One of the most exciting parts of planning your wedding is choosing your wedding colors! This next step in the Wedding Planning Series is both fun and important since this choice will be a big part of the other choices you make as you navigate the landscape of venues, decorations, dresses, tuxes, invitations, etc. There are so many options these days. It used to be much simpler, but now your palate is nearly limitless.

How do you choose your wedding colors? For many, it’s simply personal favorites. For others, the choice is based on an event or a shared experience that evokes a pleasant memory. Sometimes the colors honor a favorite of a deceased loved one.

What colors work together? Well, in my experience, colors pairs where one is vibrant, bold and saturated and the other is more neutral work well (such as pink and medium grey or emerald green and sepia). Other great pairings are those colors that share a color family (such as sunny yellow and pale orange). You could also choose colors that are complementary or have a split complement, but be careful here because complementaries can be gaudy.

Graphic of a color wheel with white at the center and gray around the outside.

Remember that wedding colors can be very trendy. Just look at your old cousin’s wedding from 10 years ago to see what I mean. Check out the latest fashion magazines, especially those dealing with wedding fashion and see what strikes you. You can always find something that you like, then tweak the colors to be a bit more to your personal style.

Whatever you do, don’t stress about it…have fun with it!

Dr. Stephan J. Smith is an ordained, non-denominational wedding officiant who has been marrying loving couples in Livingston, Genesee, Oakland and surrounding Michigan Counties for more than 10 years. With a calming and caring demeanor, Dr. Smith strives to make his weddings unique and beautiful. His custom ceremonies, attention to detail and the perfect balance of mood creates an environment of serenity and bliss that you’ll treasure for all time. You can contact him for questions and availability by email or phone using the “Contact Dr. Smith” tab above.

If you’re planning a wedding of epic proportions, or even if it will be smaller and less involved, starting a binder is a good way to keep track of everything. Below is a list of all the sections you could make that will put the binder to good use as you plan your big day.

Image of a green binder with "My Wedding" on the spine.

  • A section of magazine clippings or printed stuff from the internet on: Dresses you like, color combinations, flower arrangement ideas, fashion pertaining to the wedding, food selections, cake ideas, garden spots, venue photos, etc.
  • A section in which to file contracts, forms, agreements and deposit receipts.
  • A section containing your checklists, such as an invitation list, the wedding checklist that these posts are coming from (link on last post and again below), printouts with your vendor and venue research, caterer choices, flower shop lists, etc.
  • If you’d like, a section with some scrapbook pages to decorate with pictures of friends helping you, lunches and parties, bridal shower photos, etc.

Wedding Planning List

Creating a binder is a great way to keep you organized and on track and to make sure you aren’t losing important documentation or forgetting any important details. This keeps you sane and allows you to enjoy your wedding planning, not be stressed out and worried about getting it all done!

Dr. Stephan J. Smith is an ordained, non-denominational wedding officiant who has been marrying loving couples in Livingston, Genesee, Oakland and surrounding Michigan Counties for more than 10 years. With a calming and caring demeanor, Dr. Smith strives to make his weddings unique and beautiful. His custom ceremonies, attention to detail and the perfect balance of mood creates an environment of serenity and bliss that you’ll treasure for all time. You can contact him for questions and availability by email or phone using the “Contact Dr. Smith” tab above.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net