Kellie Sinclair Photography – more from this wedding here!
Choosing a colour palette for your wedding day is one of the biggest styling decisions you’ll make. Your chosen colour scheme says a lot about your unique style and will, without doubt, dictate the mood of your celebration. So, we share practical tips on how to choose colours that enhance your wedding theme, suit your chosen venue and inspire a beautiful, timeless and unforgettable celebration.
Collate a vision board and be inspired by your venue
When it comes time to plan your wedding theme embrace the first piece of advice that every wedding stylist gives their clients – create an inspiration board. Collect images, fabrics and colour swatches to collate a vision board that you find aesthetically pleasing. Once you have created a series of elements stand back and admire; you have essentially built your wedding theme.
When you have finalised your intended ‘look’, work backwards from there. Base all of your decisions on your final vision. But remember one of the golden styling rules: your venue will play a big part in dictating your theme, including your colour scheme. Indeed, it’s a big mistake to fall in love with a colour palette only to discover that it doesn’t work with your chosen venue. Almost every stylist will advise you to consult the presiding colour theme of your chosen venue. Why? Well, if your venue has black walls and red carpet and is overwhelmingly modern, then you shouldn’t insist on bringing in your favourite shade of pale blue with vintage lace runners to match. The result would be catastrophic! Ultimately you want to consider your venue and enhance its interior features.
Be your own consultant and create your colour palette
One of the best ways to choose a colour palette that reflects your personal style is to look at your wardrobe. Consider the clothes that you wear often; the ones that make you look and feel good. No doubt they include similar colours and shades.
If you feel most comfortable in shades of blue, green and black then you’re more likely to embrace cool tones for your wedding day. If you wear lots of pink, red and cream, you will probably opt to create a warm, romantic scene for your celebration.
If you find that you’re still overwhelmed by colour, look to the season for inspiration. A spring wedding begs for fresh, pastel shades (with blousy blooms to match!) where as an autumn celebration is best suited to warm, earthy hues of red, orange and yellow. Winter is the perfect season for monochrome and summer is all about vibrancy.
To ensure that your colour scheme is harmonious and effortlessly beautiful, consider choosing one or two hero colours (used as accent colours for maximum impact) and then complement them with neutral tones – whites, creams or metallics.
INSPIRATION: Pastels
CJ Williams Photography / Styling by Aisle Style
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Pretty and feminine, pastels are an elegant choice for those who want to embrace romance. Inspired by vintage trends, pastels can be seen in a variety of wedding styles from classic church ceremonies to relaxed garden soirees.
- Pink will always be one of the most popular choices for beautiful weddings. Discerning brides opt for sophisticated shades of French, dusty or pale pink and use accent hues of mint, cream or grey to create a timeless and elegant scene.
- Maintaining a harmonious balance is the key to creating an ultra-feminine wedding that doesn’t venture into the land of tacky. This is achieved by blending pastels with neutrals, using soft lighting and paying careful attention to the finer details. Key styling elements include intimate, lower level centrepieces such as eclectic assortments of bud vases arranged with simple fragrant blooms and a multitude and variety of candles from simple tea light candles to candlesticks, small scale candelabras and pillar candles.
- Ultra-feminine weddings typically involve the softer elements of decoration: luxurious ceiling, wall and bridal table draping; specialised linen such as filmy table cloth overlays and napkins in pretty pastels and, of course, an overabundance of fresh flowers.
- There are many ways to interpret pastels and therefore it’s possible to create a unique theme. Consider choosing one pastel shade to act as a hero colour and then collate three or four complementary shades – introduce them into the styling in your bouquets and flower arrangements and stationery.
- Ideally you want to find a venue with a neutral interior that essentially offers you a blank canvas. Chandeliers are an ideal feature for a pastel celebration, as are white Tiffany chairs and floor to ceiling windows.
INSPIRATION: Whites, creams and metallics
Love Liz Photography / Weddings by Diane Khoury
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When you choose to imbue your wedding day with a crisp white theme you can rest assured it will be forever elegant and beautiful. It’s this promise that inspires countless brides to embrace the classic palette.
- Perhaps the most important thing to remember about a white wedding is that nothing can hide hence nothing can be left to chance. Attention to detail is essential and stylistic consistency should be your priority – the theme should be evident from the invitations right through to the styling elements at the reception including stationery, flowers and lighting.
- Introduce bling in a subtle, almost classic, way; elegant chandeliers, crystal vases and metallic highlights.
- Don’t be afraid to add some colour – even if it is subtle, it makes a huge difference. White can be very stark en masse and the overall effect can still be white with muted colours incorporated.
- Textures are important. Consider rosette tablecloths or runners or sequined tablecloths on feature tables to really lift the design. Pearls and diamante brooches and napkin rings also create an eye catching focal point.
- If you really want an all-white theme and the venue has loud décor, consider draping the walls and ceiling so it doesn’t negatively impact on the event design.
- Ivory and cream are warmer versions of white and both gorgeous options, especially if you are going for a vintage look.
- Be careful to ensure your styling pieces create warmth – you don’t want white to mean ‘stark’. Use natural accents to accentuate your white palette; wooden furniture, foliage, tree branches, hessian etc.
INSPIRATION: Rich, moody colours
Alison Mayfield Photography Studio / Sooti Event Styling & Design – More from this shoot here!
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For the bride who wants to create a bold statement on her wedding day, there is nothing quite as sensual or sophisticated as a red, black and ivory colour palette. It’s an ultra-feminine choice for those who value classic glamour and contemporary luxe.
- A true representation of Hollywood glamour, a rich and bold palette evokes images of fifties starlets, red lips, Grace and Audrey and dapper gentlemen.
- It is the clever use of complementary colour that makes a wedding spectacular so feel free to embrace rich tones. But, use them wisely. Bold colours require the utmost consideration. You want to create a harmonious balance with your colour scheme so choose your bold colours and then look for neutral tones to enhance them.
- Moody colours are perfect for an ultra-modern celebration – think sleek and suave. When it’s time to search for a venue look for a grand space with impressive interior features; an elegant staircase, chandeliers, embossed wallpaper. If you’re after a vintage vibe for your day, look for a venue with modernised heritage features; fireplaces, floor to ceiling windows, beautiful stonework. This kind of space is ideal for an autumn and winter celebration.
- To create the ultimate in sophisticated elegance consider blending rich black with metallic tones and fresh neutrals – cream or champagne. Add the metallics in the finer details; cutlery, goblets, crystal chandeliers and gold candle holders. Introduce neutrals in your stationery (thick, cream card with letterpress detailing), table linen and flowers (consider voluminous arrangements of David Austin roses, peonies and lisianthus).
- The best way to balance a bold palette is to add interesting and feminine details; crystals, lace and candelabras to soften the appearance.
Looking for more colour inspiration? Browse our posts by our colour wheel!
