Ask Abby…Spring Wedding Colors
Question 3: I’m getting married in a small church in central London at the end of April (Charles Dickens’ parents were married there!), and we’re having the reception on a boat on the Thames. My dress is ivory with a black sash, and as the upholstery on the boat is a dark pewter gray I thought a good colour scheme would be black/white/gray with accents of warm yellow and lots of sparkle. The problem is that my other half doesn’t like it! He thinks that Spring is a great time for colour – for greens, pinks and a riot of flowers… What would you suggest?? Is there another way to use gray and black that’s less funereal (his words!)?
I have a feeling I know what some of your answers are going to be, but I know that this bride would love all of the input that she can get! What do you think? Yellow as an accent color or should they go another direction?
OH, and if you’ve sent me a question in the last few months that you really want to see up here today, shoot me a reminder email and I’ll do my best to get it up!
Answer 3: I think that so many of you are right…it totally depends on the mood you are going for. In my opinion, black/gray/white combination can be utterly chic and gorgeous. Adding sparkle would be the icing on the already lovely cake. But, it’s true…if you are going to go for understated, muted colors, you have to do it right. Common Spring colors like pinks, peaches, greens are a little bit easier to pull off.
Okay, with that said, I was playing around on the GORGEOUS new Bastian + Skoog site today when I stumbled upon this image:
I thought that it just might be the perfect inspiration for this particular question…a very French, girly approach to a muted color palette. So from this image, I came up with this…
dress by Vera Wang on Brides.com, flowers by Bastian + Skoog, Bridesmaid dress by JCrew, Rosemary image by Artfool
Keeping the palette muted and bringing in feminine, wispy flowers, herbs and such would be a nice way to embrace the natural surroundings while still seeming to be light and Springy. I loooooooove the idea of adding a bold stripe into the mix, to really make things pop, either in yellow or slate. Perhaps in the napkins or favor packaging?
Bottom line…if you decide to go with the muted palette, keep things simple and clean. Then, add one big pop of pattern to liven up the look. It could be spectacular if done right. If you decide to embrace a more Spring-like palette, the world is your oyster!
J.Crew is a member of our Look Book. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.
19 Comments about “Ask Abby…Spring Wedding Colors”
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I'd say : do you really want to have a grey, black and yellow wedding ? Or was it just an idea because of the chairs ? Because, IMO, the colour of the chairs shouldn't come into account in your colour choice ! (especially as gray is really neutral, sometimes you'll have red chairs and that's more hard to match with a pink color scheme...).
If you really want these colours, perhaps the dominant one could be yellow, and the grey and black could come in touches, in a damask pattern for exemple... ;)
I'm a bit biaised 'cause my own colours will be pink and green, sorry lol.
what lovely locations! my suggestion might be to use the black/white/gray as the main colors to tie everything together in a cohesive manner (in addition to the dress and upholsetry you could use black/gray and white in the attendant's ensembles and in all of your paper goods/stationary), and then bring in the spring/colorful elements in your flowers and other smaller decor elements. Having lots of colorful flowers in a range of hues with the simple black/white/gray backdrop could be gorgeous, may appease the fiance, and still look relatively tied-together.
As a photographer I have to say that I much prefer weddings with color. While the gray/black/white theme can be elegant, I personally (and again, this is just my opinion) think it's more suited to a formal night-time reception, than a boat on-the-river type of reception. It works really well if you're going for that black and white look with lots of sparkly white lights and strong contrasts, but I think it's really hard to pull off well.
I also agree with not basing your color scheme around the color of the boat - since gray is a nice neutral color, you can really get away with just about anything and not have to worry about clashing! :)
Totally agree with Sarah that the black/white/grey would look good if you accented it in fun spring colors.
I agree that if you're only using gray because of the boat, go with whatever you want, but if you want gray, go for it!! I'm getting married in June, and using ivory and charcoal with red accents. As long as you use the right proportions, any color can suit the season. Try using gray and white as the main colors, with black and yellow accents. If you use a bold pattern with a lot of contrasts (think stripes, polka dots, or damask) with bright yellow accents, it can be a very fun look as opposed to formal. If you use a gray and white toile with butter yellow accents (flowers, wraps) and just a few black touches (piping, your sash, etc), you'll have a softer springtime look. Either way, go with the colors and patterns that make you happy, and work from there!
Here is an example of a gorgeous wedding in yellow that proves that any colour can look amazing if done in the right proportion and colour mix. I think it would be perfect with grey and black.
http://aleit.co.za/weddings/newsletter/nwsl43.htm
Hi - stop worrying about the grey it's a nice neutral colour - wish my venue had chosen to decorate so well as they've got a yellow and blue thing going on, so no pinks for me!
Anyways, as it's a spring wedding you've got gorgeous flowers to play with - especially yellow ones like daffodils and tulips. I've seen some great combinations of black, white and yellow on here, or black, white and a vibrant green colour too? Then there's the lovely blues of iris and hyacinth (not to mention the smell of the latter) which would also go really well with the black, white and yellow..? Just some thoughts.
Lucky for you gray is hot hot hot right now especially paired with delicious colors like fuschia and mimosa (color of the year) or pistachio and lavendar. Who put out the one accent rule? Get a couple that compliment each other and go wild!
Found this inspiration board that combines black/white with pink and green. You could choose to just go with one accent colour, like the pink, but it definitely doesn't look like a funeral's going on! The gown shown even has a black sash!
http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/2009/01/inspiration-board-8-damask-pink-green.html
Good luck - love to hear what you decide on!
Fabulous advice from everyone, thank you SO much! I think that I might ignore the grey as you're right, it's really a blank canvas (and besides, the seats will be covered up by people sitting on them, and the carpet by people dancing on it!) so I think we can go with a warm yellow (or actually any other colour) with accents of ivory and black. Thank you Julie and Nicole for the links - really useful and such fun to browse...
I would check this out for a wonderful combination of Grey, Black, White and Yellow -- it's stunning!!!
http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=springchic
I think that actually sounds perfect for spring. Spring is kind of a time of "rebirth". It is rainy and stormy, but it also produces beautiful flowers and the return of birds.
Here is what I thought of when I read your description:
http://bighugelabs.com/photos/2d471df6cc449a0d362a635245aaf056/mosaic3866385
I'm wondering how dark the gray is. Since gray is a tint of black, you really have nothing to worry about there. Black and white weddings are very elegant, but so over done! Throwing in one color in many shades can be a nice change, but since you have the opportunity, look at what else is out there!
Don't be afraid to experiment with color combos! If you're set on yellow, why not pair it up with a hot pink or fusia flowers? If you're open to other ideas, look at a bright blue paired with lime green for a bold look. For something softer, pale orange (or mango) with lilac could be really pretty!
Ah! You have no idea how helpful this has been for me. I have been struggling with almost the exact same thing. I am currently obsessed with charcoal and love it with everything. We're getting married in the summer, outside of this beautiful stone gothic building. Everyone has been trying to convince me that charcoal is just going to blend in with the stones and look so boring and too drab for a summer evening wedding! These are such great ideas though. I was thinking about going with a really pale buttery yellow and a little bit brighter almost french blue, but now I'm loving the idea of bright yellow and maybe some lime? Too much? I'm so indecisive....
I am quite partial to the black/white with yellow color (colour!) palatte, as that's what I used!
Despite the fact that I used this for fall (golden yellow), I think it would look beautiful for your event against the neutrals, especially if done in an array of yellow tones - butter, lemon, golden, SUNSHINE! You could even throw in some grass green to up the springtime element.
Erin,
I love the idea of the bright yellow and lime green. That was going to be my other suggestion for a "must-have" yellow.... Think lemon and lime (which would make incredible centerpieces!!)
yet again, ladies, I have to thank you ALL for wonderful advice, tips, links and thoughts. SO useful - it's getting me all goosebumpy and I can't wait to start the preparations in earnest!
That dress is sooo dreamy1. See http://www.creative-theme-wedding-ideas.com " rel="nofollow">www.creative-theme-wedding-ideas.com>
for other theme wedding ideas