Words of Wisdom: Selecting a Color Palate

A well thought out color scheme can really help unify a wedding from the beginning to end. Each and every detail should be a seamless part of the bigger picture. You want your save the dates and invitations to tie into your to the table linens and flowers. I've seen my share of brides get carried away in the excitement of the wedding that they rush into picking a save the date without considering the next steps. (Hey- it is a wedding after all - being excited is 100% natural!) Here's my advice: after you have selected your location and are ready to prepare your save the date, you should decide on a color palate. These colors will be incorporated into the graphic design, attire, flowers, and event décor.

Some questions to consider when picking a color scheme:

* What do the settings look like and what colors will compliment that setting?

* What are colors that you and your fiance love?

* What season are you getting married in?

* Which flowers do you love and are they in season during the time of your wedding? Choosing seasonal flowers will help reduce your floral budget since you won't have to pay for the pricey shipment. Also be sure that the flowers you love are available in the colors you love.

Check out some of the weddings on my blog: Carrie and Jeff picked orange and pink with accents of fresh green. Those colors worked great with the ballroom carpet and walls at the Four Seasons. For their save the date, we used a beautiful white cotton paper with peach accents and chocolate brown ink. The brown worked well with the peach and coral tones Carrie loves and brought a bit of elegance to the design.

For Juliet and Gregor's wedding, Juliet really wanted to incorporate a deep purple fig color. It was seamless. Fig is a dark, dressy color and works great in the wine country - echoing the colors of the surrounding vineyards. Juliet's bridesmaids donned fig colored dresses by Vera Wang. We brought in white flowers with the deep purple accents to keep it from feeling heavy. Clematis was a perfect fit: it is a loose bohemian feeling flower that Juliet loved. We worked with the fresh white walls of the event space and extended it with the white chairs, linens and white drape we added behind the band.

I'm always looking for new inspiration. Here are some color palates I am loving right now:

Gray and turquoise are a perfect match

Red looks so fresh with a vibrant violet

Navy and mustard yellow are a classic, yet modern combination