The Colors, Duke, the Colors!

One of the first visual decisions you’ll make (after picking your venue, of course) is deciding on a color palette. As easy as that sounds, it can be kind of a daunting task!

Luckily for all of us, you can’t really go wrong with most colors. But we all know that gut feeling when you see a combo that isn’t quite right. Here are a few tips and tricks to help make the decision a bit easier.

Use Inspiration As Your Guide

I know that Pinterest can be a bit of a wedding planning black hole, but it can also be an amazing source of inspiration (if you follow what you truly love, and not what you think you’re supposed to love). Pin a few things and see if you start to see a trend in what you’re drawn to in terms of color. Better yet, find a single photo that you think is absolutely stunning, and analyze what the individual colors in the photo are. Et voilà - you have your color palette!

Drop-dead gorgeous bouquet by Eothen

If you don't want to sit in front of the computer screen, step outside! Nature can also be an incredible source of color inspiration. Take a walk and snap some photos as you go, then analyze what colors you seem to be drawn towards.

Not All Colors Should be Considered Equal

I think color palette creation can be stressful because there are too many choices, and most of us feel drawn to a variety of different colors, for different reasons and in different ways. Yes, your wedding is a super special and important once-in-a-lifetime event, but it’s going to be lovely no matter which color scheme you chose.

In my opinion, a successful palette consists of three elements: a dominant primary color, a supporting secondary color, and an accent color.

The dominant color will be the main focus of the palette (in the above example, it’s navy). The secondary color is either complimentary or tertiary to the first, and takes a back seat to the star of the show. And finally, the accent color will provide a subtle pop where needed. I love using a metallic as an accent because it can add a touch of glitz, without going too over-the-top.

Monochromatic Can Be Lovely

Picking more than one color stressing you out? Go ahead and stick with one! Starting with a single color and then using tones or values of it as accents can be a great way to create a cohesive look. Pair your color with neutrals to build out a palette that feels robust, but at its essence is really fairly simple.

Still stumped?

Coolers.co is a great resource for finding color palettes. You can even upload an image and it will help you pick out the colors in it. (This is not an ad, I just think they have a great site!)

I would love to hear what colors you are drawn to or leaning towards, and how you narrowed them down. Let me know in the comments!

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