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A color expert helps brides and grooms find the perfect color palette for their wedding day—and beyond.
When it comes to planning a wedding, the details are everything. And color is key, from the flowers to the dress to the table linens. For brides and grooms who want to make sure their wedding colors are more than just on trend, Holly Bernatz, owner of House of Colour Farmington/Lakeville, offers a unique service: color analysis that helps couples find their most flattering shades to integrate into their big day.
House of Colour is part of a global franchise that specializes in color analysis for individuals, primarily focused on wardrobing. At a typical appointment, Bernatz uses a special set of 144 precision-dyed drapes that go around a client’s shoulders. She asks clients to come in makeup free and uses only natural light for the analysis. “Then we try dozens of drapes across your collarbone to watch how your skin reacts to both warm and cool shades,” Bernatz says.
Her goal is to find harmony between color and the client’s undertone (the subtle color under the surface of the skin). At the end of the session, a client leaves with a fan and a book that capture their unique palette, which they can use for shopping, hairstyling and more. “We honestly believe that achieving a wardrobe that boosts confidence should be easy,” Bernatz says. “It should not be this absolute brain challenge every single morning to get dressed.”
But how does this analysis translate to weddings? Bernatz says that choosing the right hues is crucial for an event that will live forever in photos and videos. “Since a lot of brides are still choosing some variation on a white gown, knowing whether or not that should be a bright white, a soft white or even an ivory is helpful,” she says. Understanding which tones harmonize with the bride’s natural coloring, the bride and her planning team can choose everything else—flowers, linens, bridesmaids’ dresses and menswear—to coordinate beautifully, rather than relying on trends that might not be flattering to everyone.
Learning which colors look best on the bride and groom can make big wedding decisions, like suiting and tablesettings, easier to navigate. Photo: iStock/DocinetsVasil
Lisa Lindemann and her fiancé, Jordan Brinkman, are in the midst of planning their August wedding, which will be held at a rustic-meets-modern venue in the forest outside Pepin, Wisconsin. Their wedding planner, Heidi Almendinger of Jenna Culley Events, suggested they meet with Bernatz to have a starting point for all of those color decisions. “We’re hoping to make design choices easier, since there are so many options and color combinations out there,” Lindemann says. “We just didn’t have a clear vision of what we wanted to do.”
After a consultation with Bernatz, the couple discovered they both shine in colors that are rich, warm, earthy and vibrant—or autumn colors.
Inspiration proliferates these days on social media, and that abundance of ideas can feel overwhelming. “These decisions are key to pulling everything together on your wedding day, so there’s some pressure to pick colors you know you and your partner will continue to like,” Lindemann says. She notes that they’ll be able to use their color analysis results long after the big day. “I think having the understanding of what works best for [us] will be really helpful to make decisions,” she says.
Bernatz agrees. “One thing that’s great about color analysis is that it stays the same,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you have a natural tan in July—your colors will be the same in January. We can do color analysis on children or mature individuals, and their colors will always stay the same.”
House of Colour
Farmington/Lakeville; 320.224.4594
Facebook: House of Colour Style by Design
Instagram: @houseofcolour_stylebydesign
