If you gravitate toward green, you’re analytical and conceptual, but also inventive and logical. Brides with spring-laden features such as strawberry blonde hair and golden skin undertones lean fresh: blush, blue and lilac. Sure, you can go with crimson if you feel like it, but it’s a bit gauche in August. February is a different story, however. You can also chase trends like rusty autumn or coastal fresh, but color should speak to you.
It’s all so confusing.
A bridal consultant, designer and color specialist hash it out. No color wheel on hand? No problem. Before you dive in, know this: color is among the first wedding decisions you’ll make, following who, where and when.
“Definitely in summer, we see more blues, pinks and sage-greens,” says Lori Schiano, who heads bridal consultations and in-house, on-site services for Jenniffer & Co. Salon and Spa in Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake.
“Most brides choose their colors based on the season,” she says, leveling the forecast with a reality: Many like what they like.
(Courtesy Jake Swan)
How do you find your color season? It’s personal. House of Colour has consultants across the country and locally in Rocky River. They advise a color consultation to discover whether you are a spring, summer, fall or winter.
Curious?
Here’s a study guide. First, there are three elements: hue (warm, neutral or cool); value and contrast (light, medium or dark); and chroma (muted, medium or bright). These elements all work together, but what do they really mean?
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Spring is fresh, warm and clear, according to House of Colour. Summer is soft, cool and calm. Fall is soft, yet rich and warm. Winter is bold, cool and crisp. What does that really mean?
Let’s go back to the old color wheel we learned about in elementary school.
Spring's hues range from peach, ecru, coral and marigold. Soft in the summer is blush, sky blue and lilac. Fall embraces natural tones like pine, caramel and mustard. Winter is equivalent to high-contrast colors like indigo, raspberry and emerald.
(Courtesy Drzaga Photography)
Color yourself happy. “Sometimes, brides focus too much on what’s trending, but what’s most important is what makes you happy, because your wedding pictures will last forever,” says Jillian Bujnak, owner of L’Unico Bridal in Richfield, who was a commercial interior designer before opening her boutique.
“Color says a lot about your personality,” she says. “If you prefer more subtle colors, you tend to be more reserved, and your jewel-tones are embraced by those who want the wedding colors to be bold, and maybe a little more wild.”
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Bridal white looks bluish in modern LED lighting, so, “Ivory is the new white,” Bujnak says of gowns. “We are also seeing more champagne and blush colors, along with a darker latte underlay.”
With wedding photography as an event focus, certain colors shine while others bomb. Hue, value, contrast and chroma come back into play. As seasons go, it all depends on the time of the year (and hour of your photo shoot). Talk to your photographer about time-of-day shoots and considerations for gowns in daylight, sunset, candlelight and LED situations.
(Courtesy LMAC Photography)
With color and dresses, align color and texture. Soft pink velvet — probably not. But crimson velvet? Absolutely in the winter. Lace and overlays correspond with color based on season, as in the latte underlay in fall and floral iterations in spring and summer.
“Color says a lot about your personality,” Schiano says, reminding couples to plan a day that feels like them. “Anything is on the table right now.”
Read More on Cleveland Weddings: Tips, Tricks and Traditions to Create
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