendly paper straws from Favor Days. These biodegradable vintage paper straws will let you go green in style at your next event. Add some fun pop of color to your drinks or you can even use these retro paper straws as the holder for cake pops. I even love seeing them used as the holders for cake bunting/garland. There are so many wonderful possibilities with these straws and you can easily choose the perfect color to match your party decor. They are sold as a set of 25 paper straws.

Favor Days is a sponsor of Brenda's Wedding Blog

guest blogging with Susanna Miles of KissWedding.com

What do YOU want? Susanna joins us today with her Unique Take on Popular Wedding Color Ideas

Your love is unique - why shouldn’t your take on wedding color ideas reflect the individuality you treasure? Well, it should! With a little research and an open mind, you can find a perfect wedding color palette - one that makes your heart soar. I’ve taken the liberty of pulling some color ideas together to give you inspiration . . . the rest is up to you!

Red, White and You
Red and white is one of the more popular wedding color ideas… red is often used in winter as an homage to the reds and greens that represent the palette of the colder months. Red and shades of red -- including berry, tomato, burgundies and deep pinks -- always bring the drama. White and polka dots bring cheer.

Edgy Black and White with a Natural Touch
Black and white are classic and classy colors, there’s no doubt. I love the crispness of the color combination. If you’re looking for a way to take the black and white wedding color scheme to a new level and create a wedding color combination that’s unique, try this simple trick: add a natural color like paper-bag-brown, sandy tan or pearl white. This will immediately “tone down” the big contrast of the black and white and create something that’s more casual and still incredibly elegant. And cheaper!

Add the Unexpected to your Wedding Color Schemes
If you’re looking for ways to seize a unique take on popular wedding color ideas, try this: pick a color combo you consider pretty “typical” and then add something completely different to throw the whole palette into a new dimension. For example, the yellow/orange/red tones that are used in fall get completely jazzed up when they’re paired with turquoise. One small change adds intensity to the mix.

Ready for a Gold Rush?
Do you want to take popular wedding color ideas and elevate them to new heights? Try adding metallics to the mix. Gold does wonders to enrich any colors, and works especially well with red and white to give you a feeling of old Hollywood style glamour.  

The same way gold works in harmony with red and white, so does silver work with blue and white. If you’re thinking in terms of cool and warm colors, silver goes with cool and gold goes with warm. The real rule is that there are no rules!

See Spot Run: The Whimsy of Polka Dots
If you want fresh ideas for popular wedding color combinations consider the shapes that your colors are presented in… there’s something innately cheerful about polka dots. Polka dots in yellow = something new for a beach wedding and in red = cherry sophistication. Black polka dots = cheery contrast. Is that you? The overall idea for changing up typical wedding color palette ideas into something really new and different is… take the old and add some new to make it bold.

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Thank you so much Susanna for stopping by today to share your wedding color ideas with us. Susanna Miles - the owner of K.i.s.s Wedding as well as the editor of the 4 K.i.s.s Wedding Planning Guides.

Yay, it's Friday and I have an amazing photo shoot to wrap up this month's Wedding Vendor Challenges. Today's shoot comes to us from DBY Events and Red Letter Event Planning with stunning photography from Angela Swan. Wait until you see what the desserts are presented on and you are going to go CRAZY for the colors in the floral arrangement. It's so lush and completely GORGEOUS!!!!! Kasey of DBY Events writes the following . . .

Our Havana Night was inspired by the classic comedy “I Love Lucy” and its iconic heart emblem and the retro polka dot motif. We imagined that a popular local music club was converted from its regular hip dance environment to the hot and spicy ‘Club Babaloo’ for an intimate Valentine's Supper Club.

The retro color scheme played well into the oversized invitation with the left polka dotted border and the prominently featured heart inviting all couples to come celebrate the lover’s holiday at one of two seatings for dinner. Lucy and Desi would be right at home, where we captured their spirit and essence in the representation of a fun and flirty evening.

The décor and paper goods for the evening, both influenced by our vintage lounge venue and our Havana night theme, incorporate elements tropical and garden-inspired, luxurious and natural; perfectly befitting a night of retro romance.

We love the balance of the whimsical with the elegant in our table linens and florals. Using sequin overlays with soft satin underlayers, the Black ostrich plumes add softness, while the florals include silver succulents and bold protea bring out a wonderful texture and depth to our look.  Dark feathers pull in the "club" feel, and our polka-dots are reflected in both the fun shapes of the hot pink anemone and the handcrafted wire work.

Mirrored mosaic chargers on the high boy tables with hand beaded napkin rings give each guest setting a touch of glamour, and beautifully reflect the candlelit dinner. The low booth settings incorporated the need for ice in the hot Havana nights and featured charger plates with large acrylic stone borders. All table settings include a place card for the couple, with a ‘his’ and ‘hers’ waiting to welcome the intimate couples to their seats.

The sweets table buffet was centered around the most romantic musical instrument, the piano at the club.  Bringing in the whimsical polka dots design, the name cards bring the design elements full circle, and the amazing chocolates and decadent cakes were placed on vintage platters atop the baby grand so that guests could tickle their taste buds while tickling the ivories before dancing the night away…

Vendor Credits:
Planning: DBY Events
Photography: Angela Swan
Coordination: Red Letter Event Planning
Venue: Sara at Chord On Blues 630-513-0074
Paper Goods: DBY Invitations
Florals: The Elegant Petal
Linens: Windy City Linen
Chameleon Chairs : Classic Party Rental and Chameleon Chair Collection
Sweets Buffet: Cocoa Bean and All Chocolate Kitchen

Aren't these polka dot favor boxes just the cutest? These Italian-Made Dotted Favors from The Wedding Outlet are available in 5 colors and 3 styles including cones, boxes and packets.

The Wedding Outlet is a sponsor of Brenda's Wedding Blog

Today's inspiration board began while I was planning my daughter's 3rd birthday party {which I can't believe is this Saturday already}. In my search for all things in red and white polka dots for a Minnie Mouse party theme, I came across some images that got me thinking about weddings. So, from my birthday party planning, here's a wedding inspiration board using red and white polka dots, but with a bit of aqua blue added in and just a touch of retro.
PS: While I didn't include this in the inspiration board, I did come across the perfect coordinating gift for your bridesmaids . . . the BELLA vintage inspired red and white polka dot full apron from Boojiboo on etsy. And, for a sweet treat display, Bake It Pretty carries a wonderful assortment of polka dotted items, including paper doilies, cupcake wrappers, cellophane bags and more.

Image Credits and Resources:
Cake with Matching Cupcakes from Utah Bride and Groom {cake from carriescakes.com}, Guest Book from Martha Stewart Weddings, Retro Wedding Invitation from Izzy and the Bean Design, Sweet Little Polka Dot Shoulder Bag from iSew, , Polka Dots Organza Bags from Beaucoup, Red Dots Dishes and Serveware from RosannaBridesmaids in Aqua Dress with Red Bouquets from Project Wedding, Red Polka Dot Shoe from Your Shoe Store, Necktie in Red Pin Dots from Me and Matilda