Create a Colorful Caribbean Theme Wedding

You don't have to have family roots in the Caribbean to pull off a successful Caribbean theme wedding and reception. Mix and match different elements in your own home town and capture the magic with just a little research, and you can bring the warmth of the Caribbean islands to your Caribbean theme wedding. The results will have your guests talking about your shindig long after the honeymoon is over.

The Caribbean islands are blessed with sunshine year round, outside of its rainy season. Try scheduling your wedding day in warmer weather so that you can take your celebrations to the great outdoors. A public garden or a friends huge backyard, preferably close to palm trees (live, small potted palm trees easily substitute for larger, naturally occurring palms), are a wonderful backdrop for your nuptials and create a great foundation for your tropical atmosphere. Exchanging vows on the beach is also a good idea for your Caribbean theme wedding.

Pay homage to the Caribbean islands by outfitting your bridal party with bright and festive colors. Tie-dye print is synonymous with the Caribbean and so too are patterned prints. Indian Cotton should be the predominant fabric used, as its a light fabric that keeps you cool in warm weather. Dresses with knee high lengths and thin straps can also help your bridal party beat the heat while looking like they just stepped off the boat from the Caribbean.

Decorations for a Caribbean theme wedding do not have to be extravagant. In fact, some of the materials you'll need are literally available in your own backyard. Imagine palm trees planted in decorative pots along the aisle to the pulpit. A wreath of tropical flowers like bougainvillea and hibiscus, will brighten up a garden arch, tables, and chairs. Find creative ways to incorporate seashells, tropically scented candles, and coconuts into the centerpieces and dcor.

A CD compilation of Caribbean music is a great wedding favor for your guests. An inexpensive way of doing this is to have someone pay for a download of Caribbean music in the genres of Soca, Reggae and the French Caribbeans Zouk music. Downloads may cost anywhere between 99 cents to five dollars.. Other party favor suggestions include: steel pan pendants, earrings and tiepins, flag key chains, wallets and penholders, all specific to your wedding and the Caribbean experience.

The infectious rhythms of Soca, Reggae and Zouk, whether streaming from the deejays booth or from a live band, is enough to take your Caribbean theme wedding to the next level. The sweet sound of Steel pan music is also a good choice. Of course, no Caribbean wedding would be complete without a limbo stand. So kick off your shoes and get ready to go down low!

It's easy to bring the taste of the Caribbean to your Caribbean theme wedding and reception without leaving your own neighborhood, much less the country. Grab a slice of the Caribbean off your grocery store shelves: rice and peas, curried chicken, jerk chicken and festive rice. Have the caterer search online for these and more Caribbean foods recipes.

Don't forget to accompany your meal with a generous glass of cold coconut water or fruit punch, because no Caribbean theme wedding is complete without a pina colada. Make it virgin or not just make sure that you serve it up in a coconut shell with a fresh fruit garnish!

About the Author

Valeria Vegas has a Masters degree in Writing and regularly writes for a local newspaper. She also teaches writing workshops in San Francisco and has taught high school English. As a freelance job, she corrects essays for the SAT and ACT through Pearson scoring as well as write copy for websites. She is the Associate Editor of a literary magazine, edit manuscripts for Behler publications, and works for authors independently. One of her stories was named Notable Story of 2004 by Million Writers.