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
Pages: « 40 … 11 10 9 8 7 [6] 5 4 3 2 1 » Show All
heh ks, i was a little confused by your details. your getting married dec. 29 right but you said the colors seeing as its springtime. are you wanted a spring theme in the winter? write back i would love to help you. also where are you getting married and what are the colors there carpet etc. that way i can visualize a little better. i love the color scheme you have. i think it would be great. looking forward to hearing from you.
Hi
Please help!8-|
I got engaged in August, we are planning a wedding on the 29th of Dec 2007. I am really anxious about whether my wedding will turn out well. We are both in our early twenties and are very anxious about the big day! My theme colours will be white and lime green, apple green, seeing as its springtime. Anyone willing to give me ideas, where do we start. We are really in this alone. We want it to be a day we will always remember but we cant spend too much money because we are starting out.
hi all, i got engaged in June and am starting to do research now, we are planning for a sept 09 wedding but that may change as well. we want a month that is not too hot and not cold, i know we cant predict weather but we wanna try to have a beautiful day! as does anyone…anywho i was considering a pink and red theme, romantic (love/lust). my fiance requested red. would these colors look well together? also what should the bridesmaids wear? black dresses? maybe cream?
thank u for any input
heh jessica just saw all the pictures beautiful. wish i was getting married on a boat now. smile. mainCerStgcopy and Roll 60 - 14 loved those pictures. i see what you mean. bouquetgarden.com/centerpieces
also i am going to give one of my fave sites: links2love.com/wedding
go to the lavender, blues, etc. wedding decor. you can even build your own bouquet to see what it looks like. now i know you didnt want alot of colors but look at the iron chandelier decorated in flowers. oh my gosh!! i think this would be just gorgeous!!. when i looked at the boat wedding pictures i saw that the blue and purple has been done but if your heart is set on it and i completely understand cause it is beautiful then go for it. but i would choose the links 2 love idea for sure. hands down with that touch of scarlet and maybe a little more white in the actual centerpieces you talk about breathtaking and ultra romantic!! imagine with lanterns or candlelight. oh my gosh!!! for more elegance i would keep the the napkins white if preferred. and add a touch of color with your favors and put those on classic white plates. i am excited for you write back and let me know what you think about the website. hope this helps.
HI,
I just wrote about my Sept 6 wedding. I wanted to give some more info, the boat’s rug is navy blue. The tables will have white table cloth and the napkins will be the color that I choose. I want to incorporate purple some how. I was thinking of an aubergine color for the bridesmaid dresses, but this color is so dark that in pictures it will look like their black. So I figured a lighter color. I don’t want too many color, because it will look tacky, so I thought to do plum. If you would like there are pictures of the cruise boat at http://cruisenh.com/MtWashington/home/index.php then click on photos at the very top, then wedding album or wedding…
I want a romantic feel and not too over powering with the colors.
Thanks
heh jessica that sikumi link messed up. go to google then sikumi weddings then on results hit wedding cruises sikumi.com brings up another part of that website. thanks.
jessica if you could give more details as far as the colors in the boat i could help more. but i would definitely choose apricot. it would be gorgeous. as far as a theme. if it were me, i would choose centerpieces of assorted colored grapes or a mix of fruit since i think of “harvest time”. if your reception is in the evening i would choose a romance as my theme. with the sunset, water, etc. i am not sure if you wanted a more nautical theme, which wouldnt go so well with plum. for decor i would go with candles in lanterns, put thank you “scrolls” in bottles, you could even have centerpieces with live bettas and greenery, i have seen that alot on the internet and depending on the # of guest that could be your take home favor . or centerpieces with pebbles and candles. the sky is the limit. on your search engine go to wedthemes.com/beach-weddings also seaside weddings and beach weddings on images as well. you should be able to find what you need. i also recommended on another bride sunset wedding bouquet flowers by fudgie website. for color inspiration. but i would definitely choose my color from the sunset it just fits.
sikumi.com weddings on google then on wedding cruises on results (look at the sky colors) maybe that will help. write with more details if you need xtra help.
Hi, my wedding date is Sept 6, 2008, and I am having big problems with choosing my colors. September is still summery and is near fall. I would love to have purple for my bridesmaids dresses, like a plum color. What colors go with plum and is also fallish/summerish. Also I am having my reception on a cruise boat in NH so I wanted to incorporate some sort of theme. Thanks.
angela navy blue or midnight blue would be fine but my concern is lighter colors or tropical colors seem like they would show up better at night. i came across a bouquet on the flowers by fudgie website. go under weddings/personal bouquets and look on the page 9 at the sunset bouquet. i personally think that would be beautiful against the right shade of blue. it would look like your at the caribbean. smile. and i would most likely put it against a more periwinkle blue. i considered a beach wedding theme i was going with periwinkle blue/ taupe/ and white. i was gonna use lots of candlelight and beach themed decor. with blue hydrangeas, greenery. i was gonna put my bridesmaids in taupe which it happened to suit their skintone, i was carrying white hydrangeas with theirs in the blue. i was gonna use grapevine with the hydrangeas in my colors and white roses scattered here and there. if you like what i was gonna use you can use it. smile. i had to move my date so i changed my theme. also for research you can type in beach weddings on google (it brought up more results) and look at the images too. beachweddingsbytheknot.com is pretty awesome for ideas and brides magazine website type in beach weddings. but if your heart is set on navy blue i would pair it with a lighter color taupe and white with that would be REALLY nice. with those colors you could add a complimenting punch of color. like a sunset color, peachy-pink. i know that color may seem awkward with navy but any pink even hot pink looks good. hope this helps. good luck!!
My wedding is 8/8/08..i always dreamed of getting married ocean side..but since we can’t..we want to bring the ocean in. We’re aiming for shades of blue….since its an evening wedding..will Navy/Midnight be appropriate for bridesmaids..or should we go with a lighter shade of blue sinces its a summer wedding??
jennifer i really love what you have picked out. my sisters wedding was those colors and everyone said it was beautiful. she also had a few pink flowers in hers it was really beautiful i love the rhinestone idea. you could carry that also in accents in all decor just touches here and there. and carry it into your reception it would be magical. wine and ivory with touches of pink is perfect. all i think to much pink will overpower the elegance of the wine and ivory. my dad passed away dec. 15 2 years ago i am going to honor him with using his fave color. i feel like a part of him will be there by doing this. your going to have a sentimental wedding and its beautiful how your honoring your mother by using pink. i wouldnt change my color scheme. these colors defintely go together. for reassurance look at paint chip cards the shades go from pink to deeper including wine. wine and pink are in the same family. your wedding colors are monochromatic which is just using different shades of one color. so your scheme is right on the money !! good luck
heh thess. i just done looking at different websites to help you. 1) wedding bee ( type in pink and brown color scheme it will pull up images) 2) go to google images type in “december wedding pink and brown” 3) google images ” winter wedding pink” also ” winter wedding decor” 4) the preppy wedding ” the preppy pink and gold winter wedding”
5) wedding clipart.com then go to easy to plan with wedding guide click on jump in its free. click on wedding receptions it will bring you to a list with subcategories from there click on reception themes then click on winter wedding decorations. i thought this whole guide was amazing it would be helpful to any bride since it lists all kinds of themes and stuff. but if none of this is helpful just keep researching with the keywords winter weddings and pink and brown wedding themes etc. under images and the web. personally i think the color scheme rocks. it would be gorgeous with ice pink and rich chocolate with accents of cream or white and add some crystals for a frosty effect. craft stores carry those icy looking garlands and candle rings. but pink and brown with all those crystals would be breathtaking and enchanting. i really mean it. hope all this helps. write back if you need more help.
hi everybode can somebody give me a website where i can take a alook if pink & brown is okey or not for a december wedding.. thanks a lot…
heh alinka i am back. i am going to give you another website. colors on the web. it has several schemes. and you could type in color schemes and wedding color schemes it will show you all kinds of websites. and i forgot to tell you the color scheme cocoa, golden yellow, and white or ivory would be beautiful and so simple to do. the colors alone would make impact and elegant.
Hi… my wedding is Sept 20,08. My main colors are wine/ivory. I wanted to also incorporate a touch of light pink into these colors to remember my mom that passed away 5 years ago from breast cancer. I guess I would mostly use the pinks in the flowers.. I want to use ivory roses for the main color and then put a few light pink colors in the bouquet with some rhinestones… .Do you think that is enough for the pink or should I use it a little more? Do those three colors go together?
I am gonna help as much as i can. the compliment to yellow is actually a shade of purple. i would personally look at antique plum. go to the website inside weddings click on real weddings then page 5. click on romance by design. check out those colors she used especially on the part where bride and fob is walking up the aisle. its really difficult to use traditional lighter colors for a spring wedding to make it warm. i would definitely use a warm color with a light one. I dont know if i am helping. i sure hope so. but on that website see all the greenery? to me greenery adds charm to anything for a family affair. it is inviting. another idea is just the golden yellow with ivory or white, whichever you prefer, and lots of greenery. but if that seems dull then yes you need an accent color. blue or cool colors like it just wont warm up your celebration., i dont think. another idea go to the color schemer website or walmart to look at paint chip cards. i would definitely go with what i like and dont worry about what colors go with what season. also what are some of your fave colors? you could look at that too. i wouldnt go with no more than 3 colors though 4 tops anything over that will look to busy. i will be checking in to see if you need more help. :D:D
Well I’m getting married in Atlanta, GA in March around the 23rd. I really want to use the yellow and the green ( I think the mint green may be too light for the yellow. I want the wedding to feel rich but be inexpensive. I want the wedding to be really family oriented, it will be formal with a personal/warm feel.
I wish I could show you a picture of the bridesmaid dresses.
Well I’m getting married in Atlanta, GA in March around the 23rd. I really want to use the yellow and the green ( I think the mint green may be too light for the yellow. I want the wedding to feel rich but be inexpensive. I want the wedding to be really family oriented, it will be formal with a personal/warm feel.
I dont know if you can see this picture, but I would love this color for my bridesmaid dresses.
alinka where are you getting married? what are the colors there? and i will be able to help you more. what theme and formality do you plan to use? informal, semi formal etc. i would love to help!!
Thank you Leah for the advice. Do you think any other color other than green might go with that yellow?