Choosing the color scheme for your wedding is huge, and easily one of the most important decisions you will be making, but it’s not the first decision you’ll need to make. The first thing is choosing a Long Island wedding venue. Will it be inside, or will it be outside? Will you be in a multi-purpose room, where you can decorate with the colors of your choice, or will you be in a room that already has it’s own style with it’s own set color scheme. The problem with some unique Long Island wedding venues is they can be limited with the type of decor you can choose. There are some that have much more flexibility in that regard. If you have found the wedding venue for you, and it is already set with its colors, just build on the colors that are already there. It will cause you much less stress, and you’ll be able to make the venue look as if you designed the whole thing.

Once you have chosen the best Long Island wedding venue for you, you should probably think about what season your wedding will be in. Keep in mind there are no longer strict rules to abide by, in regards to seasons and their traditional colors, as there once were years ago. There is much more freedom with today’s trends. So you can mix your own tastes with some tradition if you want to.  For example, a New England fall wedding would be elegant in burgundy, dark green, gold, burnt orange, cream, taupe, rich browns and plum.

Winter weddings can be magical with a snow white, cranberry and platinum color scheme. Throw in some hints of deep berry for accent, and you have a beautiful combination. Royal colors such as navy blue, emerald green and regal purple are other possibilities. If you choose a strong color such as one of these, you might consider adding lighter shades for a monochromatic but impressive color scheme.

By contrast, a spring wedding might be better suited for lighter colors such as turquoise, lemon yellow and mint green. Combining a light and a deep pink with green and white creates a striking palette. Tangerine, lilac, lime, yellow, hot pink and soft violet shades are other trendy colors for spring weddings.

Summer weddings look lovely in red, orange, yellow, lilac, lavender and various blues. A combination of dark purple, lavender and earthy green is stunning. Tying together silver, green and light purple is another great option. How about royal blue with light yellow and white? Black, white and yellow weddings are sophisticated, but pink, green and orange color schemes can be lovely as well.

Theme weddings and destinations weddings have grown in popularity recently. If you are choosing a location outside of Long Island, follow the color ideas of your exotic locations. This will give you a perfect looking wedding.  For example, if you will be by the beach, consider butter yellow and chocolate brown with sunset colors for accents. Island weddings are beautiful in navy blue with yellow and white floral accents. The aqua of the water, the blue of the endless sky and passionate bright red are also local favorites.

You may want to consider the wedding mood you wish to convey with your color scheme. The new trend in sophisticated celebrations is to look slightly old-fashioned. Dusty pear green with light aqua, light tangerine and gold can be breath-taking. A funky and fun wedding would require bold, saturated colors such as hot pink, Kelly green and bright orange, to which deeper jewel tones or chocolate brown can provide some balance.

When it comes to choosing your wedding colors, you really can’t go wrong. Today’s newest color trends even encourage combining those colors that wouldn’t necessarily be chosen together. As soon as you know what limitations your location imposes, feel free to experiment with your favorite colors. Use fabric swatches or paint sample cards to compare the effects of your combinations. After all, this is your wedding. Surround yourself with the colors you love.