Whether you’re getting married at home or overseas, celebrating in a chateau or in a barn, your wedding colours really help set the tone for your day. Your colour palette will be one of the things you need to decide quite early on in your process, as it’ll likely dictate things like stationery designs, florals and bridesmaid dresses. So how on earth do you choose? It can certainly be very overwhelming with all of the possible combinations available but I thought I’d put together a guide to help narrow it down for you.

TAKE INSPIRATION FROM YOUR WEDDING VENUE

Your venue and its setting is the perfect starting point for choosing a colour palette.

Perhaps your venue is nestled amongst a lemon grove in Sicily, or surrounded by lavender fields in Provence? You could certainly draw inspiration from these settings for your colour palette.

Or perhaps you’re getting married in a grand Manor House or chateau? In which case, you may need to look to the interiors and choose colours that complement the decor already in place, if it’s not on the more neutral side. 

LEAN INTO THE SEASONS

If your venue isn’t providing much inspiration or is more of a blank canvas, look to the seasons to provide some inspiration.

You’ll likely have photos outside, so consider what colours will be around you and use those as starting point.

For example, if you’re getting married in spring, it’s likely that there will be blossom on the trees, so pastel colour palettes can work well with this. In summer, you’ll have even more colour around with fresh greens and garden flowers, so you can afford to go a bit brighter and bolder (if that’s your thing). In autumn, there are always lots of golden, burnt orange and red hues, so take inspiration from those and opt for a richer colour palette with warmer tones. For a winter wedding, you could take inspiration from deep green pine trees and rich burgundy berries, or go classic with snowy whites. 

CONSIDER THE AESTHETIC OF YOUR DAY

If you’re getting stuck on colours but know the general style/aesthetic you’d like to go for then let that be a bit of a guide.

For example, if you’re having a fun festival style wedding, you’ll want to embrace bright and bold colours rather than muted tones. If you’re opting for a more refined, minimal look you may want to lean into a more neutral colour palette with a hint of colour here and there.

The colours you choose will also really impact the atmosphere of the day too, so make sure to bear that in mind. For example, a wedding with lots of whites and greens might feel a bit more formal and traditional than a wedding with lots of bright colours.

GO WITH WHAT YOU LOVE

If all else fails, choose a colour you love and work with that. For example, if you’re known for your love of pink, it would be crazy not to include it in your wedding in some way. You don’t have to go too over the top with it, a pop here and there can certainly do the trick.

HOW TO CREATE A COHESIVE COLOUR PALETTE

Without going too deep into colour theory, here are some simple tips for putting together your colour palette:

• Don’t have too many colours. Try to choose 3-4 colours with one being the main feature and the others being your accent colours.

• Consult a colour wheel to help you narrow down your selection. Colours opposite each other on the colour wheel tend to go well together (complementary colours) and colours next to each other on the wheel (analogous colours), work well together too. 

• If you know you’d like to focus on one colour, choose your dominant shade and then go with varying tones of the same colour to create some depth.

• If the above seems a bit overwhelming, Pinterest has some brilliant colour palette inspiration if you do a quick search, you’ll be sure to find something perfect for your day.

Hopefully I’ve given you lots to think about when it comes to choosing your wedding colours. It can be an overwhelming decision but once that’s sorted, so many of your other decisions should slot into place.

All photos by Natalie Stevenson Photography