How van Gogh Can Help with Wedding Colors

Color is celebrated in modern weddings. The colors you choose will be the beautiful thread that will weave your wedding together ~ from your attire to your decorations and embellishments and through your wedding stationery.

But where do you start? How about letting van Gogh or Frieda Kahlo, Georgia O'Keefe or Monet... be your initial guide. The ultimate painter of color... I chose Starry Night by van Gogh to illustrate my point (which I'll make soon, I promise). If you don't have a favorite artist, simply take a walk with your digital camera and take photographs of images of colors that inspire you... a field of flowers a garden theme, sand and seashells a beach theme, the inside of a funky boutique or antique store for a retro or vintage theme ... You get the idea.

Then, upload your photo into a color palette generator like this one. When I uploaded Starry Night, it generated this palette~ an excellent place to begin. Using a color wheel might also be helpful in determining color relationships to making your palette pop: complementary colors (opposite on the color wheel) Harmonizing colors (colors next to each other). Neutral tones give you a backdrop to work with. Monochromatic colors are different shades of the same color.

But, there's more, of course. Take your time and reflect on the season and time of day you're getting married. How are your venues decorated? What kind of light is available? What is the mood you want to evoke? Take into consideration the skin tones of your wedding party and take them with you when choosing their attire. Keep your primary colors to around three; there is confusion when a palette becomes unmanageable with too many colors. That said, have a blast putting it all together...