Bride’s Guide: Choosing the Right Color Theme

By Oscar Collins

Pulling together a unified wedding theme makes your affair look more polished from start to finish. One of the most challenging decisions you face is how to paint your palette.

Even brides opting for classic white have to outfit the bridal party and unite their decor. Here’s your guide to choosing the right color scheme.

1. Search for Inspiration

If you haven’t yet booked a trip to a wedding expo, please do so. There’s no better way to get inspired — you’ll find dozens of unique ideas to make your special day even more magical.

If you live in a remote area and don’t want to travel, let technology be your guide. Many brides find the perfect palette inspiration on social media — Instagram and Pinterest are good places to start. Use hashtags to search for wedding color schemes and let your imagination run wild.

2. Complement Your Overarching Theme

Are you and your beloved having a theme wedding? If so, your color scheme might naturally flow from it. For example, if you make like one couple and have a Minion-inspired bash, yellow and blue make for a coordinated palette.

Other themes give you more creative leeway. For example, are you thinking of going with a Renaissance theme? It might surprise you to know that many brides wore blue back in the days before white stole the show.

3. Talk to Your Bridal Party

Your big day is ultimately for you and your spouse — but that doesn’t mean you can’t solicit outside input. For example, if your BFF has a limited budget, it’s gracious to select bridesmaids dresses that can pull double-duty for other formal occasions.

Basic black shines in just about any venue, although shades like red and green can double for Sunday best during the holiday season. You could always play up your favorite lavender hue in other ways — as accent flowers in bouquets and as part of your invitation package.

That said, if you have more wiggle room, feel free to be as crazy with your color scheme as you like. Who knows? Some of your groomsmen might even agree to dye their beards to match your palette, giving your guests something to talk about if you choose lime green or electric blue.

4. Play With Variations on Hue

There’s a world of difference between the midnight sky and high noon, although both would fall under the overarching category of “blue.” If you and your beau decide to compromise on color, can you find a hue that you both adore?

For example, you might have your heart set on pink — does it necessarily need to be Barbie-doll fuchsia? Perhaps a more subtle, dusty-rose shade would accentuate your skin tone or suit your theme better.

Choosing the Right Color Theme

You want your wedding to look polished, and one way to do so is by choosing a unifying color scheme. Use the tips below to paint your big day beautifully.