Wedding Colors: Steps to Choosing the Perfect Colors for Your Wedding
by Carla Buchanan
12/10/2017
to be used, shared or copied only with permission please
One of the very first steps in planning your wedding is choosing the perfect colors for your wedding day. You may already know what type of colors that you want for your wedding, or, you may not have an idea at all what colors you want, but it will pay off for you to take just a few moments to study and plan your wedding colors. After you choose your colors, the rest of your planning will go so much smoother and you will enjoy your wedding planning so much more.
When planning your wedding colors, there are six divisions of colors to be decided on. The five divisions of colors are number one: the light neutral colors, number two: the darker neutral colors, number three: the neutral metallic color, number four: light or dark number five: the primary wedding color and number six: the wedding accent color, or colors.
Before we take a look at colors, lets take a moment to think about your neutral colors. There are three divisions and decisions of neutral colors that need to be made. The first division of neutral colors is the primary neutral wedding color decision of white verses ivory. The second division of neutral colors is the decision of your darker neutral colors such as black, brown or navy. The third division of neutral colors is the decision of your neutral metallic color of gold, silver or rose gold.
It makes sense to choose your neutral colors first. If you choose your neutral colors first, you will have a much easier time choosing your primary wedding colors and your wedding accent color/colors. Choosing your neutral colors will help set the tone and help you zero in on the entire flair and tone that your wedding will have.
We will begin by taking a look at the light neutral wedding color decision, and our first decision: white verses ivory. When we think of a wedding, and a wedding gown, our first thoughts can be a beautiful bride in a white wedding dress. But not so fast. These days, brides wear white, ivory, blush, yellow and any other color they darn well want to wear. But let’s stay focused shall we? Many times the primary wedding color decision is based on the color of the bride’s gown/dress/outfit. Let’s still choose our basic wedding color decision of white verses ivory, even if the bride decides to wear the primary wedding color gown/dress/outfit, the wedding accent color gown/dress/outfit, or a different color gown/dress/outfit all together. Whatever color the bride decides to wear, we still need to choose between white and ivory for all sorts of other things, such as invitations, cake, linens, and flowers.
Here we go, with some great ways to decide between white and ivory. And, please, don’t skip ahead to the other color decisions before you make this simple, important, white verses ivory decision. Here is my best white verses ivory tip: if you don’t care if you have white verses ivory, or, if you are for sure you want white, then, please, choose white right now and skip the information that helps you decide between white and ivory. Why? Because ivory can be a big pain and white is so much easier and readily available. You will have so many more wedding items to choose from with white, which translates into lower prices and better selection for you. Yes, I know, there are many shades of white, but dang, there are so many shades of ivory it will make your head spin! Here are some of the issues you will find with ivory (and none of these issues are positive ones!) With ivory, there are fewer wedding items to choose from and the items can be more expensive. With ivory, there are way to many shades and tones of ivory. You will find light ivory, dark ivory, medium ivory, porcelain ivory, cream ivory and a bunch of grouchy ivories in between. If you DO decide on ivory, do yourself a favor right away, and just let ivory be ivory and don’t try to make everything in your wedding be dark ivory, or light ivory or cream ivory. Come to peace that ivory is ivory and don’t try to be too matchy matchy with your ivories, or you drive yourself crazy. You have more to do with your precious wedding planning time than trying to match your ivories!
Now, why WOULD you choose ivory over white to begin with? One of the things to consider is the color of the bride’s gown. One of the most common reasons to choose ivory over white is that this is your second, or third, or fourth, or more wedding. Many brides feel that ivory is more appropriate for a second wedding than white, and, well, I agree with that. I think it is much more tasteful to have your basic wedding color be ivory, rather than white, if this is not your first trip down the aisle. Another reason to choose ivory as your primary wedding color, as opposed to white, is that the bride is an older bride. How old do you ask? Hey, I am not touching that can of worms, lol. It is your decision, and some folks think that it is more tasteful for an older bride to wear ivory, as opposed to white. If you think this applies to you, and you want to ivory to be your primary wedding color, then go for ivory. Another reason to choose ivory over white is that you have jumped the gun a bit and you have already purchased an ivory wedding gown before you picked out your primary wedding color. Hey, that is ok. We won’t judge, and hey, if you love your gown so do we! Ivory it is for you. Another reason to choose ivory over white is that you have your heart set on a shabby chic style wedding in a romantic planation venue, or a candlelight wedding in a beautiful church. It is starting to sound great, isn’t it? So, well yes, for you, ivory it is! Another reason to choose ivory is that you feel that the bride simply looks better in ivory than in white. If so, then yes, ivory is for you too!
So, when do you choose white as your light neutral wedding color? Choose white when you can. Choose white if this is your first wedding, if you want a traditional wedding, if your groom wants traditional attire, if your wedding is at night, men usually wear white shirts for formal events at night. Also, choose white if you want to make your life and wedding planning easier and less stressful. Choose white if you are on a budget or budget conscience. Choose white if you want a wide selection of linens, flowers, invitations to choose from, and choose white if you are really busy and you want to make the time you spend planning your wedding very efficient.
Have you decided? Do you want white as your light neutral wedding color or do you want ivory as your light neutral wedding color? Still can’t decide? Please don’t go any further until you do decide, as, now is the time to practice making your wedding decisions in a timely manner. By making this simple decision, between your primary basic neutral color: white or ivory, in a timely manner, you will be able to prove to yourself, your groom, your wedding coordinator, your mom, his mom, your bridesmaids, groomsmen and other bridal party members, that yes, you CAN make decisions and you are fully capable of planning a great wedding event and you CAN do this! Ok, I will give you a little out on this one, but just this decision, ok? If you just can’t decide on white or ivory, then lets pick BOTH white and ivory. For example, you can have an ivory cake with white trim, and you can have an ivory dress with white sequins. See there, you did it! You decided and you can keep on trucking down the road and make more decisions for your wedding. You can keep reading. Your next task in planning your wedding colors is to choose your darker neutral wedding color.
The second step: choosing your darker neutral color will involve asking your groom about his attire color choice. Some grooms are really sure, in advance, what darker neutral color they want. Some grooms say I don’t know, can I let you know later? If your groom wants to let you know later, then, well, just set a date when he can let you know and try to help him decide in the meantime. Stop reading this now and go watch Netflix or something while he decides. If you groom says that he will decide later, and let you know later, you might be feeling a little frustrated at that point. If you are feeling frustrated, while you are waiting for a decision from your groom, then, well, you are now experiencing some of the frustration that your mom, your wedding planner, your venue, your bridesmaids, and bridal party may be experiencing while they are waiting for YOU to decide on certain things about your wedding. You see, everything goes smoother, faster and easier if you can make your decisions quickly. Getting back to your groom choosing his darker neutral attire color, if your groom lets you decide, or, if he does not know and wants your help, then you can keep reading to make your decision on his attire darker neutral color and the darker neutral color that you choose for other things in your wedding. You may be using your darker neutral color for things like your grooms attire, the imprint on your invitations, the accent color for your flower and/or linens, the accent color, or main color, for your exit ribbons and/or wedding favors, and, if you are getting married in New Orleans and having a second line: your groom’s umbrella.
If you groom does not care about his attire color, and you don’t have an idea of the darker primary accent color that you want, choose black. Yes, black, as your darker primary accent color, is always a great choice. Wedding planners, wedding attire providers, invitation printers, second line umbrella makers (like me) all understand black. We always have black, and we always have a lot of black. Black always looks sharp and is always appropriate for day or night. But what if you your groom wants navy or brown? Well, he is the groom with that being said, just choose navy or brown as your darker primary accent color and call it a day. Using brown or navy may give you a few more headaches along the way, will most certainly narrow your choices, and could actually end up costing more money for certain things, but, this is not a battle to fight, go with what your groom wants and be happy!
The third step of color that now needs to be decided is your neutral metallic color of gold, silver or rose gold. You might be thinking that you don’t need a neutral metallic color, but, well, I bet you already have one and haven’t even thought about it. Have you purchased your rings? If so, look down at your finger and if you see gold you might want to think of gold as your neutral metallic color. Do you see silver on your rings, but you love gold more? Then you might pick gold as your metallic color and you can move on and choose your wedding colors now. If you still don’t know if you want to pick gold, silver or rose gold as your metallic color, it might help, first, to know what you will be using this color for in your wedding. The neutral primary metallic color may be used for things like your rings, imprinting your invitations, trim on your flowers, linens, cake, favors, exit items, and second line umbrellas. Let’s get back to choosing, shall we? If you don’t know which of these neutral metallics to choose, gold, silver or rose gold, choose gold. It is easier, more things are available in gold, therefore you will have more to choose from and things may be less expensive. Here are some other reasons to choose gold: you may look better in gold. Usually brides that are naturally blonde and have lighter skin tones, look better in gold than silver. Another reason to choose gold is that you choose ivory for your light neutral wedding color. If you choose ivory for your light neutral wedding color then gold looks really great with ivory. Did you choose gold? If so, then let’s move on. If you did not choose gold, then let’s move on to silver. Silver is actually still a great choice for your light metallic neutral color. Silver is a little less dramatic than gold, if you would like your wedding to be a little more understated. Silver is also a great choice for daytime weddings. A lot of items are still available in silver, so you will still have plenty to choose from. Silver is a great choice if your hair, or your groom’s hair is grey, as, well, silver looks really cool with grey. Did you choose silver? Awesome, lets move on. Oh, you still want to consider rose gold? Rose gold is trending right now. The benefit to choosing a trending color is that it makes your wedding look fresh and current, and in the moment. The downside to choosing a trending color is that it makes your wedding a little less unique and it looks like you may not have much of an imagination and just simply choose the color that is trending. Another downside of choosing a trending color is that it looks a little strange in years to come when you look back at your images. However, I will admit, rose gold is beautiful. Here are the major downsides of choosing rose gold as your neutral metallic accent color. Rose gold comes in many many shades, so, if you are particular about everything matching perfectly don’t choose rose gold. Rose gold, you see, is actually more a blush color and can appear pink. If you don’t like pink, don’t choose rose gold, as what you have printed, and contracted for, may end up looking pink. Another downside with using rose gold as your neutral metallic color is that it may not be available at all, so your choices will be limited. If you are ok with using gold metallic also, when rose gold is not available, and your still want rose gold, then go for it.
Have you chosen your primary light neutral, your darker neutral and your neutral metallic? If you answered yes, then let’s move on to choosing what you thought this article was going to be about in the first place: your primary wedding colors and your primary wedding accent colors. Do you already know what you want? Awesome, then if so, you can stop reading now and watch Netflix or do something else fun like look at your phone. If not, lets move on!
The fourth step: choosing light or dark: The next step in choosing your wedding color/colors has little to do with choosing a color at all. The next step in choosing your color is thinking about how dark or how light you want your wedding to be. After you choose, or think about, how dark or light you want your wedding to be, choosing your primary wedding color will be a lot easier. There are several factors to consider when choosing light or dark colors for your wedding. Here are a few factors that MAY determine if you want to use light colors for your wedding. And, I say MAY, as these are just things to think about when you can’t decided right away between light and dark. If you already know, light or dark for sure, just skip this part and move on! But, if you need a little help, or information, choosing light or dark, these factors may help you to decide. Here are some reasons to choose light colors for your primary wedding color. If your wedding is in the morning, or early afternoon, you might want to consider light colors for your primary wedding color. Generally, light colors are great if you have having a brunch, or a morning church wedding, a small outdoor morning or early afternoon wedding. Light colors are also nice if the bride has been married before, as, light colors are a little more tasteful than their bold counterparts. Another reason to choose a light color for your primary wedding color is that you are getting married in the summer or spring. Traditionally light colors are used at the warmer times of year and in the summer and spring. Of course, this is not a hard fast rule, however, you may find more items available in the light colors during the spring and summer, like your flowers. Let’s talk about when you use dark colors for your primary wedding colors. You use dark colors, well, whenever you want to use them. If you want to use dark colors, then I suspect you have already decided and you are reading this thinking that you don’t care what this article suggests, you are using dark colors. Another reason to use dark colors is that you are a BOLD person and you want your wedding to be BOLD not subtle. If you are a BOLD person, then you will probably be considering, or already using, dark colors. And, the third reason to use dark colors is that you are getting married in the fall or winter. Many weddings in the fall or winter use darker colors. Have you decided between dark and light? If so, move on to actually choosing your primary wedding color.
The fifth step: choosing your primary wedding color. Many brides have known since they were very young what color they want their wedding. Many brides have no clue. You are already on your way to choose your primary color because you have chosen between white and ivory, you have chosen between black, navy and brown, you have chosen your metallic, and you have chosen light or dark. Choosing your primary wedding color should be a snap. LOL, not so fast. But I am hear to help and make choosing your colors easier. The first step in actually choosing your color is to make a commitment to yourself that by the time you finish reading this article you will choose your colors. Repeat after me: I can, and will, choose my colors after reading this article. People are waiting and depending on me. I can do this! Alright! Let’s get down to business then!
The next step in choosing your primary wedding color is to look in your closet. You already are drawn to colors that you love, and choosing colors that you love will help make your wedding day everything that you want the day to be. Open your closet. Do you see lots of blue? Red? Yellow? Pink? Do you see lots of neutrals? Hey, guess what? If you see, and like, neutral colors, then you are in luck! You don’t even have to choose a primary wedding color, you can use the neutrals that you have already fallen in love with when choosing your primary, darker and metallic neutrals. You can simply use your neutrals and not add an actual color. But, if you DO want to add more color, so, here we go! If you have looked in your closet, studied your colors, decided that you want more color than your neutrals, and you still don’t know what color/colors you want, then let’s keep going. It might seem natural to go on the internet and surf for wedding images to see what other brides do for color, or, it might seem like a good idea to look at bridal magazines to see what other brides did for color, but I am going to suggest something that may seem a little out of turn, or premature. I am going to suggest that you stand uo, get up and actually to go to your local bridal store. Here is what you are going to do, without getting sidetracked and looking for your dress and/accessories, you are simply going to do a short trip to the bridal store (and, yes, you CAN go by yourself, you don’t need a million people helping you decide what color) and just look at the bridesmaid dress color selection that is available. You see, if you look at a bridal magazine, or images on the internet, and choose an amazing color, you will drive yourself bonkers looking for dresses and other items in that exact color. You are better off, and will be a happier bride, if you need color inspiration, and make your decision bass akwards, so they say. Start with what is available in your area and work backwards to your decision. You can tell, right when you walk in to your local bridal store, which colors of dresses that are trending and are available, what color is right for you. I venture to guess, after walking in, you will have your color, and maybe even your bridesmaids dresses, picked out so much faster than you would have imagined. Just remember to stay focused. Staying focused is the key to choosing your color. You are not in the shop to choose your gown, choose your shoes or veil, or shop for yourself or your mom. You are ONLY in the shop to preview and choose your primary wedding color. You got this!
Got it? Were you able to choose a primary wedding color? Ask the shop where you chose your color, what the name of the color is. For example, David’s Bridal has a bunch of strange, and specific names to their colors. These strange and specific names are helpful when ordering other items, as, you can actually GOOGLE their strange and specific color names on the internet and see the colors. Then ask the shop, where you chose your color, if they know the PMS number for that color. All colors have PMS numbers, and knowing that number will help you match different items, like your invitations and flowers. The PMS number is helpful when you order other items, as you can actually GOOGLE the specific PMS color and see the color on the internet. If the shop, where you like the color, does not know your PMS color, then ask the shop if you can take an image of the color. Then, using the PMS chart on the internet, see if you can match your color to a PMS number. Watch out, however, there are tons of PMS colors to match your color to and a slight variation of the number can mean a big variation in the actual color.
Got it? Do you have your neutrals, metallic and your color? Awesome! I knew you could do it! Here we go on to the final color decision, and you may not even need to pick more colors. You may have plenty of colors with your choice of white or ivory, black, brown or navy, gold, silver or rose gold, and your dark or light primary color. You can actually stop right here if you wish. Do you want more color? Ok, great, that is easy!
The sixth step: choosing your accent wedding colors: If you want more colors,then we will need wedding accent colors, and then there are a few things to think about. The first decision is: do you want a subtle wedding or a bold one? At this point look at the color wheel. If you want a bold wedding, choose complimentary colors that can be found directly across the color wheel from your color. If you want a more subtle wedding, choose colors right next to your color on the color wheel. You will want to match your PMS colors to your wedding accent colors also.
Ta da! I think we did it by George! You should have a beautiful palette of wedding colors. You should feel proud of yourself! You have taken the time to choose
your wedding colors, number one: the light neutral colors, number two: the darker neutral colors, number three: the neutral metallic color, number four: the primary wedding color,number five: dark or light and number six: the wedding accent color, or colors. I know your wedding will be a success because you were able to plan, and make decisions, in a controlled and planned manner. Great job! Pat yourself on the back and get back to playing on your phone.
by Carla Buchanan
12/10/2017
to be used, shared or copied only with permission please
One of the very first steps in planning your wedding is choosing the perfect colors for your wedding day. You may already know what type of colors that you want for your wedding, or, you may not have an idea at all what colors you want, but it will pay off for you to take just a few moments to study and plan your wedding colors. After you choose your colors, the rest of your planning will go so much smoother and you will enjoy your wedding planning so much more.
When planning your wedding colors, there are six divisions of colors to be decided on. The five divisions of colors are number one: the light neutral colors, number two: the darker neutral colors, number three: the neutral metallic color, number four: light or dark number five: the primary wedding color and number six: the wedding accent color, or colors.
Before we take a look at colors, lets take a moment to think about your neutral colors. There are three divisions and decisions of neutral colors that need to be made. The first division of neutral colors is the primary neutral wedding color decision of white verses ivory. The second division of neutral colors is the decision of your darker neutral colors such as black, brown or navy. The third division of neutral colors is the decision of your neutral metallic color of gold, silver or rose gold.
It makes sense to choose your neutral colors first. If you choose your neutral colors first, you will have a much easier time choosing your primary wedding colors and your wedding accent color/colors. Choosing your neutral colors will help set the tone and help you zero in on the entire flair and tone that your wedding will have.
We will begin by taking a look at the light neutral wedding color decision, and our first decision: white verses ivory. When we think of a wedding, and a wedding gown, our first thoughts can be a beautiful bride in a white wedding dress. But not so fast. These days, brides wear white, ivory, blush, yellow and any other color they darn well want to wear. But let’s stay focused shall we? Many times the primary wedding color decision is based on the color of the bride’s gown/dress/outfit. Let’s still choose our basic wedding color decision of white verses ivory, even if the bride decides to wear the primary wedding color gown/dress/outfit, the wedding accent color gown/dress/outfit, or a different color gown/dress/outfit all together. Whatever color the bride decides to wear, we still need to choose between white and ivory for all sorts of other things, such as invitations, cake, linens, and flowers.
Here we go, with some great ways to decide between white and ivory. And, please, don’t skip ahead to the other color decisions before you make this simple, important, white verses ivory decision. Here is my best white verses ivory tip: if you don’t care if you have white verses ivory, or, if you are for sure you want white, then, please, choose white right now and skip the information that helps you decide between white and ivory. Why? Because ivory can be a big pain and white is so much easier and readily available. You will have so many more wedding items to choose from with white, which translates into lower prices and better selection for you. Yes, I know, there are many shades of white, but dang, there are so many shades of ivory it will make your head spin! Here are some of the issues you will find with ivory (and none of these issues are positive ones!) With ivory, there are fewer wedding items to choose from and the items can be more expensive. With ivory, there are way to many shades and tones of ivory. You will find light ivory, dark ivory, medium ivory, porcelain ivory, cream ivory and a bunch of grouchy ivories in between. If you DO decide on ivory, do yourself a favor right away, and just let ivory be ivory and don’t try to make everything in your wedding be dark ivory, or light ivory or cream ivory. Come to peace that ivory is ivory and don’t try to be too matchy matchy with your ivories, or you drive yourself crazy. You have more to do with your precious wedding planning time than trying to match your ivories!
Now, why WOULD you choose ivory over white to begin with? One of the things to consider is the color of the bride’s gown. One of the most common reasons to choose ivory over white is that this is your second, or third, or fourth, or more wedding. Many brides feel that ivory is more appropriate for a second wedding than white, and, well, I agree with that. I think it is much more tasteful to have your basic wedding color be ivory, rather than white, if this is not your first trip down the aisle. Another reason to choose ivory as your primary wedding color, as opposed to white, is that the bride is an older bride. How old do you ask? Hey, I am not touching that can of worms, lol. It is your decision, and some folks think that it is more tasteful for an older bride to wear ivory, as opposed to white. If you think this applies to you, and you want to ivory to be your primary wedding color, then go for ivory. Another reason to choose ivory over white is that you have jumped the gun a bit and you have already purchased an ivory wedding gown before you picked out your primary wedding color. Hey, that is ok. We won’t judge, and hey, if you love your gown so do we! Ivory it is for you. Another reason to choose ivory over white is that you have your heart set on a shabby chic style wedding in a romantic planation venue, or a candlelight wedding in a beautiful church. It is starting to sound great, isn’t it? So, well yes, for you, ivory it is! Another reason to choose ivory is that you feel that the bride simply looks better in ivory than in white. If so, then yes, ivory is for you too!
So, when do you choose white as your light neutral wedding color? Choose white when you can. Choose white if this is your first wedding, if you want a traditional wedding, if your groom wants traditional attire, if your wedding is at night, men usually wear white shirts for formal events at night. Also, choose white if you want to make your life and wedding planning easier and less stressful. Choose white if you are on a budget or budget conscience. Choose white if you want a wide selection of linens, flowers, invitations to choose from, and choose white if you are really busy and you want to make the time you spend planning your wedding very efficient.
Have you decided? Do you want white as your light neutral wedding color or do you want ivory as your light neutral wedding color? Still can’t decide? Please don’t go any further until you do decide, as, now is the time to practice making your wedding decisions in a timely manner. By making this simple decision, between your primary basic neutral color: white or ivory, in a timely manner, you will be able to prove to yourself, your groom, your wedding coordinator, your mom, his mom, your bridesmaids, groomsmen and other bridal party members, that yes, you CAN make decisions and you are fully capable of planning a great wedding event and you CAN do this! Ok, I will give you a little out on this one, but just this decision, ok? If you just can’t decide on white or ivory, then lets pick BOTH white and ivory. For example, you can have an ivory cake with white trim, and you can have an ivory dress with white sequins. See there, you did it! You decided and you can keep on trucking down the road and make more decisions for your wedding. You can keep reading. Your next task in planning your wedding colors is to choose your darker neutral wedding color.
The second step: choosing your darker neutral color will involve asking your groom about his attire color choice. Some grooms are really sure, in advance, what darker neutral color they want. Some grooms say I don’t know, can I let you know later? If your groom wants to let you know later, then, well, just set a date when he can let you know and try to help him decide in the meantime. Stop reading this now and go watch Netflix or something while he decides. If you groom says that he will decide later, and let you know later, you might be feeling a little frustrated at that point. If you are feeling frustrated, while you are waiting for a decision from your groom, then, well, you are now experiencing some of the frustration that your mom, your wedding planner, your venue, your bridesmaids, and bridal party may be experiencing while they are waiting for YOU to decide on certain things about your wedding. You see, everything goes smoother, faster and easier if you can make your decisions quickly. Getting back to your groom choosing his darker neutral attire color, if your groom lets you decide, or, if he does not know and wants your help, then you can keep reading to make your decision on his attire darker neutral color and the darker neutral color that you choose for other things in your wedding. You may be using your darker neutral color for things like your grooms attire, the imprint on your invitations, the accent color for your flower and/or linens, the accent color, or main color, for your exit ribbons and/or wedding favors, and, if you are getting married in New Orleans and having a second line: your groom’s umbrella.
If you groom does not care about his attire color, and you don’t have an idea of the darker primary accent color that you want, choose black. Yes, black, as your darker primary accent color, is always a great choice. Wedding planners, wedding attire providers, invitation printers, second line umbrella makers (like me) all understand black. We always have black, and we always have a lot of black. Black always looks sharp and is always appropriate for day or night. But what if you your groom wants navy or brown? Well, he is the groom with that being said, just choose navy or brown as your darker primary accent color and call it a day. Using brown or navy may give you a few more headaches along the way, will most certainly narrow your choices, and could actually end up costing more money for certain things, but, this is not a battle to fight, go with what your groom wants and be happy!
The third step of color that now needs to be decided is your neutral metallic color of gold, silver or rose gold. You might be thinking that you don’t need a neutral metallic color, but, well, I bet you already have one and haven’t even thought about it. Have you purchased your rings? If so, look down at your finger and if you see gold you might want to think of gold as your neutral metallic color. Do you see silver on your rings, but you love gold more? Then you might pick gold as your metallic color and you can move on and choose your wedding colors now. If you still don’t know if you want to pick gold, silver or rose gold as your metallic color, it might help, first, to know what you will be using this color for in your wedding. The neutral primary metallic color may be used for things like your rings, imprinting your invitations, trim on your flowers, linens, cake, favors, exit items, and second line umbrellas. Let’s get back to choosing, shall we? If you don’t know which of these neutral metallics to choose, gold, silver or rose gold, choose gold. It is easier, more things are available in gold, therefore you will have more to choose from and things may be less expensive. Here are some other reasons to choose gold: you may look better in gold. Usually brides that are naturally blonde and have lighter skin tones, look better in gold than silver. Another reason to choose gold is that you choose ivory for your light neutral wedding color. If you choose ivory for your light neutral wedding color then gold looks really great with ivory. Did you choose gold? If so, then let’s move on. If you did not choose gold, then let’s move on to silver. Silver is actually still a great choice for your light metallic neutral color. Silver is a little less dramatic than gold, if you would like your wedding to be a little more understated. Silver is also a great choice for daytime weddings. A lot of items are still available in silver, so you will still have plenty to choose from. Silver is a great choice if your hair, or your groom’s hair is grey, as, well, silver looks really cool with grey. Did you choose silver? Awesome, lets move on. Oh, you still want to consider rose gold? Rose gold is trending right now. The benefit to choosing a trending color is that it makes your wedding look fresh and current, and in the moment. The downside to choosing a trending color is that it makes your wedding a little less unique and it looks like you may not have much of an imagination and just simply choose the color that is trending. Another downside of choosing a trending color is that it looks a little strange in years to come when you look back at your images. However, I will admit, rose gold is beautiful. Here are the major downsides of choosing rose gold as your neutral metallic accent color. Rose gold comes in many many shades, so, if you are particular about everything matching perfectly don’t choose rose gold. Rose gold, you see, is actually more a blush color and can appear pink. If you don’t like pink, don’t choose rose gold, as what you have printed, and contracted for, may end up looking pink. Another downside with using rose gold as your neutral metallic color is that it may not be available at all, so your choices will be limited. If you are ok with using gold metallic also, when rose gold is not available, and your still want rose gold, then go for it.
Have you chosen your primary light neutral, your darker neutral and your neutral metallic? If you answered yes, then let’s move on to choosing what you thought this article was going to be about in the first place: your primary wedding colors and your primary wedding accent colors. Do you already know what you want? Awesome, then if so, you can stop reading now and watch Netflix or do something else fun like look at your phone. If not, lets move on!
The fourth step: choosing light or dark: The next step in choosing your wedding color/colors has little to do with choosing a color at all. The next step in choosing your color is thinking about how dark or how light you want your wedding to be. After you choose, or think about, how dark or light you want your wedding to be, choosing your primary wedding color will be a lot easier. There are several factors to consider when choosing light or dark colors for your wedding. Here are a few factors that MAY determine if you want to use light colors for your wedding. And, I say MAY, as these are just things to think about when you can’t decided right away between light and dark. If you already know, light or dark for sure, just skip this part and move on! But, if you need a little help, or information, choosing light or dark, these factors may help you to decide. Here are some reasons to choose light colors for your primary wedding color. If your wedding is in the morning, or early afternoon, you might want to consider light colors for your primary wedding color. Generally, light colors are great if you have having a brunch, or a morning church wedding, a small outdoor morning or early afternoon wedding. Light colors are also nice if the bride has been married before, as, light colors are a little more tasteful than their bold counterparts. Another reason to choose a light color for your primary wedding color is that you are getting married in the summer or spring. Traditionally light colors are used at the warmer times of year and in the summer and spring. Of course, this is not a hard fast rule, however, you may find more items available in the light colors during the spring and summer, like your flowers. Let’s talk about when you use dark colors for your primary wedding colors. You use dark colors, well, whenever you want to use them. If you want to use dark colors, then I suspect you have already decided and you are reading this thinking that you don’t care what this article suggests, you are using dark colors. Another reason to use dark colors is that you are a BOLD person and you want your wedding to be BOLD not subtle. If you are a BOLD person, then you will probably be considering, or already using, dark colors. And, the third reason to use dark colors is that you are getting married in the fall or winter. Many weddings in the fall or winter use darker colors. Have you decided between dark and light? If so, move on to actually choosing your primary wedding color.
The fifth step: choosing your primary wedding color. Many brides have known since they were very young what color they want their wedding. Many brides have no clue. You are already on your way to choose your primary color because you have chosen between white and ivory, you have chosen between black, navy and brown, you have chosen your metallic, and you have chosen light or dark. Choosing your primary wedding color should be a snap. LOL, not so fast. But I am hear to help and make choosing your colors easier. The first step in actually choosing your color is to make a commitment to yourself that by the time you finish reading this article you will choose your colors. Repeat after me: I can, and will, choose my colors after reading this article. People are waiting and depending on me. I can do this! Alright! Let’s get down to business then!
The next step in choosing your primary wedding color is to look in your closet. You already are drawn to colors that you love, and choosing colors that you love will help make your wedding day everything that you want the day to be. Open your closet. Do you see lots of blue? Red? Yellow? Pink? Do you see lots of neutrals? Hey, guess what? If you see, and like, neutral colors, then you are in luck! You don’t even have to choose a primary wedding color, you can use the neutrals that you have already fallen in love with when choosing your primary, darker and metallic neutrals. You can simply use your neutrals and not add an actual color. But, if you DO want to add more color, so, here we go! If you have looked in your closet, studied your colors, decided that you want more color than your neutrals, and you still don’t know what color/colors you want, then let’s keep going. It might seem natural to go on the internet and surf for wedding images to see what other brides do for color, or, it might seem like a good idea to look at bridal magazines to see what other brides did for color, but I am going to suggest something that may seem a little out of turn, or premature. I am going to suggest that you stand uo, get up and actually to go to your local bridal store. Here is what you are going to do, without getting sidetracked and looking for your dress and/accessories, you are simply going to do a short trip to the bridal store (and, yes, you CAN go by yourself, you don’t need a million people helping you decide what color) and just look at the bridesmaid dress color selection that is available. You see, if you look at a bridal magazine, or images on the internet, and choose an amazing color, you will drive yourself bonkers looking for dresses and other items in that exact color. You are better off, and will be a happier bride, if you need color inspiration, and make your decision bass akwards, so they say. Start with what is available in your area and work backwards to your decision. You can tell, right when you walk in to your local bridal store, which colors of dresses that are trending and are available, what color is right for you. I venture to guess, after walking in, you will have your color, and maybe even your bridesmaids dresses, picked out so much faster than you would have imagined. Just remember to stay focused. Staying focused is the key to choosing your color. You are not in the shop to choose your gown, choose your shoes or veil, or shop for yourself or your mom. You are ONLY in the shop to preview and choose your primary wedding color. You got this!
Got it? Were you able to choose a primary wedding color? Ask the shop where you chose your color, what the name of the color is. For example, David’s Bridal has a bunch of strange, and specific names to their colors. These strange and specific names are helpful when ordering other items, as, you can actually GOOGLE their strange and specific color names on the internet and see the colors. Then ask the shop, where you chose your color, if they know the PMS number for that color. All colors have PMS numbers, and knowing that number will help you match different items, like your invitations and flowers. The PMS number is helpful when you order other items, as you can actually GOOGLE the specific PMS color and see the color on the internet. If the shop, where you like the color, does not know your PMS color, then ask the shop if you can take an image of the color. Then, using the PMS chart on the internet, see if you can match your color to a PMS number. Watch out, however, there are tons of PMS colors to match your color to and a slight variation of the number can mean a big variation in the actual color.
Got it? Do you have your neutrals, metallic and your color? Awesome! I knew you could do it! Here we go on to the final color decision, and you may not even need to pick more colors. You may have plenty of colors with your choice of white or ivory, black, brown or navy, gold, silver or rose gold, and your dark or light primary color. You can actually stop right here if you wish. Do you want more color? Ok, great, that is easy!
The sixth step: choosing your accent wedding colors: If you want more colors,then we will need wedding accent colors, and then there are a few things to think about. The first decision is: do you want a subtle wedding or a bold one? At this point look at the color wheel. If you want a bold wedding, choose complimentary colors that can be found directly across the color wheel from your color. If you want a more subtle wedding, choose colors right next to your color on the color wheel. You will want to match your PMS colors to your wedding accent colors also.
Ta da! I think we did it by George! You should have a beautiful palette of wedding colors. You should feel proud of yourself! You have taken the time to choose
your wedding colors, number one: the light neutral colors, number two: the darker neutral colors, number three: the neutral metallic color, number four: the primary wedding color,number five: dark or light and number six: the wedding accent color, or colors. I know your wedding will be a success because you were able to plan, and make decisions, in a controlled and planned manner. Great job! Pat yourself on the back and get back to playing on your phone.
