Color Meanings & Associations

By Georgina Clatworthy

Meanings & associations are applied to many things – flowers, gemstones & colors.  So when it comes to choosing your wedding colors, do you know what your choices are actually implying?

Here are some examples about how different cultures & attitudes have attached different meanings to colors which you may be thinking of choosing for your wedding.

Red

Traditionally the color of love & passion in Western cultures & is the color of choice for extroverts & males.  In China red symbolizes happiness & good fortune & you will often see Chinese brides wearing a red wedding dress.

Red is also the color of bad temper & anger.  It is also the color of Mars – which is named after the God of War.

As red is a warm color it is associated with fiery heat, warmth & danger or burning.  As red is also the color of blood it has strong symbolism with the essence of life & vitality.

Pink

Pink has always been a popular choice for weddings as it is the color of universal love.  A favorite amongst lovers of beauty.  Pink carnations mean ‘I will never forget you’.

With pink being a combination of red & white it takes on the symbolism of those colors.  White stands for the potential for fullness whilst red is said to help achieve that fullness.  Deeper shades of pink are said to neutralize disorder, aggression & violence.

This is also the color that promotes feelings of caring, love, acceptance, self-worth & tenderness.

Orange

Orange is a warm color which can evoke a sense of fire.  Subtle shades of orange are said to stimulate the appetite & reduce tension, whilst brighter shades promote high energy & anxiety.

It also considered a power or healing color & can stimulate enthusiasm & creativity.  The meaning of orange is vitality & endurance whilst people who like orange are said to be thoughtful & sincere.  It is also the color associated with Lady Luck!

As red is associated with fiery heat, orange is associated with the warmth of the sun.  It is a dynamic color which brings with characteristics of curiosity & wanting to try new things.

Brown

A popular wedding color which brings with it a sense of warmth & comfort.  It said that brown can also stimulate the appetite & make food taste better.  People who chose brown as their favorite color are said to be conventional & orderly.  On the negative side it is said they can be lazy.  It is the color of earth & is associated with the material side of life.

Brown is a color which can coordinate with many different surroundings, being a mixture of red, blue & yellow.  It is a stabilizing color which can promote practical energy & mental focus.  Certain shades of brown can create a sense of warmth, comfort, wholesomeness, naturalness & dependability.

Yellow

As it is often associated with the sun it is regarded as a cheerful color.  Widely associated with Springtime, it is revered in China as an imperial color, although some Western studies have shown yellow to be many peoples least favorite color.

It is the shade of yellow which determines its meaning.  A bright sunny yellow is the easiest to see & is full of creative & intellectual energy.  It symbolizes wisdom, joy & happiness.  Those of high intellect will favor yellow.  Yellow daffodils symbolize unrequited love.

Yellow can bring with it a sense of clarity & awareness, but it is the different shades of yellow which can determine its meaning.  A yellow green means deceit & can create disorientation.  An orange yellow gives a sense of establishments whilst a light yellow can clear the mind leaving it active & alert.

Green

This color has both an up & a down side.  Associated with spring & prosperity it can also be a negative color in terms of feelings of jealousy & nausea.  For many centuries it has been thought to represent fertility with green being the color of choice for many 15^th century brides.

Green also means learning, harmony & growth & is often considered a safe color.  It symbolizes well being & balance as well as money.  It contains the energies of nature, growth & the desire to expand.

Blue

Often associated with the color of water & the sky, it has come to symbolize serenity & infinity, particularly shades of aqua & teal.  Be careful though because some shades of blue can cause feelings of sadness.

Pure blue shades are the colors of inspiration, sincerity & spirituality & is the color most often chosen by conservative people.  Blue is a calming & soothing color, whilst a dark blue is the color of truth & moderation.  Wear blue gemstones such as sapphires or topaz for a sense of calm.

Turquoise blue symbolizes youth & communication.  This shade of blue has been traditionally used for protection, health, confidence & strength.  

Purple

Purple has often been associated with Royalty in the Western world especially as purple was a hard & expensive color to produce.  Even in today’s modern world where purple is as easy to produce as any other color, it still invokes as sense of elegance & sophistication.

Purple is said to be the color of good judgment & profitable to those seeking spiritual fulfillment.  It is also used to represent mystery & magic, as well as peace of mind.

Violet shades of purple are associated with imagination & inspiration.

Gold

The symbol of wealth & prosperity & of good health.  Those who favor gold are said to be optimistic.  Gold is linked with divinity & is associated with those gods linked to the sun.

White

The color of purity & a mainstay of many weddings.  It is the color of kindness, wholeness & completion.  Carry white daisies in your bouquet as a symbol of loyal love.

Black

Possibly the most misunderstood color.  Often associated with formality & elegance but also death.  Native Americans believe black to be a good color as it is the color of soil, the bringer of life.

There are those who will say that black is not a color, it is merely the absence of color.  It is often linked with the unknown, unseen, fear & bad experiences.  In a positive light black is seen as being restful, mysterious & gives a sense of potential & possibility.

Gray

Regarded as the color of sorrow, gray is actually this years color of choice for weddings.  People who favor gray are seen as narrow minded or loners.  However a silver gray can be an active color.  Native Americans associated it with friendship & it is seen as the symbol of security, maturity & dependability.  It also gives off a sense of responsibility & conservative praciticality.

Gray can be seen as a restful color although some will associate it with feelings of emptiness & devoid of emotion.  It has a cooling effect when teamed with other colors especially more vibrant shades.