Deciding on the color scheme for your wedding is an essential element of the overall design and feel of your wedding, and will set the tone and mood for the whole day. The colors you choose will influence many aspects, such as the bouquet(s), floral decorations, ribbons, lighting, bridesmaids’ dresses, the grooms’ tie or button holes etc, not to mention other details such as invitations, favors, menus and the order of service. Also remember that colors tend to have a psychological effect on people and can help to create the atmosphere that you wish to emit on your special occasion.
Choosing a Wedding Palette
There are many ways to choose the color scheme for your wedding, although most couples tend to opt for their favorite colors or a combination of them. It is advisable to take into account the venue for the wedding, to make sure that your flowers or decor won’t clash with your surroundings. Likewise, you may find that you need to select different shades of your chosen colors for the ceremony and reception to reflect the atmosphere and formality/informality you wish to communicate. For example, if you are planning on having your ceremony in a church, you may choose more conservative shades or colors, while a beach wedding will need bolder colors to compete with the bright sunshine. Nevertheless, no matter what colors you select, the sooner you define your wedding palette the better to ensure that you can find all the details you wish to include.
Colors and Flowers
Your choice of flowers may influence your color preferences and vice versa. Perhaps there is a particular flower you wish to have in your bouquet or floral decorations, such as orchids, lilies or sunflowers. In that case, you may need to modify your color scheme to match the availability of those flowers during the time of year when you are getting married. If you are getting married at a time of year when the flower colors you prefer are out of season or more difficult to obtain within your budget, then a safer alternative is to base your color scheme on white or cream flowers, adding ribbons and other decorative elements. For destination weddings, you should consult carefully with your contact in the country where your wedding will take place.
Color Combinations
Most wedding palettes are a combination of at least two colors in order to secure suitable contrast with the setting and wedding attire, while many can be up to 5 main colors. It is important to find the right balance between colors and not to overwhelm the wedding with too many bold colors or combinations that clash with themselves or the setting you have chosen. Once you have decided on your colors, you do not need to use all of the colors in the same proportions, you may wish to uses certain colors only for specific details like the invitations or seating cards etc.
Great Color Pairings
Mint & Lavender
Coral & Aqua
Light Pink & Chocolate
Cranberry & Fuchsia
Cornflower Blue & White
Lime & Cream
Turquoise & Orange
Teal & Gold
Color Blunders
One of the main causes of color mistakes happens when the bride chooses not to wear a shade of white or cream and opts for something fabulously bold like bright pink, red or gold. While the bride and wedding party will no doubt look fantastic in the photos, guests’ attire may well clash with your dress. One way to avoid this is to subtly advise guests of the color scheme on the invitation, for example, indicating pastel colors, or dark colors etc. It is also a good idea to tell close relatives or guide them towards colors that won’t clash with your dress.
Another common mistake happens when you have not thought about contrast and combination of colors, going over the top with your favorite color. You may go mad finding every last detail to match your wedding color only to find that you have created a homogenous wedding where the bridesmaids don’t stand out from the table cloths!
A Final Tip
Choose your color scheme as soon as possible, guiding yourself by whatever means, whether that be the kind of flowers you want, the material you have found for the bridesmaids’ dresses or your favorite color. Once you have decided your color scheme all other decisions fall more smoothly into place, and you have time to find the smaller details that will make all the difference to your wedding.
