Picking the right wedding colors

Do you remember the color wheel from art class in 8th grade?  When you're an artist, a lot of things you do depend on knowing & understanding the color wheel and all its parts.  Below, we'll give you a color lesson, and hopefully it helps you choose a great wedding color combination!

1.  Picking the right Hue, Shade, Tint, and Tone for the time of year & combination of choices: 

• Hue is the pure color.  As is.
• Shade is the hue + black.
• Tint is the hue + white
• and Tone is the hue + grey

Let's use red as an example.  Depending on the time of year, different hues, tints, tones & shades would work best!  Here are some ideas using red!

• Spring: Blush, Rose
• Summer:  Red, Cherry, Candy, Crimson
• Fall: Berry, Blood, Brick, Sangria, Apple
• Winter:  Merlot, Wine, Jam, Mahogany, Currant, Garnet

2.  Understanding Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Colors

If the venue is surrounded by fresh yellow flowers, a purple wedding would really give some contrast (because it's a complementary color)!  Whereas if the venue has orange flowers, and blue wedding would really pop.  

3. Monochromatic Weddings can be beautiful too!

Let's say you want everything to be in shades of blue.  Just keep the hue of blue the same, and add more white or black to the color, and it will achieve a true monochromatic effect.

4.  You LOVE a certain color

Then go for it!  But, for the best effect, make sure you've picked a color that's definable.  For example, Tiffany Blue isn't called Tiffany Blue to everyone.  It can be defined as Robin's Egg Blue, or even Teal to others.  Read tip 5 to help define your color choices!

5. Explaining wedding colors to everyone else

When you choose a color for your wedding, sometimes our favorite thing to do is head to the Home Depot paint aisle and pick up free color swatches.  You can see your color choices right next to each other, and get a feel for if they'll jive or not!  Bring those with you when selecting bridesmaids dresses, choosing invitation envelopes, ordering flowers, etc.  When you say "orange," that can be tangerine orange, peach, or coral.  So having this swatch is most helpful when trying to explain a color!

6.  When in doubt, consult the internet.  Just type in "wedding color combinations" and a million ideas will pop up.  If you've selected one main color, but aren't sure what else goes with it, this can be a big help!