Wedding Color Palettes and How to Choose

The right color palette really ties the entire day together. Typically, brides are left to choose between the picket color scheme based on the season, time of day, and overall theme of the wedding. Picking your wedding colors early on is essential as it is difficult to plan the remainder of your wedding without this decision being made. On top of everything picking out the best wedding color palette is not a simple as choosing your favorite colors and hoping for the best. To help make this decision a little easier, today we are going to talk about color palettes and how to choose the perfect one for your special day.
How to Choose Your Wedding Color Palettes
Step One: Consider The Season
The time of year you are choosing to tie the knot is the first important factor when considering you color scheme. Even if you haven’t picked a date yet, you’ve likely narrowed down a time of year so starting here should be fairly simple.
- Fall weddings are most known for being inspired by nature so when considering color combinations consider deep reds and jewel tones! Other popular combinations include frost and blush, deep grey and vibrant red, and burnt orange and brown.
- Winter weddings are typically cool and simple, though some brides like to go all out with Christmas themed weddings or defaulting to lots of blue and white tones. If you are planning a winter wedding and don’t want to go the traditional route, consider color combinations such as black, gold, and ivory, or a soft mauve and a deep forest green.
- Spring weddings are perfect for taking the party outdoors and when you are outside there is so much to be inspired from. Indoor weddings may lean towards softer color palettes, while outdoor weddings can typically get away with bolder color choices. Some options include pinks and blues, and warm blues and creamy whites.
- Summer weddings are where are the color really come out to play. The bright oranges and pinks really shine through during this season. Other options for those not wanting to go so bright is green, white, and gold which gives any party the vibes of a romantic tropical oasis.
Step Two: Consider The Venue
When it comes to considering the venue/location it’s important to compare what your color palette will be competing with. For example, if you are having a summer wedding inside of a beautiful vintage brick building, your pinks and oranges might clash with the red of the brick. While those same colors outside on a beach would stand out beautifully and compliment the sun no matter what time of day it was. Don’t bust your budget trying to change your entire color palette to compliment the wedding location but DO change up tones and hue to at the very least compliment the color palette you are choosing.
Step Three: Consider The Availability
The next step once you’ve decided on a color palette and before you pull the trigger on decorations you should do a little research on florals. If you have chosen neon green and bluesyou want to make sure that there are flowers in complementing colors that can accommodate your color scheme. Take a few minutes to pile some flower options together or even consider speaking to a local florist about what they would recommend. Some shops may even have photos of the wedding bouquets they have completed over the years.
Step Four: Consider The Theme
The theme of your wedding will have some impact on your wedding color palette. If you are looking for a soft romantic themed wedding in the summer, you might not choose the rich pinks and oranges. Here are some common wedding themes and their complimentary colors
- Romantic weddings tend to drift towards shades of blush, blue, and cream
- Formal weddings black, white, blush, and a smoky grey
- Boho weddings gravitate towards white, mauve, and neutral tones
- Vintage weddings go for golds, mossy greens, orange-y yellows, and light blues
Step Five: Consider The Heart
I know step five sounds corny but I couldn’t think of another way to say it. Go with the color palette, flowers, decorations, etc. that you LOVE. You might even consider the colors that inspire your home décor or the colors you most frequently wear. Whatever you do don’t over think your wedding color palette and go with the color scheme that make you feel the most at peace. Once this relatively easy decision is made then the real fun can begin and you can start to mentally outline center pieces, alter pieces, etc. for your big day!
Conclusion
Remember this color palette informs your other decisions like bridesmaid’s dresses, centerpieces, and so on but it is not a hard and fast rule. You are looking for colors that complement each other and that may mean that not every shade of blush is identical and that’s okay! I wish you the best on your color palette selection!