Image by Sophie Berard. See more of this real wedding here.

Before you start buying décor or even selecting your bridesmaid dresses, you’ve got to think about one of the most important aspects of wedding planning–choosing your wedding colors! Wedding color palettes are much more fluid than they used to be, including a wider range of hues added more subtly throughout the design of your day.

Despite the trends of mixing and matching different colors in decor and wedding party attire, choosing your wedding palette can be a bit of a challenge. That’s why we’re sharing six tips to make choosing your wedding colors a fun and easy process so you can tackle the rest of your wedding planning.

Color Palette Wedding Planning Tips

Image by Kylie Farmer

1. Peek Into Your Closet

One of the quickest ways to see what colors you’re drawn to is to look at the colors you wear. A peek into your closet is a great way not only to see what colors you’re comfortable in but also what colors compliment your style and personality. Pick out a few of your favorite items of clothing based on what you feel best in as inspiration for your wedding colors.

Image by Dawn Photo

2. Observe Your Home Décor

Designing your wedding is a lot like designing your home. The colors and pieces you’ve filled your home with likely bring you joy, which is a solid basis for your wedding décor. Take photos of your favorite corners of your home to include on your wedding mood board when choosing wedding colors, as well as details for your big day. Beyond your own home, consult your interior design Pinterest board, favorite home decor Instagram accounts, or your favorite retailers for even more inspiration.

Image by Peyton Rainey Photography. See more of this real wedding here.

3. Check Out The Seasonal Blooms

Floral design has a huge influence on the overall look of your wedding. The flowers you use in your ceremony, reception, and bouquets will most likely depend on the season in which you’re marrying, which helps to narrow down your color choices.

If you’re saying “I do” in spring, your palette is likely to reflect spring blooms in fresh, light, or pastel colors. Whereas if you’re getting hitched in the fall, your palette will presumably include richer tones like burgundy, navy, emerald, and mustard. While your entire palette doesn’t have to be strictly seasonal, using one or two accent hues brings a sense of the season into your wedding.

However, if there is one piece of advice that we can give you, it’s that you can tie other colors that may not be considered “in-season” into your wedding if you want. There is no rule book. If you want hues of blush for your winter affair, go for it. The same goes for jewel tones in the heart of the summer.

Image by Jami Laree Photography. See more of this real wedding here.

4. Explore Your Venue

Whether in architecture, landscape, or existing design, your venue may dictate your color palette to some degree. During your venue tour, be sure to snap some photos of the space to help you remember which colors you’re complimenting. You picked your venue for a reason, so allow some of the magic in your space to influence your color choices.

Suppose you fall in love with a venue that doesn’t match the color palette you had in mind, switch up the hues rather than scratch your dream colors completely. The last thing you want to do is sacrifice your ideal color palette or spend hundreds trying to cover up the fact that the colors don’t match the venue.

Lastly, opting for a venue that is a blank slate–such as an industrial warehouse, garden, or tent–also gives you the freedom to add any decor that you like that will help carry out your vision.

Image by Liz Osban. See more of this real wedding here.

5. Consider Your Theme

As you begin to plan your wedding, envision the vibe of the day. Is your venue heavily rustic, industrial, or botanical? Are you inspired by bohemian, romantic, or edgy wedding fashions? Make a list of words that describe the look you want to achieve for your wedding, followed by the colors you associate with each word. If you’re having trouble coming up with colors, do a quick Pinterest search for the words on your list and see which colors stand out.

Image by Let’s Frolic Together. See more of this real wedding here.

6. Spend Some Time With A Color Wheel

Once you’ve chosen one or two colors you definitely want to include in your wedding design, it’s time to check out the color wheel. This is the best way to see which colors complement each other verses which combos you want to avoid. Typically the rule of thumb is to pair opposite colors together–aka warm and cool—for example, coral and turquoise. You can also pair colors that are neighbors on the color wheel (i.e., green and yellow). Pantone–the king of all colors–is a great resource to consult during this process.

If you need some visual inspiration for your fall wedding, check out these five stylish fall wedding color palettes. We’ve also rounded up our favorite island-inspired color palettes for the summer wedding for your dreams!

Image by Salt Atelier. See more of this real wedding here.