by Kimberly Schimmel

Created on: January 02, 2011

Choosing your wedding color scheme need not be a trial-and-error exercise.  Simply use a tool many professional designers and artists use every day-the color wheel. The color wheel is a tool showing artists how colors relate to one another.  Primary, secondary, and tertiary colors are organized in a wheel that moves from warm to cool and back again. Complementary, analogous, and monochromatic color schemes can all be used effectively in weddings. The following color tips may also be useful to a director outfitting a choral group or other ensemble. Color examples used are from the David's Bridal fall 2010 catalog, but similar colors are available from Alfred Angelo and other bridal collections.

Complementary Color Schemes

Complementary colors are colors opposite each other on the color wheel, e.g. orange and blue, or green and red. These colors used together produce high contrast. While use of the pure colors may be popular for sports team uniforms, most bridal attire is made of more subtle tints or shades of the pure colors. Examples of complementary color combinations in popular bridal colors are:

Orange/Blue family: peach and capri; tangerine and cornflower; persimmon and marine.

Red/Green family: candy pink and pistachio; apple and holly; ruby and kelly; watermelon and jade.

Purple/Yellow family: wisteria and canary; regency and canary.

Analogous Color Schemes

Analogous colors are side by side on the color wheel and give more subtle effects than a complementary color scheme. Analogous color combinations work best if both colors are similar in intensity, e.g. both bright or both pastel. Some suggested combinations are canary and tangerine from the warm side of the color wheel or kelly and horizon from the cool colors.

Monochromatic Color Schemes

Monochromatic color combinations use tints and shades of the same color. A monochromatic scheme is the easiest way to combine colors, since all the colors are so similar. If you want each bridesmaid to have a different dress, yet still look harmonious as a group, try a monochromatic plan. Here are some examples:

Pistachio, jade, and mermaid (bluish greens)

Pool, cornflower, and horizon (true blues)

Silver, lilac, and victorian lilac (almost monochromatic)

Watermelon, guava, and pink (pinks.)

Your color scheme helps set the mood for a festive occasion. The colors of wedding attire should also look good on the special people you have chosen as attendants. Let the color wheel guide you to a coordinated wedding color scheme.

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