New Year’s Eve in Paris + Pantone Palette { Travel }

Fab Mood has featured a lot of photo shoots and weddings inspired by Paris, but this New Year’s Eve, my family headed to Paris to see firsthand what the City of Lights might inspire!

Of course, we were sure to tour all of the well-known tourist attractions that Paris has to offer: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the palace at Versailles, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Above all, I was impressed by the Eiffel Tower, the 18th century paintings at the Louvre and Versailles and the food!

Bargain-lover that I am, I found an Airbnb that was incredibly affordable in the heart of the city, only a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. I think this ended up my favorite part of our visit – the fact that every time we left the apartment, we had the beautiful Tower looming over us. She sort of became part of our family. We saw her in all states of life: hidden by fog one frigid morning, lit up gorgeously on a clear December night, even sparkling like fireworks during the hourly light-shows she puts on at night. It’s easy to understand why she appears in so many wedding and engagement photo shoots!

Our next major tourist adventure took us to the Louvre Museum. Other than the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, I didn’t know what to expect, and as a result, my family ended up a bit overwhelmed, wandering around hall after hall of paintings and sculptures. That being said, there were a few pieces that spoke to me and warranted a quick photo, like the amazing rich colors of Madame Le Brun Vigee’s Portrait of Madame Mole Reymond. The peacock blue and regal violet contrasted with the warm tones of the fox fur muff would make an amazing departure point as a color palette for a wedding, don’t you think?

Then there are the elegant gowns featured in the turn of the 19th century, like the ones in artist Vernet’s Portrait de Madame Philippe Lenoir and Gerard’s Portrait de Marie Dumont-Walbonne. I don’t know, there’s something about these that make me think we should be looking at ruffled necklines and empire waists in 2017.

And on that note, who is more of a fashion icon of the time than of Marie Antoinette herself? Touring her palace at Versailles revealed just how opulent of a lifestyle royalty of that era indulged in. We let ourselves get lost in the acres and acres of perfectly-manicured gardens and imagined the amazing parties that were thrown among them. We traced our fingers along gaudy gold and white wallpaper in King Louis XIV’s dressing room. And I tried to imagine what a wedding would look like today if Marie Antoinette was planning it. Surely her palette would be her signature French Blue, creamy white, and everything draped in gold! It definitely got me thinking about how the modern bride might evolve the opulent style and colors of Versailles for a contemporary look.

And the food! We cannot talk about Paris without mentioning the food! With our apartment directly above a patisserie, my family took full advantage to explore French pastries. Croissants and beignets for breakfast, baguette sandwiches for lunch, a buffet of petit fours for dinner, and chocolates galore for dessert! I absolutely loved the small portions and elegant plating of everything we ate. I could easily see a party spread of petit fours in both savoury and sweet for a cocktail hour. And of course, an amazing spread of rich chocolates and fruit tarts for dessert. Oh, the things I could dream up for a party or a wedding to pay hommage to France!

Images by Elizabeth Edison

Love French / Marie Antoinette style. Check out this Kenneth Poole Wedding dress for Marie Antoinette themed wedding