How to: assign a wedding guest color palette
How to Assign a Wedding Guest Color Palette: A Subtle Guide
Creating a cohesive wedding day look extends beyond just the bridal party and MVPs (Mother of the Bride, Father of the Bride, Mother of the Groom, Father of the Groom, etc.).
Many couples now curate color palettes for their guests, adding an extra touch of elegance to the overall aesthetic. But how do you encourage your guests to embrace a color scheme without sounding overly demanding?
Here’s how to suggest a wedding guest color palette in a way that feels fun and inclusive for everyone.
A sunset wedding guest color palette
1. Suggest Without Demanding: Show, Don’t Tell
No one wants to feel pressured into a fashion choice, and your guests are no exception. Instead of establishing a firm rule, create a visually appealing document or webpage that gently encourages your desired palette. Use visuals!
Include plenty of inspiration photos, examples of wedding guest attire, and perhaps a Pinterest board or mood board featuring various outfit options.
For our wedding, I created a Canva mood board shared with all our guests, providing them with a clear sense of the dress code and color palette.
Our Wedding Guest | Color Palette
This is a portion of the canva doc I created and sent out to all of our wedding guests,sharing the dress code & also subtling sharing the color palette
I received numerous inquiries and requests for copies of this template, not just from friends, but also from fellow brides on social media platforms like TikTok. This inspired me to add this exact wedding guest color palette template to my Etsy store, making it accessible and available for other brides to use for their own weddings.
Most guests will catch on without needing explicit instructions— people generally want to look good and align with the event’s vibe. By providing abundant visual cues, you’ll guide them toward what works well with your wedding theme without making it feel like a strict dress code. The right presentation can transform it into a creative suggestion rather than an obligation.
2. Keep the Wedding Guest Color Palette Broad Enough
When selecting your color palette, ensure it's broad enough for guests to easily find something suitable in their closets. Not everyone wants to (or can) purchase a new outfit just for your wedding.
By offering a variety of vibrant shades, you allow guests to feel part of the celebration without the added pressure of shopping.
For example, at our wedding, we chose a bright color palette to complement the lively atmosphere of our destination wedding in Cabo.
Neutral tones
We had all of our MVP’s in neutral tones to contrast with our wedding guests in bright colors
All of our wedding party and MVPs were dressed in neutral tones, so we selected a vibrant color palette for our wedding guests, to contrast with our MVPs and make them stand out. The wedding guest color palette I shared featured nearly 20 shades, ranging from coral to turquoise and everything in between.
It wasn’t restrictive—our guests had plenty of options, and I never explicitly said, "You must wear one of these colors." Instead, I subtly included the color palette in our wedding guest dress code guide, and everyone naturally understood the vibe we were going for.
A few of my favs looking gorgeous as ever!
Initially, I worried that I might come across as too controlling, but I received zero backlash. In fact, I got a lot of compliments and thank-yous from our guests—especially from some of my parents' and in-laws' friends, who appreciated the level of detail.
Our Wedding Guests
A few examples of our wedding guests and what they wore to our destination wedding in Cabo
They mentioned they had never attended a wedding with such thoughtful guidance, which helped them, especially since many had never been to Cabo before and wanted to understand the atmosphere. The result? A beautifully coordinated crowd that seamlessly enhanced our already flawlessly designed wedding aesthetic without feeling forced!
By keeping the tone light and the options broad, you’ll make it easy for your guests to “get the assignment” without feeling restricted or overwhelmed. After all, your wedding day should be a celebration where everyone feels and looks their best!
Anyways! Hope this is helpful and happy wedding planning!
