Tropical Themed Wedding Reception

Picture white sandy beaches, an aqua blue ocean, and rolling dunes filled with tall palm trees. Sounds like the perfect getaway? How about a location for your wedding? If so, here are some carefree ideas to help you get started!

Need color scheme inspiration? When one thinks of the tropics, one thinks of bold, bright colors. Colors derived from: the many hues of the ocean, white sandy beaches, palm trees, sea shells, tropical fish, and an array of brightly colored flowers. Need more assistance on a color scheme? How about using light blue, aqua, celery green, beige, taupe, brown, sage green, yellow, orange, coral, mango, peach, magenta, pink, fuchsia, lime green, and pearl white?!

Where to have your celebration? Let's go to the beach! If you don't live by the ocean or a body of water, find a banquet room with a tropical décor or color scheme. And, you can always add elements (flowing fabrics, lighting, and vegetation) to the room that will express your theme!

Since a tropical theme is a popular wedding theme, you have so many amazing wedding stationary choices. My personal favorites are: "Tropical Paradise," "Nassau Chic," "Majestic Palm," and "Simple Orchid."If you would like more options, go to www.weddingpaperdivas.com.

When I imagine the tropics, I see bright and bold colors. So, for this demonstration, I'm going to use lime green, fuchsia, and brown as an accent color. Drape lime Poly Dopioni table clothes on to the tables. Place bamboo chairs around each table. Tie small palm fronds and a green orchid, with fuchsia ribbon, to the back of each chair. Run a Coconut shell runner down the middle of the table. Fold a fuchsia Lamoure napkin in a bird of paradise napkin fold. Create a menu in lime green with a fuchsia font and design. Then, layer each place setting with a dark wood charger, a rippled glass plate, menu, and then top the plate design with the folded napkin.
Add tall, rippled glass Cylinder vases to the middle of each table. Float fuchsia and green orchids in the water of the vases. Add fuchsia and green tropical flowers to the vase, such as: anthodium, orchids, gloriosa lilies, dahlias, bird of paradise, lily grass, and palm fronds. Add several fuchsia orchid glass candle holders to the middle of each table, with lime green candles.

Need "favor" ideas? Take lime green jute bags and fill them with small coconut shell candles. For a finishing touch, add a fuchsia thank you tag with some raffia to the top of the bags. Need other ideas? How about a small tropical scented sun block, hand cream, or chocolate macadamia nut candy?

Need menu ideas? How about a Hawaiian Luau! If pork doesn't whet your appetite, serve seafood items instead! Serve items such as sushi, shrimp cocktail, clams on the half shell, shrimp salad, clam chowder soup, and a fish entrée. Remember - - not all guests like (or they might have an allergy to) seafood! I suggest serving non seafood items, for each course, to please all of your guests. What beverages to serve? Serve tropical cocktails, with little umbrellas, in coconut shells!

Need entertainment ideas? Hire a steel drum band for that "tropical flavor," during the cocktail and dinner hours! Then, hire a DJ to orchestrate your conga line and the limbo dance!

Need cake ideas? I would do a three tiered chocolate fondant cake. Add lime green and fuchsia ribbon around each tier. Then, add fresh or gum paste orchids on the cake. Need flavor ideas? How about coconut, key lime, or pineapple? For a finished touch, I would set the cake on a bamboo cake stand.

If you want that carefree tropical wedding, just follow these colorful ideas. With this wedding theme, you will feel as if you have already arrived at your tropical honeymoon location! However, when the party is over - - the two of you can leave all others ashore and sail away into the sunset! Bon Voyage!