Best UK Wedding Theme Planning Guide – How to Pick a Wedding Colour Scheme

From floral arrangements to table settings, wedding decor and outfits, colour schemes are the perfect way to ensure your celebration is picture-perfect. The wedding colour theme is not only meant to make your wedding look enchanting, but also bring joy, happiness, and good fortune, while suiting your personalities and wedding preferences. 

Find out what picking a wedding colour scheme implies, the dos and don’ts on wedding themes, what is trending this year or by season, and learn how to make the best decisions when planning your dream wedding! 

Wedding Theme Colours Guide 

The guide is meant to help you decide what colour scheme will best suit your needs, while also being in trend and matching the wedding season, and personality, so that you can design your wedding as you would like it to be remembered. 

What is a wedding colour palette? 

A wedding colour palette is a collection of colours that are chosen to represent your wedding – from decoration to outfits. These colours are often opposite each other on the colour wheel, which means they provide contrast and balance to one another. The colours often represent different things such as your personalities, the type of wedding you’re having, and your relationship with each other. 

What do wedding colours mean? 

A wedding is a celebration of love, so it’s important that the colours you choose best represents your synergy as a couple. Most people use their wedding day to announce their vows publicly for all to see and celebrate with them, so the colours you choose for your wedding day should reflect the tone of your ceremony while also taking into consideration the atmosphere you want to create for yourself and your guests. 

How to choose your wedding colours? 

Before you choose your colours, it is important to take time to appreciate and analyse what colour preferences you have, what would you like your wedding to look like, and what would make your guests feel comfortable. 

It’s also essential that you take into account other aspects when choosing your favourite colour scheme for your special day, like the wedding season, the venue decor, your family heritage, culture and religion. 

The best way to choose your wedding colours is by thinking about the points of view of those who will be attending, namely you and your guests. So if you’re a fan of vibrant colours, then perhaps you’ll want to opt for rich or pastel shades. On the other hand, if your guests are more traditional and prefer subtle tones such as browns, then you may want to stick with these shades for your wedding colours, or try to find the perfect mix between the two. 

What wedding colour mistakes to avoid? 

When considering the colour scheme it can be a little bit difficult, because there are many different colours that people can favour, while not all of them are suitable for a wedding theme. For instance using lots of very dark colours might make the wedding look a bit morbid, while going for all white spectrum might be too traditional for what you had in mind. 

All weddings are unique and every wedding colour scheme has its own story because it is a personal choice, but there are mistakes that brides can make when choosing their colours. Like choosing a wedding theme that is too similar to your current home decor and it doesn’t match the venue decor, or even worse, selecting a mix of colours that will clash with what you have already chosen for your venue. Another bad example would be to chose purple for a rustic wedding, or if your chosen colours are not natural shades, then you might be having trouble matching your wedding flowers and decor with them. 

So keep in mind that you want these colours to complement not only each other but with the entire space, your personal style, the wedding type you choose to have, while at the same time to look welcoming and close to you have imagined an ideal wedding should look like. 

5 Best Tips on How to Complement Your Wedding Theme Colours 

How to incorporate the colour into your venue decor? 

Incorporating the colour into your venue decor is a good way to make sure that it’s an element of the wedding theme. If you’re working with a traditional design, try using white as your background and gold or silver as accents. 

Alternatively, if you want to go for something more modern but still have some traditional elements blended in, think about incorporating shades of brown or earth-toned colours such as rustic reds and greens which are great especially for autumn weddings. 

For a beach wedding theme, you can incorporate blues and yellows into your colour scheme, while for a garden wedding theme, try blues and greens with some soft yellow accents. 

Incorporating the colour into your venue decor is a good way to make sure that everything fits in nicely and is still cohesive. 

How to match wedding favours for guests with the colour palette? 

If you want your wedding day to seem like a cohesive event, then having matching elements is important to tie everything together. Make sure you get your wedding favours in colours that complement your wedding theme. 

A lot of people are totally clueless about the correct way to go about getting their guest’s gift bags and they end up with 50 different colours. Every little detail matters and leaves an impression on your guests and how well the wedding planning was done. 

Before buying them, take a moment to consider how the wedding favours will look together with the table set up, and make sure that you are making an inspired choice! 

If you are using the traditional wedding colours of white, gold and green then consider buying favours boxes that match these colours too. This way your guests will also remember your special day better when they go home and open the favour. 

How to choose napkins and table runners to complement wedding colours? 

Paying attention to napkins or runners on tables is also good advice as these are usually complimentary colours to the main colour scheme. Both napkins and table runners are small, they come in many colours, so they can easily be matched with the decor to make the table set up look nicely. Plus, all guests are going to pay attention to these, since they are the focal point of each table. 

There are many different colours to choose from, but if you want something more traditional, try a red runner or a cream napkin with a white tablecloth. 

How to match the tie, suit or socks with the colour scheme? 

Depending on your tastes, what suits your style and personality you can even try to match the tie, suit, or socks with the colour scheme to bring the groom’s look together. 

Try white for a more traditional and formal wedding, red for weddings that are a little more daring and modern, or navy blue for weddings that have a touch of classiness with sophistication thrown in for good measure! 

Should your bouquet, accessories or shoes go with the wedding theme? 

While the colours of your wedding are not set in stone, you can definitely match the bouquet with the theme for a more cohesive look. For example, the bouquet may be a deep royal purple to match a gold theme or a cheerful yellow to accent an autumnal theme in fall colours. 

Or if it is a purple themed wedding then include deep purples like royal blue and lavender as well as dusty hues like dark plum or navy blue. 

You could also aim to match jewellery with other accessories that go along with your theme such as shoes for a complete outfit that brings all colours together. 

2022 Wedding Colour Trends 

The most popular colours this year are soft shades of neutrals, such as cream, beige, and brown.  

Tangerine is a popular hue that was seen in the past years as well, and it is still very much present now. Some other colours to consider include blues and greens.  

Couples may also want to think about using more purple-based colours since it is trending right now as well as colour schemes with different shades of browns or oranges because these two hues tend to be very common in many decorating styles. 

Most Popular Wedding Colours of All Time that Work All Year Round

The most popular colour for a wedding is white, but nowadays people are getting more creative with their choices. It’s true that most people end up choosing white because it’s a safe colour to go with. While while will never go out of trend, some studies have found that purple was the second-most favoured colour by brides. So if you’re looking for something more out of the ordinary, purple is your best bet.  

Best UK Wedding Colour Schemes by Seasons 

It is no surprise that the majority of weddings in the UK are themed. The most popular colour schemes used for wedding favours include purple, green and blue. These colours can be found across different shades, which makes it easier to find complementary colours when picking out your own perfect palette. 

Other popular themes such as flowers and animals make an appearance on a regular basis too, and while these are more courageous options, they are guaranteed to wow your guests. Plus, what you’ll also notice is that there are seasonal trends as well. Let’s check out the top three by each season! 

Spring Wedding Palette 

Spring weddings are characterised by bright colours and a carefree atmosphere which means you can use bright, vibrant hues without worrying about whether they’ll work with your wedding’s colour scheme. A spring wedding palette typically includes 

• warm colours like oranges, yellows, and reds 
• cool colours like blues, pinks, and greens 
• pastel colours like whites, creams, and lavenders 

Pink, Green and Gold Wedding Theme 

Pink, green and gold wedding themes are the perfect choice for brides who want to have a colour scheme that is both stylish and elegant. For this style of wedding, you should consider having a colour scheme that uses a combination of these three.  

When planning your wedding, you should consider how much time and investment you want to put into your theme. If you have a low budget, you should consider a pink and gold theme that includes lots of different shades of green.  

Pink goes well with weddings because it is bright, cheerful, and it symbolises love and happiness. Gold adds a touch of glamour to your wedding, while green is a neutral colour that goes well with most other colours, especially in Spring. 

Purple, Orange and Mint 

Purple is often associated with royalty and elegance, orange is a warm colour that can also be used to represent a harvest season, while mint is a fresh, Spring colour that can be used to represent the perfect wedding day. 

If you want to plan a purple wedding with orange accents, think about incorporating the harvest season into your theme. During Spring you could have a garden wedding set up with orange and purple flowers and decorations.  

The mint and purple together create a vibrant, cool tone that can be complemented by other aspects such as the bridesmaids’ dresses or centrepieces to help create the perfect wedding colour match. 

Summer Wedding Colour Schemes 

Summer is the perfect time for bright, vibrant colours. One of the most popular summer colour schemes is yellow and pink because they are energising shades that make people happy. Most popular summer wedding palettes include: 

• cool colours like blues, pinks, and greens 
• bright colours like oranges, yellows, and reds 
• pastel colours like purples, lilacs, and lavenders 

Beach Colour Tones 

Beach wedding venues themes are often bright colours with beige hues, as the sand and seaside are a lighter toned natural environment. Some of the most popular colours include soft blues, pinks, yellows and peaches to compliment white flowers for a beach-themed wedding. 

To put together a beach wedding theme, you need to incorporate different shades of summer hues. Coral pink is an easy way to get this done, but don’t forget about turquoise, cornflower blue, or other shades of sea greens and blues. 

Greens and Golds 

Green and gold are a good match because they are complementary colours, and represent harmony. The greens and golds wedding theme is one that uses a lot of green, yellow mixed with orange colours in order to show the importance of nature in your wedding.  

Green can be found in flowers, ribbons, trees, leaves, that you use to decorate your wedding reception, while the golds are represented by silver, copper, and brass, and can easily be incorporated in your table setting. 

 Autumn Wedding Colour Scheme 

Autumn is a great season for weddings, with its vibrant colours and warm colours. A lot of the leaves will be on the ground in various of beautiful shades, changing from green to brown during this time of the year, which is why it is a popular time to have a wedding since nature alone provides such a luxurious environment. The autumn wedding colour scheme includes: 

• brown 

• orange 
• red 
• yellow and gold 

Maroon and Deep Purple 

Maroon is a rich, dark red colour with shades of brown, black, while deep Purple is a shade of dark purple that is a mixture of red and blue. Maroon and purple are great choices for an Autumn wedding because they are a mix of both warm and cool colours that can be used to create a balance the colours theme for your wedding. Find the mix you like best between brown and purple and you will get to have a stunning Autumn wedding with the perfect colour combination.  

Earth Tones and Canary Yellow 

Earth tones are colours that appear in nature, while canary yellow is a light yellow colour that can sometimes be found in flowers and fruits. Earth tones and canary yellow are great wedding themes because they’re low-key and not too bold, perfect for a more laid back wedding. 

Winter Wedding Palette 

The most commonly used winter wedding colours are white, cream, and silver, but also Christmas themed weddings with a lot of red, green and gold. Winter is a great time for a wedding, because you can incorporate your Christmas decor into the ceremony and reception.  

Gold, Black and White 

While black is typically more of a colour that people think about for funerals than weddings, it does give off a very regal and stately feel. It forms a great contrast with colours such as gold and orange that look great with the sleekness of black. White comes on top to signify purity and innocence, the perfect look for a wedding. 

Rich Reds  

There are many ways to plan a red wedding theme. Some suggestions include using black or dark red flowers, including traditional foods like blood sausage and black pudding. The key to a perfect rich reds wedding is using the colour of roses, wine and cherries. All three have deep shades of red that you can use for decorations or choose as your bridesmaids dresses. 

Wedding Colour Scheme Tip

Regardless of how fancy the colours you pick are – whether it is emerald green or jewel tones, or even a traditional black and white – remember that beauty is in the details, so start by figuring out what base colours you like best and then choose their complementary colours to balance them out.  

While you are here, check out these blog entries for more wedding inspiration and tips: 

• How to pick a micro wedding venue 
• How to find ceremony only wedding venues
• How to follow British wedding traditions