The Wedding Expert Corner-An Eye For Color
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
Those of us who work with color and design are said to have “an eye for color”. This means we can not only see what works and doesn’t work but we can also visualize colors in our head. If you say light pink and green, my mind filters through the hues of greens until it comes up with the best match for light pink. But what if you are a harried bride just trying to choose not only a great color scheme for her wedding, but also her favorite colors? Well to start with, keep it simple.
1. Throw out the “shoulds” and decide what your favorite colors really are. If hot pink and hot orange seems to risky for your particular theme (although it might be great for some weddings) then tone down one of the colors. Hot pink can work with muted orange. Hot orange can work as an accent color for muted or varied shades of pink.
2. Visit the paint department. Is there anything better than a “free” sample? Pick up some of those little color cards. Not only are the colors grouped by color families but you can compare different groups side-by-side to see which looks the best.
3. Visit the fabric department. Compare fabric colors t0 the color of your dress or group a few bundles together to see what looks great.
4. Think outside the box. If someone suggested burgundy and fire engine red you might think they were joking, but check out the wedding cake above from Pinkcakebox.com. The two distinctly different colors are tied together by the addition of a creme/gold color which also provides a toned-down affect.
4. White comes in many shades. White, Ivory, Champagne can be mixed and matched for a dramatic result. Many brides cling to white but the starkness of the color does not match all skin tones or color schemes. Below our own cascade of roses mixes white and ivory roses for a more natural and softer look. The red rose center would be too contrasting against stark white but works to perfection with the combination. Below, a dress by Maggie Sottero combines shades of champagne and gold. A similar look can be achieved with a mix of ivory and white or ivory and champagne.
5. Don’t vary the colors, vary the shade. It really isn’t necessary to have a combination of many colors to achieve a multi-colored affect. By varying shades of one or two colors a similar look can be achieved with less thought and work. Below a cake by Pink Cake Box uses very few colors in a simple design, however, the different hues of the daisies work together to make the cake stand out.
