Copper red, wheat and linenA soft copper red with wheat and linen, both pale. #CB6D51 · #F5DEB3 · #FAF0E6
Persian orange, khaki and ivoryA dusty orange with khaki, a yellowish tan. #D99058 · #C3B091 · #FFFFF0
Rust, sand and whiteRust and sand, sharpened by white. #B7410E · #C2B280 · #FFFFFF
Sand, dark salmon and whiteSand leads, with a salmon clay as the accent. #C2B280 · #E9967A · #FFFFFF
Sienna, fawn and creamDark red earth beside a light, warm tan. #882D17 · #E5AA70 · #FFFDD0
Terra cotta, desert and creamTerra cotta with Desert, a light yellowish brown. #E2725B · #C19A6B · #FFFDD0
Terra cotta, sand and ivoryBaked clay and sand, the plain desert pair. #E2725B · #C2B280 · #FFFFF0
Terra cotta, tan, sand dune and ivoryClay, tan and a dark sand brown. #E2725B · #D2B48C · #967117 · #FFFFF0
Cactus greens 8
Dark olive green, tan and creamA dark olive over tan and cream. #556B2F · #D2B48C · #FFFDD0
Fern green, sand and wheatLeaf green on two sands, a darker and a paler. #4F7942 · #C2B280 · #F5DEB3
Hunter green, terra cotta and wheatA dark green against clay, with wheat as the pale. #355E3B · #E2725B · #F5DEB3
Laurel green, copper red and linenA pale gray-green with a soft copper red. #A9BA9D · #CB6D51 · #FAF0E6
Moss green, rust and ivoryA mossy green and rust, both at mid strength. #8A9A5B · #B7410E · #FFFFF0
Sage, dark olive green, sand and whiteTwo greens, pale and dark, with sand. #BCB88A · #556B2F · #C2B280 · #FFFFFF
Sage, desert and ivorySage and a light desert brown, quiet on ivory. #BCB88A · #C19A6B · #FFFFF0
Sage, terra cotta and sandSage and baked clay, with sand as the pale. #BCB88A · #E2725B · #C2B280
Red rock 8
Bole, terra cotta and parchmentBole, a dark clay brown, under terra cotta. #79443B · #E2725B · #F1E9D2
Chestnut, copper red and wheatA red-brown under a lighter copper red. #954535 · #CB6D51 · #F5DEB3
Copper red, bole and khakiCopper red and a dark clay, on khaki. #CB6D51 · #79443B · #C3B091
Copper, chestnut, sand and ivoryCopper and chestnut, lightened by sand. #B87333 · #954535 · #C2B280 · #FFFFF0
Dark salmon, sienna and creamA salmon clay over dark red earth. #E9967A · #882D17 · #FFFDD0
Rust, ocher and linenRust and ocher, a redder earth and a yellower one. #B7410E · #CC7722 · #FAF0E6
Rust, terra cotta and sandRust and clay, two red-rock colors, on sand. #B7410E · #E2725B · #C2B280
Sienna, rust and tanTwo red earths, dark and bright, with tan. #882D17 · #B7410E · #D2B48C
Sand and sky 8
Copper red, light blue, sand and ivoryCopper red and pale blue, with sand between. #CB6D51 · #ADD8E6 · #C2B280 · #FFFFF0
Dark turquoise, sand dune and wheatA deep turquoise over a dark sand brown. #00CED1 · #967117 · #F5DEB3
Desert, sky blue and whiteA light desert brown under a clear sky blue. #C19A6B · #87CEEB · #FFFFFF
Rust, sky blue, sand and whiteRust rock, blue sky and sand, on white. #B7410E · #87CEEB · #C2B280 · #FFFFFF
Sand, cerulean and ivorySand with a strong, deep sky blue. #C2B280 · #007BA7 · #FFFFF0
Steel blue, sandy brown and wheatA gray-blue over sandy brown, an orange sand. #4682B4 · #F4A460 · #F5DEB3
Tan, light blue and creamTan and a pale blue, low in contrast. #D2B48C · #ADD8E6 · #FFFDD0
Terra cotta, turquoise and sandTurquoise is the one cool color between clay and sand. #E2725B · #40E0D0 · #C2B280
A night sky 8
Charcoal, terra cotta and sandCharcoal for the dark, clay and sand for the warmth. #36454F · #E2725B · #C2B280
Dark slate blue, fawn and parchmentA purple-tinged dusk blue with fawn. #483D8B · #E5AA70 · #F1E9D2
Midnight blue, old lavender, sand and whiteNight blue and a gray-purple, over sand. #191970 · #796878 · #C2B280 · #FFFFFF
Midnight blue, rust and sandNight blue, rust and sand. #191970 · #B7410E · #C2B280
Midnight blue, sand and ivoryA night blue over pale sand. #191970 · #C2B280 · #FFFFF0
Navy blue, sand dune and wheatNavy with a dark sand brown and pale wheat. #000080 · #967117 · #F5DEB3
Navy blue, terra cotta and wheatNavy and clay: a dark sky color over a warm ground. #000080 · #E2725B · #F5DEB3
Prussian blue, desert and creamAn inky blue with a light desert brown. #003153 · #C19A6B · #FFFDD0
How it works
Every desert wedding color palette here holds a sand or a baked-clay color: sand, tan, terra cotta or rust among them. Each is a swatch with the hex code of every color.
Read the full guide
The colors named after the desert
The color list this page follows has a color called Desert, #C19A6B: a light brown that resembles the flat areas of a desert, and a color name in English since 1920. Sand, #C2B280, has been one since 1627, and sand dune, #967117, the color of a dune of dark sand, since 1925. Terra cotta, Italian for baked earth, is #E2725B, and sage, the gray-green of dried sage leaves, is #BCB88A. The groups are our own sorting by part of the landscape.
Questions and answers
What colors are in a desert wedding color palette?
Sand and tan for the ground, terra cotta and rust for clay and rock, sage and olive for the plants, and a blue for the sky. Terra cotta, sand and ivory is the plain version; Rust, sky blue, sand and white adds the sky.
What are terracotta and sage wedding colors?
Sage, terra cotta and sand pairs the two on sand. For a darker green, Hunter green, terra cotta and wheat; for sage without the clay, Sage, desert and ivory or Sage, dark olive green, sand and white.
What is the difference between terracotta and rust?
By their codes in the color list this page follows, terra cotta (#E2725B) is the lighter and pinker of the two. Rust (#B7410E) is darker and browner; the name comes from iron oxide and has been a color name since 1692.
Which desert palettes have a dark color?
The group A night sky sets sand or clay against a dark blue: Midnight blue, sand and ivory; Navy blue, terra cotta and wheat; Prussian blue, desert and cream. Charcoal, terra cotta and sand uses a dark gray in its place.