Despite what you may have read in wedding planning magazines, Pinterest, and wedding websites, there are no hard-and-fast rules for picking your color palette. Use your big day as an opportunity to bring in colors and shades that reflect your relationship and that are meaningful to you. Today’s tip of the day features several suggestions to encourage you to break the color rules when it comes to choosing the right hue for you.
Go Multi-Dimensional
If you have a favorite color, such as blue, why not pull together several shades of it to give your blooms more impact. Mix light and dark hues within your bouquets or contrast darker flowers against a pale bridesmaid dress. Adding variety within a single color also makes your primary shade more visually interesting.
Choose Complimentary Colors
Contrary to what many brides believe, you don’t have to be “matchy-matchy” with your bridesmaids’ dresses and their flowers. In fact, you don’t want them to match perfectly! (Talk about boring.) Instead, think of ways to creatively complement their dresses with the bouquets. One simple way to achieve this is to bring in neutrals like champagne, taupe, or cream with layered contrasting colors. Your florist can guide you with what shades will look best with your fabric colors, so be open to a bit of contrast.
Bringing in a complimentary neutral is particularly important if you’re using lots of white in your color scheme. We caution brides to avoid carrying a stark-white bouquet as it often looks very one-dimensional and unflattering when photographed. Again, a touch of warm eggshell or soft ivory adds depth and visual interest.
Familiarize Yourself With Color Families
When discussing decor with your florist, it is not essential but helpful to familiarize yourself with basic color families. These three families include
- Full color featuring primary and secondary colors in strong, vibrant hues (red, orange, bright yellow, vivid green, blue, purple, hot pink, and magenta),
- Medium color in slightly less intense shades (lavender, butter yellow, peach, mint, and pale blue), and
- Soft color of neutral, soft pale tones (eggshell, ivory, cream, mushroom, and white).
The example below shows all three color families utilized in the aisle runner and bouquet. Notice how much more interest and variety is added with a creative combination of full, medium, and soft colors.
