Sticking to your colors

Two weekends ago I took a relative to a decor meeting and she was at lengths trying to explain her color scheme to the gentleman. Her colors are Obsidian Black, Ochre yellow and White. And the guy was bewildered. He was explaining to her that for as long as he could remember and as long as he has been in the business there is only one color black. And really who knows about ochre yellow? I thought yellow is yellow right? Wrong…. 🙂

I had quite some grief after I had chosen my wedding colors…this was only because they were colors that many were not familiar with for local weddings. I mean weddings are fun and so many people associate them with fun playful colors and naturally so. In fact, looking back I have been to only two weddings where the bridesmaids wore black and in one of them it was only the best maid because she was heavily pregnant and therefore black was an obvious color because it is meant to make you look slimmer.

I chose Navy Blue and a deep blood Red (I still haven’t gotten the exact name for what that shade of red was; sometimes it was deep blood red, other times wine red 🙂 ). This was quite a change because navy blue is a somewhat dull color if you don’t get it right, but that’s what my red was for. The colors were not to be in equal measure. The major color was navy and the red was to be a pop. I first saw it on Pinterest and I simply fell in love. The more I saw their ideas, the more confident I became in the colors I had chosen.

From time to time it was definitely a struggle having to explain my vision to people around me but I really believed in it and I had really supportive friends especially in my line up who were excited about the colors which is very important because ultimately what they feel inside about it will radiate on the outside.

One thing I found extremely helpful after I settled on my colors was getting samples. I realized this after I sent my tailor out to get my color and what he came back with as samples were completely different from what I had envisioned. After that I realized I had to do it on my own and when I went to the textile center to choose my color I could understand why simply saying navy blue and red is just not enough. There are so many different shades of each color that it can honestly get confusing for anyone. So I went with my good friend and we got the samples and the material for all my girls so that they did not have to endure the hardship of trying to identify the right shade.

So my advice. Don’t be afraid to experiment with whichever colors you want . There are lots of ideas that you can get from Pinterest and don’t worry about everyone else buying into it immediately. If you believe in it strongly, others will buy into it eventually.Were there times that I doubted myself and my choice? Certainly.There were times when I wondered about the color(navy) especially on African skin tone because almost all the inspiration I got was on white women and men and I would also meet different suppliers who would try to convince me how navy was dull and we probably needed a really bright red to match the navy in equal measure to bring it out but having my samples and my vision and believing in it helped me to stick to my guns.

So the next time you have a meeting with any supplier or even if you would like to share with someone about your wedding colors, carry a sample with you (always) because often than not sometimes what you envision could be completely different from what they have in mind or what they are familiar with. I remember closer to the wedding, on different occasions having to buy different types of roses (you would be surprised at how many different shades of red roses there are out there) and giving the right one to the supplier just to make sure there was no confusion on the exact shade of red I wanted.

Last but not least be open to ideas and improvements on your color scheme and how to bring them out but ultimately follow YOUR vision.

Here are some pictures of how wonderful the colors turned out to be…..

 

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So yes, as much as they were not the easiest colors to work with, I would pick them again in a heartbeat..or would I? 🙂

Do you have any colors that you worked with that were not the ”usual”? Share some inspiration and help another bride who could be struggling with the colors she picked.

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13 Replies to “Sticking to your colors”

  1. I think I may know the best maid who was dressed in black while fully pregnant. That made me smile.
    Love the pics. We looked awesome on your special day.

    1. I think I do too :)..
      Thanks! and thanks for being a part of it! 🙂

  2. You nailed it with the navy blue and red. Your bridal team looked amazing.

    1. Thank you!Yes they did. I will be sure to let them know 🙂

  3. This is such an interesting piece. All these factors are what made me settle for basic colours, generally to avoid disappointments from vendors.
    Please write a piece on ballroom weddings. Dos and don’ts and everything in between.

    1. Hi Nelly. Thank you for your comment and for the request on ballrooms. I will work on that and do my best to have something up soon.
      All the best in your planning.Looking forward to featuring your wedding soon 🙂

  4. Love the red and Navy….I will definatelly do a second wedding on my 10th anniversary And guess the colour Scheme….yes.. Navy and blood red!!!!

    1. Great!! and you will have the pictures as inspiration so go for it!!!

  5. These were really beautiful colours and the outfits were gorgeous. The colours really complimented each other. The ladies looked wow!

    I think i can remember the brides maid in black but do I sat

    1. Thank you Mabel. Yes they really did. It was a risk but a worthwhile one. Thanks again 🙂

  6. niece piece

    1. Thanks Sandy. Stay tuned for the next one..

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