Light Color + Medium Color + Dark Color + Neutral = The Perfect Color Palette

Look at your inspiration material and select a color for each part of the formula. What colors do you see? This is a trick question because most of us would just say purple or blue, for example. Look deeper. Okay let's say it's blue–What kind of blue? French blue? Navy blue? So deep it's almost black, blue? Get specific! Even better, find a photo you can use for reference.

Start with your dark color. Dark doesn't need to be super dark, it is simply the darkest shade in your palette. For some it could be burgundy, for others, it could be terracotta. What season are you getting married in, spring…autumn? This can help you determine how dark you want to go. Typically, the later in the year, the darker the color palette - but feel free to be bold no matter the season, it’s YOUR wedding!

Next, go for your medium color. This will be your most saturated color. Think apricot or marigold.

For the light color, choose a lighter shade of either your medium or dark color. This way you can be sure it coordinates with both.

The hard work is done! Now all that's left is the neutral color–and it's neutral, which means it goes with just about anything, so you can't go wrong. If you're blanking on neutrals, fear not, here are some tried and true faves: black, white, beige, champagne, nude, gray, gold, silver–really any metallic.

5. Check Your Work

You're almost there, I promise! Because this is one of the most important days of your life, I think a little fact-checking is in order. Look at your color palette, do you like it? Great! Is there a color that you feel would be flattering on your wedding party, including the neutral? Perfect! One more test, plug your color palette into the search bar of your choice–We prefer Pinterest, but Google works too. So…what do you think? Can you picture it? Amazing!

Remember when applying your palette to your wedding, use it thoughtfully, or defer to your vendors' advice. The bolder, medium, colors should be used sparingly with the majority being your neutral and light or dark (depending on the season).

Congrats, now you can confidently supply all of your vendors with your color palette and start picturing your dream wedding!