Complete Guide of Picking Colours like a Pro

Colour schemes play a major part in any celebration and event, and if you are not confident that you know how to choose the right colours for your event, these selected pieces of advice can really help. Even if you think that you know precisely what you are doing, when it comes to picking the right flower arrangements for your wedding, a surprise birthday bash or even a dinner party in your home, think again, because even the most experienced bouquet buyer can get it wrong sometimes. Take a look at our fool-proof guide of picking colours like a professional florist and have all your friends thinking you did get a professional involved!

Consider the venue

Unless the venue in which you are holding your event is entirely white, you should consider the colours that are already present at the venue. This could mean that you should deal with a multicoloured patterned carpet, vivid walls, or brightly coloured curtain dressings, for example. Don't waste your time settling on a colour scheme before you have selected the venue. Then you should consider the colours that will match the existing colours. For example, if the room is predominantly red, you can incorporate different shades of red to compliment the already existing colour scheme. You can also use the red mixed with a variety of colours such as greens, yellows and white. White with pastel colours will complement most existing colour schemes, so consider pale flowers with subtle nods to the venue’s colours.

Set the mood

If you plan to have very traditional flower decoration for the upcoming event, your choice will be influenced by a reason. For example, if you are throwing a Christmas bash, you will want to team reds, greens, and golds, or maybe silvers and whites. You can even blend bright blues with reds and greens when you want to evoke the memories of bygone Christmases when bright colours were the norm colour scheme in family homes across the country. Spring events lean towards pastel shades of pinks and light reds, which can then be coupled with pure whites. If you want to make your summer event light and bright, opt for fun blooms in yellows, oranges and reds, you can choose larger flowers such as sunflowers. An elegant method of blending colours is to use a variety of hues of the same colour to create a breathtaking spectrum of shades. Remember that this is about setting the mood. So if elegance is key then subtle is best. And if a fun party-theme is your intention, feel free to select beautiful bright colours. However, if you plan to use different colours, avoid your flower arrangements becoming messy by sticking with a selecting three or four bright colours.

Opposites attract

A really simple secret to choosing complementary colours is to select two colours that are on the opposite end of the colour spectrum. This may seem odd but think of how purple and yellow go so well together or red and green flowers when creating Christmas arrangements. How do you know which colours are opposite on the spectrum? Colour wheels are easily obtained online, and this handy tool can be whipped out and consulted whenever you are arranging a floral colour scheme. Another handy hint when selecting three colours to use is to choose three colours that are evenly spaced apart on the colour wheel. When using three or more colours, it is wise to select just one colour as the dominant colour to avoid a messy look.