Tiki Theme Party

I´m often asked to style and decorate pre-wedding and post-wedding parties at villas as well as the wedding itself which is awesome as it gives clients (and myself!) a chance to get really creative and go crazy. Whether it´s the day before or the day after the wedding, the look can (and I believe should) be completely different so that guests feel like they are at a totally different venue altogether. Use a different area of the villa or if that´s not possible, be creative with the space. Often we create Moroccan styled events with chill-out areas decorated with colourful fabrics, lots of rugs scattered around, lanterns and cushions but sometimes couples want to push the boat out and create something really different as often in the UK or Ireland (where a lot of my clients are from) the weather doesn´t allow many pool parties so a Tiki Theme party for instance is a chance for some serious fun. 

The trick is getting the balance right between fun and funky and just plain tacky with this theme. One of the easiest ways to do this is with the colour palette. By choosing 3 or 4 main colours and using 2 of them in prominent places throughout the party will bring a unity to the event. For example use pink for the flamingos, and pink in your table decorations as well as in the lighting around the villa. Then use say, use turquoise for napkins and add a turquoise sugar rim to your cocktail glasses. Little bits here and there really do bring everything together and although it may not seem like it in theory using such bright colours at different sides of the spectrum, it really does work - trust me! And avoid those little paper umbrellas that folks used to put in cocktails. Nothing will ever make them look cool. 

Photo sources: Pink flamingos - getflocked.com, Cocktail - loveitsomuch.com, Chair - photographed by Corbin Gurkin, Totem pole sweets - birdsparty.com)