The Color Conundrum: How to Pick your Color Palette

If you’ve ever gone crazy trying to pick a paint color for your bedroom or dining room, you understand how challenging the “color palette” decision can be for brides. You want the colors to be “you” but still coordinate effortlessly with the other colors that will come into play that day. Looking online? The names of the colors might be gorgeous – sage and sandalwood; sangria, silver and lavender – but the process can be painful.

It’s tricky because there are so many elements involved in a wedding ceremony and reception. Here’s a little color advice if you’re not a wedding planner or an interior decorator:

• What’s your favorite color? Don’t think about it, just blurt something out. It’s a good starting point. You could take that color and add different shades of that same color as your palette.

• Does your reception venue have a lot of patterns, maybe brightly-colored carpeting or drapes? You don’t want to clash with the colors and patterns of the room. The planner at the venue should be able to show you some photos of color palettes that worked particularly well in the space.

• One bride we featured became “obsessed” with orange because she thought it went really well with the blues and golds at the Basilica at the University of Notre Dame, where the ceremony took place. The floral designer worked with her to provide complimentary colors that just popped but did not overwhelm or appear cartoon'ish.

• Neutrals are huge in the home décor arena, and that holds true in the wedding industry as well. Gray is the new neutral and looks fabulous with other colors. The same goes for blush and beige, just be sure that the color works with the bridesmaids’ complexions and doesn’t wash them out. A bride who works at our office and is getting married in June went with pewter and lemon after looking online and loving the combo.

• What mood are you trying to set? We know that colors and moods go together. 

• The season still plays a role. Fall and winter colors tend to be warmer, richer, with jewel tones while spring and summer lighten up with pastels and brighter colors. You can still mix it up with some of the newer color combinations like sage and sandalwood; sangria, silver and lavender, or pink, khaki and gray.

• All white has been very popular for a classic, never-go-out-of-style look. It’s easy to match bridesmaids dresses and looks crisp and clean.

• Black and white is another popular combination because of the ease of coordination.