Lately I have been seeing a popular color trend…the bridesmaids in navy blue dresses and the groomsmen in black suits or tuxes. While this may look beautiful in person, it is actually one of the hardest color combinations to edit. (Since most people aren’t wedding photographers or editors, it’s no surprise that you would have no idea!) Let me explain in more detail to shed some light on the actual problem. You see..in general, black suits tend to photograph a little blue. For people like me who are a little OCD, this can be kind of troublesome. The way to fix this in Lightroom (most photographers editing program of choice) is to “pull out” all the blue saturation, which will in turn make the black suits look more black. However…if the bridesmaids are wearing navy blue (or any blue for that matter), when you pull out the blue saturation, it will also take the blue out of the bridesmaids dresses, leaving them grey (not good!)
Here, you will see 2 images of a black tuxedo. The one on the left has not been edited (you can see that it’s a little blue) and the right one is color corrected with the blue taken out. As you can see, the one on the right looks much better because it’s a true black.
If your bridesmaids are wearing navy blue, or any blue..perhaps consider having the groomsmen wear khaki, grey, or linen suits, or maybe even a tweed sports coat or just a dress shirt paired with a trendy bow tie or suspenders!
If you are set on having the classic black look for the guys, maybe pair it with a pink, gold, or other neutral or pastel color for the ladies!
Here’s an awesome Pinterest inspiration link worth checking out of some fun and unique options for the guys!
Groom Style Inspiration
SIDE NOTE: The same problem exists for bright white wedding gowns (especially white satin!) So if you are set on having a bright white dress instead of an ivory, off white, or lace dress..then maybe opt for a bridesmaid color other than blue!
I hope this blog post was helpful when it comes to picking your wedding color palette!
xoxo, Susan Elizabeth
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