Wedding Colors: Fuchsia and Taupe

Fuchsia peonies, sweet peas, and anemones pop against a sandy backdrop. Add dimension by combining vessels in various styles, materials (earthenware, smoked glass), and tones.

When it comes to flowers in this palette, the choices range from lipstick-bright roses to eye-popping peonies. In addition to these blushing beauties, you can find like-hued carnations, dahlias, gladiolas, snapdragons, and stock, depending on the time of year. You'll create the most drama if you stick to clear magenta shades, rather than mixing in wan, watered-down pastels. If your florist can't find a variety of flowers in exactly the right shade, pick only a few instead and use them en masse. Hey, even if you can't spell fuchsia, you can dazzle them with the hue.

Even accessories can make a big statement when done right. This vibrant spray-rose boutonniere, accented with jasmine and millinery flowers and wrapped in ribbon, may be miniature but it won't be missed when set against a pale khaki jacket. Suit by Brooks Brothers. Shirt by Thomas Pink. Custom tie by Tiecrafters.

We think a homemade ring pillow has tons more charm than most store-bought options. Choose a pretty fabric and sew your own from a pair of squares. (If the thought of needle and thread makes you itch, enlist a crafty friend.) Secure bands with a ribbon tacked to the top. Rings from Tiffany and Co.

A wide silk-satin ribbon in a hue that's not quite gray and not quite beige, but greige (even the word sounds swanky) is a sophisticated choice to offset a flower girl's exuberant dome of ranunculus and godetia. A coordinating antique floral ribbon customizes her frock. Dress by Crewcuts.

We know, you've heard it before: You can definitely wear them again! But these dresses really are cute enough for attendants to put into rotation -- note the flirty details like a pleated scoop neck and flouncy, tiered skirt. Pick one style or a few in two tints and let everyone don her favorite. (Cool ash blondes might opt for taupe while fuchsia flatters brunettes and warmer honey blonds.) Or honor the maid of honor with a different-colored gown and a frilly vintage fabric corsage. From left: Simple Silhouettes; Jenny Yoo; Thread Design, (flower from Tinsel Trading Company); JCrew.

A well-choreographed seating-card set, like a Helio-Julianne cha-cha routine (that's "Dancing with the Stars" speak, for those who don't know), involves a bit of give and take. Here, fuchsia takes the lead with a splash of an old-fashioned floral motif on envelopes, while taupe, used for the guests' names, hangs back. The two swap roles on the calligraphed cards (although showboat fuchsia still shines). We opted for customized letterpress designs by Milkfed Press, but you could get a similar look with rubber stamps and ink pads. Calligraphy by Deborah Delaney.

Your wedding vows are among the most important words you'll ever stumble over, so consider having some of those time-honored nouns and verbs calligraphed or printed in fuchsia ink on taupe envelopes and stashing ceremony programs inside. Hang the envelopes by their flaps from satin ribbons (ours are from Mokuba) that you knot around ceremony chairs or loop over the ends of pews. Tuck a single vivid carnation into each shimmering bow adorning aisle seats for a look that's pure poetry. Calligraphy by Grace Connell.