Best Colors for Wedding Invitations

No rules say you can't use orange paper or neon green ink for your wedding invitations; however, certain colors are traditional or lend a romantic feel to your invites. Whether you're aiming for formal and sophisticated or informal and friendly, consider these paper, ink, and accent colors.

Traditional Paper Colors for Wedding Invitations

These tried-and-true neutrals have stood the test of time.

• Beige: Relaxing and warmer than stark white.
• Light gray: Conservative; beautiful with dark gray or silver ink.
• Ivory: An understated, pleasing classic; softer and more nuanced than plain white.
• White: Symbolizes innocence; crisp and spring-like when used with light or pastel inks.

Traditional Ink Colors

Most wedding invitations feature text in one of these elegant colors.

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• Black: Goes with almost any color; elegant; available in many shades; excellent legibility.
• Dark gray: Softer than black; conservative and sophisticated.
• Brown: Conveys warmth, honesty, wholesomeness, and earthiness; use with warm beige paper for a less formal, friendly look.
• Gold: Evokes warmth and richness; use gold ribbons or braids on formal invitations.
• Silver: Glamorous and distinguished; add silver foil embossing as an accent.

Romantic Paper, Ink, and Accent Colors

Pale or pastel shades, including beautiful, ever-popular light shades of blue, produce a soft, romantic look. Pastels are especially appropriate for springtime weddings; they are the colors of rebirth, growth, and new beginnings.

• Lavender: Conjures nostalgia, romance, and uniqueness.
• Pink: Romantic, charming, and playful; sophisticated when combined with black or gray.
• Red: Communicates passionate love, happiness, and celebration.

Invitation Design Tips

The contrast between paper and ink colors is important. If your invitation will include color photographs, consider carefully how they will look on your choice of paper. Convert photos to duotones in colors that match your wedding.

If your wedding colors don't seem to translate well to paper and ink, consider a traditional paper and ink combination, then add other colors (such as dark blue, deep purple, turquoise, or forest green) as accents in rule lines, borders, and decorative dividers.

To save on the cost of DIY invitations, use a basic white or ivory paper with black ink. Then, add a ribbon or other embellishment that echoes your wedding colors.

The Knot suggests a classic, neutral start with a more customized finish:

You may want to incorporate your colors and a motif into your wedding invitations and then carry both through to the rest of your wedding paper (like the escort cards, menu cards and ceremony programs) for a cohesive look. While ivory, cream or white card stock paired with a black or gold font is the classic choice for formal wedding invitations, you can also brighten your invites with colorful or metallic fonts, paper stock, envelopes and liners.

Browse these wedding color ideas at The Knot and discover ways to use your wedding colors in your invitations.