Seasonal Themes & Color Trends; How to Make Them Work for You

As spring unfurls all new green and sunshine gold, I’m transfixed with the possibilities for color; color in layers, color in textures, color in varying shades & tones, color expressed through themes and seasons. While the opportunities for color are absorbing, they can also be endlessly confusing. So, where to begin?

1) Start simple. One way to do so is to think seasonally. For instance, the hot-hot trend for spring and summer is bright! Start with a bright that appeals to you. Are you a racy candy-apple red kind of woman, or does daisy-button yellow light up your world? Maybe, Mediterranean blue sweeps you away. Choose one color statement, then accent with neutral white and a single complimentary pastel.

Examples of this strategy: white & yellow w/ periwinkle, white & candy-red with chartreuse, white & bright blue w/ light coral, white & violet w/ butter-cream).

Note: Another simple, fail proof way to implement brights is color-on-color, aka, monochrome (which is a term that sounds so boring, I rarely use the ho-hum word for such a brilliant idea. Blah.). Start with your bright. Then add a tint* of the same color two degrees lighter, and another tint two more steps down. Getting a graduated paint chip sample is a great way to establish a visual of this idea.

2) Add texture. A color-on-color scheme can become more dramatic with texture incorporated. For a beach wedding in neutrals (like khaki) & pastels, the interest in injected with the addition of reed & bamboo centerpieces, woven grass mats, soft lighting and the reflective surfaces of copper lanterns and a shell & beach glass aisle runner.

3) Choose a theme. Though the theme is not mandatory (I recently worked with a bride who was in a minor panic because she didn’t have one. “Is this a requirement?” she asked me, obviously perplexed.), it often helps clarify a cloudy vision. Carefully pick and choose what elements from your inspiration you’d like to incorporate. For instance, an Autumn Harvest wedding is going to naturally lead you to warm, welcoming color choices. Pick a few seasonal elements (pale-yellow crookneck squash, creamy colored wicker baskets, shady+-crimson chrysanthemums, rust-tone maple leaves), and STOP. The challenge with a theme is to walk the fine line between too-little-to-notice, and so-much-excess that your wedding becomes an amusement park attraction. Because of this balancing act the theme wedding is one very good reason to look for a Planner.

4) Lastly… have fun with it! My last, most important piece of advice is that this is your wedding! Don’t give up your favorite shade of fresh lime green because your third bride’s maid prefers cocoa-latte satin. Yes, you should be guest conscious, within the bounds of reason. But if you try to please everyone all the time, you won’t be pleased yourself, Be true your dream. Your wedding day is the last day you ever want to have “what-if?” regrets.

*tint: color w/ white added
+shade: color w/ black added