Coordinate Your Wedding Party: Tips For Perfect Harmony

Coordinating the bridesmaids and groomsmen at a wedding is a pivotal part of the planning process and can be a tricky and confusing task. It's all about finding commonalities to make a seamless pair and set the tone and personality for your wedding. This can be achieved by choosing a colour palette with primary and secondary colours and then deciding on the bridesmaids' dress colours and the groomsmen's accessories. Ordering samples of the colours and fabrics is a great way to understand how your wedding party will look. From matching neutrals to mix-and-match shades, there are many ways to make your bridesmaids and groomsmen stand out while keeping everything cohesive.

Decide on your wedding colour palette

Deciding on your wedding colour palette is one of the most important steps in coordinating your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Your wedding colours will be used throughout your big day, from the decorations to the outfits, so it's worth spending some time on this decision.

When deciding on your shades, remember that you're not limited to two or three colours. It's common to have primary wedding colours and secondary "accent" colours, which gives you endless possibilities for styling. Choose around three to five colours for your wedding palette to ensure that you and your partner love the overall aesthetic.

After you've chosen your wedding palette, it's time to pick one or two primary colours. These are the colours that will be seen predominantly throughout your ceremony and reception and will help determine the colours of your bridesmaids' dresses and the groomsmen's accessories. Consider what your primary colour would look like as a suit or a dress to make sure you love it.

One of the most common ways to coordinate your bridesmaids and groomsmen is to use your primary colour for the bridesmaid dresses and the groomsmen's accessories, such as ties, pocket squares, and even socks. This will help create a cohesive and stylish look for your wedding party.

If you want a more dynamic or eclectic look, you can mix and match colours, fabrics, and styles. This works especially well for mixed-gender bridal parties. To successfully craft an eclectic party, try picking colours with the same level of saturation and undertone. You can also opt for complementary colours, such as navy blue and forest green, for a unique and sophisticated look.

Ordering samples of your chosen colours is a great way to understand how your wedding party's outfits will look together. This will make coordinating their elements super easy and stress-free.

Choose your primary wedding colours

Choosing your primary wedding colours can be a challenging task, but it's an important one as these colours will be used throughout your big day, from the outfits to the decorations. Here are some tips to help you select your primary wedding colours:

Start with what you love

Think about your favourite colours, the colours that you surround yourself with, and the colours that you'll be happy with for a long time. Consider what colours are in season when you get married and what colours will complement your bridesmaids' skin tones. Brainstorm a list of colours that you love and that will be suitable for your wedding.

Research and get inspired

Look at weddings in your favourite aesthetics or that match your style to see which colours they used. Check out trending wedding colours for inspiration, and find out what colours are available for larger details like bridesmaids' dresses and flowers. You can also draw inspiration from nature, home decorating magazines, fashion blogs, art galleries, and friends' weddings.

Choose 1-2 primary colours

From your list of favourite colours, narrow it down to 1-2 primary colours. These colours will be used predominantly throughout your ceremony space and will be the colours chosen for your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Consider what these colours will look like as suits or dresses, and make sure you love them.

Use colour theory

If you're unsure how to pair colours, consult the colour wheel. Typically, colours that go well together are opposites on the colour wheel or neighbours that share a primary colour. You can also pair a heavily saturated colour with a neutral and then add softer complementary colours.

Order swatches

Once you've chosen your primary colours, order fabric swatches to see how the colours look together and to make coordinating the elements easier. This will also help your vendors, such as your florist or decorator, colour match.

Keep it simple

Remember, you don't need to have a strict colour scheme. Your wedding palette is a general guide, and not every part of your wedding has to match perfectly. It's more important to choose colours that you love and that reflect your style and personality as a couple.

Decide on bridesmaids' dress colours

Deciding on the bridesmaids' dress colours is an important step in coordinating the bridal party's outfits. Here are some tips to help you choose:

Choose your primary wedding colours

First, pick 1-2 primary colours that will be used throughout your ceremony space and that you love as suit or dress colours. These primary colours are often used for the bridesmaids' dresses and the groomsmen's accessories.

Consider your wedding colour palette

Your wedding colour palette can include 3-5 colours, with primary and secondary 'accent' colours. This gives you endless possibilities to be creative with your choices. You can use your secondary colours in your bridesmaids' dress lineup for a more dynamic look.

Mix and match

For a unique look, consider mixing and matching your bridesmaids' dresses. This is a stylish and flattering way to make your bridesmaids feel special and is a great way to incorporate more of your wedding colours. You can also mix and match colours, fabrics and styles, especially if you have a mixed-gender bridal party.

Popular bridesmaid dress colours

Popular bridesmaid dress colours include pink, green, blue and purple. Pink offers a variety of shades for every season and theme, from pale blush to deep rosewood. Green is a great choice for every season, with shades like sage green for spring, sea glass for summer, moss green for autumn and emerald for winter. Blue is timeless, classy and flattering, while purple is a unique choice with an array of pale to deep purples.

Order samples

Ordering samples of your bridesmaids' dress colours is a great way to understand how your wedding party will look and make the process stress-free.

Opt for matching accessories

Opting for matching accessories is a great way to coordinate bridesmaids and groomsmen without the stress of trying to perfectly match their outfits. It is a simple way to create a cohesive and stylish bridal party that reflects the couple's style and sets the tone for the wedding.

One of the most common ways to achieve this is by using the primary wedding colour for the bridesmaids' dresses and the groomsmen's accessories. This could include ties, pocket squares, and even socks! For example, if your wedding colour is sage green, the bridesmaids could wear sage green dresses, while the groomsmen could wear grey suits with sage green ties and pocket squares.

If you have chosen multiple primary colours, you can also mix and match. For instance, if your primary colours are dusty rose and grey, the bridesmaids could wear dusty rose dresses, while the groomsmen wear grey suits with dusty rose pocket squares and ties. This creates a cohesive look without being too matchy-matchy.

You can also get creative and match the groomsmen's accessories to other elements of the wedding, such as the flowers or cake. For instance, if you have a colourful bouquet, the groomsmen's ties could be matched to the flowers. This is a fun way to tie together different elements of the wedding and create a seamless look.

Ordering samples of the bridesmaids' dress fabrics and groomsmen's accessories is a great way to ensure the colours complement each other and create a cohesive bridal party. It also makes it easier to coordinate with other vendors, such as florists or decorators.

Remember, there is no need to stress about perfectly matching your bridal party. Opting for matching accessories is a simple and effective way to create a stylish and coordinated look for your bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Consider complementary colours

When it comes to coordinating bridesmaids and groomsmen, colours and shades are essential. While it is almost impossible to have a bridal party's outfits match perfectly, it is still important to consider how to make their attire complement each other. Deciding on a colour palette is the first step to achieving this.

The colour palette you choose will be used throughout your wedding day, from the decorations to the outfits. It is common to have primary wedding colours and secondary "accent" colours, giving you endless possibilities for creative combinations. You can choose shades that are naturally found in nature, such as Chaniti, Cinnamon, Juniper, or Quartz, or go for a more unique combination of colours with the same saturation and undertone.

Once you have decided on your palette, you can select 1-2 primary colours that will be used for the bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmen's accessories, such as ties, pocket squares, and socks. These primary colours will shape the overall aesthetic of your wedding and help set the mood for the day.

If you want to add a dynamic touch to your bridal party's look, you can incorporate secondary colours into the mix. For example, you can have the bridesmaids wear mismatched dresses in different shades of the primary colour or introduce another secondary colour. This will make your bridesmaids feel extra special and unique.

When it comes to groomsmen's suits, it is best to stick to neutral colours such as grey or black and add pops of colour with their accessories. This will create a cohesive look without being too matchy-matchy.

To make the process easier, you can order samples of the colours and fabrics your bridesmaids and groomsmen will be wearing. This will help you understand how the colours work together and ensure a seamless and stress-free coordination.

Frequently asked questions