Choose Your Dream Wedding Colors: A Guide on Creating the Perfect Palette

Your wedding day is the best reflection of your style and personality. A lot comes from the colors you choose for your wedding, along with decorations, venue and so many other things. Colors are so important because they set the tone for the other important things. Oh, you want to have roses at your wedding, well what color are they going to be. That is why choosing your palette early jumpstarts your wedding planning.

Through this article, we will go through everything from color science to basing your palette on venue and season. Don't get stressed over what color you want to have, all I can say is that once you choose, commit to it. Let's jump right in to color science and the types of colors that go together.

Color Science

In photography and videography you learn a lot about color science, it is what makes what we produce look pleasing to the eye. So, lets break down the three main types of color combos that tend to look good together.

Let's take a look at the color wheels above. Don't let the names confuse you, it is very simple when it comes down to it. Complimentary colors are simply just opposite each other on the wheel. Colors like Blue and Orange, Red and Green, and so on. The next we see is Analogous which are just neighboring colors. So that would be Green and Blue or Red and Orange. Our last one is a Triad. This is 3 colors that are typically evenly spaced out on the wheel, another way to do this is to draw a triangle on the wheel and where the points are, you get your triad. Wow that's a lot of boring information, but it builds the foundation for understanding your dream palette.

Another thing that we want to make clear is that I am not telling you to use bright blue and orange in your wedding, that most likely will not fit what you want. What you want to do is build from the color, find shades of blue or orange that fit you best.

Color Psychology

What emotions do the palette above make you feel. It's a hard question to answer when it is just a small collection of colors but when you are surrounded all day with these colors it can have an effect on your mood. For example, pastel blue/green palettes can invoke a feeling of calmness. These are especially great for beach weddings because it matches the calm environment. On the contrary the bold red/orange palette promotes energy and excitement. Maybe this is why fall weddings tend to be a tad more rowdy than summer weddings. I am not going to go through every color and explain the emotions they provoke, but definitely something to consider.

Venue & Season

Think about your venue, and if you haven't chosen one yet, imagine what you would want it to be. If you booked, what time of the year is your wedding. Is it going to be spring, summer, fall or winter. Both of these factors contribute to your colors. Let's say you are having your wedding at a barn, which is very common in the Northeast. You could have multiple palettes depending on what time of year you are getting married.

As you can see, we are not giving example photos, only the palettes. This is for your imagination. Take this palettes and imagine your wedding day, but think details. What color flowers are in your bouquet? What color are the Napkins? What about the Bridesmaid Dresses? If you get that vision, build on it.

What about venue? Let's say you are having your wedding in the spring. Is it going to be at a barn or in a garden? Something to think about when it comes to choosing color.

Starting to get too complex? Slow down and use this for your own needs. Ask yourself WHERE and WHEN. It will narrow down a lot of what is being said here. We just want to make you aware of the possibilities that you have in choosing your colors and what might be best based on those two questions.

Neutral Tones

We love us some neutral tones. Palettes are typically composed of 4 to 6 colors. Let's say you want to do green and blue, that's only two colors.

Okay, what can we add to compliment this, lets add another shade of blue, that will look nice.

This is where neutral tones become your best friend. These neutral colors will make your main ones pop when positioned near them. White is a very popular one, so we will use that. Gray also looks great with blue and green, so we will add that as well.

Just like that you created a palette to build all of your florals, decorations, favors, and attire. This was merely an example, so do what best suits you two as a couple.

Reflection of the Couple

All of these tips are great but do not forget what is most important, your own taste and preference. If you have been dreaming about doing navy an blue your whole life...Do it. It will look great and you will be happy. This is for my fellow indecisive people out there that can't make up their mind. Something to build on and gather ideas.

Wedding colors are the first step into the fine details of planning. Don't let this part stress you out. Have fun with it, let your imagination run wild, get excited. Whichever palette you create, it will look great, and be a wonderful representation of you two. Have fun and start smashing colors together and see what you like best.