At Imperial Venue, we often see brides trying to make difficult decisions regarding the specifics of their special day: Who should I invite? What type of dress should I wear? What music should we play? What kind of cake should we have? Hard though they may be, many of these decisions are made simpler by the couple’s budget; the choice of a couple’s wedding palette – that is, the primary, secondary, and, if necessary, tertiary colors the bride and groom will use throughout their decorations and attire – is practically endless, however, leading many couple’s to stress far more than they should about something that will matter very little in the end.
To make choosing your wedding colors as painless as possible, our expert wedding coordinators have assembled some of our favorite tips from bridal magazines, blogs, and brides themselves. To select your ideal wedding palette, you must…
Keep it Simple
Though there are literally thousands of different colors to choose from and millions of possible color combinations, we recommend choosing between two and four colors for your wedding palette and sticking with them for all of your decorations, flowers, attire, and invitations. Knowing the exact shade (“sapphire” instead of dark blue or “currant” instead of deep red) will help you maintain consistency throughout your wedding theme, and narrowing your options to a few colors will keep your decorations from looking messy or busy.
Avoid the Fads
Just because wedding magazines publish a “wedding color of the year” each year (if you’re curious, 2015’s was “marsala”) doesn’t mean you need to use this color in your palette. In fact, we suggest ignoring the trends entirely and opting for colors that appeal to you on a personal or emotional level. Remember: your wedding pictures will be hanging on your wall for years, so pick colors you know you’re going to love twenty years from now.
Contrast Colors Appropriately
Today, many brides and choosing bright colors – shades of orange, teal, pink, or something all of them at once – to make their wedding decorations really pop. Too much or too many bright colors, however, can overwhelm the eye and produce a distracting effect. To avoid putting together an overly “loud” palette, contrast your bright color(s) with calming, soothing, or muted colors.
Be Leery of Color Associations
What do you think of when you see the colors red, white, and blue together? How about red and green? Though it may see obvious to most, brides something forget that our mind automatically associates certain color combinations with holidays, national symbols, or sports teams. Don’t wait until the decorations have all been ordered to realize you have a Christmas themed wedding; scrutinize your colors and be sure they don’t conjure any unwanted associations.
Consider the Colors of Your Wedding Venue
While looking for your dream wedding venue, take note of the flooring, walls, and existing decor to make sure it doesn’t clash with the colors you have chosen for your wedding palette. Many venues will be able to accommodate requests to hang drapes or adjust the color of the interior lighting; don’t forget to ask about the venue’s flexibility!