Design Process,  Design Sources,  Understanding Colour

Understanding Colour

A coloured wedding dress?

You know a white wedding outfit from head-to-toe is not for you - shades of ivory and cream are simply not adventurous enough. They are too "normal" for a wedding and would never appear in your day-to-day wardrobe. So where to turn? Take some time to consider what colours work for you - and your bridesmaids - and why. Colour has the power to make you look healthy or ill, tall or short, fat or thin. On your wedding day you want to get it right! You may have to put aside shades and colours you are very attached to - some colors drain the skin; some are so vivid they "wear you" or give you shadows beneath the eyes. Just "liking" a colour is not adequate proof that is is appropriate for your colouring.

Warm coloring

You will be in this category if anyone has ever suggested you have "Pre-Raphaelite" looks - if you are naturally red-haired, auburn, rich brown or strawberry-blonde. You will probably have blue, hazel or green eyes with pale freckled skin, quick to redden. Brides with this coloring will look well in traditional shades of cream and pale gold, quite stunning in dark shades of teal and sea-green. Tones of a single colour can be all important: brown and pink burgundies will work - bluer ones will not. A bright pure turquoise probably will not work,a very pale or dark one will. (Think of Rossetti's "Proserpine"). Brides in this category may also consider wearing wedding gowns in all shades of olive green, mustard, gold, reds without blue tones, creams and dark toffee shades. Avoid greys and silvers. Consider autumn colors in the landscape to be your fullproof colour palette.

Mid-tone colouring

If you cannot wear pure bright colours because they wash out your complexion, or equally, pale pastel ones, you are probably in this category. Avoid vivid purples, but you will find shades of lavender and wisteria enhance your blue or green eyes. You will look stunning in these colors if, at one end of the spectrum, you have black hair and regularly wear make-up, or at the other end have a natural peaches-and cream complexion. Unlike the "warms" above, blues work well for you as do burgundies, and the hottest shades of shocking pink!

Cool coloring

A clue to being in this coloring category is that you can wear black and navy - and look well in them because they don't drain your face of colour. Your skin is most likely to be olive or extemely pale. You will look wonderful in strong purples and bluey reds and shades of silver and barely-there blue.

Colour Theory

Whether considering accent colors for your own wedding gown, or appropriate colors for the bridesmaids or your flowers, a basic colour theory wheel will give you a starting point for pure colors. It does not help with tints shades and tones. Monochromatic color - A very staightforward scheme is to keep your gown, any accents, flowers and attendants within one colour but using different tones and saturations. This is a reliably clean and elegant look. Complementary colours- Pick a color from the spectrum and look to the opposite side of the wheel for a pure contrast. Cool colours often look best against warm,e.g. Take blue opposite orange. For a small bridesmaid blue, lace, ribbons or flowers is adorable against an apricot dress. Analogous colours - Your colors are side-by-side within one "slice" of the wheel. One color usually dominates the scheme - the closer an additional colour is to the original, the more it is likely to work with the scheme.

If in doubt about color combinations, always look to Nature! A pink-burgundy-cerise tone is a stunning accent to eau-de-nil (above). Salmon and apricot shades are a gorgeous enhancement to eau-de nil: basically blue opposite orange. Few combinations are more reliable than pink and green - from pale to mid-tones: a pink wedding corset, edged or embroideredin pale green, tied with green ribbons; a collection of pale green bridesmaids decorated with pale pink or carrying pink posies... Shades of purple and blue-burgundy contrast beautifully with gold and tone with shades of lavender. Mustard-gold taffeta works beautifully with a peacock or teal blue. A slight variation with either the blue or the gold and they might not enhance each other so well (above). Dark reds with golds work because they are analogous colors on the wheel.

Design Process,  Design Sources,  Understanding Colour

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