Need to find the perfect nail color for your big day? Let me help you out. Right now, we’re going to answer the question “what color nail polish should a bride wear?” There’s a lot to think about – so let’s dive right in.
Not much time?
Here’s the short and fast answer:
As a bride, you should wear nail polish in a color that works with your dress and your skin tone. Light neutrals like white, off-white, taupe, soft gray, and blush pink are perfect for brides. For something a bit different, try pale blue, gold, burnt orange, or edgy black nails.
So now that you have a few ideas, let’s deep dive into this.
Here’s a table of contents for easy navigation:
Traditional polish colors for brides to wear
Alternative nail polish colors for bride to wear
How to choose your wedding nail polish color
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a white wedding dress?
What color nail polish should a bride wear with an off-white wedding dress?
What color nail polish should a bride wear with an ivory wedding dress?
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a champagne wedding dress?
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a blush wedding dress?
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a pearl wedding dress?
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a cream wedding dress?
Traditional polish colors for brides to wear
What nail polish colors do brides wear?
Let’s go over some of the traditional nail polish options for brides.
The colors in this section are the most popular choices.
They work for almost everyone and are suitable for a wedding.
Nude polishes for brides to wear
Nude polishes are a great option for bridal nails.
They come in many different shades, from dark to light.
They also come in different tones, like pinky, peachy and brown.
For a traditional wedding, you should keep it light.
Look for a nude in a shade that suits your skin tone (more on that later).
And try to find a shade that works with the undertones in your dress.
Keep scrolling – we’ll go over what nail polish colors go with popular wedding dress colors further down.
Pale pink polishes for brides to wear
A subtle, almost neutral pink like Essie’s Ballet Slippers is perfect for a wedding.
It will add a hint of color and a little romance, without detracting from your dress.
Beige polishes for brides to wear
Beige is another neutral color that works well with most wedding dresses.
It’s a classy, sophisticated, and elegant choice that will never go out of style.
Like nude, beige runs the gamut from dark to light.
So you’ll need to match beige nail polish to your skin tone.
Deep beige nail polishes, like Essie’s Truth or Bare, are great for darker-skinned beauties.
If you’re a light-skinned beauty, go for a milky, barely-there beige.
Deborah Lippman’s Naked or OPI’s Cosmo Not Tonight Honey spring to mind.
Off-white polishes for brides to wear
Off-white is a catch-all term that includes any white shade with a little color added.
Cream, ivory, eggshell, and vanilla are examples of off-whites.
A pure, crisp, white can look a little too stark for a wedding.
Off-whites are a little softer. They create a much more romantic vibe.
Blush polishes for brides to wear
Blush is a soft, pale pink color.
It’s not technically a neutral, but it behaves like one.
This means you can wear blush pink nails with almost anything.
It’s a great choice for a natural, contemporary, elegant look.
French manicure
A French mani is the classic choice for brides.
It’s beautiful, subtle, and won’t draw attention away from your gorgeous gown.
You may have noticed that most of the colors in this section are neutral.
Neutral colors are so perfect for brides because they go with everything.
So you don’t need to worry about your nails clashing with your dress, your skin, your bouquet, or your rings.
Alternative nail polish colors for brides to wear
Looking for something outside the box?
Why not?
It’s your wedding day and you can wear whatever color nail polish you want!
Maybe you want to honor a family member by wearing their favorite color.
Or you want to make your nails your “something blue”.
Whatever you’re thinking, below are some suggestions.
These colors are great for adding a little spice to your wedding nails.
Red
Wearing red nail polish with your wedding dress is unconventional.
Without being too out there.
Red is a classic nail color that works for any occasion – even your wedding day!
Go for a classic, true red rather than a yellow or orange-based red.
Essie’s Forever Yummy or Her Majesty’s red by Butter London are both great choices.
Lavender
Lavender nail polish looks beautiful with any kind of wedding dress.
But I especially love it with lace.
Many off-white wedding dresses have yellow or golden undertones.
Purple and yellow and complementary colors.
So lavender pairs beautifully with yellow-based off-white shades.
Lavender is a great way to add a touch of color to your wedding ensemble without being too flashy.
Wine
Wine is a sophisticated and elegant nail color that works very well for formal events.
I like the idea of wine-colored nails for a fall or winter wedding.
Mint
Spring wedding?
Try adding a seasonal touch to your wedding nails.
A mint green wedding mani is unexpected – but stunning.
Mint looks heavenly with blush or peach.
So if you have those colors in your dress or your bouquet, it’s sure to be a winner.
Burnt orange
This is another seasonal-based choice that’s becoming popular.
Look for burnt orange or shades that make you think of fall.
Orange wedding nails certainly aren’t for the faint-hearted.
But if you love color and you want to make a bold statement, then go for it!
Navy
Navy is one of the most popular wedding colors for good reason.
It’s a sophisticated, formal color that goes with anything and everything.
Navy nails are a perfect choice if you want to go unconventional but still keep things classy.
Black
Wanna add some serious edge to your wedding dress?
Or just wanna shock everyone?
Then black nails might be for you.
When I first heard about the black wedding nails trend, I was skeptical.
But I’ve grown to absolutely love them now!
How to choose your wedding nail polish color
There’s so much to think about when choosing the perfect nail color for your big day.
In this section, I’ll share some tips and advice to help you pick out the right nail color for you.
What’s your skintone?
To pick out the best nail colors for you, you need to know your skin tone.
There are 3 main camps you could fall into – Cool, Neutral, or Warm.
If you don’t know your skin tone – there are a few easy ways to figure it out.
Check out our How to match nail polish to your skin tone post to learn more.
Let’s say you’re choosing a nude polish.
If your skin is cool – a pinky nude shade is going to suit you best.
If you have warm tones in your skin – a peachy shade or a neutral with gold in it will be most flattering.
If you are neutral – you can wear most shades.
As long as you don’t stray too far from the middle range in the spectrum.
What color is your dress?
Of course, you’re going to wantto match your nail color to your dress.
But how?
If you know the color of your dress already – a quick google search should tell you what undertones are present.
Taking note of the undertones in your dress can mean the difference between your nails looking drab or dazzling.
What’s your style?
Your personality and taste may also factor into your choice of polish shade.
This is your chance to show your amazing style to the world!
Think about the style of your dress.
Is it a lacy, boho number?
Then you might want an earthy polish color that works with that style.
Is it minimal and classic?
Then a neutral color or a french manicure might be your best bet.
What kind of wedding is it?
Thinking about the kind of wedding you want can help you narrow down your nail polish choices.
Are you going to be indoors or outdoors?
In a church, on a beach or in a forest?
Is it a casual affair with a few close friends, or a more formal event with a huge audience?
Think about the vibe you want to create for your wedding day.
Then choose a polish color that works with that vibe.
Some casual options might be a soft pastel, or an unassuming beige.
On the more formal side – perhaps a silver, gold or even a jewel tone could work.
What time of year is it?
Choose a nail color that works with the season and you’ll be bang on-trend.
For example, pastels like mint, lilac, rose and baby blue are perfect for spring.
And you can’t go wrong with a classic red for a December wedding.
What color is your bouquet?
You may not have thought of this yet.
But it’s a good idea to make sure that your nail polish doesn’t clash with your bouquet.
Your nails and your flowers need to harmonize because your nails will be seen close to the bouquet.
The same goes for your engagement and wedding rings.
I’m guessing by now that you’re beginning to see why most brides go for a neutral!
Are you changing dresses?
Another thing you might want to keep in mind is whether you’ll be changing dresses.
If you have a second dress for the reception, you’ll need to make sure that your nails match both!
If you are at all concerned about colors clashing – go for a neutral nail color.
Neutrals go with anything and everything – which is why they are so amazing!
Ok, now you know how to choose the perfect polish colors for you.
So let’s see what colors go best with different colored wedding gowns.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a white wedding dress?
With a pure white wedding dress, you can wear any color nail polish you like!
However, I’d suggest that you stay away from pure, white nail polish to avoid looking too stark.
A soft, off-white polish like cream or ivory will add a little visual texture.
While still keeping things monochromatic.
Or you could wear any other neutral shade.
A soft gray, a creamy beige, or even a navy blue will look perfect.
Lavender, rose, blush, light blue, mint, and black will also work.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with an off-white wedding dress?
Off-white shades like cream, ivory, and champagne typically have yellow undertones.
They pair well with warmer toned polishes like browns, yellows, and gold.
Or neutrals.
Purple shades like lilac and lavender work well with most off-whites too.
Another great option is blue.
Blue is the complementary color to yellow.
Which means that blue shades will harmonise with the yellow undertones in off-whites.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with an ivory wedding dress?
Nail polishes with warm undertones are the most complementary.
Warm grays, blue-grays, taupe, and silver polish look best with an ivory wedding dress.
You can also wear any other shade of white for understated contrast.
Black nail polish works with an ivory dress too.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a champagne wedding dress?
If your wedding dress is champagne, you can wear any other off-white nail polish.
The best neutrals with a champagne wedding dress are cream, beige, black, navy, and warm grays.
Brown and green earth tones work well with champagne wedding gowns too.
Pastel colors, blues, and blue-greens will also go.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a blush wedding dress?
For a high contrast look with some serious edge, try pairing blush with black.
Black nails with a blush dress (wedding or otherwise) look chic, stylish, and modern.
It’s also guaranteed to get your guests talking!
Indigo blue is another option if you’re wearing blush for an eye-catching look.
For softer, more traditional bride vibes try silver, mint green, soft light gray, or dusty blue.
For a more formal and dressy vibe go for burgundy, Navy, or gold.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a pearl wedding dress?
Pearl is yet another example of an off-white color.
Depending on the mix, pearl can look more white, cream, or gray.
Any neutral polish color will work with a pearl dress.
Pink, light gray, and copper nail polish will look perfect with a pearl wedding dress.
What color nail polish should a bride wear with a cream wedding dress?
The best neutral nail polish colors to wear with a cream wedding dress are:
– White
– Beige
– Ivory
– Browns
– Navy
– Light to mid grays
– Sage green
You can also wear pastel shades like peach, pale yellow, sky blue, seafoam green, lilac and rose pink.
Emerald, Turquoise, sapphire blue, maroon, gold, and silver nails all go with a cream wedding gown.
Final thoughts
Wow. That was a lot to take in.
I hope that I have given you lots of great ideas.
If you follow the advice in this post, matching your nails to your wedding dress should be easy.
Happy planning and I hope you have the most memorable day in your stunning dress 🤗
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