How To Choose Your Wedding Colors

On the surface, it looks so easy.  Your wedding color is typically your favourite color.  If only it was that simple.  If you have ever painted a room, or tried to match two shades of fabric, you know that white actually comes in about 20 different shades (white, off white, eggshell, cream…) and each retailer has a different interpretation of it.  What is white at one store may be cream at another. 

If the color is a very big deal for you, spare yourself the frustration of driving all over town with a fabric swatch in your purse and find an all inclusive wedding store.  These types of stores typically have suppliers that have their own color schemes for wedding items.  Not only will you save time and money, you will also be able to perfectly match your dinner napkins to your cocktail ones.  

If the color is a breaking point for you, be prepared to have several different shades.  This effect, when properly done, is actually quite pretty.  You may have dark purple accent flowers on the slip covered chairs, light purple flowers in the table centerpiece and a pale purple appetizer plates.  It’s still purple, but varied.

 It is perfectly acceptable to uses several shades of a single color.  However, if you are using two or more colors, be very careful.  Yellow and red, while festive, are also typical colors for a hot dog stand.  Unless you and your fiancé are baseball fans with a sports themed wedding, you may want to rethink that one.  Pink and red tend to clash.  It can be done, but if not reigned in will resemble a Valentine’s Day party.  Well, if you are getting married on February 14, I guess that is not an issue! 

Give special consideration to the groom.  Pink may be your favorite color but if you expect him to wear a pink cummerbund and pocket square, you may want to discuss that with him first.  He may not be as enthusiastic about it as you are.

 Also consider your bridesmaids.  While you are free to pick whatever color you want their dress to be, you will be taking photos with these ladies that will serve as a lifetime reminder of your wedding day.  Choose photogenic colors that look good on a variety of skin tones.  A delicate pale yellow in outdoor photos may look washed out as well as making very fair skinned ladies look pasty.  

Above all, don’t get too hung up one particular color.  There are endless shades for you to choose from.  You don’t want to remember your wedding day as the day you were so sad because the mint green napkin rings didn’t match the spring green bows on the candles.