Today is 2011 wedding invitation color trends day, and let me tell you, I had so much fun putting this together. I’ve organized my picks into separate palettes, keeping in line with the style trend predictions that I’ll be sharing tomorrow, so if you see a couple of the same colors repeated it’s because I felt that they worked well in multiple trend palettes.

I have to thank wedding color trend guru Michelle Mospens, who put together two fantastic wedding color trend boards for 2011. I’ve incorporated several of her color predictions into my trends ideas, and I’ve definitely made use of Pantone’s top 10 fashion + home 2011 spring color trends, too.

Honeysuckle + Tropical Hues

Pantone recently announced that honeysuckle, a warm pink, is their 2011 color of the year, and as someone who loves many shades of pink, I give it a big thumbs up. I’m so excited that honeysuckle is such a versatile color, too, pairing wonderfully with tropical hues like blue curacao, coral rose, chartreuse, and beeswax for tropical/destination, spring, and summer wedding invitations, and equally as well with neutrals like light charcoal and midnight for classic, upscale invites.

Gaga for Gray

Gray will continue to be a powerhouse neutral in 2011, and more taupe-y grays and grays with hints of brown will show up in ultra upscale, one and two-color letterpress wedding invitations. The growing trend in minimalist modern invitation designs will see shades of gray paired with muted shades in every color of the rainbow, from soft, barely there peachy pinks to bold colors like papaya. I have to admit that, though I’m a big fan of honeysuckle, it was love at first sight when I spotted the silver cloud/silver peony combo in Pantone’s 2011 spring palette.

Berry Lovely

Do purples and pinks really ever go out of style? Purple is the color of royalty, and with the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, I see many couples to be being drawn to the rich hue in 2011. Soft lavender and thistle look beautiful in one-color letterpress designs, and bolder shades are attention getting on their own or paired with the aforementioned gray, as well as navy blue.  Pinks will also be in full force in 2011, and I see a trend toward peachy pinks like hibiscus, peacherine, deep peony, and the previously mentioned silver peony.

Vintage

The early 20th century (Art Nouveau and Art Deco) and mid-century will continue to be inspirational eras in 2011, and along with the growing style trends, we’ll see lots of muted palettes inspired by these eras. Minty teal and poppy is always a great choice for mid-century modern designs with a bit of whimsy, and muted navy, khaki gray, and poppy are wonderful for the growing trend in airmail-inspired designs. Black on white or cream makes a bold statement for vintage ephemera-inspired suites, while khaki gray and light leaf look wonderful in natural, Art Nouveau designs.

Nautical and Marine

2010 was the year of the nautical-inspired wedding invitation, and the trend will continue in a more subtle way in 2011, which means that we’ll be seeing a lot of “something blue”. Midnight and muted navy will stand on their own, particularly in letterpress designs, paired with a white or cream stock. Kelly green, moccasin, and khaki gray provide a lovely contrast and represent the earth, the sand, and the sun in beach and nautical-inspired designs.

Don’t Forget Metallics

Metallics were HUGE in all things stationery during the latter part of 2010, and I think that we’ll be seeing even more of them in 2011. Silver, gold, and warm copper will be showing up in both classic and unexpected ways, and shimmery shades will be incorporated in cardstock and envelopes, as well.