What colors have you chosen for your wedding?

You’ve just gotten engaged and you’ve been asked this question maybe a handful of times? Hang onto your hat because you’ll be asked this question a million and one times before your wedding day. Having a wedding palette will determine so many things.. the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses, groomsmen’s suits, linens, and types of florals. And how exactly do you choose your wedding colors? Stay tuned — I’m here to crack that code for you and help you to decide what fits you, your vibe, and your day best!

A lot of factors come into what you choose for your wedding colors and I’m here not only to help but to give some examples of combinations including similar colors. There are 1,867 Pantone colors and unlimited color choices and combinations available to you which makes it seem scary to get started, but taking a couple of things into consideration will help start the process.

Overall Vibe

This sounds kinda crazy, but knowing whether you’ll have a super chill, backyard celebration or an elegant, formal wedding extravaganza does make a difference.

Venue

Getting married in a barn in the midwest? Booked the industrial venue downtown? Planning a destination wedding in a castle in Ireland? This makes a difference based on the overall color scheme of the venue you’ve chosen to make sure your color scheme of choice coordinates well. This can help cut down costs if you can use the color scheme and architecture of your venue to your advantage.

Season

Depending on which season you’ve decided to set your date for can help you narrow down color combinations! Getting married in the fall can steer you in a more jewel-toned direction and can, again, use the area and colors of the season to your advantage. Having a spring wedding can lead you to a more pastel palette.

Now that you have considered the bigger factors, you can really start to decide what works best for you!

Inspiration

Pinterest has a TON of information on different color combinations, but simply searching your wedding vibe and season can definitely provide some inspiration for your own day. Side note: many palette examples you see on Instagram are styled for this purpose only, so keep the actual venue in mind as you take a peek.

Look at art, architecture, and nature to find inspiration as well! Naturally occurring color combinations are a sure-fire way to know you’re on the right track!

As you pull together inspiration for what fits you, save room to make it all your own. Having a vision board or Pinterest board of information is helpful, but too much can be overwhelming. Take a step back and be sure to know where you want to make all your ideas into something unique.

Classic Isn’t Bad

Going with a classic color combination you know you look good in or will look great on your walls for decades is a must. Just because it’s classic doesn’t mean it’s bad. Pantone Color of the Year is always a discussion when looking at wedding palette colors, but it isn’t the rule of thumb for the wedding year. Your portraits are meant to last a lifetime, not just this season’s Color of the Year pick.

The Palette Equation

Alright, so math isn’t my strong suit, but palette math I can get on board with. You’ll want to begin making some decisions with this equation: L+M+D+N=Perfection. I’ll break it down: Light Color + Medium Color + Dark Color + Neutral will round out the perfect wedding palette. I would start with the dark or medium color to get the ball rolling. Then, add in the light color (which should be a lighter shade of your dark or medium color) and then a neutral to tie it all together. Another good idea is to pick a metal (bronze, gold, silver) to accent as well.

For example, Katie loves the color green. She’s getting married in late fall/early winter. It will be a formal affair at a swanky downtown loft-type venue. She would begin by starting with her darkest color, Emerald Green. Then, she might pick a mauve for her medium color and a shade of blush for the lightest color. She knows she wants black tie tuxes for the groomsmen, so black would be her neutral. She wants to keep gold as the accent metal. AND SHE’S DONE! Now, she can narrow things down to those colors when making other decisions like cake decoration, place settings, and her own accessories like shoes and jewelry.

And there you have it! Everything you see here is just a guideline. It’s your wedding, do what feels right for you! But if you find yourself stuck, it’s a great way to help narrow down the unlimited possibilities and find something that is uniquely you.

Let’s be Honest

No blog is ever complete without some examples and pretty pictures! Here are some examples of real weddings and their color palettes. Notice how some use variations of the same color and can be paired with other colors for a completely different vibe. My number one rule though — don’t stress about the color scheme… JUST HAVE FUN! It can be so much fun to put together the vibe and theme of your wedding. Go with what feels right for you and your wedding day and you can’t go wrong.