As a graphic designer, part of my job is to not only create works of art that visualize a clients message, it’s also to ensure that the visual is driven by current, relative trends.  The best way for me to do that is to stay up on current color trends.  Color is a powerful visual force.  While we often appreciate it’s beauty, it’s easy to overlook the impact it has on defining the look, feel, and overall impression of the piece.
Take for instance the color blue.  Great color – my personal favorite.  It’s also a great era-definer.  Here’s what I mean:
If I show you a great powder blue like this one:

It automatically conjures up images of 1950′s T-birds and vintage kitchen appliances.
Now bright teal like this:

Hello spandex and leg warmers, right?
And then there’s today’s blue.

It’s that somewhere between turquoise and powder blue oh so pleasant color we find sprinkled around the Target home decor section.  Just a few shades difference and we’re decades apart.
With this in mind, I spend hours with every design pouring over websites and other resources trying to find that exact shade that will communicate my clients’ message, so I promise I can fully relate to that panicked wide-eyed feeling that washes over you when the bridal shop plops down that 20 pound book of swatches devoted just to purples.  It’s overwhelming and confusing – “This one’s pretty, but will it coordinate with my green?  Wait, what is my green anyway?  Can I seriously even mix purple and green?”
First of all, yes you can mix purple and green, second of all, there are a ton of tools out there to help you make the decision, as long as you are willing to think outside the box for typical clothing-color resources.  Think like a graphic designer, and use a graphic designer’s tools.
My personal favorite and primary source of palette choices is a website called www.colourlovers.com.  It’s the most extensive site I have come across devoted entirely to color choices.  Whether you’re looking for a specific shade of a color, or just want to know what colors will visualize your wedding’s theme, you can find it here.
There are several secondary positives to approaching your color choice this way.  There’s the obvious access to countless colors, but, once you’ve chosen, you now know the exact photoshop color code.  While this might seem initially insignificant, those little numbers will be priceless when you have any print done.
If, like many brides today, you happen to think the stock wedding invitations just aren’t special enough for your day, and get someone like me to design custom invitations for you (hint, hint), you now have the exact hexadecimal for your very own shade of chartreuse.  Hand it off to me, and on we roll with custom-coordinated save-the-date’s.
Pulling the colors off a website like colorlovers.com also allows you to print it out and take it with you to choose dresses, flowers, and linens.  Or, better yet, if you have a smart phone like the iphone, you can browse colourlovers.com, pick your color, double tap the picture, save it as an image in your phone, and be prepared on a whole new level.  Nothing says modern bride like whipping out a smart phone digital representation of your colors when that sales lady plops down that swatch-book that could double as a coffee table.
Picking your color will be one of the most important decisions you make, but that doesn’t mean it has to be overwhelming.  there are tools out there to help you.  Just remember, whether you pick eggplant or periwinkle, at the end of the day, you’re getting married.  Congrats! And don’t forget to enjoy it!.