15 Tropical Wedding Ideas to Create Your Own Island Getaway
Beachy vibes, bright colors, and plenty of palm trees — there’s just something extra special about a tropical wedding. If this is your wedding style of choice, you have endless options to make the day unforgettable.
In this guide, we’ll share our best tropical wedding ideas. Discover some of our all-time favorite tropical wedding decor ideas, menu inspiration, and fun ways you can create a lush vacation vibe for your special day.
15 of the Best Tropical Wedding Ideas
Whether you’re jetting off to a destination wedding in Hawaii or transforming your backyard into a tropical-inspired paradise, this is one of those themes where it’s all about the vibe and atmosphere. Here’s how to create that unique feel with our most loved tropical wedding ideas.
1. Choose a Tropical Color Palette
Design: Lissa Anglin
Matching invite: Tropical Daydream Invitation
Your wedding color palette can have a huge influence on the way your big day looks and feels. For a tropical wedding, many couples opt for bright, colorful shades of pink, purple, blue, and yellow.
Mix bright colors together, or choose one accent color and pair it with dark green and white. Take inspiration from your favorite tropical flower, the colors of a beach sunset, or even a colorful beachwear set that you love.
2. Find a Scenic Location
If a beach wedding is on your mind, begin looking for a location soon, especially if it’s a destination wedding, so you can get those invites out as soon as possible. You’ll also want to consider which time of day and year is best for an outdoor wedding ceremony at your chosen location.
You don’t have to travel far for an incredible tropical wedding though. Consider using your own backyard, renting a nearby villa or luxury home, or booking a weekend at a scenic hotel with a tropical theme.
3. Send Tropical Wedding Invitations
Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery
Matching invite: Nassau Garden Invitation
Introduce your wedding theme and let your loved ones know things are about to get tropical with themed wedding invitations. At Greenvelope, we have a beautiful collection of invites with beachy or tropical details — perfect for a colorful summer wedding or your tropical-inspired special day.
Every online invitation can be customized to turn any of our templates into your dream wedding invitation. Play around with colors, fonts, and layouts. Add your own personal wedding invitation wording. Invite loved ones via email, text message, or both — and manage RSVPs and communication in one place.
4. Recreate the Tropics Inside Your Wedding Venue
If you can’t make it to a tropical destination or you’d prefer an indoor wedding, there are still lots of ways you can make your tropical vibe come to life. You may not have the beach under your feet, but you can certainly create something special.
Make your wedding day feel tropical with small touches like monstera leaves for table numbers, escort cards with a tropical design, seashells as table decor, and a wedding arch draped in tropical flowers and leaves for that all-important wedding ceremony moment.
5. Use Tropical Greenery as Wedding Decor
Design: Robinson Creative House
Matching invite: Into the Tropics Invitation
One of our favorite tropical wedding ideas is to use greenery to create an incredible atmosphere through wedding decor and staging. Take inspiration from those giant tropical palms and leaves to create an interesting natural backdrop for your vows or wedding reception.
If you’re outside, choose your ceremony location based on the backdrop — ideally with gorgeous palm trees. If your wedding is indoors, bring some potted palms inside to create a similar look and feel. Adorn tables, entrance ways, and walls with giant palm leaves, monstera leaves, and plenty of other greenery to immerse your guests in their own tropical rainforest.
6. Light the Space with Colorful Lighting
Natural lighting can do a lot for a daytime wedding, but if you’re celebrating into the evening and night you’ll want some help to bring the right atmosphere to your space.
Use colorful string lighting, lanterns, and overhead lights to bring some of those tropical colors to life after the sun goes down. Pair with neon lighting over your bar or dance floor for some extra fun, or add candles to your tables for a more relaxing take on a tropical summer night.
7. Create Stunning Tropical Floral Displays
Design: Kiss by Kohl
Matching invite: Lovephool Invitation
With a tropical theme, you have so many incredible floral options at your disposal. Work with your florist to put together stunning wedding centerpieces and displays that highlight your wedding colors and enhance the theme.
Some of our favorite tropical flowers include birds of paradise, hibiscus, protea, and anthurium. Use these flowers not only across your tablescapes but also within your bridal bouquet or wedding bouquet to create a seamless theme.
8. Use Natural Textures Throughout
When we think of tropical party ideas, the flowers and bright colors immediately spring to mind, but so does something else — plenty of natural textures. If you want a cozy, boho vibe, this is a must have.
Integrate natural linens, rattan, driftwood, bamboo, and pampas leaves throughout your space. Pair these with big, bold tropical leaves to add extra interest. Look for ways to liven up your reception tables, place settings, gift table, dessert table, and bar area with these natural texture accents.
9. Introduce Rainforest Animals as a Whimsical Touch
Design: National Park Foundation
Matching invite: Everglades Invitation
If you want a tropical vibe but you also favor a whimsical wedding style, we love the idea of adding a few tropical animals into your wedding decor. This is a fun way to add playfulness to your big day, or even honor your favorite animal.
Flamingos are always a hit thanks to their bright colors, but there are so many animals that live in tropical locales that you could sneak into your wedding styling. Parrots, toucans, butterflies, tigers, gorillas, and species of monkeys can all be found in the rainforests — and maybe on your wedding day too.
10. Feature Tropical Flowers in Your Wedding Attire
Flowers don’t just have to be a feature in a tropical wedding bouquet; they can make a statement elsewhere in your wedding day look too. Elevate your wedding attire with a nod to your theme and include some native tropical flowers.
Put together boutonnieres with tiny tropical blooms, wear earrings inspired by a tropical flower, or ask your bridesmaids to carry a small bouquet that complements your own. Ask your hairstylist to add real or faux orchids to your updo, or even look for a flower-inspired wedding dress or shirt to really celebrate your love for all things tropical.
11. Plan an Island-Inspired Menu
Design: Signature Greenvelope
Matching invite: Vintage Pineapple Invitation
With a creative theme like this, don’t feel like you have to opt for standard wedding day menus and a traditional list of menu options. Take inspiration from the destination you’re visiting, or your favorite tropical island, as you create your wedding day dining menu.
Serve guests your favorite meals inspired by your destination — like these Hawaiian menu ideas. You could also hire a specialist caterer or food truck that can introduce guests to authentic meals. If you’re hosting at home, a BBQ with a range of options is a great catering choice for your tropical wedding.
12. Serve Refreshing Tropical Drinks
Alongside your delicious menu you’ll want a collection of delicious tropical drinks. Transport your guests to a tropical paradise with cocktails, mocktails, and fresh juices that are not just brightly colored but tasty too.
Serve a menu of classic tropical cocktails like margaritas, mai tais, piña coladas, and mojitos. Include mocktail options too, and freshly squeezed pineapple, mango, and orange juice. Make the drinks feel even more special by adding slices of fresh fruits or themed cocktail stirrers — like a flamingo, pineapple, or palm tree.
13. Have a Tropical Wedding Cake
Design: Colin Cowie
Matching invite: Retro Capri Invitation
With a grand theme like this, you need a tropical wedding cake that’s just as impressive. Continue the tropical wedding theme with a cake that matches your theme perfectly or one that stands out amongst the sea of monstera leaves.
Choose an expertly iced traditional wedding cake topped with a handful of tropical flowers or fruits, or hand-painted in colors to match a tropical sunset. If you want to go bolder, have the cake iced in a bright color, drape it with colorful flower details, or add a whimsical cake topper.
14. Play Outdoor Games Together
Everyone’s gathered to watch your nuptials and celebrate the two of you getting married, but after the big ceremony and meal you’ll want some fun ways to keep everyone entertained. For an ideal that matches your tropical wedding theme, why not invite everyone outside for some games?
Play outdoor party games with your guests like giant Jenga, dominoes, limbo, and ring toss. You could even set up a fun treasure hunt around the wedding venue, or start a game of beach volleyball.
15. Hand Out Tropical Party Favors
Design: Kaydi Bishop
Matching invite: Monstera Deliciosa Invitation
As you say goodbye to your loved ones at the end of the night, send them home with a small gift to remind them of your big day and as a thank you. Match your wedding favors to your theme to make them feel even more memorable.
Hand out cupcakes with a tropical themed topper, a flamingo keyring or bottle opener, or a monstera leaf drink tag personalized with their name. Scented candles, bags of candy, handmade soaps, and jars of seashells are also fun ways to honor your tropical inspired day.
Create Your Own Paradise with These Tropical Wedding Ideas
Wedding planning is a lot of work, but with a theme as creative and stylish as this it can also be a lot of fun. Use this guide to help you come up with ideas for your big day, then turn them into reality to create an island escape where you can celebrate all night long.
As you’re planning your big day, look for small ways you can continue your theme — like with tropical wedding invitations. Use our customizable online wedding stationery to elevate your theme and have your guests clicking RSVP right away.
