Start with the navy, cream, lemon and sky palette if you want the safest summer look. Navy on cream is 10.85:1, so names and details stay readable on paper. Three palettes are below with hex codes, a contrast ratio for every text pair computed by our own code, and a note on which setting each one suits. Use the palette picker to compare the pairs, copy the codes and send the card to your partner.
Palette table: three summer palettes with hex codes
Each palette has five colors. One is a dark text color, one is a light base, and three carry the mood. The names are ours, and so are the hex values. They are starting points, not trademarked shades.
Table: Three summer wedding palettes with hex values and role of each color (our estimate of a workable set, assumptions below)
| Palette | Base | Mood colors | Dark text color | Best for (our opinion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus and sky | Cream #FFF8E7 | Lemon #F4D35E, Tangerine #F28C28, Sky #7EC8E3 | Navy #1F3A5F | Evening reception, where navy linens and tangerine candles carry the look |
| Coral and sea glass | Ivory #FFFBF2 | Coral #E8604C, Sea glass #9AD1C4, Sand #F5E6CC | Deep teal #14505C | Beach or lakeside afternoon, close to sand and water |
| Melon and cornflower | White #FFFFFF | Melon #FF9E80, Cornflower #6C8EBF, Leaf #4F7A52 | Charcoal #2B2B2B | Outdoor afternoon garden, with leaf green echoing the lawn |
Common advice is three to five colors per palette, so we stopped at five. Paperlust also splits a palette into roles: a dominant color, a secondary, an accent and a neutral base.
Which text pairs pass
The WCAG standard asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Large means 18 point, or 14 point bold. We compare the unrounded ratio, because a 4.499 does not pass.
Table: Contrast ratios for each palette, computed from the hex values (our estimate, assumptions below)
| Text color on background | Ratio | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Navy on cream | 10.85:1 | Body text, names, details |
| Navy on lemon | 7.83:1 | Welcome sign, menu header |
| Navy on sky | 6.16:1 | Table numbers, program covers |
| Navy on tangerine | 4.68:1 | Short labels at normal size |
| Tangerine on cream | 2.32:1 | Fails. Borders and florals only |
| Sky on cream | 1.76:1 | Fails. Background wash only |
| Deep teal on ivory | 8.72:1 | Body text, RSVP details |
| Deep teal on sand | 7.32:1 | Place cards, menus |
| Deep teal on sea glass | 5.27:1 | Signs, escort cards |
| Coral on ivory | 3.27:1 | Large text only |
| Deep teal on coral | 2.66:1 | Fails. Do not stack these |
| Lemon on navy | 7.83:1 | Reversed text on a dark evening sign or menu |
| Charcoal on white | 14.16:1 | Body text, names, details |
| Charcoal on melon | 7.05:1 | Welcome sign, table numbers |
| Leaf on white | 4.96:1 | Headings, signature lines |
| Charcoal on leaf | 2.86:1 | Fails. Do not set text on leaf green |
| Charcoal on cornflower | 4.22:1 | Large text only |
| Cornflower on white | 3.36:1 | Large text only |
| White on leaf | 4.96:1 | Reversed text on a leaf green sign or ribbon |
Assumptions: pure sRGB hex values, WCAG relative luminance, no printing shift. Ink on paper will land a little off these numbers, so print a test sheet.
Where each color works
Think in jobs, not in swatches. The same palette plays a different role on each item.
Example: a 100 point visual weight split for the citrus and sky palette. This is our assumed example, not survey data.
- Cream base: 55 points (paper, linens, signs)
- Sky: 20 points (napkins, ribbon, bridesmaid accents)
- Lemon: 15 points (florals, menu cards)
- Tangerine: 10 points (a few stems, a cocktail, one stripe)
- Navy: text only, so it adds no weight beyond the ink
Paperlust gives the accent about 10 points of visual weight as a rule of thumb. That is why tangerine gets the smallest slice above.
- Invitation: set text in the dark color and use the light colors as a border or a wash. The dark color should match what you write on the invitation wording page, so settle the words and the ink together.
- Tables: the base color carries the linens. Mood colors go in florals, napkins and candles.
- Attire: let the wedding party wear the mood colors you would not read as text, like sky, sea glass or melon. If the dress code line is still open, the dress code wording page has lines you can match to the palette.
- Signs: pair the dark color with the lightest mood color for the highest-contrast welcome sign.
Summer flowers matched to each palette
One wedding guide lists garden roses, delphinium, hydrangeas and lisianthus for June, dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, hydrangeas, lisianthus, cosmos and delphinium for July, and sunflowers for August. Longfield Gardens says dahlias start flowering in July or August and peak in September, so a late August date can catch them early. The matches below are our suggestions, built only from those named stems.
- Citrus and sky: sunflowers for the lemon and tangerine, which suits an August date, with delphinium for the sky blue.
- Coral and sea glass: zinnias or garden roses for the coral. Hydrangeas can fill the pale sea glass role, depending on the variety your florist has.
- Melon and cornflower: zinnias or dahlias for the melon, delphinium or hydrangeas for the cornflower. Leaf green comes from foliage, which needs no special order.
Your bloom date shifts with the region and the year. Bring a palette to your florist and ask which stems are growing for your week. Shades of the same flower vary, so show hex codes and a printed card, not a color name.
June vs July vs August
Our suggestions, based on which flowers the guide lists for each month.
- June: Melon and cornflower. Delphinium and hydrangeas are listed, and garden roses cover the melon end. The June palettes go softer with pastels.
- July: Coral and sea glass. Zinnias and cosmos join the list, and dahlias start to appear.
- August: Citrus and sky. Sunflowers are listed for August, and dahlias may arrive late in the month. The August palettes lean into sunflower gold and deeper tones.
Mistakes that fade in print and photos
- Coral body text. Coral on ivory reads 3.27:1. Move the details to deep teal and keep coral for the monogram.
- Sky on cream. At 1.76:1 it disappears. Use sky as a wash behind navy text instead.
- Pale text on photos. Screens and prints shift colors, so as our rule, push small type well above 4.5:1.
- Too many mood colors. Past five total, vendors start to guess. Cut one before you add one.
Use this palette next
Once you pick, repeat it on every printed piece. The full set of twelve wedding palettes shows every season and theme side by side.
Prefer a shoreline mood? See the beach palettes, the sunset colors or the blue wedding palettes.
Save for later
Pin it now and find it when you are ready to plan.
Questions people ask
What are the best summer wedding colors?
There is no single best set. As our rule of thumb, summer colors are bright, so give each palette a dark anchor for text. Navy with lemon and sky, deep teal with coral and sea glass, or charcoal with melon and cornflower all keep text readable in the contrast table. Pick the palette whose dark color you would happily see on every sign.
Which flowers bloom in summer?
One wedding guide lists garden roses and delphinium for June, then dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, hydrangeas, lisianthus and cosmos for July, and sunflowers for August. Dahlias start in July or August and peak in September. Local supply varies, so ask your florist what is growing for your date.
Which summer palette suits a garden or beach wedding?
In our opinion, Coral and sea glass suits a beach or lakeside day because the sand and sea glass colors sit close to the setting, and Melon and cornflower suits a garden because the leaf green matches the lawn. Both keep a dark text color for signs. For a shoreline look in full, see the beach palette page.
Which summer palette works for an evening reception?
Citrus and sky, our pick, because navy is the dark anchor and lemon on navy reads at 7.83:1 for reversed text on a dark sign or menu. Tangerine candles and a navy tablecloth carry the palette once the light drops. Coral on ivory only passes for large text, so keep names in navy.
Can I use coral or sky blue for invitation text?
Only for large text, and only if it passes. Coral on ivory is 3.27:1, which meets the 3:1 level for text at 18 point or bold 14 point and fails for body copy. Sky on cream is 1.76:1, so use sky for backgrounds, borders and florals instead.
Sources
- www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html (opens in a new tab) : WCAG 1.4.3: normal text needs a 4.5:1 contrast ratio, large text 3:1; large means 18 point, or 14 point bold; ratios are not rounded up.
- paperlust.co/blog/?p=21306 (opens in a new tab) : Common advice of three to five colors per palette; palette roles of dominant, secondary, accent and neutral base, with the accent as a rule of thumb.
- paperlust.co/blog/in-season-wedding-flowers-by-month (opens in a new tab) : June, July and August in-season flowers named by one wedding stationery guide (garden roses, delphinium, hydrangeas, lisianthus, early dahlias in June; dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, hydrangeas, lisianthus, cosmos and delphinium in July; sunflowers listed for August). Flower-to-palette matches on this page are our own suggestions.
- www.longfield-gardens.com/blogs/dahlia-care/what-season-are-dahlias-in-bloom (opens in a new tab) : Dahlias start flowering in July or August and peak in September, so they reach late summer weddings.
Updated by bigdaydesk editorial
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Fall wedding colors
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Pick from winter wedding colors
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The master template
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