5 Timeless Winter Wedding Color Palettes (Plus What to Wear to Officiate)

This year’s winter wedding colors are an inspired mix of barely-blues, snowy whites, and powdery pinks, with sophisticated accents of pewter, brass, and gold. Deep evergreens, ripe burgundy reds, and unexpected pops of pink and bright persimmon, too. It’s going to be a lush, luxe, love-filled winter season!

To help you create the perfect look, we've also included advice on what to wear for friends who officiate, so that you can look your best up front during the ceremony – and in all those joyful wedding photos. Share these outfit ideas with your friend-officiant, then start planning the wedding ceremony script together.

'Tis the Season: 10 Winter Engagement Photo Outfit Ideas & Advice

Here are five of our favorite winter wedding color palettes so far.

1. Light blues, snowy whites, and brushed silvers

This wedding color combination conjures images of ice castles and elven queens, glacial beauty, and effervescent, sparkling winter mornings. Dress to stun in an icy-blue wedding dress or suit, elegant white-and-blue beaded lehenga or sharara, or sparkling white gown or tux, made picture-perfect with accessories in light blue, white, and silver.

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Having a friend officiate this wedding? What to wear to officiate a wedding with a light blue, white, and silver color palette:

We recommend wedding officiants wear something comfortable and stylish, that won’t take any attention away from the couple getting married. Your goal is to harmonize with the couple’s wedding colors – not match them perfectly. A complementary color will create visual balance without distracting from (or upstaging!) the newlyweds.

Related: Winter Solstice Wedding Ceremony Script With Candle Lighting

With this wedding color combo, consider wearing a dark-colored suit with a light blue or silver tie or pocket square to complement the decor. A dark blue or black pantsuit or dress is a great choice too. If you want to, you can accessorize with silver flats or light blue heels, or other coordinated accessories.

First-time officiants, remember that you’ll be standing for a long time! Wear comfortable shoes that will look stylish in any wedding photos you take with the couple.

Wedding Officiant Outfit Ideas: 

2. Deep Reds, Bright Whites, and Warm Gold

This winter wedding color palette brings to mind cozy images of love letters read aloud beside a crackling fire, and the decadent aromas of mulled wine, brandy, and fresh currant cakes, drenched in honey. It’s romantic, elegant, and opulent – the perfect color combination for a seasonal wedding ceremony.

Remember that your venue’s lighting can have a big effect on your wedding experience! Choose low, warm lighting to enhance the rich gleam of golden accents, or soft white lighting to make white linens or florals shine like freshly-fallen snow.

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Having a friend officiate your wedding? What to wear to officiate a wedding with a red, white, and gold color palette.

We recommend wedding officiants wear something that matches the couple’s level of formality, is easy to move around in, and that keeps the spotlight on the couple getting married. Your goal is to complement the couple’s ceremony style, without distracting from it.

With this wedding color palette, consider wearing a medium-to-dark gray, black, or dark brown suit with a subtle red or gold-accented tie. A gray or black pantsuit or dress is a great choice too, accessorized with complementary red or mauve flats, gold heels, or other coordinated accessories. 

Related: New Year’s Eve Wedding Ceremony Script with Wine Box & Love Letters

Don’t wear the exact same shade of red or gold that the wedding party or couple are wearing, unless the couple specifically requests this. In some cases, the couple might ask you to wear a bold red outfit that sets you apart from other guests. But most often, the best choice is to wear neutral colors and subtle accessories that harmonize with the wedding colors.

First-time officiants, remember that you may need to walk through damp grass or slush to get to the ceremony space or pose for photos. Wear comfortable shoes that will look stylish and keep your feet warm and dry. 

Wedding Officiant Outfit Ideas:

3. Evergreens, Peachy Creams, and Posh Pinks

These wedding colors conjure images of lenten rose and winter heath dusted with the first snowfall, cool winter sunsets, christmas fern and late blooming camellia, and bundled walks below fragrant branches of fir and cedar trees.

While pinks and peaches are often associated with spring weddings, rich evergreens give this romantic color palette a distinctly winter vibe.  

Related: Choosing a Wedding Officiant: What (or Who) Are Your Options?

Having a friend officiate this wedding? What to wear to officiate a wedding with a peach, green, and pink color palette.

When choosing what to wear to officiate a friend’s wedding, your look should match the wedding’s level of formality. It’s generally better to be overdressed than underdressed, but stick with fabrics and silhouettes that are easy to move in and comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Because you’ll be standing next to the couple throughout the wedding ceremony, your attire should complement the couple’s style without distracting from it. Unless the couple tells you otherwise, choose a look that’s respectful, stylish, and professional.

Related: 10 Tips for Officiating a Winter Wedding

With this wedding color palette, it’s better to choose colors that harmonize or “go together” well than to pick an exact match. Consider wearing a medium-to-dark charcoal gray or greenish-gray suit or dress, paired with subtle green or peachy-pink accessories. Dark brown, peachy-brown, and mauve suits, skirts, and tops can be a great choice too, but avoid very pale peaches and tans that might be too-close in color to the couple’s wedding gown/s or suit/s.

Avoid wearing the exact same shades of green, pink, or peach that the wedding party or couple are wearing, unless the couple specifically requests this. Wearing the same color as the wedding attendants can create visual confusion and crowding at the altar, or look overly-coordinated and ‘busy.’ 

Wedding Officiant Outfit Ideas:

4. Purple, Crisp Persimmon, and Marigold

This winter wedding color palette is warm, vibrant, and welcoming! These gorgeous colors are the perfect antidote for those long, dark northern winter days, or the perfect complement to the bright and temperate southern season. 

These colors are also an inspired choice for multicultural weddings: Persimmons are a winter fruit symbolizing transformation (in Buddhist traditions); joy, longevity, and luck (in Chinese traditions); and harmonious marriage (in Korean traditions). The warm, bright orange of persimmons blends beautifully with the golden orange of marigolds, which symbolize purity, auspiciousness, and the divine (in Hindu traditions); and remembrance of loved ones (in Mexican traditions). Plums blossom at the end of winter, amidst snow and ice, and these hardy stone fruits and blooms symbolize harmony and endurance over hardship (Chinese tradition).

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Having a friend officiate this wedding? What to wear to officiate a wedding with an orange and purple color palette.

When choosing what to wear to officiate a wedding, consider looks that match the wedding’s overall tone and level of formality. Choose attire that’s easy to move in and comfortable to wear for long periods of time. And because you’ll be standing next to the couple throughout the wedding ceremony, your outfit should complement the couple’s style without distracting from it – something respectful, stylish, and professional.

Related: Learn How to Officiate Multicultural & Interfaith Weddings with This Online Class

With a bold orange-and-purple wedding color palette, we recommend that you choose neutral colors that will harmonize with your surroundings. Consider well-made fabrics in gray or muted blues, deep burgundy, dark brown, or soft black. A pop of color in your accessories is encouraged, but avoid wearing vibrant colors that might distract from the couple. You should also avoid wearing the exact same color as the couple or their wedding attendants unless the couple explicitly asks you to.

Wedding Officiant Outfit Ideas:

5. Navy Blue, Pearl White, and Gold

These wedding colors are elegant, elevated, and regal. The combination of dark blue, white, and gold brings to mind fresh snowfall, lit by the porchlight on cozy winter nights, as you and your sweetheart snuggle inside dreaming of the future – or upscale dinners with family and friends, laughing together under gleaming gold-plated chandeliers.

Choose this classy color palette for a large, formal wedding, or to make a quick elopement feel timeless and decadent!

Related: When to Hire Your Wedding Officiant: Timing & Checklist

Having a friend officiate this wedding? What to wear to officiate a wedding with a navy, white, and gold color palette.

We recommend that wedding officiants wear something comfortable and stylish, that won’t take any attention away from the couple getting married. Your goal is to harmonize with the couple’s wedding colors – not match them perfectly – so avoid wearing the same navy or deep blue color that the couple chooses. A complementary color will create visual balance without distracting from the newlyweds, and you won’t be confused for a bridesmaid or groomsman!

Related: Winter Solstice Wedding Ceremony with Reading from 'Northern Sky'

With this wedding color combo, we recommend wearing neutral colors – black, gray, brown, or a polished deep tan. Choose accents of soft blue or gold that harmonize with the wedding colors, and avoid complicated patterns or bold colors.

First-time officiants, remember that you’ll be standing for a long time and might appear in many of the couple’s wedding photos! Wear comfortable shoes that will look stylish next to the newlyweds.

Wedding Officiant Outfit Ideas:

Before you go…

Remember, your wedding colors don’t have to be inspired by the season – it’s just color after all! There’s no rule saying your wedding has to look like one of these inspiration photos just because it’s in January. If you see something you like, wonderful! But if not, check out this helpful article to choose wedding colors that fit your unique style: How to Choose Wedding Colors: Trends, Symbolism, and Personalized Combinations

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