Choosing Your Wedding Colors: A Guide for Designing Brides
And even if you're getting the cake from Ron Ben-Israel, he's not going to ask you whether your wedding theme draws elements from 14th century Venetian court dress ... he'll ask you about your colors.
A mere generation ago, planning the wedding was a lot easier. It expressed your social class, and your parents' tastes. Even if they had particular ideas, the market couldn't offer much in terms of individual design. But these days, your wedding expresses your personal style in a way it never has before. Translation? The pressure's on!
Sussing Out Your Style
Some brides can solve the color question without thinking too much about style. They might have a life-long love for purple. Or, their venue might have strong hues they need to coordinate with. Or, when they picture their wedding, they already see their bridesmaids awash in certain colors. Easiest of all: sometimes they already have a theme in mind.For others, it's not that simple. Still, you can quickly pin down the styles that get your heart beating almost as fast as your fiancé does. Does Martha Stewart's relaxed, preppy look command your undying devotion? Do you pray you can someday actually subscribe to H&M magazine? Did Vera Wang's modern, moody Bolshevik collection for fall 2007 incite heavy breathing? This gives you some major clues.
Destination: Home, Sweet Home
Still, even if you don't consider yourself a fashionista or a Martha devotee, all's not lost. Instead, let's turn our eyes back to home and hearth.Many brides aren't just looking forward to a wedding, they're also buzzing with anticipation over the dream house they plan to share with their beloved. And in the process of hunting down this love nest, most spent lots time mulling over their personal style. What did you picture in your mind's eye as the right setting for your new life together? A rangy colonial with a gabled roof? A warm, log-sided farmhouse with a wood stove in the kitchen? Or did you dream of finding a downtown loft bursting with recessed lighting and monochromatics, and flip through the new IKEA catalog to pick out your cabinets?
Or consider: do you dream of filling your home with antiques you can pass down to your children? Look to seasonal-inspired color schemes and ballrooms. Plan to drape your bedroom ceiling in yards of mosquito netting? A fairytale wedding drenched in candelabras, gold braid and gauzy swags might fit the bill. Collect exotic objects from all over the planet? Try an art museum for your setting, and a sophisticated or daring palette.
And if you're one of those eclectic types who pairs Amish rocking chairs with aboriginal artifacts, use this old designer trick: think of the last bit of art or furniture you bought to spruce up your house. That tells you what's on your mind lately.
Your Secret Romantic Style
So, you know your domestic style is Eclectic Contemporary. Congratulations: that means you're holding a black-and-white wedding with chartreuse accents and ostrich feathers in a huge SoHo loft, right?Hold it: not so fast. Why? Because many brides have a special romantic style that exists in a universe by itself. You might be thrilled picking out Art Deco style spaceships for your pendant lighting. And yet, when it comes your wedding, you might picture something a lot more traditional.
So even if you're the most fashion-forward girl on the block, take a moment to consider whether your wedding vision doesn't actually go back in time by few hundred years. You might secretly harbor a special place in your heart for New England autumns, Victorian elegance, English cottage style, or even timeless fairy tales. And if that's true, rest assured you've got plenty of company.
The Gown's the Guide
But how do you tell if this stylistic gotcha's operating in your case? Here's the secret: go get your dress.For many brides, The Dress is a journey that starts with many preconceptions, but ends in the unexpected. Finding the dress is usually a case of recognizing it once you've tried it on, not knowing ahead of time what you'll wear.
And once you've found it, the dress will offer some big clues about your Romantic style. Captured by a demure ivory gown covered in Alençon lace, with a button-back closure? Start your search with pastels and neutrals that suit a 1930's vintage or feminine garden wedding. Fell hard for a sleek, diamond white v-neck that's all about the lines? Investigate the crisper, more playful palettes we see today, such as black and white, aqua, bright pinks, lime green and corals.
Adjust for Geography, Venue and Season
Now that you've unearthed your personal style, it's time to look outward. If your style's traditional, for example, start with a hotel ballroom. If you want a strong seasonal feel for fall, try a rustic barn. Cultivated gardens go well with traditional, Martha-esque tints. Tents weddings are a blank slate: you can make them as classic or brazenly modern as your heart desires.Geography, too, plays a role in your colors. Tropical affairs in the blinding sun are often showcases for the brightest hues of all: coral and orchid, for example, or aqua and orange. Evening white-tie affairs in New York City? Not so much.
Many brides are in the middle, and want to weave in at least a seasonal hint. Fortunately for them, most seasons have palettes both traditional and modern. For example, a classic summer wedding might feature cornflower blue or sage, where a modern one draws on fuchsia and lime green, or orange, pink and black.
Even flowers help set the style. For example, a profusion of pinks in a bouquet of roses and peonies says English cottage. Mini-sunflowers and chrysanthemums says New England country. On the other hand, the color blocking in a hand-tied bouquet of purple callas is strongly modern.
Essential Color-Choosing Tools
Now you've got a style in mind, let's get to the art of actually picking colors. Here are a few can't-miss tools:Color Schemer. You'll need to create a free account, but this wonderful site has user-created palettes aplenty that you can search by keyword. Once you've registered, hit the "search schemes" button and enter words that fit your vision, like "fall,""garden," "sunset," "winter." Or free-associate with adjectives like "nautical," "peaceful," "modern," "preppy" or even "trendy." We promise, you'll be hooked.
Sherwin-Williams Color Generator. Hit their site, and choose "FIND COLOR." Click on any color that draws you, and you'll automatically pull up two accent colors that complement it. Cool.
Big Huge Labs Palette Generator. Have a photo on your hard drive that seems to capture your wedding's heart and soul? Upload it to a palette generator, which will kick out most of the main hues involved. Unless you're on the beach, use one of the more neutral, calming colors as a primary (e.g., use it for bridesmaids or table linens), and the more nervous, high-energy colors as accents (use these in table napkins, chair sashes, ribbons, and some of your flowers.)
Make a Mood Board. Once you've narrowed down some favorites, start grabbing photos (for your own personal use, of course). Make a special folder on your hard drive, and save photos that seem to fit the colors, setting and season you're going for. If you've got any photo editing software, start putting them together in one big image. This will tell you more than thousands of words how your look will play out.
Making the Most of Your Choices
Now that you've got your colors, how can you really make them shine? A problem that plagues some brides is an oversized fear of chaos. Although it's simple, most weddings aren't at their best when the groomsmen's vests and ties exactly match the bridesmaids' gowns, which in turn match the bride's sash.So, choose your colors wisely and stick with them, but strive for designing more than matching. Brown and ivory are neutrals when chosen thoughtfully, so use their many shades for a sophisticated, monochromatic look. If the bridesmaids wear mocha or persimmon, the men will look great in chocolate brown. And even if the flowers call for a palette of orange and yellow, let a little green or cream sneak in for dimension. Check for too much of a good thing: when the entire wedding party wears matching brown or black, the effect can be overpowering.
And They Lived Happily Ever After ...
Picking your colors is a journey, just like finding the dress, or knocking all those planning items off your checklist. But hitting on the right colors, theme and setting for the ultimate expression of your own Romantic style? That can be the pleasure of a lifetime.
Chime In!
Stuck on colors, and looking to chat? Upload some starter pics that shows us your venue, your dress or whatever you're working with. Tell us the season or theme, if you've got one ... then post away!You Might Also Like ...
- Month by Month: Wedding Themes and Colors for Every Season
- The Meanings of Colors in Weddings
- Dreaming of a Dazzling Green Theme Wedding
- A 5th Avenue or Beach-Style Aqua Blue Wedding
- From 40s Fantasy to Designer Deco: the New Black and White Wedding
- Pink Theme Weddings
- Is Orange & Fuchsia Too Loud for a Wedding?
- A Pale Pink & Champagne Springtime Wedding
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miranda almost 4 got!!use bamboo table runners, tiki torches, paper lanterns. i am suggesting you use the color scheme from the bouquet from cupids arrow, i like that it will add other touches of other color(from the orchids) as a bonus to the coral, mint green and white. dont worry about adding the fuschia to everything else just use the same orchids,if ya want, here and there and whalla!! another color without even trying!!:P:P
MIRANDA:
See:
1) Kelly & Jared in San Francisco (theKnot)
2) (scroll down to peaches and cream cake, 1812 Hitching Post, eliminate the babies breath)
3) peach cream and white bouquet, cupid’s arrow weddings
5) Skipper’s wedding, go to last coral dress,what id pick
hope you like the ideas. one more thing a luau in hawaii would use lots of greenery garlands of leaves. i would use ALOT of this on my tables and my alter.look at images under hawaiian weddings keep white linens:
4) white tables under destination wedding
give out leis etc. use shells i love your theme by the way!!
oh and check this out, i could see your arch looking like this swaying in the breeze.
6) this from an asian wedding that says by eternally on flickr. ceremony decor is gorgeous.
miranda, i have been looking at wedding decor with all those flowers and i think its beautiful but to busy, i would stay at orchids and calla lilies. if you must have asiatic lilies then put them sparingly in your arch and reception area. i got some posts to send you i think i have found your dream color scheme!!
well i thought it was just gorgeous and would stand out at sunset.(sunset colors so to speak). be right back.
Stacy,
Thank you so much for what you have given me so far. It is a sunset beach wedding. The reception is a luau. The wedding is June 6, 2009, for the flowers I was thinking callie lillies, orchrids, and asian lillies. What do you think? I am trying to plan this out on my own. And those are afew problems I am having. miranda
janice love that color scheme. use lots of burgundy roses , you wear cream, girls in olive, and add touches of gold to this scheme.i see cream candles in wrought black iron at wedding alter, burgundy roses spilling everywhere, rose petal aisle. use olive linens with wrought iron and cream candles with burgundy roses. think about having parchment paper invites old world writing. parchment guest book, real feather pen on table (with candleabra) elaborate indian table cover in gold and olive. ringbearer pillow in same type fabric. flowergirl carrying black wrought iron basket with cream and burgundy petals, or let her carry her own item that means alot to her(like a doll). good luck!!
Hi, Im from India , getting married in Jan and im hung up on burgundy - olive green and cream for my wedding - wanted your opinion on the colour scheme ive chosen
miranda, also scroll up on this page look at that cottage color scheme, with mint green it would be fantastic. i think that is soooo pretty. i stare at it everytime i go to this page:D
miranda what type of wedding are you having? beach, garden, etc?when? keep it a neutral one with the coral. add bits of mint green and white. if you need more color think about mocha, pale yellow, apricot. write back with a few more details and i would love to help. then we can go from there:D i have a coral gypsy skirt and i have tried everything with it. brown, white, cream etc. looks best. my daughter agrees she said bolder colors take away from how prettyit is. hope this helps.
ann, two websites i tried to post it but it wont. type in google images fall wedding colors. click on arrowhead lake wedding.
then on page 3 google images click on homepage.mac ( that one is gorgeous!!) saw a wedding,
alter had red berried and plain branches in clear vases of water, rose petal aisle, and candlelight! girls were in red. blush was in the scheme. bride had a blush dress. it was beautiful. the blush made it more romantic!!
ann, dont change a thing!:P i would consider champagne in the linens etc. consider adding blush to the palette.(green,cranberry, brown, blush).love what blake said. touches of cherry would be awesome. just be careful more than 3 colors can look crowded.
hi comfort,
are you wanting to use a wreath of roses? and the combination for the groom is his attire? i am not the biggest fan of hair wreaths but if you design it tastefully it will look beautiful. i would keep the roses on the smaller scale(but not to small) and personally i would intertwine a rhinestones or pearls, even stick either gem into the center of each rose. for the groom, put him in basic black. i dont think anything else would do. since you want green and white head wreath put him in a green vest or tie. white rose boutonniere. groomsmen you can put them in black and white. with the green or red rose bout. what color are the bm dresses? i really think if they were in black it would look dynamite. talk about classy yet simple!!:P
stacey,thanks so much for your help.im not through yet.i will want to use roses round my head(green and white)
.what do u think.?what combination will be good for my groom using this sample
My dress is a white halter, chiffon material and it goes down to the tips of my toes but does not drag the ground.. I want one of my colors for my wedding to be palm beach coral. But I can not pick another color to go with it. I do not like blue. I also can not decide whether my girls should have long dresses or how to dress the guys. Please i need help. Miranda
Blake, THANK YOU. You are so AWESOME. And Sweet. I am second guessing everything. Even my dress. I love it on me but every time I see it on a model I think I made a mistake! Is this normal???!!!!
So if I stay with green, and euro red/cranberry and fushia, then what color should I make my invitation and party favor boxes? I really do like the green and chocolate brown. Can I get away with green and brown invitations and boxes/bows (party favors) or should I make all these red and fushia???…. I love to bake and am making thumbprints with a green and berry color icing in the center and then an iced cookie with our monogram. I was going to put these in a box and then wrap with the “sick-as-in-hot ribbon” :-) from Beaucoup. Thank you!! I really appreciate your help!!
Hi Ann … I hope Stacey or Roli reads this.
In the meantime, here is my totally personal take. I put some of your ideas into photos (below). Of course I don’t have the right bridesmaid gown but it is a Bill Levkoff in Euro red, so hopefully the colors aren’t too off.
I LOVE your ideas and colors so far. Red and green are some of the freshest yet most underused outdoor colors, and when you add cherry tones to cranberry ones I think I love it even MORE. You have an absolutely light-hearted, sort of continental color palette there, and yet the fruit in the jars and the hydrangeas give it a soft fall feel without beating you over the head with it.
Personally, I would not bring those colors down to earth with chocolate brown, or at least not gobs and gobs of it. Yes, chocolate brown works with EVERYTHING — maybe I’m just personally a little tired of it — but to me the colors you have have more sparkle and originality (I’m thinking Matisse cellophane
Not to say you shouldn’t change anything you don’t like, just to say I love what you have so far. (Although … chocolate vests would look great on the guys! Then they could be all sedate and formal while the ladies look like butterflies, lol)
That sick-as-in-hot ribbon is from Beaucoup, you can find it here … ‘personalized satin dots ribbon’
PS, I am convinced that red and fuchsia look AMAZING together. When I have a little more time I’ll try to find a few photos.
Don’t second guess yourself too much, I think you have great instincts for pulling things together. Your dress makes my jaw hit the floor! Put together photos of your ideas and you will gain much more confidence as you see how great they are!
Your website is wonderful! I just stumbled upon this today.
I would really appreciate your thoughts on my colors!
I had picked green and cranberry as my colors with chocolate brown as an accent color. The wedding is in October in Menlo park, CA and ceremony is outside and reception is inside. Could be an indian summer… There will be greenery outside and if the weather is nice we’ll spend most of the time out there but the inside room is somewhat dark with brown table and flooring. This is where the DJ will be. I had my colors all planned out until I started shopping for invitations. I got overwhelmed trying to incorporate the green and cranberry colors in the invitation. Then I found that I don’t really like cranberry or green dresses so I found a euro red dress I like for my one bridesmaid with a champagne bow.
My dress is a eugenia style 3204 which is white and blush. I thought the champagne bow on her dress would look good with the blush on mine. I love brown dresses (and my bm does too!) but I don’t know if brown it is bright/cherry enough for my afternoon wedding… They were going to serve pomegranate martinis to fit my color scheme. I was going to use fresh cranberries/pomegranets and apples and grapes in glass vases as table centerpieces (to save $$) or put them at the bottom of a glass vase with flowers (like green hydrangeas).
Now I’ve got all these colors. After looking at your website I’m thinking that maybe I should use green and brown as my primary colors and then also something like fushia or mauve. I thought the fushia and mauve would add some good color and look good with my dress and the pomegranates (not a primary color but will be a drink and possibly in table decorations). I’d appreciate your thoughts on all this! Should the guys where black tuxes with chocolate vests????
Also, LOVE the personalize bow in chocolate brown shown in the lavender, chocolate brown and green wedding shown under “make a mood board”. Where can I buy this??? I LOVE this color combination - would it work for a October wedding???? Thanks so much for your insights!!!
:?:?
blake, again thank you. i just hope i helped brides make their dreams come true. thats pretty exciting.!! and blake thank you for the work of putting the pics together. i am so happy that the brides can see it all on one post. i know they have alot on their plate already and searching websites is time consuming. i gotta find out what is wrong with my computer it used to send pics. i can copy but not paste. :-?. also heather thank you for the bravo!! i do love this, so much fun, maybe i need to work in this field!!:P
If you’ve gotten advice from Stacey, please check below for visuals as I’ve tried to board up some of her amazing ideas and sources.
Also Stacey, I really love your advice on planning a simple, elegant, low-stress wedding. And loved the description of your daughter’s wedding. You make a wonderful wedding sound completely obtainable without losing your sanity!
Yes bravo indeed. Thank you Stacey!!!
thank you blake for the compliment it means a lot!!!:P