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COURTESY OF THE PURPLE STORE Purple Store fare includes: Stretch fishnet gloves, $10.99 ...

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Purple reign

An online store lets unconventional
brides showcase their favorite color

Most women dream of their perfect white wedding long before finding the perfect mate, but Adam Sheridan, co-owner of the Purple Store, a virtual storefront, has learned through his business that a lot of people are trying really hard to be different.

The result: He's seen his share of purple weddings.

"People fall into a pattern and plan what they have already seen done," he said of the predominantly white affairs. But if purple is your favorite color, he said, why deny yourself the joy of seeing it on your big day just because of society's conventions? "It should be the centerpiece."

COURTESY OF THE PURPLE STORE ... satin garter with a daisy accent, $22.20 ...

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Mixing the right colors also works well, he said. "Mixing lighter and darker shades can be stunning." Adding peach to a mostly purple bouquet can create a sense of softness. Lime, various shades of green and gold are also complementary.

"There is a shortage of true purple for weddings," Sheridan said. Lilacs and lavenders are in abundance because people still take a comfortable pastel approach, he explained. "They don't showcase enough darker shades." The purple store can meet most needs -- from purple ring-bearer pillows to garters and lingerie.

One interesting item is a purple midcalf sporty boot. "People are looking for more stylish shoes," he said.

His designers and seamstresses are now working on a purple wedding dress -- the most crucial of wedding-day essentials that has curiously been lacking on the Web site.

COURTESY OF THE PURPLE STORE ... mid-calf high Sporty Shell Toe Boot, $32.99 ...

MADELYN Batangan-Cabuslay said she would definitely have worn a purple gown if she could have found one for her nuptials.

"Purple is my favorite color," she said, and purple was the main color in her wedding scheme. Bridesmaids' gowns, accessories, bouquets and the dresses worn by the mothers of the bride and groom all were purple. She even wrapped purple-and-white fortune cookies in cellophane as favors.

Batangan-Cabuslay's white vases were imprinted in purple and had to be ordered from the Philippines.

"We used purple and white shell roses. It is hard to find the deep purple, and I was going to paint all the roses," she said. Instead, she settled on lavender and lilac roses with purple tips.

COURTESY OF THE PURPLE STORE ... 14-Karat white gold, amethyst and diamond ring, $449.00.

SHERIDAN said one of his goals is to help fans of the color purple find the items they need in one place. The Purple Store, based in Seattle, evolved from one of Sheridan's old jokes. When co-workers asked him where they could get a paper clip, he suggested they visit "the paper clip store." When friends asked where they could find purple items, he suggested "the purple store." And the rest is history.

Before starting his site, he said he had no idea there was a subculture devoted to living a purple lifestyle. "It's making people happy, and we are having a good time."

Batangan-Cabuslay goes so far as to add, "If there were no association rules to abide by, I'd want a purple house."

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COURTESY OF BATANGAN/CABUSLAY FAMILY Madelyn Batangan and Robert Cabuslay's wedding party used the color purple for dresses, cummerbunds, bow ties and flowers.

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