When it comes to the overall aesthetic of the big day, one of the foundational elements of your wedding theme will be the colors. The colors that you use will help to set the tone of the experience that you create for your guests. Not sure where to start? Keep reading!
You will know that you’ve found the right combination when the wedding colors you select feel true to you and your significant other. They should also serve as a good foundation to tie many diverse details together.
Wedding Planning 101: Wedding Color Palettes
Before we jump into how to select your wedding colors, let’s first look at why this is so important. Having a base of 2-3 colors can help give you a starting point as you select elements for your big day. From the types of flowers that go into your centerpieces, to the color of the wedding party outfits, this will allow you to have some consistency pulled throughout the big day and help it feel like an intentionally curated event. Multiple contrasting colors will help to provide you with options and add some additional dimensions. Keep in mind that neutrals and metallics count as colors, too!
Here are three of our favorite places to look for inspiration as you begin to consider your wedding color scheme.
1. Get inspired by the time of year. The calendar is one of the best resources for how to select your wedding colors. For example, when you look around you during this time of year, what colors do you see in the clothing or home décor sections of the department stores? What types of flowers are blooming? And what colors or color combinations are well known for the season or the holidays that fall in this timeframe? While your wedding don’t have to be a cookie cutter reflection of the season, this is an important place to glean some initial inspiration.
WeddingWire says it beautifully: “While there’s nothing written in stone that mandates your wedding colors match up with your wedding season, we can’t argue that some colors lend themselves naturally to certain times of the year. If you're feeling stuck when choosing a color palette, look to your wedding season for a bit of inspiration. Dark jewel tones, such as emerald green, plum purple, navy blue, and marsala red, for example, tend fit in better with cold weather surroundings, like changing foliage in the fall or white snow in the winter. Bold and bright colors are generally more appropriate for a summer celebration, while pastel hues are traditionally associated with springtime weddings.”
2. Look at decisions already made, such as your venue or theme. If you already have a few of your key decisions made, like location or overall aesthetics, these can be very helpful to provide another starting point for your colors. For example, are you having an oceanfront destination wedding? Opt for soft blues complemented by neutrals. If that feels too ‘on the nose’, then add a pop of fuchsia or sage. Getting married in a forest under a canopy of trees? Consider deeper tones like dark green and maroon, and then include gold to help it feel more luxe. Or if you already have a theme selected (anywhere from peacock to Star Wars) then this might naturally give you some inspiration. Just remember, these are good starting points. From there, you can customize your palette so make sure that it feels like your own.
3. Ask for help. One of the best things about the wedding industry is that this means your wedding isn’t the first! Whether from people in your inner circle, on your wedding team, or online, colors are an easy area to seek advice while you’re trying to decide what feels right. We recommend asking your wedding party and newlywed friends, vendors on your team, as well as searching online (i.e. Pinterest or websites like Zola!)
Selecting a Color Scheme for Your Seasonal Wedding
Looking for more inspiration for how to select your wedding colors in a specific season? Browse through our past blogs for more specific articles where we share some of our favorite color combinations and tips for finalizing your decision:
We hope you enjoyed learning about how to select your wedding colors. These are fun components of your planning logistics because they will allow you to dream and begin to envision what it is all going to look like when it comes together!
Once you and your partner have decided on a color palette, you will have a solid starting point for the rest of your wedding vision to come to life! If you’re looking for a wedding photographer or videographer to help capture your vision, we’d love to connect with you to see how we can bring more joy to your big day. We have a team of committed and experienced professionals located from Texas to Florida. Find a package that provides the appropriate amount of support and then browse our FAQs to learn more.
[Photoshoot and video in the spotlight: Melissa + David in Houston, Texas.]
Choose Joy,
The Joy Team