The Color Scheme

It's Your Day to Pick Your Favorites

Every detail of your wedding should reflect your favorites, from gown to shoes, flowers to food.

The color scheme you select will set the tone for the day and the events surrounding your wedding. You can also add sophistication or simplicity through the colors you select. Generally, your color scheme will often carry into the attendants' dresses, table settings, and flowers. See our choices for some wonderful color schemes for weddings.

All White and Green

In weddings, as in life, white is not white and green is not green. Each color has a wide variety of hues from which to choose. But the color combination is a winner and gives you lots of choices, from pure white to ivory to the palest of pinks. If your gown is ivory, it's best to select fabrics for napkins and tableskirts, as well as flowers, in a complimentary shade.

If you've selected a snow white dress, choose snow white flowers. Some choices for white flowers are iris, sweet pea, peonies, orchids, lilacs, camellias, daisies, and carnations. For a softer hue, look for roses, tulips, freesia, or lily of the valley. When selecting greens, you can go from a fresh lime green to the deep green of camellias or leatherleaf ferns. If you want a brighter green, look for leaves from citrus trees, fresh grasses, or green berries.

Pink and Red

With Green Use pastel or bright pink flowers and add accents of red. Or go the other way around--red flowers with accents of bright or pale pink. Add tones of lavendar or purple from hydrangea. For texture and an loose look, use berries in deep shades of red with green foliage.

Soft Blush Tones

Create an elegant statement at your wedding if you choose pale blush colors for flowers and accents. Colors can range from soft pink to soft peach and ivory. Add touches of pearl to accent. Roses are a good choice to enhance a blush color scheme, as there are a myriad of hues of soft-toned roses. Your florist can direct you to the best varieties.

Red is Always Romantic Red roses say "I Love You" and are very appropriate for weddings at any time of the year. Especially in the winter, red looks wonderful with berries and pine greenery and black or red gowns on the attendants. Red is also found in tulips, peonies, gerbera daisies, ranunculus, carnations, lilies, and camellias.

Nothing But Pink

For a very romantic and feminine celebration, pink is beautiful. Choose one shade of pink or use many shades from brights to pales. Roses come in a wide range of pinks, or try ranunculas, sweet peas, camellias, hydrangeas, foxglove, snapdragons, dahlias, and bright gerbera daisies.

Purple, Lime Green,

White For a dramatic, lively look to your day, choose colors with real punch. Purple, lime green, and bright pinks look crisp and fresh! Hydrangea, roses, lilacs, hyacinth, iris, pansies, stock, delphinium, lisianthus, lavendar, and mums grow in shades of purple. Limey greens will add brightness.

By Coral Nafie, About.com