Summer Wedding Colors to Celebrate the Season

Planning a summer wedding gives you plenty of freedom to choose a color scheme that you love. Bright colors such as yellow or coral go beautifully with outdoor venues, while sherbet-inspired pastels or nature-inspired greens work equally well in the warm season. Classic colors, such as navy or black, can even be incorporated in summer décor, if that’s more your style.

From the summer engagement photos to wedding flowers and the cake, and the wedding invitations to the décor, you’ll want to choose a color scheme that celebrates the warm months, as well as one that matches your venue and overall wedding theme.

If you’re not sure which color scheme to choose for your summer wedding, here are seven stunning summer wedding color palettes to consider.

Green and White

There’s something elegantly organic about a summer wedding inspired by nature. If you love a neutral wedding color palette, consider going with green and white for your summer wedding.

The possibilities with this color scheme are endless—you can give off a more romantic vibe with vines or go with a more boho-chic look with succulents. Use lots of palm leaves to create a more tropical vibe, go with lime green accents for a fun and bright pop, or consider forest green for a nature-inspired wedding. You can also mix greens and whites with another color, such as pink, gold, or champagne, or mix with wooden accents.

Here are some other ways to implement this color scheme:

• Having bridesmaids wear a chosen shade of green to pop with a white or gold wedding dress.
• Matching the green on an invitation with the flowers or greenery you choose for your wedding ceremony or reception décor.
• For an outdoor ceremony, let the natural setting speak for itself and just have a simple wooden arch (or chuppah) draped with white fabric or flowers.

Yellow

Yellow may be too bright to incorporate during other seasons, but summer brides can embrace this cheery hue. Whether you love sunflowers and want them everywhere, or choose another shade of yellow, such as marigold or lemon, your guests won’t be able to help but feel happy on your wedding day.

Yellow can stand on its own with cream or white accents, but it can also be used with other colors. Try these combinations:

• Yellow and navy
• Yellow and coral
• Yellow and grey
• Yellow and teal
• Yellow and mint
• Yellow and lavender

Other fun ways to incorporate yellow include:

• Serving lemonade cocktails or water with lemon to guests.
• Using yellow cloth napkins for a pop of color on an otherwise neutral-colored reception table.
• Decorating your wedding cake with sunflowers.

Sherbet Colors: Peach, Coral, Orange, and Pink

It’s summer, so everything bright goes! If you’re really ready to embrace the season, consider a sherbet-inspired wedding color palette that includes peaches, corals, oranges, and/or pinks.

Some fun ways to incorporate these bold shades into your wedding décor include:

• Setting the stage for your sherbet décor with bright invitations featuring your colors.
• Creating bright bouquets with colored roses, peonies, freesias, ranunculus, and greens.
• Having your bridesmaids carry whimsical windmills instead of bouquets.

Citrus Colors: Yellows, Lime Green, and Orange

A citrus color palette inspired by limes, oranges, lemons and even grapefruits can also work well in a squeeze when working with wedding colors for summer.

Some fun ways to incorporate this color palette into your wedding décor include:

• Lining the aisle with citrus trees at your ceremony.
• Using tangerines, limes, or lemons as escort cards or table place cards.
• Having groomsmen wear ties in a cheery citrus color.
• Decorating a cake with lemons and other citrus fruits.
• Giving out grapefruit or tangerines as an end of night guest gift.
• Serving citrus-inspired cocktails.

You can also use citrus as inspiration for your reception table décor, as centerpieces or accents to other flowers and greenery.

Coral and Cream

Photo Credit // Unsplash

Coral is a gorgeous (not to mention fun) base color to plan your summer wedding around. Mix it with cream and other accent colors for an additional pop, or feature it on its own as your main décor scheme.

Areas to use coral include:

• Floral bouquets and in the ceremony flowers
• Bridesmaids’ dresses and groomsmen’s ties
• Ombre-shaded coral cake
• Coral wedding invitations
• Wedding invitations
• Draped fabrics for the ceremony or reception

Navy and White

Ahoy! Navy and white is a classic combination for any nautical or seaside summer wedding color scheme. But even if your wedding is hundreds of miles from the nearest body of water—you can still embrace this color scheme.

Try combining navy and white with another color to make it less representative of the seashore. Some summer-approved options include:

• Navy, white, and gold
• Navy, white, and coral
• Navy, white, and green
• Navy, white, and yellow
• Navy, white, and red

Other wedding color ideas for using this style include:

• Bride wears navy heels as her something blue.
• Serve blueberry-inspired cocktails.
• Use navy and white striped table runners.
• Alternate cake layers in navy and white fondant.

Black and White (With Bright Accents)

Black for a summer wedding color scheme, you say? It doesn’t have to be a faux pas! Black and white is a classic combination that can be used for an elegant affair—even in the summer. You can use black and white striped décor outdoors to give off the feel of somewhere glamorous, such as the Hamptons or the Amalfi Coast. Black and white polka dots are another cheery summer option. Black can also be offset with a brighter summer accent color. Combine black and white with teal, fuchsia, coral, poppy, or with pretty greens.

Some additional fun ways to incorporate this color palette into your wedding décor include:

• Having bridesmaids wear short cocktail dresses vs. full length.
• Choosing black and white striped table runners and then decorating them with plenty of flowers or greens, plus candles for an elegant evening setup.
• Having a black and white polka dot cake.
• Mixing black and white with sunflowers for ceremony and reception décor.

Zola: Your Trusted Source for All Seasons

As you do your wedding planning, the color palette is only the tip of the iceberg. If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for your wedding planning needs, look no further than Zola. Our easy wedding website creator and registry planning tools help you cross items off your to-do list.

As you shop for decorations, check out our wedding blog for information on the latest trends. The fully stocked Wedding Boutique has everything you need for events from your engagement party to your honeymoon.