So, you’ve decided to get married. You’ve carefully selected your venue so now to think about your colour scheme. It’s an important element and we like to discuss ideas with our couples. We have created some handy tips for choosing your wedding colour palette.
Get Inspired by your Venue
You have found your perfect venue, but perhaps it doesn’t work with your colour scheme? Have you tried switching up a shade or changing the tone slightly so you don’t bust your budget in trying to cover up or distract from the fact that it doesn’t match. At The Manor at Old Down Estate we are very fortunate to have a neutral palette to allow any colours you choose work.
Use your venue as inspiration to help you come up with the perfect colour palette. The colours of your reception space and its surroundings can spark an idea; whether it’s the greenery on the doorstep, bold colours in that vintage rug or simply the view. By choosing your colour based on your venue; you won’t have to work against a clashing colour palette and your colours will enhance what you love about your venue.
Keep Your Priorities in Mind
If you’ve always dreamed of having bright pink peonies in your bouquet, or your grandmother has insisted you use her vintage ivory table runners, you should base your colour scheme around these. You want to be sure that these special touches do not get lost or look out of place against your colour scheme.
Think Seasonally
Most wedding colour palettes are inspired by the season in which the wedding is taking place. Think about which shades bring out the season in your colour palette. Here are our ideas:
Autumn: Burnt orange and browns are perfect for this time of year, but if you think these are a little cliche; you could consider taupe or burgundy (or other jewel tones) with copper and a hint of lavender.
Spring: Rosy pink and pastel colours work well in spring but you can change it up by adding deep splashes of coral or plum.
Summer: Bright colours are perfect for a Summer wedding – think bold yellows, purples, reds and blues. We like the idea of choosing different shades of a particular colour for Summer: coral, salmon and a deep burnt orange would be stunning.
Winter: All white and pearly shades are gorgeous for a winter-wonderland wedding, but add a splash of lavender for warmth. Or, go for a metallic, like pewter, silver, copper, bronze or gold, for depth and richness.
Look to What You Love
Look around your home – the colours you choose for your home decor are ones you know you can live with for a long time (you’ll also be able to use left over props as home decor!). Open your wardrobe, what colour clothes and accessories are you drawn to? Use that as a starting point for choosing your wedding tones.
Do Your Research
Magazines, Pinterest, Instagram, art galleries and friends’ weddings are all great sources of inspiration. While you might not want to chose a colour combo just because it’s on trend – you might view colours you already love in a new, exciting way.
Consult the Colour Wheel
If you’ve got your heart set on one colour, you might want to use a colour wheel to find colours that compliment it. Typically, colours that go well together are ones that are opposites because they pair a cool and warm. Other colour pairings that work are ‘neighbours’ – they’re similar to each other and share a primary colour. A classic way to build your colour palette is by pairing a bright, saturated colour with a neutral, like violet and grey or blush and gold.
Don’t Overthink It
It’s really easy to get caught up in the idea that you have a strict wedding colour palette and everything has to match perfectly. Friends and family are quick to ask what colours you have chosen and that can also put pressure on you to pick the right ones. But, colour doesn’t have to play the major role that it’s made out to be. While your palette will inform a lot of you wedding decisions, like your bridesmaid dresses, flowers and centerpieces, you should use it as a guideline instead of a rule. Not everything has to match perfectly, so don’t stress on having every detail colour-coded just right. Instead, think of your wedding planning in terms of style, formality, texture and mood in addition to colour.
You wedding is a blank canvas just waiting for you to paint it in your special colours. Have fun creating a masterpiece!