Wedding Colors Ideas: Advice for Picking Wedding Colors and Finding Wedding Color Combinations
Need wedding colors ideas? Have you already decided what time of year you're going to be married? Unsure which wedding color combinations will work?
Once you know what season you’re getting married in and have an idea what your style and theme are going to be, picking wedding colors is not too difficult.
The easiest way to start picking your wedding colors is to key off the season - spring, summer, fall or winter.
Spring Wedding Colors
Spring colors are light, think sophisticated pastel color (not Easter).
Generally, Spring wedding color ideas do not include metallics (unless you're having a formal evening wedding).
For example, a spring wedding color palette may be white, cream and spring green, or white, pale lavender and pale green.
Summer Wedding Colors
Summer colors are more intense or bright (but not childlike)than spring wedding colors.
Summer wedding colors ideas would be white, yellow, and coral, or cream, golden yellow and pink.
A few fall wedding colors ideas: gold (non-metallic or metallic), wine, and forest green, or cream, a deep gold, brown and red or wine. Fall tones are more muted, not intense or "pure" in color (think of the colors of mum flowers)
Winter Wedding Colors are usually dark and intense, unless you're using metallic gold and/ or silver in your color scheme, with white or ivory.
Red, Black and White is a popular winter wedding color palette, as is red silver and white, or white, ruby and gold - white, royal blue, silver and/or gold, and white, forest green and gold.
The exception to picking wedding colors by season is if you are having a theme wedding.
Themes trump seasons when it comes to wedding colors ideas.
Mardi Gras theme wedding? Choose bright colors. Venice style masque ball? Choose colors like black, wine and metallics. Morroccan fantasy? Reds, pinks, yellows and non-metallic golds are good color combinations.
Working your chosen theme in your wedding color palette -- although your themes should relate somewhat to the season.
Your Venue Color
One of the most important considerations when looking for wedding colors ideas is your wedding venue. If you have one in mind, take photos and key off the main color. For example, if your venue has hunter green walls and your wedding colors are white and red, your wedding color combinations will automatically have a Christmas look.
If your wedding is in the spring and you must book the venue with the hunter green walls, choose wedding color combinations like white, cream, and pale green or pink making the white and cream your dominant decoration colors.
Remember, if your wedding venues have a distinctive color scheme, the list of possible wedding color ideas will be limited to colors that work with your venue.
If you hate your wedding venue's main color, do not attempt to overwhelm and cancel out the venue color with decorations in your chosen wedding color palette. You will fail and the attempt will only add stress and expense to your wedding planning.
Quick Color Theory
Primary colors are colors that cannot be mixed -- red, yellow and blue. Secondary colors are made by mixing primary colors -- orange, green, and purple. And tertiary colors are made by mixing two secondary colors -- blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple.
When picking wedding colors, you should be looking for wedding color combinations that are in harmony -- pleasing to the eye.
There are two ways to choose harmonious wedding color palettes:
Choose analogous colors. Analogous colors are colors next to each other on the color wheel. An example of an analogous wedding color scheme would be green, yellow-green and ivory (which is actually a very pale neutral yellow-orange).
Choose a complimentary color palette. Complimentary colors are colors which are opposite each other on the color wheel. An example of complimentary wedding colors is yellow green (spring green) and red-purple (a not so blue purple), or green (several shades work) and peach color combination.
The Ultimate Budget Bride: Lisa Spooner saved almost 90% on her wedding, now she helps other couples save money.
The simplest way to find wedding colors ideas is to take a cue from well-paid color experts who have already done the work for you.
Go to your local paint store and pick up several interior design palettes of colors that appeal to you (not the samples of several shades of the same color, palettes of different colors that work together).
Take them home and then pick 1-3 colors from the palette and make them your wedding colors.
Remember, one neutral color (like white, black or ivory) will be dominant when you decorate your wedding venues, then a second shade (usually your bridesmaid colors and dominant flower colors).
Too many colors all playing equally dominant roles in your wedding color scheme will not look good.
If you've already booked a reception venue:
Take samples (or something that’s close)of your venue's color palette to the paint section of your local home improvement or paint store and find palettes of colors that work with your venue.
If there isn't a paint store or home improvement store near you, check out a book from the library on color palettes for interior design and choose your wedding color scheme.
Lighting
One more consideration as you look over wedding colors ideas and decide on how to decorate your reception venue is lighting.
If you are having an evening wedding, there's no need to find swaths of fabric in your wedding color and drape it all around the room. Better to keep most of your linens and decorations white and hire a lighting designer/tech to wash parts of your venue in colored light.
Generally, Spring wedding color ideas do not include metallics (unless you're having a formal evening wedding). 
The exception to picking wedding colors by season is if you are having a 
on Amazon.com.
The simplest way to find wedding colors ideas is to take a cue from well-paid color experts who have already done the work for you. 
