Visit Martha Stewart Weddings Weddings Wedding Ceremony & Reception Wedding Décor & Details 45 Tried-and-True Wedding Color Schemes to Inspire Your Own By Sarah Schreiber Sarah Schreiber Sarah Schreiber has been writing, editing, and producing lifestyle and weddings content for over 7 years. In that time, she has interviewed and worked with hundreds of leading experts to become an authority on all things homekeeping, flower arranging, home design, and wedding planning. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Perry Vaile Your wedding colors are the anchor for your big-day décor. Inspired by your personal preferences and your event's seasonality and location, the wedding color palette you settle on will help drive the visual components of your day and ensure everything looks on-theme and cohesive—which is why selecting your colors should be one of the first décor-related decisions you make. After all, understanding your color vision will make floral, linen, and rental decisions significantly easier. Not all shade combinations work well together, so it's helpful to keep basic design rules in mind when curating a tasteful palette. Here's a solid rule of thumb: Choose one or two colors as main hues, then select one or two secondary colors (one of these should be a neutral, which will help blend those focal point colors together seamlessly) for support. To finish it off, choose a fun accent shade—like a metallic like gold or silver—that you'll use sparingly throughout your event. Many brides begin the planning process with at least one color in mind, but if you're stuck on how to build on this, look to other elements of your celebration to inform the rest of your palette. During which season are you getting married? Deep jewel tones work for winter celebrations, while soft greens are great for spring, and warm rusts speak to the fall. Another place to source color inspiration is your venue. Are you having a destination wedding in Santorini, Greece? Consider a blue-and-white palette. Alternatively, an oceanside wedding in southern California would be beautiful with cream, peach, and sage notes. Ahead, we've gathered an exhaustive collection of color palettes that real couples integrated into their own big days. As you plan your own wedding color scheme, look to these examples to inspire your design decisions. 01 of 45 Bohemian and Earthy Ashley Ludaescher Photography When planning your color palette, consider drawing inspiration from your natural surroundings. While these hues aren't all neutrals, they feel bohemian and earthy in a unique way. Boho-Chic Wedding Ideas for Free-Spirited Brides and Grooms 02 of 45 Vibrant Raspberry Katie Grant Photography When opting for a vibrant color like raspberry as the anchor for your color palette, it's crucial to have a few subtle hues—think soft gray or light blush—to help balance the look. 03 of 45 Touch of Gold Winsome + Wright A wedding color palette with cream and gold could just as easily fit into a summer estate wedding as it could into a regal winter ballroom affair. 04 of 45 Bold and Saturated Anna Delores Photography As they say, go big or go home! This couple paired vibrant colors with equally punchy hues for a bold and saturated palette. This is a great idea for an outdoor wedding—the natural surroundings will help tone down colors that feel too powerful. 05 of 45 Shades of Blue Corbin Gurkin Sometimes a tonal color palette, which makes use of a few shades of the same color, can bring the visual interest you're looking for without adding in too many different hues. This waterfront celebration took a cue from the ocean and incorporated three iterations of blue that harmonized seamlessly with white-and-green accents. Cool Blue Wedding Ideas You'll Love 06 of 45 Just Peachy Lacie Hansen Photographyy Summer garden party-inspired weddings don't need to be limited to pastel pink color schemes. This salmon-hued palette brought a dose of unexpected cheer to a warm-weather outdoor celebration. 07 of 45 Mauve Melissa Gayle Even though neutral colors are often used as accents, they can just as easily be your color palette's focal point. This clay-meets-taupe hue, for example, held its own in an otherwise mauve-centric palette. 08 of 45 Gray and Brown Vicki Grafton Photography A late-summer or early-fall wedding calls for rustic hues that still feel light and warm. When paired with burnt orange, brown often reads as a late-autumn color. However, by combining it with dove gray and a creamy linen hue, this couple achieved a pastoral palette that felt light and airy. 09 of 45 Pretty in Pink Christina Mcneill Inspired by bougainvillea and hibiscus, this vibrant pink-and-green palette looked perfectly at-home during an oceanside wedding in Hawaii. 10 of 45 Black and Blush The Edges Wedding Photography While blush often appears at romantic weddings, it can hold its own just as well at a bold and contemporary affair. Paired with jet black and midnight blue, blush is given new life and a whole new vibe. Don't be afraid to pair the traditional color with unlikely shades—an unconventional palette is a great way to personalize your wedding. Beautiful Black Wedding Cakes for the Nontraditional Couple 11 of 45 Mauve and Gold Cassidy Carson Photography We're calling it now—mauve is the new blush. This mauve, gold, and ecru color scheme is a creative reimagination of a very similar blush-centric palette that's graced many rustic and romantic weddings in the last few years. These soft colors would work just as well at a summer farm wedding as they would at a late-fall orchard celebration. 12 of 45 Soft Greens Sarah Ingram Couples planning a spring garden party–inspired fête, let these colors inform your big day. Layering varied hues of green brings depth to the décor, while softer neutrals will accent your venue's earthy tones beautifully. 13 of 45 Classic Prep Kate Headley Photography Calling all classic, preppy brides! A color scheme focused on pink and navy is just what your wedding needs. These vibrant and crisp colors are ideal for a ballroom or storied estate affair. 14 of 45 Muted Hues Laura Gordon Photography When playing with muted hues, selecting the right options is a delicate balance. While green is often a focal color when it crops up in wedding design, this look was actually directed by its sandy shades; the greens played a supporting role. For a wedding where shades like sand and taupe would blend in with the surrounding locale (think a Tuscan villa or a California winery), don't be afraid to look to them as leaders in the color palette. 15 of 45 Moody Black Lindsey Roman Photography When you're working with a color as visually commanding as black, be sure to pair it with accent hues that can hold their own. Plum brings personality to this palette, while gold adds needed brightness. A venue where this palette could breathe? A space with lots of natural light, like an outdoor woodsy mountain destination, would be ideal. 16 of 45 Romantic Lavender KT Merry Want to feel like absolute royalty on your wedding day? Select a color palette with the most regal color of all: purple. We love this soft iteration: Lavender was accented by sage at this garden reception, which followed an estate ceremony. 17 of 45 Vibrant Pink Peaches & Mint by Pia Clodi What's more cheerful and just plain fun than hot pink? A summer wedding will benefit from a vibrant color palette—bright shades of magenta and berry are always great options. 18 of 45 Dusty Blue D'arcy Benincosa Photography Dusty blue is having a moment—one we certainly hope doesn't end soon. This couple played to the stone accents of their venue with a rich palette of blues and browns. 19 of 45 Garden-Inspired Heather and Jake Photography Dusty rose and sky blue are a classic combination for a garden-inspired wedding. The duo would fit in just as well at a spring arboretum wedding as it would at a summer backyard celebration. 16 Things You Need to Know to Pull Off an Outdoor Wedding 20 of 45 Navy and Orange Bonnie Sen Photography Navy may be a dark hue, but it can hold its own at a bright, summertime wedding. By pairing the deep color with a punchy tangerine, this palette looked refined while still being bold and fun. 21 of 45 Natural Hues Sylvie Gil Photography Your surroundings are always a great jumping-off point for planning a color palette. Since browns and greens occur together in nature, it makes sense that they pair beautifully together in wedding décor. 22 of 45 Punchy Jewel Tones Perry Vaile Bold brides, don't shy away from pairing a bold color with an even livelier shade. Emerald, coral, and lemon yellow all held their own in this scheme—while playing nicely as a team, too. A vibrant color palette works well for an outdoor wedding where the shades have room to breathe. This same palette may be harder to pull off in an indoor venue with less natural light to soften it up. 23 of 45 Simple Romance Clary Pfeiffer Photography Getting married at a Victorian castle-inspired venue surrounded by lush gardens? Reference the stone and ivy present at your destination in your color palette. 24 of 45 Blush Redone Corbin Gurkin Blush may be a common wedding color, but that doesn't mean your color palette has to feel ordinary. Bringing in unexpected neutral accents like gray and wheat will give new life to the classic wedding hue. 25 of 45 Star-Spangled, Reimagined KT Merry Are you tying the knot over a patriotic holiday weekend like Memorial or Independence Day? There are plenty of ways to nod to the weekend's significance without a standard red, white, and blue palette. Case in point? This fresh interpretation: The pros swapped out navy blue and opted for a more youthful option (sky blue!) to make this collection feel preppy and classic. Round it out with a dose of fresh green—a must for an outdoor summer fête. 26 of 45 Bold and Colorful Sally Pinera Love color? Don't feel like you have to choose just one focal hue. While reddish-tangerine and rose were the leaders of this color scheme, bright greens and yellows added intrigue to the mix. Although each of the colors were bright, they didn't compete and resulted in a vibrant but cohesive look. 27 of 45 Wintry Purple Jose Villa If you're getting married during the winter but long for that springy garden aesthetic, consider playing with cool purple hues. Most garden-inspired color schemes feature warm pinks, but opting for a cooler color variety, like heather purple with gray accents, is the perfect winter-ready alternative. 28 of 45 Citrus Ryan Ray Photography Summer and citrus go hand-in-hand. Bright lemon yellow is the star of this palette, but blue accents help mellow out the look for a refined, classic take that still feels contemporary and fresh. 29 of 45 Bold Naturals Janine Licare Photography Nature-inspired palettes don't have to read as rustic. Take a cue from this couple and go bold and romantic with an earthy palette for your outdoor wedding. Instead of opting for more traditional chocolate brown and taupe, the couple used clay-inspired red and plum hues to accent the wood details—like the hexagonal altar structure!—present in their day. 30 of 45 Desert Hues This Modern Romance The soft sky and sandy earth inspired this subtle wedding color palette. Pro tip: While your floral details are one way to highlight your chosen colors, don't forget to work them into your décor and attire. This couple did just that with leather poufs and a dusty blue suit for the groom. 31 of 45 Berry Jamie Mercurio Photography Deep berry tones work just as well at a late-summer wedding in the mountains as they do at a fall barn event. In addition to accenting the deeper hues with neutral tones, consider adding in a pop of metallic for a truly spectacular collection of colors. 32 of 45 Soft Pink and Blue Rachel Havel Photography From the mountains of Colorado to the vineyards of Napa, a nature-inspired peach, green, and sky-blue scheme can work across multiple wedding styles. 33 of 45 Crimson Abby Jiu Photography Vivid red and soft blue were an unexpected, yet utterly romantic pairing at this pretty fête. While cool, snowy blue would look natural at a winter wedding, bright crimson is a welcome addition to a summer wedding—so feel free to apply this scheme whatever the season! 34 of 45 Mountain Mauve Maria Lamb Photography The pop of color that accents your otherwise neutral palette doesn't need to be a frequently-used shade like coral or red. This couple opted for an unexpected mauve that brought a touch of saturation to their color scheme, while still matching the earthy tones in the rest of the design. 35 of 45 Vibrant Orange Merari Photography Does anything feel more quintessentially summer than sunshine-inspired gold-and-orange hues? From a tropical resort to a botanical garden closer to home, this orange-and-green scheme is a must for warm-weather weddings. 36 of 45 Spring Greens Corbin Gurkin Say hello to spring with more than just in-season blooms. A cheery palette of greens and blues nods to the season—and would work beautifully at a southern plantation wedding or a classic chapel celebration. 45 Spring Wedding Ideas from Real Celebrations 37 of 45 Lake Blue KT Merry While this wedding color palette was dreamt up for a lakeside wedding in the Pacific Northwest, it is also befitting of a classic estate wedding or traditional ballroom event. 38 of 45 Fall-Inspired Jose Villa A late-autumn mountain wedding calls for a warm brown-centric palette. We love how this scheme featured nature-inspired tones, but was saturated and bold as opposed to muted. 39 of 45 Tropical Teal The Love Studio Settling on a collection of colors that fits your venue is key to creating a seamless wedding design. The ocean is an obvious source of inspiration for any beach wedding, but tropical teal could run the risk of feeling out of place at a mountain wedding. As you plan your palette, consider what you like—and then weigh it against what would best highlight your venue. 29 Ideas for an Elevated Beach Wedding 40 of 45 Lavender and Green Sally Pinera Color palettes are most often comprised of a couple focal colors accented by a few nuanced secondary hues. But, as with many design rules, those guidelines can be broken with the most beautiful results. Each color of this palette can stand its own ground but complements the others effortlessly. 41 of 45 Lilac Landon Jacob Photography While purple doesn't frequently make an appearance in wedding palettes, couples shouldn't shy away from the regal hue. In fact, consider embracing it full-force by layering its many shades. This will bring depth to your palette, as it did here at a garden-inspired wedding. 42 of 45 Rust Matthew Moore Photography Don't be afraid to bring traditionally fall-centric hues into other months of the year. An outdoor summer wedding will always benefit from an earthy, natural palette. 43 of 45 Emerald Michael and Carina Photography While the rust-inspired hues of fall foliage are a great starting point for autumn wedding color palettes, don't forget about evergreen shades as well. For this wedding in the Carolinas, a nod to pine trees was a must. 22 Unique Fall Wedding Color Palettes That Celebrate the Season 44 of 45 Jewel Tones Rebecca Yale Photography Jewel tones are a great way to add vibrancy to a cool winter wedding. But they can work just as well during the summer! For a modern couple getting married in a contemporary art gallery or loft space, consider chic jewel tones to play up the wedding's fashion-forward aesthetic. Jewel-Toned Wedding Centerpieces Sure to Wow Your Guests 45 of 45 Soft Green Rebecca Yale Photography Perfect for a late-autumn or early-winter wedding, cool greens and blues would look natural in a historic estate venue or a regal ballroom. Was this page helpful? 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