Where to Begin: Choosing your Colors

This, for us, was a surprisingly easy decision. I've always loved the color blue -- especially cobalt blue, pool blue, and the aqua blue you see in photos of Tahiti and Bora Bora. Quite lovely. The other color that I was drawn to is chocolate brown. I've seen a lot of pairings of these two colors and they work out very nicely.

When I was chatting with my fiance about colors, I figured he wouldn't be very interested. But actually, he had immediate input. We were driving back from a venue tour and saw a man on the sidewalk wearing a bright blue scarf. He had mentioned that he wanted "Carolina Blue", as in the North Carolina Tarheels color blue. I said I wanted the color of the guy on the sidewalk's scarf. And he agreed to the color! Easy peasy! I don't know if it would have been as easy if I had decided I wanted pink or purple. But I do love the blue.

My only issue is finding flowers that will work. I know that hydrangeas are blue, but there isn't quite the plethora of choices compared to say pink or purple or orange flowers. I was thinking about cream/white flowers since those go with everything, but I'm one for color. I guess that's what I'll have to discuss with my florist (when I find one...)

So in choosing your colors, consider your venue - are the colors vibrant or muted? would any colors clash with the current decor? what flowers (if using for decor) will be in season? Also, consider what you like - don't choose pink and brown because it's trendy if you hate brown and your fiance hates pink. If you really love green, go for it. There is a huge range of "green". Unless your fiance really has no opinion about the matter, make sure the color is not going to make him/her shudder. In the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it work."