Picking your wedding colour scheme is one of the first (and most fun!) steps you should take when planning your wedding. Choosing your colour palette early on will make picking out all your other details – from your flowers and your decorations to your invitations and your place cards – that much easier.
But are you and your fiancé a baby blue couple? Or would rich purples and golds suit you better? Will an autumnal red go with your venue? With so many options out there, it can be hard to know where to start! So here are our top tips for choosing the perfect wedding colour scheme.
Get Inspired
If you’re feeling lost for where to start, Pinterest is a great place to go for some initial inspo. We’d also recommend looking at real weddings to see what other couples have done. Still feeling stuck? Then it’s time to shut the laptop and get outside! Consider going for a wander through interiors and fabric shops. You’ll be able to find out what’s on trend right now, plus fabric designers have a knack for matching unlikely colours – so keep your eyes peeled for anything that stands out to you. And think outside the box! If lilies are your favourite flower, why not take inspiration from that and design a colour scheme incorporating crisp whites and fresh greens?
Location, Location, Location
Once you’re feeling inspired, the first thing to consider when choosing your colour scheme is your wedding location. If you’ve already chosen and booked your venue, what colours will you be working with already? What other colours will bring out your venue’s best features? Your venue might have wallpaper or carpets that could clash with certain other colours so it’s important to check that out before you commit to your wedding colour palette.
If you haven’t found your venue yet, keep your ideal colours in mind when looking round potential locations. The colours you choose don’t have to match perfectly, but you’ll want them to mesh well with your venue’s overall style at the very least. For example, if you’re getting married in a rustic barn, working with light-filled spaces and pale woods, sage green and cream could be beautiful choices. On the other hand, if your venue is more of a country house, full of cosy, oak-panelled rooms, deeper hues may well be a better fit.
Seasons Change
Another major factor to consider when choosing your wedding colour scheme is what will match the seasons. Our top tip is to take inspiration from good old Mother Nature! For an autumn wedding, go for rich reds, deep greens and warmer tones. Spring couples, on the other hand, might want to focus on pastels, greens and light neutral colours. For winter weddings, picture a white Christmas: all blues, silvers and creams (and perhaps a little sparkle too!). Finally, if your wedding is in the summer months, now’s your chance to incorporate more vibrant hues – think bright colours, jewel tones and perhaps a little gold.
Set the Mood
Don’t underestimate the power of colour! Your wedding colours play a key role in determining the whole vibe of your wedding, influencing everybody’s feelings and emotions on your special day. From classic and romantic to fun and creative, your chosen colours will have a huge impact on the atmosphere of your big day. If you want to amp up the drama, don’t choose a pastel colour scheme! You’ll want strong jewel tones instead – such as emerald greens, deep purples and golds – to set the mood. On the other hand, those very same pastels – think blush tones, creams and whites – are perfect for creating a more dreamy, romantic mood.
Think Texture
It’s not just about colour – texture plays an almost as important role in setting the mood of your wedding. In summer, linens and cottons bring a beautifully relaxed feel to any celebration, while velvets can be used to create a sense of opulence and luxury at a winter wedding. Different textures can complement your wedding colour scheme and add a little extra interest to your decor, especially if you decide to go for a more neutral palette.
Get Trendy
So you’ve spent hours scrolling Pinterest, stared at photographs of your venue for what feels like hours… and you’re still stuck for ideas? Then here’s one more tip! For many couples, an easy way to get inspired is to find out what colours are trending. Looking at the most popular colours of the year is a great place to start. Sage, cassis and cantaloupe aren’t just ingredients in a fancy fruit salad – they’re the perfect colours for bridesmaid dresses! A word to the wise, though – don’t get too caught up with what’s “on trend” if you’re not feeling it. At the end of the day, you should always go for the colours that really make you excited.
So there you have it: five ways to get started with your wedding colour scheme. Just remember: your wedding day is all about you, your partner and what you both love. As long as you pick a colour combination that makes you both happy, you’re onto a winner.