Great ideas on choosing your wedding colours

Choosing your wedding colours is one of the first stages of wedding planning and you’ll need to make your decision before you can order bridesmaids dresses, wedding stationery, flowers, or decorations. Here are some great ideas on choosing your wedding colours.

Tip 1: Take inspiration from the season

When time of year are you getting married? Rich earthy tones such as chocolate brown or burnt orange are best suit for a wedding taking place in autumn. Shimmering white with touches of blue or silver can help you create a winter wonderland, or burgundy and gold can add a Christmassy element of warmth to the wintry chill. If you are having a spring wedding you could go for fresh greens and yellows, and perhaps consider pinks and pastels for a summer ceremony.

Tip 2: Begin with a single object

Flick through some bridal magazines and see if any particular items or themes catches your eye; what colour are they? If you a particular colour scheme doesn’t immediately spring to your mind, just start with one element of your wedding and work from there.

Take your main bridesmaid shopping and see what colours look good on her and use that particular shade in your wedding scheme. Are there any flowers you really love, and if so what colours can you purchase them in? Take a look at a few wedding cake designs, and if you find one you like adopt your colour scheme from that. Your invitation is the first impression your guests will have of your wedding so if you are having a specific colour scheme, this should extend to your invites.

Tip 3: Pick colours from your venue

The style of your venue might influence the wedding colour scheme. If your venue is a chic hotel, a stark black and white scheme, or urban colours like pewter or taupe can be very effective. If, on the other hand, you have chosen a country setting with garden views, fresh floral wedding colours like pink, green, and lavender would be the most fitting.

If you have already chosen your wedding venue, the interior decor might influence the types of colours you choose. You may want to use lighter shades of the existing colours of the venue, or, if the venue is decorated in bright bold colours, you might want to choose very neutral colours such as white or cream to tone it down. If you have a plain white marquee you’ll want to add a splash of colour, but you can really choose anything you like.

Tip 4: Pick a colour palette

Deciding on a main colour, and then combining it with another milder hue can be very effective. Coral may be your favourite colour, but if you use this colour for your bridesmaids’ dresses, your decorations, your favours, your chair sashes, your candles, and your invitations, it might be a bit over the top.

You could also use a bold colour with grey, white, cream, or a paler shade of the same colour, or most accent colours look good combined with gold, silver, or even bronze. Don’t be afraid to experiment with colour. Although classic white is making a comeback you can have absolutely any colour combination you like for your wedding scheme. Contrasting combinations such as aqua and pink or purple and yellow can be stunning.