Let’s talk about complementary colors

Remember being in elementary school and you had to know about primary and commentary colors?  Well, some of the best stuff we learn as children we tend to forget when it really counts, like when needed to decorate for one of the most important days of your life: Your wedding.

Being engaged is one of the most exciting times and in the very early stages of wedding planning picking out your color scheme can be very overwhelming to many couples.  Many of my clients always want to know a way to make their colors “pop.”  This can be achieved multiple ways, but one of the easiest ways is to utilize complementary colors.

Complementary colors, when used together in color schemes, are especially vibrant and pleasing to the eye at the same time.  The combinations of complementary colors are dynamic together because they play up to each other’s intensity.  Think of how a little bit of blue will really play up an orange invitation as the one below shows from a former client.

Design by Sweet Pea Print

A more expanded form of complementary color wheel here also incorporates warm and cool color ideas:

Notice how this former client utilized a more red fuchsia color to go with a mustard color below.

Design by Sweet Pea Print

Now, to really expand your thinking on the complementary colors is looking at the additive model of color: 

The complements using this wheel are green and magenta, red and cyan, and blue and yellow.  I have had many clients use colors similar to this scheme and this is also very popular for business logos--- think of IKEA using blue and yellow.  Not only does this scheme complement each other, but also draws your eye to their logo.

Notice how this client uses just a little bit of yellow to really make their pattern stand out:

Design by Sweet Pea Print
photo credit: Images Unveiled Photography http://imagesunveiled.com/

Or this one that does the exact opposite, using just a little bit of blue, to complement the yellow background and bow:

Design by Sweet Pea Print

Design by Sweet Pea Print

The possibilities are really endless when using complementary colors as different shades will complement different colors.  And just when you thought you never really used anything from elementary school ever again!

Happy wedding/life planning

Sweetpeaprint