Wedding colors change with the season, and with fashion trends. What's in one year can be out the next, and even if you're looking for a timeless theme for your wedding (and you probably should) you'll find that the years fashion trends govern the choices available, unless, of course, you have the budget for custom everything.
Each year the fashion planners publish a collection of wedding 'palettes', each one designed to be appropriate in every season and adaptable to all budgets. These are then sent to everyone in the wedding industry, you'll see them wherever you look, from glossy magazines to florists windows. Going with the fashion, rather than against it will usually make your wedding less expensive, but will it mean you end up with a 'cookie cutter' wedding, just the same as the girl next door's? We think not.
Tulips
Fashion needs to be considered, rather than followed slavishly, and there is plenty of room within 2012's wedding trends to find something that is both in fashion and uniquely you. Your photographs will be on display for many years, as a result brides often choose timeless designs for their dress, and follow fashion in the colors and designs of their flowers.
Spring Wedding Colors for 2012
One of the most striking of this years color palettes is 'Vineyard',a mixture of olive green, blue, lilac and purple. Perfect for spring, 'vineyard' style flowers are extremely romantic and highly fragrant, imagine a bouquets of lilacs in their own spring green foliage, or blue and lilac hyacinths with bear grass and pepper berries. Delicate lilac freesias will also provide the right color and scent, or choose a simple bouquet of white lilac, green foliage and trim with purple ribbon. Bridesmaids in lilac dresses with green sashes could complete the picture.
Wedding Colors for Summer 2012
If you're planning a high summer wedding, the most stunning of this years color palettes is Midnight Sun; a rich mixture of sunshine and shadow in the form of yellow, gold and black. The perfect flower has to be the sunflower, but if you prefer something smaller, yellow gerbera daisies would provide a very modern look, while trailing yellow oncidium orchids add an exotic, opulent feel to any bouquet. Other excellent color choices include billy balls, yellow iris, or for the classic bride, yellow scented roses. Most florists roses have little scent, but you can still buy the 'old fashioned' kind, with their stunning natural perfume, from David Austen Roses.
2012 Fall Wedding Colors
The perfect palette for autumn/fall has to contain red and orange, but there's no reason to stop there. 'Escape' is the ideal 2012 palette for this season, orange, brick red and turquoise with neutral accents. Like many fall themes this is ideal for the extrovert, deliciously colored dinner plate dahlias can be found in the perfect color combination, or if you plan a destination wedding, tropicals like orchids. Exuberant parrot tulips, dark red freesias and roses would be also be an excellent choice.
Winter Color Trends for 2012
For the winter bride, 'Neo Pop' is a color palette with a difference. Explore midnight blue, indigo and violet and add orange and brick accents. Deep blue velvet dresses with bouquets of wild parrot tulips and orange gloriosa lilies will pay tribute to the season or why not create a something truly original, white dresses for bride and bridesmaid teamed with bouquets of all shades, brilliant blue cornflowers, brick colored roses and violet orchids would be simply stunning.
Whatever your personal style, there's an on trend color palette which will help you realise the wedding of your dreams. All you have to do is find it.
Wedding Colors for 2012
Jane Ogilvie is a lifelong flower enthusiast. For more information about 2012 color trends, bouquet pictures and idea boards, visit her website, read about and see all of this years color trends, from purple wedding bouquets to sunflower wedding bouquets and almost everything in between.