Wedding palettes cover blush and ivory, dusty mauve, sage and earth, jewel tones and silver. Most are soft, so the useful decision is which single dark color will carry the dates, addresses and RSVP form.
Where wedding palettes work
Wedding websites with schedule, travel and RSVP pages
Invitations, place cards and day-of signage
Planner, florist and venue portfolios
Five directions in 325 palettes
The wedding collection is large and varied, but most palettes follow one of a handful of directions. Picking a direction first makes the grid much faster to search.
Blush and ivory: #F5EEE6, #FFF8E3, #F3D7CA, #E6A4B4.
Dusty mauve: #FDF0D1, #AC7D88, #85586F, #643843.
Sage and earth: #43766C, #F8FAE5, #B19470, #76453B.
Jewel tones for evening events: #0A1D56, #492E87, #37B5B6, #F2F597.
Silver and greige: #B4B4B8, #C7C8CC, #E3E1D9, #F2EFE5.
Mapping a palette onto a wedding website
A wedding site is small but has a few pages where legibility matters: the schedule, venue and travel details, and the RSVP form. Taking the dusty mauve palette as an example:
#FDF0D1 as the page background.
#643843 for body text, dates and addresses: 8.48:1.
#85586F for the RSVP button with white text (5.80:1) and for links (5.12:1 on the background).
#AC7D88 for decoration: dividers, florals, and large script names only. It is 3.07:1 on the background, which meets the large-text threshold, but thin script strokes read lighter than their size suggests, so go well above the minimum size.
Blush and champagne need a borrowed ink
Blush palettes rarely include a text color. #E6A4B4 on #F5EEE6 is 1.77:1, and white on #E6A4B4 is 2.03:1, so neither direction works for words. Add a deep warm brown such as #3A2A2A (11.82:1 on #F5EEE6) and use blush for backgrounds and accents.
The same applies to gold-like tones. In the sage palette, #B19470 is 2.70:1 on #F8FAE5: fine for monograms and hairline rules, not for the date and time. #43766C (4.89:1) or #76453B (7.37:1) can carry those.
Pairing the colors
Match the website to the printed invitation: same paper color, same ink, same accent. Use blush, sage or champagne for florals, dividers and backgrounds, and a deep plum, green or brown for text.
Contrast and readability
Soft accents fall far below text contrast: #E6A4B4 on #F5EEE6 is 1.77:1, while plum #643843 on ivory #FDF0D1 is 8.48:1. Check RSVP inputs and buttons as well; a pale border that looks delicate can be invisible to some guests.
Questions
How do I choose wedding colors for a website?
Start from the colors already chosen for the invitation or flowers, then find a palette here that contains them plus one dark color for text. If none has a dark enough color, add a deep brown, plum or navy. Check the date, venue and RSVP text first, since those are what guests actually need to read.
Will my wedding colors look the same in print?
Not exactly. Screens use RGB light and printers use CMYK ink, so bright pinks, saturated teals and jewel tones often print duller. Metallic foil cannot be represented by a HEX value; on screen it is usually stood in for by a flat tan such as #B19470. Ask your printer for a physical proof before ordering in bulk.