by Ashley Burr

Created on: October 29, 2008

Gone are the days when choosing your wedding colors was as simple as choosing your favorite color.
There are just far too many fabulous and funky options available; you might just be forced to choose a color scheme that you may not necessarily have imagined because it looks so utterly fantastic.

That being said, your color choices should absolutely represent your personality. My favorite color is green. I consider myself to be a no nonsense, straightforward and simple girl.

My reception was held in an art museum in February, so the only colors that made sense to me were black and cream.
My sister, however, has had a love affair with purple her entire lifefor her it would have been adulterous not to include purple in her outdoor wedding celebration. The point is that your color scheme is dependant on many factors and shouldn't necessarily default to your favorite. Here are some things you must consider:

-Venue: Is your reception location made up of Corinthian columns and rich Renaissance colors? If so, bright yellow and aqua blue probably shouldn't attend. If you have already selected your location for ceremony and celebration, you are somewhat confined by the colors that already decorate the premises. An outdoor event really opens up your options, especially for bright hues.

-Season: You shouldn't feel confined by the seasons, but rather use them as a general guide to help uncover a workable palette. You don't have to do all pastels in the spring; instead, choose one and complement it with a brighter or darker color. Or do different shades of one color, in any season. One of the hottest new ideas is a neutral, like taupe or cream paired with a bright color for summer or a dark metallic in the winter.
Choosing simple things seasonal wedding favors can really help you unlock your colors.

-Flowers: If you are having a hard time selecting the colors, select the wedding flowers first. Especially if you have a favorite or meaningful flower.
Certain flowers only come in certain, though often uniquely beautiful, shades. A hydrangea, for example, has a beautiful, trademark, periwinkle-blue shade.
Perhaps if you select a favorite flower, a powerful color will emerge and choose itself.

Although the most vogue wedding planning rule right now is to ignore all the rules, one traditional rule should hold: don't choose more than two, or three max, colors. The entire point of choosing colors is to unify everything from attire to favors. If you choose more than three, the sense of unity is about as strong as decaffeinated cup of coffee. So use everything else except the number as a rough guide and you should be well on your way to checking this first and oh so important task off of your to-do list.

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