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7 Best July 4th Summer Wedding Trends

When it comes to a wedding near July 4th, there are so many fabulous ways to infuse some Americana flair—without being cheesy about it. A key to all these wedding trends is, not surprisingly, using red, white, and blue as the color scheme. Choose how you use those colors with these summer wedding trends, and they can make quite the gorgeous impact.

Festive Bridal Party Wear

For starters, pick a color scheme for your bridal party. The bridesmaids could wear blue dresses, and accessorize their clothing with either red shoes (or sandals for the dance floor), or perhaps even red parasols. For the guys, if you want something bold, go for red pants with blue suit jackets. If you'd rather it be more understated, dress the men with white dress shirts and red ties, and the junior groomsmen with blue ties. If you have a ring bearer and flower girl, they too can be adorned in the colors of the wedding!

Bold Bouquets

The bouquets can complement those blue dresses in a bold and beautiful way. You can do a mix of red, white, and blue—think persimmon roses, hydrangeas, and blue thistle—or focus on just one color, like red roses, or blue orchids (which can also be a nice mix of blue and white) and use an opposing color for the ribbon that ties the bouquet together. And don't forget about the guys' boutonnieres—you can play around with the 4th of July color scheme here, too.

A Patriotic Table Setting

With bold fashion statements and decorations, keep the table settings simple. White tablecloths graced with just a few touches of color—such as on the menus and in the flower centerpieces—can keep the wedding elegant while still keeping with the colors and theme of your most fabulous day.

Colorful Cocktails

Punch up the cocktails at the bar, not just with alcohol, but also with some fun, festive colors. While you could keep it simple -- with cranberry vodkas, and lemonade with UV blue vodka -- there's also some wonderful creative cocktails. Need ideas? Here are some recipes to suggest to your wedding planner.

Oversized Balloons

While the tables may be understated, the decorations don't have to be! A few well placed oversized balloons—in the day's color scheme, of course—can add a fabulous flair to the events. Bonus: use them as props in your photos!

Patriotic Dessert Spread

Finish off the meal with gourmet desserts that you wouldn't find at your average Fourth of July barbecue. Perhaps serve some strawberries dipped in white chocolate, and go bold with a fabulously decadent red velvet cake. Rather not go the traditional cake route? Red velvet cupcakes, made with white frosting, can make quite the elegant impact too, when set up in a beautiful design.

Fireworks

Last but certainly not least, before the dancing winds down, celebrate your big day with a huge light show. After all, it's not Fourth of July without fireworks! Be sure to have a certified pyrotechnician set off your fireworks, so you can relax and safely enjoy the show with your new spouse, family, and friends.

Elizabeth SanFilippo is a freelance writer, who enjoys trying new foods from all over the world. But her favorite city for culinary treats will always be Chicago. When not blogging about food, she's working part-time at a culinary vacation company, The International Kitchen, based in the Windy City, as well as repping Younique cosmetics and skincare products. Some of her writing can be found at Examiner.com.


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