Understanding color and making a plan for your big day!

Do you see what I see? 

Take 2 minutes and look at the sunset image above and jot down all the colors you see. What colors catch your eye?  How does the photo make you feel? Be as specific as you can.

Color Schemes defined

Although they are used for many applications, color schemes in planning a wedding are an important choice.  Color schemes make a statement, sometimes in a subtle way, sometimes quite loudly, that make the visual elements work together.  A good color scheme makes a cohesive flow so every detail looks like it is connected.

Tips on how to build a color scheme

As couples talk with me about the flowers, a whole range of opinions (including no opinion) comes up. I take some time to explain color, as my everyday work language is not always understood. Just as when you visit a physician, he or she may use medical words, I use words like ombre, that sometimes need to be explained.

Here are a few tips on choosing color schemes.

• Think about the colors you surround yourself with every day. A good color scheme builds on who you are and what you wear.
• What inspires you? The simplest meaningful objects, like a scarf or a pair of earrings your grandmother gave you, can inspire the prettiest wedding colors.
• Avoid obvious connotations in combining colors, such as red and green. We are working on a wedding now that uses red and yellow, and being careful to execute the couple’s vision without looking like ketchup and mustard, or McDonald’s.
• Look for balance in your color scheme. Often this means adding some neutral hues. Colors should be complimentary but not distracting.
• Look at your venue. Listen to the color cues the venue is giving you. Don’t fight the room.
• Think of your overall wedding style to guide you. A classic wedding might have a lot of blush and antique gold, while a whimsical wedding might have hot pink and lime green.
• Don’t try to match the flowers to the clothes. Flowers will shine when there is some contrast.
• Remember color schemes can be expanded. Magenta can be lightened to lilac, and to palest berry whites.
• Have fun! Remember this is a creative artistic guideline, it is not meant to stress people out as if they were trying to follow the federal tax code.

This stuff is getting real! My turn!

As fate would have it, I am getting married next July! When we broke the news and later shared our color scheme (the sunset above) with my daughter (an autism psychologist) and future mother in law (a retired travel agent), they both were happy and interested, yet they had questions and needed to talk more about how exactly they fit into this wedding and the color scheme. Hence my last point above. A wedding color scheme is intentional, and in our case, we look forward to letting everyone in the family find their own shade of meaning. Both my daughter and my future MIL were pleasantly surprised that I was not going to TELL them what color to wear. This is certainly not always the case, it is our choice. Our wedding will represent us and our beautiful blended family.

So I asked you to look at the picture of the sunset. How did you do? I can see: porcelain grey, peach, palest blue, navy, graphite, magenta, smoky violet, gold, teal, salmon, mauve, butter yellow, apricot, dusk, and more. Explore color and choose a scheme that speaks to you and your own special time and place. And at BMW, I can help you fine tune a color palette, and probably offer 5 ways to color style the flowers. I have my favorites, but the decision is yours.  Let’s get started!

– Kirsten Gordon