2020 Color of the Year: Classic Blue
It’s that time of year again! Pantone has announced their 2020 Color of the Year: Classic Blue. Pantone.com states “…Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”
This will mark the first year a bold blue tone has taken the Color of the Year honor. Previously only two blue shades have been selected: Cerulean Blue in 2000 and the similarly muted pastel Serenity in 2016, which shared the title with Rose Quartz. I have to admit I had two reactions when I saw Classic Blue announced. The first was excitement, as I don’t always love the shades Pantone selects (remember Marsala?!) The second was “how on earth am I going to blog this?! We use blue flowers maybe 3 times a year!” Of course this isn’t true, we use certain blue flowers much more frequently than that. We have lots of clients who incorporate pastel blue, dusty blue and darker navy shades into their wedding palettes (bridesmaid dresses are a popular place to incorporate these colors), but in terms of the brighter Classic Blue I didn’t think I had much to work with.
Light blue bridesmaids dresses have become a popular trend over the past two or three years!
When it comes to naturally occurring blue flowers (especially bright blue), options are limited. A Google image search for “blue wedding flowers” will turn up a plethora of options, but if you look closely many of the photos feature silk or tinted flowers. Many other “blue” floral options actually skew more towards purple (blue Anemones and some Iris are a perfect example of this). So what options are there? Our favorite at the shop is Delphinium, which comes in multiple shades and can add a lovely texture to arrangements. Other options include blue hydrangea, eryngium, cornflower and grape hyacinth. But always keep in mind that flowers are natural products, and the exact shade of blue can’t be guaranteed!
I will admit I was hasty in thinking I couldn’t relate Classic Blue to our wedding work. As I began to comb through our client galleries I realized that the shade turns up much more often than I realized, it’s just not usually in the flowers! Since blue flower options are so limited, couples that wish to incorporate blue into their weddings do so in other ways. Stationary, attire, table numbers, napkins and linens are all easy ways to bring a pop of Classic Blue into your day! The shade works beautifully as an accent to a variety of color palettes, and also pairs with any metallic.
Wedding Party Attire
Napkins
Linens
Something Unexpected
While Classic Blue might not become the next big wedding color, I think it’s safe to say we will continue to see pops of the hue show up in wedding color palettes in a variety of creative ways!
A special thank you to our photographer friends featured in this post for always capturing our clients and their days so beautifully!
Carretto Studio | Cary Klein Photography | Jon Koch Photography | Julia Noack Photography | L Phototographie | Lin & Jirsa Photography | Mike Cassimattis | Sarah Corbett | Switzerfilm | Traci & Troy Photography