It’s here at last…The Pantone Colour of the Year 2021.
Every December we all wait with baited breath to see what the Gods at Pantone deem to be the colour of the year.
As a trend driven industry this announcement absolutely has an affect on what we do within the design of our weddings.
However, this year is not the same as other years. So I for one was really interested to see what they’d come up with.
And I have to say I’m loving it.
As they did in 2016 with Rose Quartz, a pale pink, and Serenity, a powdery blue, they’ve gone for two shades. For 2021 they’ve chosen a bright yellow shade, called Illuminating, which is meant to evoke the “optimistic promise of a sunshine-filled day“, while Ultimate Gray is a much quieter hue that speaks more of “composure, steadiness and resilience”.
What do I love about the Pantone Colour of the Year 2021?
Well for me living in France in the sunflower region of the Charente this colour just reminds me of the fields and fields of sunflowers I see every August. It’s absolutely an uplifting colour that just makes me smile and feel positive.
I’m waiting to see the Pinterest wedding design boards flooded with these wonderful flowers.
As for the grey, I can certainly see why they’ve chosen it, although the pairing feels a little old fashioned.
We’ve seen plenty of yellow and grey wedding colour schemes in the past, so I’d like to see wedding pros push the envelope. Take this colour scheme that was trending big time in 2012 and give it a modern twist. Ask yourself how you can take an old pairing and breathe new 2021 life into it?
How can we use this combo?
As new wedding planners our students at the Wedding Academy are fantastic at coming up with new ideas. So I’ve asked them to give me their thoughts on how they see these colours working in the design of weddings in 2021.
Mandy Edwards
“I would go for greys in the tablescape with pops of yellow for accents and in the florals too.”
Betsy Browning
Sonya Uribe
I would predominantly use gray to set a bold mood and use touches of yellow to “illuminate” and soften the scene for a romantic and elegant look.
Becca Jones
“I myself would style it only with white, having small features of the event like table decor as the gray and the rest white with Plumeria flowers.”
Jolanda Gelissen
Now I must admit, yellow is not my colour personally, but it is a lovely colour to include in spring and summer palettes. So, I decided to try and come up with a quirky wedding moodboard with a bit of a rock ‘n roll vibe. Image credit in the comments.
Justine Claire Rowlinson
I like the idea of using the grey and yellow in an urban venue where concrete is a beautiful feature. The two other colours I’ve put in the palette, Prism pink and Lavender compliment the yellow and grey. The printed fabirc is mounted on panels to seperate spaces and soften the look as does the hanging Wisteria instalation.
On the tables there is simple glass vases with yellow and pink flowers, the candlesticks are silver and the candles are pink and lavender, the linens and flatware are grey and silver cutlery with a sprig of flowers on the plates to add a pop of colour. The pink neon lighting adds a fun factor and a 90’s disco feel in the evening when it’s time to hit the dance floor! The bride is wearing a yellow dress with a deep split so this is for sure a moodboard for a daring, confident couple who are looking for a modern, edgy look.
Susan White
“Pantone 2021 – Ultimate Grey the perfect neutral to suit all locations adding Illuminating Yellow for pops for colour and freshness – Ithaca perfect!!”
Dasha Wannida Kasiwong
With these two colors we have the shade for any time of the year!
For Illuminating, couples can use it as a main color in a cheerful, refreshing scheme for weddings in spring and summer. You can combine it with colors like bright pink and orange or go for softer shades like white and ivory to make Illuminating pop, especially through wedding flowers.
Ultimate grey can be used in autumn and winter weddings as the colors of your decors and installations. Couples can pair this shade with classic, darker colors like burgundy (my favorite combo!) or add it to your autumn-inspired of brown and burnt orange to give it an interesting dimension to your overall design.
Sylvia Smith Sargeant
I loved adding the pop of red orange as an accent color!
Madde Näsmark
I love the use of yellow in events. It can brighten any venue even if it is raining. Pastel yellow and greys balance each other so well and makes for a romantic Paris in the spring feeling.
Candi Harbin Zazzara
Two beautiful colors that work so well together! I’m envisioning a more formal afternoon affair. Gray table linens, silver chargers, white China with a silver band, silver flatware, yellow linen napkins. Crystal with a silver band. Tall silver candelabras with a beautiful arrangement of yellow flowers sitting on top like the sun shining down on the table! If it was an evening affair, it could be glammed up with some other accents of silver to reflect the flowers and the light.
Aurora Hlina
Yellow will be a fun way to add splashes of colour to any event! Your florals, napkins, candle sticks, ribbon anything to add a unique pop! I think people may be intimidated by the colour, and feel it doesn’t go with anything. But don’t be afraid of it, play around with other colours to make a unique palette! Think yellow and pink or yellow and dusty blue, these would both be beautiful. I created a video to showcase some ideas.
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Tricia Chiasson
These two colors together have such a retro fifties feel to me and the minimalist feel of Scandinavian vibes. So I would love to do a very Scandi wedding theme with a minimalist, clean, modern style OR/// a very (50’s ish) styled wedding with big yellow flowers sharing the glory with proper grey starched linens.
From 1958-1980 my Gran had a refrigerator that she called buttercup that was exactly that color of yellow and her vinyl kitchen chairs were grey. These colors are made for each other.
Katie Mustard
I would love to see these colors used with lots of white and pops of green. Something soft and elegant! And I’m dying to see a gray wedding dress!
Jenni De Gille
