Chances are that if you are reading this right now, you are in a bit of a pickle choosing your wedding colors!

Why is choosing your wedding colors so important? Your color palette affects everything from wedding invitations to bridesmaids’ dresses. However, what most people don’t know is how your wedding palette will also set the mood for your professional photos!

Where to Begin When Choosing Your Wedding Colors

Start with understanding your wedding theme. I know this seems like a simple task, but I promise that it truly sets everything into motion.

If you have a favorite color, flower, or activity, that can be a great place to start. This inspiration can aid in dialing into your wedding theme. It will allow you to better understand what colors best compliment that theme!

Ultimately, it is always easier to have one piece to base your color scheme. I recommend using that to follow through with your vision!

Still Not Sure?

If you’re a minimalistic yet classic bride, white and black with shades of neutral beiges and pinks may be for you! If you are an organic and earthy bride, colorful wildflowers and neutral off-white and tans may be the magic combination to bring a pop of color without overwhelming your space and photos!

No matter what wedding colors you choose, pick ones for your florals, and decor that are all cohesive with your theme and your venue.

Tip #1 See it In Person

Did you know that every monitor or screen you see on a daily basis is calibrated differently for color?

Your computer, tablet, and smartphone all show color slightly differently — even different brands (Apple vs. PC) show color differently. Pretty crazy right?

This is why seeing a color digitally doesn’t always mean that’s what it will look like in real life… or in your wedding photos! I ALWAYS recommend requesting physical swatches/samples and taking the time to see those colors and textures in person if possible!

Tip #2 Remember to Take Your Venue Into Consideration
When Choosing Your Wedding Colors

Your wedding venue should play a big role in deciding on your color scheme.

If you go with a rustic venue, like a cabin, it will likely give off red or even brown hues. In this scenario, you would want to select a color palette of lighter hues. Why? Otherwise adding in saturated and competing darker colors will clash and overwhelm your photos!

Always keep in mind that if the colors you are drawn to don’t mesh well with your venue, you may end up spending more on decor to help hide those areas!

Light reflects off of everything in turn affecting the hue and tone of your photos. It always helps to talk with your venue about how the space you’re in is decorated and set up — as well as browse the internet for previous wedding blogs for visual examples of what translates best for photos!

Tip #3 Use a Full-Color Palette

Many couples make the mistake of thinking that EVERYTHING has to match perfectly.

PLEASE don’t lock yourself into a small color palette by limiting yourself to only 1 or 2 colors. A full-color palette can have up to 5-6 colors!

Not only does this greatly beautify your day, but this allows you to have a little wiggle room in order to mix things up and create amazing depth in your wedding photos.

Using complementary colors and various shades of your main color creates interest that will make your wedding photo collection dynamic and all the more breath-taking!

Tip #4 Seasons Matter

If you are getting married in the spring, you will generally see soft pastel tones. In the summer, you are introduced to brighter and bolder tones, and fall is generally great for earthy neutral tones (my personal favorite!).

This doesn’t just apply to weddings, if you start looking carefully at marketing materials online, whether on TV or even in your email inbox, they almost all follow the seasonal color theory.

Choosing Your Wedding Colors: Color Theory Breakdown

Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel. They tend to work best together, but also analogous, or colors right next to each other, work together just as well!

A good way to create your color palette is to have your main color and pair it with more neutral colors.

I am a big neutral gal, so trust me when I say you can’t go wrong with that!

Still Feeling Stumped?

Who would have thought choosing your wedding colors would be such a chore!

If you are still stumped by what colors you want to use, just step into your closet or look around your home. What colors do you have a lot of? What colors do you not have!? If you have a lot of tans and neutrals, then use that as your starting point!

Plus, it’s always a little extra bonus to have your wedding decor match some of the decor you have in your home that way you can repurpose some of the decorations as home decor!

Please also keep in mind these are just my suggestions as a designer and a photographer of what tends to work best, these are in no way rules you must follow!

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