Vivid colors, unique florals, and an overall island feel. Decorating with tropical plants for a wedding or another event can make guests feel like they've been transported to an island getaway where they can either relax or have the time of their lives. The possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to how to use tropical silk flowers and greens for weddings and displays, so you may need some inspiration when it comes to even getting started. If you're decorating with a tropical theme or still trying to decide on a theme for a wedding or event, you'll definitely want to know how to create tropical floral arrangements. Once you know the types of tropical silk flowers and greenery available and all of the amazing styles you can create with the floral decor, you'll know that a tropical theme can be right for a wide variety of events.
Types of Tropical Silk Flowers and Plants
Picture an arrangement of tropical flowers. You probably see lush greenery and vibrant colors, but you may not know what flowers and plants create those wonderful bouquets. You have more options than you might expect when it comes to silk flowers for a tropical wedding or event, and the same goes for your greenery. First, consider the types of tropical silk flowers out there with a list full of unique blossoms and vivid hues:- Amaranth: An amaranth branch is stunning for filler in bouquets and other displays. Small bunches of delicate blossoms cascade down on these branches, which sometimes include leaves. You can find brown, green, and other colors of amaranth that make classic additions to any arrangement.
- Orchid: Orchids are a popular tropical flower, even featured in other, less tropical themes. These beautiful flowers have a tall stem sometimes with a single blossom but often with multiple orchid blossoms that come in white, purple, fuchsia, and other colors.
- Protea: Protea often features a thick stem, a large bloom, and multiple leaves. You can find them in a pale green shade, white, and many other colors. Some varieties have blossoms that appear more open while others take on a bud shape and look a bit more closed.
- Frangipani: Also called plumeria, frangipani often makes an appearance in Hawaiian leis. The stunning blossoms are often white with an orange or yellow center, and they have a softer look than other tropical flowers. Their delicate appearance and soft colors make plumeria flowers excellent for a wedding.
- Red ginger: You may see this bloom called pink cone ginger or ostrich plume, but no matter the name, red ginger adds a spark of color. The blossom is narrow with a closed look of stacked petals, and the stem often features leaves that are a similar length to the blossom.
- Bougainvillea: A spray of bougainvillea can have bright pink blossoms in a vine-line arrangement with green leaves. This flower can also come in a branch style with a spray of fuchsia blooms, but no matter which style you choose, you'll get a pop of signature tropical color.
- Gloriosa lily: These lilies have a unique shape with textured petals. You'll find them in red, orange, and other colors where the tip of the petal has a vibrant color and fades to green in the center.
- Passion flower: If you like the unique look of the gloriosa lily, you can get another textured blossom with a passion flower. A light green passion flower spray can have a more subtle look than other vibrant varieties if you want the shape of the bloom to speak for itself.
- Bird of paradise: A bird of paradise features vivid orange, purple, and yellow tones. The shape of its petals and leaves give the flower a bird-like shape as if it is ready to soar around your gorgeous venue. Other flowers with similar vivid hues include heliconia and the flamingo flower.
- Tillandsia: This greenery unfurls into a cluster of tentacle-like fronds. The pale green shade of tillandsia makes a beautiful contrast to the bright and dark greens of other tropical plants.
- Monstera: A monstera leaf may be the quintessential tropical greenery. The large, deep green leaf is wide with a few holes throughout, and it looks similar to a turtle leaf.
- Philodendron: A philodendron leaf has a similar shape to a monstera leaf but with more sections along its leaf and curved shapes. Its shade of green may be a bit lighter with a more yellow hue than the darker green option, allowing you to add contrast to your tropical arrangements.
- Palm leaf: Palm leaves often refer to any variety of tropical greenery, but specific ones are truly palm leaves. Palms have many thin fronds on one stem, creating greenery that resembles a feather. Varieties include the long Cycas palm leaf or the Areca palm leaf, which has slightly wider leaves. A fan palm leaf has fronds that fan out in more of a circle and are often shorter than other palm leaves.
- Fern leaf: The fronds of a fern are similar to a palm leaf, but ferns are sometimes shorter, and the overall look is more tapered in contrast to a palm's oval shape. You can find ferns in the perfect medium green shade that will add contrast to other darker leaves.
- Other leaves: If you want a solid but equally stunning leaf, choose from tropical options that have one leaf rather than several fronds. Banana leaf is a popular tropical choice, but beryl and calla lily leaves are just as stunning. They all feature medium shades of green and are each a different size, meeting any of your decorating needs.
Tropical Centerpiece and Display Ideas
When decorating with a tropical theme, you want a lush look that contrasts vibrant greens with vivid reds, oranges, pinks, and more. Because of the endless options you have for incorporating tropical silk flowers into a wedding or other events, we've gathered some ideas that will get you inspired.Vases to Use in Tropical Flower Arrangements
You can't show off a magnificent centerpiece arrangement without an equally beautiful vase holding everything together. Luckily, tropical arrangements are flexible in terms of their style, meaning they can go with many vase varieties, such as:- Wood: A wooden vase enhances the natural element of a tropical arrangement and can even give island-inspired arrangements a touch of rustic charm.
- Glass: Glass shows off the style of a tropical arrangement and lets the bouquet stand out in the decor. It can add a sleek or classic look, depending on the shape of the vase.
- Metal: Many tropical flowers and plants, such as orchids, have a modern feel. A metal vase enhances that and can add a high-end look to the centerpiece.
- Ceramic: Use white ceramic for a sophisticated touch to a tropical bouquet. Ceramic vases come in plenty of fun colors, as well, so if you want to take your tropical arrangement to a more vibrant level, choose some bright ceramic vases.
Vase Fillers to Use in Tropical Flower Centerpieces
To keep your arrangements sturdy, you'll need to fill the vase with floral accessories. When you have a shorter or see-through vase, you can make fillers a part of the decor:- Sand is a simple filler, but it also brings a tropical look.
- Shells bring more of the beach to an island theme.
- Sea glass can match the vivid florals or evoke a relaxing island feel.
Tropical Flower Arrangements for Centerpieces
You can create stunning centerpieces with vivid and textured combinations for complex and eye-catching decor. Some popular tropical wedding centerpiece ideas that can even work for other events include:- Table runners: Use petals or whole blossoms to create a centerpiece that runs the length of the whole table. Set them on longer stems of greenery for a flower and palm leaf wedding centerpiece.
- Tall arrangements: While you'll see that tropical flowers can create amazing simple tropical centerpieces, you can also have tall, complex bouquets. Stand the greenery upright as a backdrop for flowers in centerpieces that face a particular direction.
- A mix of florals: Many non-tropical florals go well with various types of tropical silk flowers. Try white peonies with frangipani for a delicate and island-inspired arrangement.
Simple Tropical Centerpieces to Create
It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the textures, colors, and shapes available with tropical florals and greenery, but island-inspired decor should be relaxing. Once you see how to make simple tropical centerpieces, you'll realize that tropical florals don't need to overwhelm a space if you want a relaxing island-inspired theme. Some simple tropical centerpieces to create include:- Birds of paradise in a tall wood vase
- Orchid in a metal cube vase
- Heliconia in a glass cylinder vase
- Frangipani in a glass bud vase
Other Creative Ideas for Using Tropical Silk Flowers
Other than artificial tropical flower arrangements, get some ideas for island-inspired floral accents to use throughout a wedding or event space. You'll create a lush venue with a few other additions to your floral and palm leaf centerpiece ideas for weddings or other events.Wedding Aisle Decorations
Set the stage for a stunning tropical wedding by ushering a couple down a lush aisle with island-inspired florals. For a stunning tropical walkway, you can:- Use petals: Scattered rose petals are a wedding classic, but for a tropical theme, you can line the path with bright orchid petals or romantic plumeria blooms.
- Light the way: Place candles in votives among scattered tropical flowers and greenery for a rustic twist on the theme.
- Place many potted plants: Many tropical flowers and plants, such as monstera, anthurium, and bromeliad, come in potted plant varieties, making them a simple addition to the rows of chairs down the aisle.
- Begin the aisle with larger plants: Palms come in larger styles that give a lush tropical feel to the beginning of the aisle. Sago palm, a cane palm tree, or even a philodendron plant would set the tropical scene.
The Altar
The altar at a tropical wedding can create a bright, beautiful backdrop for the couple getting married. Set up larger potted palms to define the area or create tall arrangements to use at the altar. You can also take the traditional arch and adorn it with vibrant colors. Intertwine monstera leaf vines with bougainvillea blossoms for a dramatic backdrop for the couple's big day. If the event you're decorating for isn't a wedding, you can still create a similar archway of tropical florals to welcome guests into a venue.Flower Wall
A flower wall can go anywhere in a wedding or other event venue for a statement backdrop. Whether guests use it as a photo wall or it defines an area of the venue, all eyes will be on the stunning cascade of vivid pinks, oranges, and other tropical colors that mingle with rich green shades. For a breathtaking, vertical arrangement, combine:- Tillandsia
- Hibiscus
- Protea
- Other tropical greens and flowers
Floral Table
A statement table with tropical plants pressed underneath a glass or acrylic tabletop takes palm leaf wedding centerpiece ideas to a new level. Use flat tropical leaves to your advantage as the base for an amazing table decoration that fits an island theme in a stunning way. It's a simple way to get creative with other tropical florals that you can scatter or place in the perfect way before pressing under the see-through tabletop.Incorporating Tropical Plants Into Your Wedding or Event Decor
If you want more alternatives to artificial tropical centerpiece ideas for a wedding or other events, think about going green. Tropical greenery comes in so many varieties, sizes, and colors that you could fill a venue with all-green decorative touches, so take inspiration from these options.Place Settings or Mats
The wide leaves of tropical greens make the perfect addition to a place setting. You can use natural leaves or find placemats inspired by banana or monstera leaves. Add in smaller leaves with names on them for place cards that tie everything together.Chandeliers
Create a display of palm leaves to suspend from the ceiling to bring the tropical theme up and add to the lush venue. Add amaranth for hanging texture that is even more likely to catch the eye of guests. Loosely incorporate lights for a functional chandelier or simply hang the plants for stunning decor.Garland
Fern and other narrow fronds and leaves can come together to make a garland. Decorating with tropical leaves as garland is a stunning way to create minimal, beachy themes, but you can also incorporate pops of color. Put together narrow leaves or tillandsia for texture, and you'll create a versatile decor accent that can be:- Hung on walls
- Hung from the ceiling
- Used for a table runner
- Draped across chairs