Have you ever wondered what you need to know about colour combination for weddings? Not to worry, we’ve put together all the information you need to make the process easier.
The process of choosing and combining wedding colours is one thing but picking wedding colours for a Nigerian Wedding is a whole different thing. Brides find it to be the hardest aspect of wedding planning.
Before we get to the basics of colour combination for weddings, we need to discuss the color schemes that Nigerian brides have to think of for not one but two weddings; traditional and white:
Traditional Wedding Bride and Groom clothes:
These colours will be used by only you and your husband, in that they will be different from other colours used by your wedding guests and for the decor. For the sake of standing out from other traditional attires, the couple should have different wedding colours. Although the colors may not work with the rest of the wedding.
Traditional Wedding Guest (family and friends) clothes:
Before, the groom and bride’s family picked different colours and fabrics (lace, 'aso oke, george', etc). In the Yoruba culture, some families choose gender specific colours. But things have changed drastically. Some families choose the same colour and fabric for just the headgear. Also, weddings these days are adopting a more uniform look, with both families wearing the same colour and fabric.
Traditional Wedding Decor and Engagement Gifts:
This palette will be same as that from family and friends. The decor and engagement gifts packaging will have the same colour scheme as the family’s ‘aso ebi’.
White Wedding Colours:
White weddings are a bit more direct. Usually, there’s an overall colour scheme for the entire wedding. These colours are used for all, from the bridesmaids dresses and decor, to the cake and wedding guest traditional attire. Some families still opt for separate colours for both families.
The next step is the color choice. You cannot begin to imagine the amount of wedding colour options available to brides, and how they can be combined creatively, so it is little wonder brides find the process of colour selection and coordination quite tedious.
The colour combination for your wedding should dictate the vibe and mood for your big day. They will also allow you to express your individuality and creative side. Here are some questions to consider during the process:
Does your wedding have a theme?
If you know the theme you want, then this makes it mildly easier. A theme like winter wonderland wedding will feature lots of white and softer colours like sky blue, while an old Hollywood wedding will have some black in its palette, and a royal wedding isn’t complete without gold. A themed wedding has colours that are usually linked to it, so all you have to do is figure out how to fix these colours into the different wedding elements.
Do you have any personal preferences?
For instance, if you always had a favourite colour, your wedding is the best time to explore it. If it’s not a usual wedding colour like black, then you can choose a different main colour and use your favourite as the accent colour.
Are you inspired by other weddings?
Do you remember any colour schemes you fell in love with at another wedding? Or did you see any colours that didn't do it for you? You could go through some real weddings for inspiration.
What does your wedding venue look like?
The set look of some venues is often overlooked. Most venues bare neutral colors. but you find the occasional red carpet, green hotel chairs, yellow curtains and blue walls, which will deeply affect how much you can play with other colours.
Finally, before you start to combine sea-foam green with magenta, you need to get the basics of colour selection. Understanding the relationship between colours will give you the information required to make a harmonious wedding colour scheme.
The first thing to do in the colour scheme creation process is choosing a base colour. This colour also known as the primary colour or main colour, which will be the most prominent wedding colour on your day. After that, you choose one or more accent colours. The accent colour is used in smaller quantities than the base colour.
So how can you make sure that the main colour and accent colour combination marry well? Any carefully thought out combination should fall under one of the three categories below:
Monochromatic wedding colour scheme:
This is the easiest colour scheme to obtain. The colour combination for weddings will have various shades and tints of one colour. For example, sky blue, navy blue and royal blue.
Complimentary wedding colour scheme:
This scheme comprises of colours which stand opposite each other on the colour wheel. Red and green (forest green and burgundy to be more precise) are considered complementary. When used together, complementary colours produce great aesthetic.
Analogous wedding colour scheme:
Consists of colours that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel – green and yellow, purple and blue. The combinations has a more subtle look than a complementary colour scheme.
You won’t find many colour combinations in one of the categories above, but using to one of the three conventions above will ease your selection and combination process.
Also, don’t limit yourself to plain solid block colours. Instead, think of various textures and patterns, and let your imagination run free. The possibilities are endless!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
