Wedding Colour Choices

Transcription

1 Wedding Colour Choices Made Easy By Angela Fiebelkorn

2 Wedding Colour Choices Made Easy By Angela Fiebelkorn This.pdf edition published on Republished on Republished on Republished on A portion of this work was first published in 2008 on Copyright Angela Fiebelkorn, The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Use of this document on a non-commercial, no-charge basis is allowed on internet blogs as long as full credit is given to the author with a link to All other uses must be approved in writing by Angela Fiebelkorn, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Please contact by at customerservice@theweddingexpert.ca Angela Fiebelkorn 2

3 Wedding Colour Choices Made Easy Choosing your wedding colours can be a daunting task. Will the bridesmaids look good in that colour? What decorations can I find to match the colour scheme? Will the reception site have matching napkins, table runners or table skirting? These are all factors in deciding your wedding colours, but mostly, will it be something you will love on your wedding day? Using a colour wheel will help you decide what colours go together, and may give you ideas for wedding colours that you had not yet thought of. In this colour wheel, you will see there are a variety of shades to each colour. In truth, there can be many colour wheels wheels with pastel colours, wheels with bright colours, wheels with muted grey undertones---the possibilities are endless. In addition to the colour wheel, there are also the neutral colours of white, black and brown---in all their shades. Neutral colours go with any other colour choice, and give the eye a rest from constant colour. The more neutral the colour, the more soothing a colour scheme is. Tonal Colour Scheme A tonal colour scheme means that you are using the same colour in different tones or shades. This is sometimes referred to as a monochromatic colour scheme. One elegant example of a neutral tonal colour scheme for weddings is using white tones this includes the brightest white to the creamiest ivory. Your choice of wedding colours will set the tone for the style of wedding you will be creating. The secret to creating an elegant tonal colour scheme is the use of texture. Texture can be described as the actual surface of a design or pattern, or how the pattern or design contributes to the visual appearance of the overall look. A heavy checked weave in a simple white tablecloth, for example, would give added texture to the decor. Many 2009 Angela Fiebelkorn 3

4 reception venues use damask tablecloths because of the subtle texture in the design. When decorating a room, the use of tulle or sinamay mesh in your chosen colour will add another layer of texture in a cost effective way. Look for ways to create texture by using patterns, shapes and lines in your chosen materials cloth, paper, flowers, etc. The fluffy texture of large white peonies, next to the simple grace of white calla lilies is another way to create texture in your flower arrangements. Layering visual patterns in the same or similar colour tones is the secret to creating a rich and elegant look using a tonal colour scheme. Another way to use tonal colours, is to use various shades of the same colour in a variety of textures. This is very beautiful, and easy to incorporate into a wedding. Bridesmaids can have various shades of colour for their dresses, for example. If you are using a tonal colour scheme, and the reception room does not have a perfect match to your wedding colour, as long as it is in the same colour family, it will work. Harmonious Colour Scheme Harmonious colours are those colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel. Usually two or three colours are chosen that are next to each other on the wheel, and this creates a harmonious look to your wedding decor. If you wanted a two-colour combination, blues and purples would work wonderfully. If you wanted a three-colour combination, you could use blue, green and purple. Another variation would be various shades of blue and purple, with accents of green. The use of yellow, orange, and red are often seen in a fall wedding theme. It is important to note that a harmonious colour scheme will work with any neutral, and also work if you had some tonal shades included. The possibilities are quite endless, and it really depends upon your personal sense of style. Some other examples of the harmonious colour scheme are: purple-red-orange, or yellow-green-blue. It is not necessary to use all three colours. Two harmonious colours work just as well as three harmonious colours Angela Fiebelkorn 4

5 When creating a harmonious wedding colour scheme, it is important to keep the colour tones the same. For example, if you are using soft colours, keep them all soft. If you are using bold colours, keep them all bold. Although you can go with various shades of one or two colours, you want to keep the overall tone within a small range of colour. A pale pastel yellow next to bright orange would not work as well as matching bold yellow and bold orange as show in this bouquet of orange roses and yellow calla lilies. Always remember that your harmonious colours can be paired with any of the neutral colours. Harmonious colours work gently together to give you an overall beauty to your wedding decor whether you choose a bold colour tone, or a soft colour tone. A Complementary Colour Scheme A complementary colour scheme is two colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. Purple-yellow, redgreen, or blue-orange are some examples. If you wanted more than two colours, you could add harmonious or tonal colours to your complementary colour scheme. For example, a purple and yellow colour scheme might incorporate a harmonious colour like orange or mauve. If you imagine these colours together, you will see how much it changes the overall feel of your colour scheme. You could also take our example of purple and yellow, and add shades of purple and shades of yellow to create greater depth in your décor. Using tonal shades are a great way to incorporate table napkins, table skirting and other accessories that your reception hall might have that don t exactly match your colours. Tonal shades add dimension to an otherwise complementary colour scheme Angela Fiebelkorn 5

6 An alternative to adding harmonious or tonal colours would be using neutral colours like white, black or brown. There are so many shades of white, black (pale grey to jet black), and brown (palest beige to dark brown), that you can incorporate those colours into any colour scheme. As spoken of before, you will still want to keep the colour tones or shades at the same strength of colour. For example, if you are using blue and orange, either use a soft blue and a soft orange colour, or a combination of bold blues and oranges. This bouquet has colours in the same tonal family. Choosing complementary colours is a great way to add a splash of colour to your wedding theme, and a great way to express your personality and personal style. A Triadic Colour Scheme A triadic colour scheme means using three colours that are the same distance apart on the colour wheel. For example, let s take yellow as our starting colour. Going clockwise around the wheel, there is (1) lime green, (2) green, (3) light blue, and then (4) blue. Going counterclockwise from yellow is (1) yellowyorange, (2) peach, (3) orange and (4) red. Yellow, blue and red are a perfect example of a triadic colour scheme, with each colour being 4 steps away from each other. The triadic colour scheme is quite bold, and can tire the eye if used too often. The secret to using bold colours like in the triadic colour scheme is to balance it with a strong use of neutrals. The more prevalent the use of bold colour the more vibrant the feeling you are creating in the room you are decorating. If you want a more relaxing atmosphere, you can do it without sacrificing your bold colours by using neutrals in a tonal way with splashes of your triadic colours Angela Fiebelkorn 6

7 Triadic colours do not need to be all bold tones---they can also be in softer shades. A soft blue, pale yellow and a soft red can make a soothing colour scheme. The Neutrals Neutrals comes in three colours white, brown, and black. These colours are called neutral because they go with any other colour choices. White comes in many shades from starkest white to creamy ivories. Browns come in palest beiges (almost whites) to dark brown. Black comes in the palest grey colours to jet-black. Neutrals look great together, and can be combined in many ways. Adding a splash of colour to one, or more neutrals is also a great option. Neutrals are a great way to tone down a bright or busy colour scheme, or they can stand alone in a great tonal colour scheme. Colour Wheels There are many colour wheels based on various shades or colour tones. Some colour wheels are muted with a grey undertone to all the colours. Other colour wheels have bright, bold colours. Still other colours wheels are all pastel. I suggest you Google images for colour wheels to see how many different ones you can find. The principles in this document will help you get started in planning your wedding colours and combining them in a way that makes sense. When looking for ideas for your wedding colours, watch advertisements, look at magazines, view paintings, and watch nature. What colours do you see around you that you love? What combinations make you feel better---bright and bold, or tonal neutrals? Once you have paid attention to colour for a week or two, you will feel confident about making your colour choice. Applying these colour schemes to your favourite colour(s) will make your wedding colour choice decision much easier. Your wedding is one special day in your life. Enjoy the memories you are creating. Look below to test your knowledge Angela Fiebelkorn 7

8 QUESTIONS: What neutral colours do you see? What complementary (opposite on the wheel) colours do you see? What harmonious (next to each other on the wheel) colours do you see? ANSWERS: What neutral colours do you see? Black suit, White dress, grey sidewalk and branches What complementary (opposite on the wheel) colours do you see? Red flower, greenery What harmonious (next to each other on the wheel) colours do you see? Green and yellow leaves, red and reddish-orange flowers 2009 Angela Fiebelkorn 8

9 QUESTIONS: What neutral colours do you see? What complementary (opposite on the wheel) colours do you see? What harmonious (next to each other on the wheel) colours do you see? ANSWERS: What neutral colours do you see? White tablecloths, white curtains, white flowers, black in background. What complementary (opposite on the wheel) colours do you see? Green in the background and pink in the foreground are almost complementary (red would be complementary with green), but still a nice complement. What harmonious (next to each other on the wheel) colours do you see? Pink & mauve on the table settings, and the chair covers. What tonal (shades of the same colour) do you see? Purple flowers in the arrangements to go with the mauve. Red flower vase to go with the pink. Notice the texture of the two pink table runners compared to the sheer pink on the chairs. Nice use of texture when using the same colour tones Angela Fiebelkorn 9

10 QUESTIONS: What neutral colours do you see? What complementary (opposite on the wheel) colours do you see? What harmonious (next to each other on the wheel) colours do you see? What tonal (shades of the same colour) do you see? What triadic colours do you see? ANSWERS: What neutral colours do you see? White tablecloths wheel) colours do you see? None What complementary (opposite on the What harmonious (next to each other on the wheel) colours do you see? Orange and pink table decorations, and red napkins. These colours are harmonious, being next to each other on the colour wheel. This makes a bold, playful statement that works in a harmonious way. What tonal (shades of the same colour) do you see? The pink in both the flower and the table decoration are close, but not an exact colour match, making them tonal. What triadic colours do you see? If a third colour like purple or yellow would be used with the pink and orange, it would be triadic (one space over from each other on the colour wheel. Notice how the colour tones (shade) have the same strength. Analyse the pictures you see in bridal magazines, and home decorating catalogues. You will be surprised at how you will recognize the various colour schemes in action, and you will be confident in your colour choices. ENJOY! Angela Fiebelkorn, Angela Fiebelkorn 10