5 Tips for Incorporating Tropical Elements in Event Design

Feb 14

Tropical elements never go out of style in event design! Whether it’s a wedding, a brand event or a milestone party, who doesn’t love being surrounded by the beauty of nature and the magic of the world’s tropical locales? Tropical elements add architectural and dramatic lines as well as organic colors, and easily create a wow factor, just like they did at this glamorous LA Bar Mitzvah. I love working with tropical elements when designing for my clients, so I put together a list of design tips that you can use when designing your own events.

Glamorous tropical event design at an LA Bar Mitzvah by Eddie Zaratsian

My top 5 tips for designing with tropical elements…

Tropical leaves can be quite large which is great for creating a dramatic effect, but that means they can also be bulky and overpowering. Incorporating other types of flowers into your arrangements can really help soften the feel. At this event I used numerous types of flowers along with my tropical greenery, like roses, orchids and hydrangeas.
Use varying styles of tropical leaves in your arrangements - large, small, thin, wide, dark green, light green, etc. This will help all of the different textures being used really stand out, and will add to the interest of your overall design.
When deigning with tropical elements, I love incorporating a shade of blue, whether turquoise like the tropical waters or a deep blue like the ocean. I feel like blues just read so well with the organic greens. At this event, we utilized blue as a central color and it appeared throughout the draping, furniture, and lighting.
Tropical leaves are stunning already, but you can also think of them as tools for creating something new! You can easily add different textures and styles to tropical leaves by creatively manipulating them. Whether you cut a fringe into a large palm leaf or you braid braiding think fronds together, there are many ways to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Candles in a tropical event setting create a wonderfully moody environment. I like incorporating them because the color of the flame reminds me of a sunset, which always looks lovely against natural greens and airy blues.