Create Your Wedding Color Palette

Color is the unifying feature for most of your wedding details. So it's no surprise that choosing the right color scheme for your wedding may seem overwhelming. The key to creating a stylish and successful color palette is understanding the relationship between colors. Find a starting place (your favorite hue, your forest green setting), then work from there. Here's how.

1. Set your eyes on your site. When deciding on a palette, play up the prominent colors of your site or setting. For instance, if you planned a wedding by the sea, the natural choice is blue. And, if you're marrying at a country club with navy and maroon oriental carpets, lime green and hot pink details won't work.

2. Get inspired by the season. Let Mother Nature be your guide -- they say she never makes a mistake. Pink may work year-round, but light pastels and barely there hues like buff can look washed out in the fall and winter months. In the summer, reserve dark colors like burgundy only for accents.

3. Become aware of color combinations that you like, whether browsing art galleries or flipping through a stack of home or fashion or interior design magazines for the must-have colors for the upcoming season.