Color is the key-it gives your wedding celebration your signature, from the bridesmaids' dresses to the ushers' cummerbunds, from the flowers to the napkins. Whatever style you decide upon-formal or informal, a garden wedding, glitzy, tropical or country western themed-color telegraphs the theme and sets the moods for your guests.

Color is a powerful tool that can communicate different feelings and moods. For example, blue is a cool color. it has a calming effect. On the other hand, red is a hot color, associated with courage and passion. Restaurants use color in their marketing. Some fast food restaurants decorate with yellows and reds, colors that are exciting and get people going. More upscale restaurants decorate with blues and greens, subdued colors that inspire diners to relax and enjoy their meals.

Color also plays a big role when designing arrangements or room decor, because it can be the element that gives your design balance, unity or rhythm, as well as a particular feeling or mood. Even though there are only 12 colors on the traditional color wheel, many more can be made by mixing colors together.

Because balloons have unique characteristics, they can be an effective use of color in arrangements and decor. Balloons fill space and create big, bright intense blocks of color. That's what makes them so effective and their placement so critical. Balloons are easy to work with because they come in a variety of colors.

Your goal in working with color is to create harmony. Achieving color harmony is important because you want the color and emotions they evoke to reflect your personality as well as to be desirable and comfortable. There are four basic color harmonies:

Monochromatic - One hue is combined with its tints, shades and tones to create a striking, yet subtle color contrast. This harmony is very comfortable and relaxing. It can be sophisticated, depending on the colors you use, but it's usually more soft and romantic. This is an easy harmony to use.

Analogous - Three colors that lie side by side on the color wheel are used together. This harmony can have a lot of depth while creating rich textures and an elegant look. But, be careful which colors you choose because some combinations can be unsettling. Be sure to use colors in similar intensities.

Complementary - Any two colors that lie directly opposite from each other on the color wheel are used together. This harmony is very bold and dramatic and usually has a lot of contrast. The contrast allows one color to complement the other - one gets attention, the other is the background.

Triadic - Three colors that lie in equal distance from each other on the color wheel are used. This can also produce very bold, strong color combinations, although it's the hardest to do correctly. The most well-known triadic combinations are the primary color: red, blue and yellow.

The colors of your wedding will say a lot about you. By following these simple guidelines, the colors can say exactly what you want them to say