Your Comprehensive Guide for Choosing Seasonal Wedding Colors
Choosing your wedding colors is the launching point for your wedding day design. Without a color palette as a guide, it’s hard to leap into selecting stationery, wardrobe styles, and even your centerpiece flowers. When in doubt, always turn to nature for flawless inspiration. Whether you’re marrying in the peak of summer or on the coldest January day, nature provides the most stylish selection for a wardrobe, decor, and everything in between.
Both indoor and outdoor weddings alike can incorporate your chosen wedding scheme into personalized details big and small. These may include:
● Bridesmaid dresses and accessories
● Groomsmen suits, accessories, and shoes
● Bride and groom accessories, bouquet, and boutonniere
● Flower girl and ring bearer wardrobe
● Floral design
● Tablescapes and reception decor
● Wedding cake and desserts
● Invitation suites and wedding day stationery
Santa Barbara-based wedding planners, Natasha Burton and Jennifer Arreguin, spoke to Brides.com about the most common mistakes when choosing a wedding color scheme. Burton recommends balancing three colors at most and suggests choosing one metallic to tie the hues together. The main exception to this rule is when you’re planning a boho-themed wedding or one that aims to match the pastels of wildflowers, for example. When chosen delicately, a larger palette can be successful.
Burton and Arreguin also reiterate to always choose what’s right for your personal style instead of choosing what’s hip at the moment. Trends are simply a great starting point for pulling inspiration.
Contents
1. How seasons affect your wedding colors
2. Blush vs Rose: a note on color swatches
3.2. Pale green wedding colors
3.3. Pink wedding colors
3.4. Blue wedding colors
4.1. Pink and coral wedding colors
4.3. Forest and mint green wedding colors
4.4. Boho Chic wedding
5.2. Autumn greens
5.3. Purple
6.1. Classic red
6.2. Navy blue
6.3. Burgundy
6.4. Silver and gold wedding colors
How Seasons Affect Your Wedding Colors
We associate soft pastels with the budding flowers of spring, vibrant hues with the peak of summer, warm earth tones with fall, and contrasting jewel tones in winter. Choosing a palette of similar colors—such as pairing pastels with off-white or earth tones with burgundy red or rich chestnut—can be a simple way to incorporate everyone’s personal style into the groom and bridal party.
No matter the season, white bridesmaid gowns are making a big impact on the wedding scene, shattering the decades-old tradition that only the bride can don white on the big day. Men are also turning toward a unique wedding style, with white, tan, gray, and even pastel and jewel-toned suits for their big day.
Classic black and white also still play a role in every wedding no matter the season. If you choose to take the black or white-tie approach for your celebration, select a third color or metallic that incorporates the hues of the season.
Blush vs. Rose: A Note on Color Swatches
Even when brands choose similar names for their fabrics or materials, hues can drastically vary. For example, a blush bridesmaids dress from David’s Bridal may not be the same blush ribbon wrapped around your bouquet by your florist. A merely indecipherable shade of blue could be called steel blue, dusty blue, light blue or baby blue while all matching the blue you have set in your mind as the winning color.
This is particularly tricky when trying to match wardrobe choices. Colors can look different based on the fabric itself even within the same brand. This is the main reason why you should always request fabric swatches before your purchase. At the end of the day, finding a direct match of every hue of pink, blue, purple or even white can be nearly impossible. In this scenario, reach out for suggestions of coordinating colors for a uniform look without passing up on your favorite brands because of a battle between champagne and dusty tan.
Spring Wedding Color Ideas
Photo by Filippo Andolfatto on Unsplash
As crisp green leaves push out from the branches and the days get a bit longer, spring couples pull inspiration from the soft-yet-vibrant season around them. Weddings held between March and late May typically play with a color palette that features soft earth tones, pale pastels, or neutral combinations. If you need a place to begin, take a look at the top spring flowers for insight. Pale pink peonies, purple hydrangea, and cream anemones all inspire colors to cover guide your wardrobe and decor.
Purple Wedding Colors
Play with lavender, mauve, or lilac balanced with white, black or gold. Dusty lavender dresses are a universally flattering choice for bridesmaids and groomsmen, especially when paired with gray or black for a more formal wedding. Plan a more whimsical look for an outdoor garden wedding with a flowing lavender dress. This look pairs perfectly with a small lilac or dried lavender bouquet. Be sure the incorporate the men’s style into this look with a versatile purple-and-gray accessories ensemble.
Pale Green Wedding Colors
Encapsulate the fresh energy of the spring season by working pale mint and lime into your look. Mint is a particularly popular choice for spring weddings right now, especially when matched with peach or gold. The softer green is a fresh look for bridesmaids as it showcases spring flowers with a pale backdrop. If you’re looking to add small mint touches to your design, choose a mint bowtie for a subtle accent.
Pink Wedding Colors
Our minds naturally turn to pink when we think spring, but with so many pinks to choose from, it’s easy to get lost in your options. This neutral tones that pick up the colors of your flowers to avoid overwhelming a reception hall with such a strong color. You can also work blush, coral, or rose balanced with neutral hues like cream or gray. This cream flower girl dress, for example, could pair with a fur shrug or pale pink pashmina if the weather is chilly.
Blue Wedding Colors
With Classic Blue winning the title of the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year, couples will be leaping to include this vibrant hue into all seasons of weddings. Since blue only occurs naturally in a small handful of flowers, it’s best to incorporate pale, jewel, or classic blues into the wardrobe and centerpiece decor. A royal blue bow tie, for example, pairs well with a bridesmaid maxi dress. The more vibrant blue you choose, the more important it is to balance it with a complementary earth or neutral tones like cream, tan, gray or soft pink.
Summer Wedding Color Ideas
Photo by Katelyn MacMillan on Unsplash
The world is in full bloom, bursting with color and light. In addition to the traditional palette made up of 2-3 colors, couples often play with the Bohemian-style wedding which combines a wide collection of primary colors and jewel tones.
You can also pull inspiration from your wedding location. Getting hitched by the sea? Work in contrasting nautical hues like navy blue and dusty rose. Hosting your ceremony in a summer garden? Gather sunflower bouquets and pair with yellow accents throughout your decor.
Pink and Coral Wedding Colors
Similar to spring, pink makes its way into summer colors, but you have more room to play. Choose a dusty rose dress to match your bouquet or pick up the natural peach hue of coral if you’re by the sea. As the case with blue, be sure to offset a vibrant pink with hues that will tone it up or down depending on the energy of your big day. A coral and blue ensemble, for example, is a strong choice for summer.
If you’re holding your celebration outdoors, consider a flowing bridesmaids maxi dress. Men can match the look with a more casual, warm-weather-friendly outfit with brown suspenders and complementary pink bow tie. For a more formal route, match a structured lace dress with an equally elaborate flower girl ensemble.
Yellow Wedding Colors
All shades of yellow make their way onto the summer wedding scene, especially when paired with naturally yellow flowers. Yellow contrasts well against either a neutral or bold partner color, whether that be a soft gray or forest green. If you’re concerned about overwhelming your look with yellow, weave the color into your accessories like a yellow groom’s bow tie. You can also fill a space with candles and yellow string lights for an extra touch.
Forest and Mint Green Wedding Colors
Green is a trustworthy choice for outdoor weddings, especially when you pick a hue that matches the floral greenery or surrounding landscape. In addition to green accessories in the decor and stationery, add extra touches of foliage to incorporate your green palette such as in flower crowns or hanging greenery throughout your venue.
Boho Chic Wedding
Explore all your favorite vibrant hues with the popular boho-chic look. Couples often choose 4-5 colors that pull from natural elements like the colors of gemstones, the ocean, or a dense forest. The look often pairs with an abundance of lace, frills, or a laid-back “bohemian” style. Add accents like copper bow ties on the men with taupe maxi dresses with floral crowns for the women.
Fall Wedding Colors
Fall weddings can be truly enchanting, especially as foliage hits its peak and temperatures begin to cool down. Depending on your region, fall wedding colors may reflect the warm earth tones of the Thanksgiving harvest or the deep greens and burgundy reds of a West Coast winery wedding. Flowers and decorations also get a bit bolder, pairing pale pinks and burgundies in both alter decor and details like flower girl baskets or ring bearers pillow.
Consider deeper tones of all your spring and summer colors. Rusty pinks, mustard greens, emerald green, and eggplant purples balance out with warm neutral hues like tan, cream, and gold. Deeper oranges like dark peach and apricot even make it on the scene, reflecting the end-of-summer peak in nature’s beautiful colors. In addition to your wardrobe and decor, weave these bold colors into your wedding stationery as well.
Burgundy Wedding Colors
As we start to bring out red wine for the season, matching colors pop up in wedding decor and wardrobe choices. Similar reds like garnet and ruby stand out against a black, gray, or even forest green backdrop. These deep reds also change the look of a reception space when used in the table linens, chair covers, or centerpiece flowers. If the weather is still warm from the summer months, don your ladies in a lace-backed burgundy dress and match the men on the other side of the aisle in similar suspenders and bow tie.
Autumn Greens
For black-tie weddings, pair emerald green with black, white, and gold. Teal also looks elegant with soft gray with silver accents. Outdoor celebrations showcase forest green dresses, especially when paired with cream floral arrangements and diamond accessories. Balance out the look with another color in the green family for the men’s suspenders and bow tie. Instead of mint, lean toward a deeper sage color for wardrobe for both men and women.
Purple
Pulling from the cornucopia of seasonal fruits and veggies, deep and purple are also appropriate fall wedding color options. Keep the bridesmaids warm on a late-October afternoon with a plum-colored, long-sleeve dress. This hue pairs well with soft and emerald greens either in the women’s jewelry or bouquets. Lavender comes back on the scene since this is the season of dried flowers. Pair a dried lavender boutonniere with a pale purple gingham bow tie and eggplant suspenders.
Orange, Yellow, and Brown
By far the most popular choice for fall weddings, look to the changing leaves around you. Mustard yellow, burnt orange, and even deep browns change up your bridesmaid dress colors as well as men’s suit choices. Brown suits are on the rise for the first time since the 70s, whether grooms choose a more traditional fabric or a pale tweed. These deep browns match with a copper bow tie and brown leather suspenders and colorful boutonniere.
Winter Wedding Colors
According to The Knot, winter weddings are growing in popularity. Snow-filled scenery and cozy ski cabins welcome couples to gather their guests in the chillier months of the year. Winter wedding colors either reflect the hues of the holiday season or the metallic tones of the world outside.
Throw a Christmas season wedding with deep reds, greens and white or kick off the new year with the traditional gold, silver, and black. Beyond December, couples turn their focus to a gray palette balanced with deep navy blue, burgundy or plum. Winter also presents far more options for wardrobe layers such as stoles for the women or topcoats and hats for the men.
Classic Red
Balance out the cool air of the season with the warmest color, whether you choose a classic red for the holidays or a deeper alternative in February. Red also balances well with soft grays, sharp black or soft cream for a simple color scheme. More couples are also choosing to make bold moves by matching red up with summer-time colors like peach, bright purple, or ocean blue. In this case, go just as bold with strong wardrobe choices, like with modern red bridesmaid dresses or bright red groomsmen accessories.
Navy Blue
Classic colors take the stage in winter, especially when balanced with metallics like gold or silver. Choose deep blue for your stationery to emulate the night sky for either a black-tie or more whimsical wedding theme. It’s difficult to overwhelm a room with blue, so it’s easier to branch out into long-sleeved bridesmaid dresses or reception decor dominated by the deep hue.
Burgundy
This wine-inspired hue carries over from fall. Not only is the color easy to find in wedding flowers, but it also works well with both men and woman's wardrobe. Burgundy bridesmaid dresses and groomswear are a popular choice, and pair well with neutral accessories and floral arrangements. Balance the deep red with slate gray, navy blue, or dark tan for a rustic appearance.
Silver and Gold Wedding Colors
Off all times of the year, this is the time to balance out your anchor color with metallic accents. Fill your dinner tables with silver or gold mercury glass that reflects the colors of the surrounding flowers. Remember that gray bridesmaid dresses and groomswear meld perfectly with a silver wedding scheme, especially when you add a bit of decadent jewelry or cufflinks.
If you’re not sure where to start when choosing your wedding colors, look to the colors of your venue, both inside and out. Does your venue have large windows with expansive views? Choose colors that will match both the architecture and the natural elements of your space. Even if you’re marrying in a large event space without windows, remember that many photos are taken outdoors. Nature always provides the best guidance when choosing the best scheme for your big day.