How to Choose Your Wedding Colors

One of the biggest decisions you will make when planning your wedding is picking the color scheme. The dresses and tuxes, decorations, flowers, and sometimes even the venue depend on the colors you choose.

Follow these easy steps to make the best decision concerning the colors for your wedding:

1. Use your favorite shade. Start with a color you absolutely love, and then find accent colors that complement it well.  Choose either tonal shades or a contrasting pop of color.
2. Consider the setting. What does your venue look like? What color are the floor, walls, curtains, and other decorations? If there is already a strong color scheme, you should consider working with those colors. If you’re set on a particular color, look for a venue with a more neutral color scheme.
• Tip: Older historical buildings tend to have strong patterns that may clash with your own colors, so make sure you pay attention to those factors.
3. Prepare for multiple color schemes. Sometimes the location of the ceremony and the location of the reception have very different colors or tones. You may need to have two color schemes for decorations or two major colors with accent colors that connect the two locations.
   
4. Pick colors based on your favorite flower or bouquet. If you don’t have a favorite color, but do have a favorite flower, use the flower to decide on a color scheme. Pick the color of the bloom that you like best and then choose accent colors to match.
5. Choose colors bases on your style. Are you a vintage bride?  Vintage color schemes tend to be more muted or rustic.  Modern aesthetic?  Modern weddings infuse bright pops of colors and bold patterns.  Romantic? Choose colors that are soft and feminine.
6. Consider the season or time of year. Similar to number four, look at the colors in nature at the time of your wedding and pick a color scheme that complements what you see outside.
• Tip: You’ll have to plan in advance for this one!
• Tip: Pastels and bright colors look best during the spring and summer while variations of one particular shade are better for fall or winter weddings.
7. How many colors should you have? Up to five colors is fairly normal for weddings. However, multiple color schemes take careful planning and you need to make sure you aren’t overwhelming your wedding with too many colors. Two shades of one color and one complementary color tend to be the best option if you want multiple colors.
8. Remember the clothes. Some colors just don’t look good on anyone. When you are picking a color scheme, remember you will have to pick dresses for the wedding party in at least one of those colors.

If you want your color scheme to match your personality, consider these descriptions of colors:

• Red: passionate, loyal, impulsive, luxurious, dramatic
• Orange: spicy, zesty, fun-loving, spontaneous, boisterous, trendy
• Yellow: spiritual, cheerful, sweet, outdoorsy
• Green: wise, balanced, harmonized, affectionate, refined
• Blue: tranquil, patient, wise, balanced, lovable
• Introspective: royal or pale blue
• Extroverted: turquoise or aqua
• Purple: outgoing, tolerant, witty, charming, sweet, passionate
• Pink: compassionate, sweet, feminine, demure, romantic
• Black: elegant, classic, mysterious, dignified, sexy, sophisticated
• Rainbow: trendy, unconventional, fun, playful

If you’re having a seasonal or holiday-themed wedding, you might want to stick to theses tried and true seasonal color schemes.

• Spring: pale, not much contrast: think of the first blooms of the year
• Shades of purple, pink, or green
• Use soft palettes of watercolors and pastels
• Summer: hot or bright pops of color: think of your favorite parts of summer, such as swimming, fireworks, and popsicles
• Avoid all-over neon which can overwhelm the senses
• Use paler colors with bright accents instead
• Autumn: earthy tones: think of falling leaves, bare trees
• Persimmon, dark mossy green, deep marigold
• Neutrals with chocolate browns
• Winter: rich tones to contrast the bareness of winter: think of the holidays – Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day
• Rich shades of red, blue, or purple
• Metallics

Lastly, don't forget to check out wedding inspiration boards on our blog here or at places like Pinterest.  You can also consider using a website like Design Seeds which automatically puts together pretty palettes for ideas and inspiration.  Whatever color scheme you choose, make sure it’s one you love. Don’t just pick the colors that are forecasted to be hot or popular this year. Remember, it’s your wedding and you get to make all the decisions.

Image Credits: Hanging bridesmaids dresses, Fuchsia and orange bouquet, Tonal bridesmaids dresses, Rustic barn venue, New Year sparkle palette

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

10 Wedding Flowers that Thrive During the Winter

One of the most common words people use to describe foliage during the winter months is bare. We don’t usually think of winter as the time for beautiful blooming flowers.  When we do think of flowers that bloom during winter, however, most people tend to think of poinsettias first. If you’re anything like me, poinsettias aren't your typical wedding flower – they belong in Christmas decorations.  Listed below are flowers that are perfect for winter ceremonies, accent colors and decorations. Some of them may even surprise you!

1) Cyclamen - With their deep colors and frosted tips, cyclamens are so close to a perfect winter flower it’s scary. The blooms come in different shades of white, pink, and red and have heart-shaped leaves. These flowers look great by themselves or with small light-colored flowers as an accent.

2) Iceland Poppy - Iceland Poppy flowers come in a variety of colors and bloom on long slender stems. Shades of orange and pink, yellow, cream, and white coordinate nicely with clusters of small blooming flowers, such as ranunculus, garden spray roses, seeded eucalyptus, or baby's breath.

3) Calendula - These flowers tend to run from orange to yellow in color, including apricot and cream. The color scheme provided by these flowers looks great together, especially when trying to add a pop of color to bouquets.

4) Candytuft - Candytufts have long stems with small blooms and are pure white with evergreen leaves.  Candytuft has a soft, feminine quality and looks great with clusters of smaller flowers, such as Erica (heather).  They also create a statement when paired with larger blooms like roses, cosmos, or poppies.

5) Hellebores - These blooms are usually bell or cup-shaped and can be any color from white to green to purple, or even a combination of those colors.  Pair hellebores with seeded eucalyptus, roses, ranunculus, stock or simply use on its own for a statement bouquet.

6) Stock - This feminine flower is great as a filler or accent flower. It also works well in centerpieces because it grows wide rather than tall, which means your guests will be able to see each other over the decorations.

7) Winter Jasmine - With its vine-like appearance, winter jasmine will add whimsy to a winter bouquet.  Seen with bright yellow or white blooms, add this into your bouquet as an accent or filler flower. 

8) Kale - This unexpected vegetable will add a punch to any winter bouquet.  If choosing ornamental kale for its giant, frilly blooms, you can opt to use the flowers or decorative foliage itself. The flowers bloom in lavender, rose, and yellow. Use long-stemmed single-bloom white flowers to fill your bouquet.

9) Pinecones, Nuts, and Berries - So, these aren’t flowers, but they can still look stunning in a winter bouquet. Consider dipping the tips of pine cones in glitter to give your bouquet sparkle. Nuts and berries are a festive accent to any winter bouquet and should be considered as a must-have filler item for any of the flowers listed here.

10) Dusty Miller - While not necessarily a thriving winter bloom, dusty miller can easily be found all year round through any florist and it's striking silver color lends perfectly to the season.


Image Credits:  Winter berry bouquet, Cyclamen, Iceland Poppy, Calendula, Candytuft, Hellebores, Stock, Winter Jasmine, Kale, Pinecones, Dusty Miller

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Kick off your marriage with a sports-themed wedding

Stereo-typically, guys are the ones who love sports, but there’s no rule that says a girl has to be all dresses and lace.  Girls can love sports just as much! If you and your partner are sports fanatics, consider having a sports-themed wedding! There are many great ways to incorporate sports into your reception and plenty of ways to keep your guests entertained with this theme. You can choose almost any season, depending on which sport you pick, of course!

Color Palette

It’s easy to pick a color scheme for a sports themed wedding.  Simply pull from your favorite college or pro team! And since most teams’ colors don’t clash, you won’t have to worry about overwhelming your guests’ senses with color.  Be sure to stick to two main colors and limit your accents colors to ensure your palette is cohesive throughout your wedding.

Favors & Decor

You have tons of options here: sport-shaped cookies, baseball cards, peanuts and cracker jacks, or even hacky-sacks as a nod to college. Homemade treats like chocolate buckeyes are a great way to tie in the name of a sports team such as the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Don't forget the decorations.  Try to incorporate as many team related details as possible.  The cake, banners, streamers, tablecloths, flowers, and napkins all come together to tell a story.  For a unique twist, items like personalized cups and team pennant banners double as both decoration and guest favors.

Invitations

Start out by ensuring your guests are prepared for a sports theme: design invitations or save-the-dates to look like tickets to a sporting event or baseball cards.

Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

Make team jerseys with names like bride, groom, maid-of-honor, and best man.  Have both parties go to a game together and then split up for the after party.

The Guest Book

Instead of having your guests sign a traditional book, have them sign a football/basketball/soccer ball, jersey, or helmet. This will look great displayed on a mantel after the wedding!

Location

Consider having your wedding and/or reception in a stadium. Imagine getting married on the 50 yard line or on home plate. You won’t have to worry about decorating, the menu (most stadiums require you to use their own caterers), or having enough space for everyone. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to reserve the stadium at least a year in advance.

Reception

Have plenty of games for your guests to play – backyard football, cornhole/bags, and Frisbee are all great games your guests can enjoy.

If you’re getting married on a game day, consider having a TV in the reception hall so you can all cheer on your team. You’ll have to schedule your first dance, cutting the cake, and other traditions for the commercials, though, so make sure your DJ plans for this.

Image Credits: Redskins Jersey, Football Cups, Bachelorette Jerseys, Baseball Wedding

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.

Trick or Treat...Wedding Style Guide

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays, and it’s easy to see why. Dressing up and becoming someone else for a night in order to get free candy is a lot of fun. It’s also the only night that it is socially acceptable to pretend to be someone else.

 

If you happen to be one of those people who put Halloween decorations in their yard on the first of October, you may want to consider having your own Halloween-themed wedding.

 

The Venue
 

 

You’ll want to find a big, open room for the reception. An abandoned barn or factory building would be best. Hang lanterns, orange tulle, and fake cobwebs on the walls and from the ceiling, but choose heavy black fabrics for other things such as table cloths, curtains, and just to hang from the walls.  If the weather permits, have the ceremony in a cemetery.  Include an area for a spooky photo booth for your guests.

 

The Food
 

 

We love these Halloween inspired cake ideas.  For your cake topper, try a couple inspired by Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride.

 

Serve lots of pumpkin- and apple-flavored foods. Try to serve only red drinks, or use food coloring to dye drinks red when possible.  For the rest of your food, especially during cocktail hour, try adding a spooky twist whenever possible.

 

The Look

 

A vintage wedding dress is the best style for a Halloween bride (again, think Tim Burton). If you’re really going all out, you could tear it in a few places and get the bottom of it dirty, so it looks black – like you’ve been running away from monsters.

 

For your makeup, choose pale colors for your cheeks but dark red and black for your lips and eyes.

 

The bridesmaids should wear dark colors: navy blue, plum, or black. Choker necklaces are a great accessory for this look.

 

Have the men in the wedding party wear swallowtail coats, undertaker-style.

 

It's All in the Details

 

Don't forget all the small details that come together to create your Hallo-wedding.  The stationery, guest favors, and decorations are a few more items to consider that will help pull your look together.

For you invitations, be sure to let guests know about your spooktacular theme and whether costumes are welcomed.  For your getaway car, consider driving away in a gothic horse-drawn buggy.  A great favor for your guests is a bag of Halloween candy! Use personalized paper bags and decorate them with fake spiders and ribbon or use mini jack-o-lanterns.

Image Credits: Poison Bottles, Cemetery Wedding, Halloween cake, Halloween Masquerade Wedding, Sugar Skull Invitations

Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication.