Keep it simple
Choosing too many colors will make your wedding seem unorganized and leave your guests wondering what look you were striving for; limit your color choices to no more than three colors so your wedding will be streamlined and elegant.

Be decisive
Take as much time as you need to choose your wedding colors, but once you’ve made a decision-stick with it.

Use colors liberally
Whichever colors you choose, be sure to repeat them throughout your wedding-in your invitations, in your wedding party attire, in your floral and centerpiece decorations, your cake, your linens … everywhere!

1. Shades
   Orange is one of my favorite colors, especially for a wedding. It’s bright hue can liven up a room and is reminiscent of youth, sun and energy. But you probably don’t want orange as your only wedding color. What I’d do is start with a shade of orange, such as pumpkin or tangerine, then add peach, peach-orange or peach-yellow. The effect is bright, energetic and classy.
2. Blending Browns
   As with the example above, stand-alone brown might not be the go-to color choice for many brides, but when done properly it can be elegant and chic. Consider choosing dark espresso and pairing it with latte or cream (I am getting thirsty, here). Set off against a backdrop of sparkling lights, candles and a hint of gold this color combination is stylishly romantic and promises to give your guests something to remember.
3. Eclectic Eggplant
   Eggplant burst onto the wedding color combination scene a few years, but trend-setting brides make adjustments with each year. The key is to choose colors that have the same undertones. This helps ensure your colors don’t clash.
4. Orange and well … anything
   It is true. Orange really is *the* IT color for 2009. For spring or summer weddings pair bright orange with aqua or turquoise to create a tropical feel. Autumn brides can use deep orange paired with cream, light gold, plum or brown, while winter brides could choose deep navy, charcoal or purple.

The bottomline is basically this … it’s okay to step away from the pastels and into the brilliant jewel colors. Color is embraced. All we suggest is that you work with your wedding planner or someone with experience to create a color scheme that is elegant and carries through with all your wedding details.

A Few Online Resources:

Color Studio by Brides (image shown here)

Exclusively Weddings – Wedding Color Themes

The Knot – Wedding Color Combos from real weddings (this site can be overwhelming, but they do have some good photo examples of colors in use.)

Or search Google for “Wedding Color Themes” and you’ll get any number of articles. You’ll just have to weed through the less helpful to find the pearl of wisdom you’re looking for.

Muse: Wedding Inspiration