Choosing a wedding color scheme will be integral to all your wedding planning. A color scheme will help you make decisions on bridesmaid dresses, invitations, decorations, the design of your wedding cake & your flowers.

When you begin thinking about your wedding colors it is a good idea to start with a base color which will be the main color used throughout. Most brides will go with white or ivory as these are safe colors which will coordinate with any other color & will also bring their wedding dress into the scheme. But other base colors could include champagne, brown, black, red or pink.

In recent years color schemes have got bolder & brides have been more creative & confident to choose less traditional color schemes. The only rule is to make sure your chosen colors will each work together & give your whole look visual unity.

Choosing a wedding theme first will also help make your color choices easier. For instance an art deco theme would include black, white & silver, or a winter wonderland theme would predominantly consist of shades of white, ivory & cream with silver.

Take some advice for other wedding professionals such as your photographer, who can give you some guidance on colors which would work from a photographic point of view & which wouldn’t look garish or clash in your photographs.

Read through your bridal magazines & check out online resources for some ideas. You will probably get inspiration from other people’s wedding photographs which can show you how certain color schemes came together & how the overall look added to the atmosphere of the day. I would recommend taking as much advice as possible on your colors before you start spending money on decorative items & then realizing your color choices don’t work.

A professional wedding planner would also be able to offer you guidance on color schemes & help you pick the right colors which will bring harmony & unity to your wedding.

Interior designers use a color wheel to choose color schemes & you can pick one of these up from stationers or craft shops quite cheaply. A color wheel will enable you to see how colors look & work together. They grouped in color bands & arranged so that you can pick colors which are next to each other or opposite each other.

Choosing the right scheme will help give your wedding a professional look & will help enhance the theme or style of your wedding. They will also help make your photographs look fabulous.

Other sources you can look to for inspiration include:

• Books, journals & magazines – not just bridal but decorating & interior design, fashion & accessories.
• Celebrity weddings – celebrities are often bang on trend with their weddings & can be a good source of inspiration & ideas.
• Real weddings – check out real weddings online through directory sites, blogs & personal webpages.
• Potential venues – if you haven’t chosen a venue yet, then visit some which you may consider hiring. Your color schemes will need to blend with the décor already at the venue & you may also need to incorporate any decorative objects, patterns or special features which are pre-existing.

There is a wealth of resources available to you to help you pull together the perfect wedding color scheme. A good tip is to put together a scrap book of ideas which you can then go through & put together a design board of your favorite colors, schemes & ideas. The only limit will be your imagination!