Knowing how pick your colour palette for your wedding is sometimes easier said than done. It is an important step in planning your wedding, as it is part of every decision you will make, whether it is your bridesmaids dresses or even your wedding flowers. In addition it can also be a reflection of your personal style as a couple.
When you have set a date, it is a good idea to start thinking about your wedding colour palette. When deciding take into consideration your basic wedding details, such as season, location, and theme. Once you have done this, you can then start to narrow down the colours that you love and will create the look you want for your day.
Once you’ve decided on your colours, all of the other decorative details of your wedding will fall into place, from flowers and stationery, to wedding party attire, table linens, and more.
What can help you choose your colour palette?
Choose a base colour
The season your wedding is falling on
Consider your venue
Wedding style/ theme
Use colours that flatter you
Consider the holiday seasons as inspiration such as Christmas etc.
1: Choose a base colour.
Your base colour will be the one that is used mostly throughout your wedding, and is a good start to creating your palette. This colour can be any colour depending on the overall vibe you want to create. Most importantly, it should be a colour that you love!
When you have your base colour, the next step is to choose a handful of complementary colours — generally two or three of them, but you can add more if you wish. These accents will round out your wedding palette, adding dimension and variation. By using a colour wheel contrasting hues on the opposite side of the color wheel will help you decide on the right balance of colours and tones.
2: Wedding Season
Your base colour will be the one that is used mostly throughout your wedding, and is a good start to creating your palette. This colour can be any colour depending on the overall vibe you want to create. Most importantly, it should be a colour that you love!
When you have your base colour, the next step is to choose a handful of complementary colours — generally two or three of them, but you can add more if you wish. These accents will round out your wedding palette, adding dimension and variation. By using a colour wheel contrasting hues on the opposite side of the color wheel will help you decide on the right balance of colours and tones.
3: Consider your wedding venue.
Next up is your wedding venue and surroundings. The existing (or non-existent) details of your venue should influence your colour palette. "Blank slate" venues, such as tented receptions, barns, outdoor areas, and other neutral spaces will make it easier to pick your wedding colours from scratch, since you won't have to worry about clashing with existing decor. For other types of venues that are already decorated, such as hotels, country clubs, restaurants, and museums, look at what colours are currently in the space, and use those to determine your palette.
4: Consider what your theme or style will be.
Pinpointing your wedding style or theme is also an essential step when choosing your wedding colours. Just like seasons, some wedding colours are best suited for specific styles — for example the 1920s Gatsby-inspired theme wouldn't go well with bright blue and fuchsia, while metallic gold and purple would look out of place at a nautical soirée.
Need some style inspiration? Take a look at wedding themes on Pinterest, this will be a place to really gather your ideas. Once you've chosen your wedding style, all you need to do is process of elimination to help decide which colours will be the best fit.
5: Choose colours that flatter you.
Don't be afraid to be a little selfish when it comes to deciding how to pick your wedding colours! Depending on your attire, you may be wearing at least one of your wedding colours on the big day, so it can be helpful to think about the hues that are most flattering for your skin tone.
For example, if you're wearing a suit, accessorizing with a tie or pocket square that matches your colour palette is tradition. If pale yellow isn't doing you justice, it's totally fine to knock it off the list of potential wedding colours. Even if you're wearing a white dress, you'll want to consider any colourful details of your ensemble, such as your wedding bouquet and accessories.
Don't forget about your bridal party members' attire. Not only will you be standing next to them in pictures throughout the day, but there's a chance that the people in your wedding party have a variety of skin tones, hair colours, etc.
6: Holiday season
If you’re saying "I do" on or around a holiday season, why not incorporate the associated colours into your wedding day?
Blush and pastels for Easter, green for St. Patrick's day, black and gold for New Year's Eve, red for Christmas . The key here is that these celebrational seasons could serve as an inspiration for your colour palette. If you have opt-in for a holiday-inspired colour palette, this decision making will be much easier for you.
I hope this blog post has helped you decide on your colour palette. If anything by reading the following guidelines given above, that it has made things a little be clear and of course making your wedding planning a much smoother process.
Happy wedding planning!
Laura x