Fresh loose dendrobium orchids are non-toxic and can be used to accent the wedding cake, food dishes, and bar drinks. Dendrobium orchids also float so they can be floated in fishbowls and will not harm fish.

Fresh loose ti leaves are non-toxic and can be used with food like as a dish liner. Ti leaves also make great decorations like as table runners or arrange a bunch of them in a circle and put the wedding cake in the center. Ti leaves can be used along with cut flowers in floral arrangements. On a side note- In addition to adding a tropical flare, ti leaves are believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits in the Hawaiian culture.

Decorate the reception tables with centerpieces like coconut scented candles in real coconut shells or dashboard hula wigglers or fresh Hawaiian pineapples or papaya that your guests can take home at the end of the wedding. We offer over a dozen photos of examples of table centerpieces you can easily create at www.alohafriendsluau.com/decoratingtips.html

If fresh wedding leis and fresh decorations from Hawaii are out of your budget a more economical alternative is using silk wedding leis and silk decorations.

Dance to the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and other romantic island songs at your reception.

Play Hawaiian Slack Key music in the background while everyone eats at the reception. This is a unique style of music invented in Hawaii by Hawaiian cowboys called Paniolo and it is a relaxing easy listening style of music ideal for everyone to enjoy while eating.

Set up a guest book table with a Hawaiian theme guestbook and fresh loose orchids. Have a sign on the table asking your guests to please sign the guest book and take an orchid for behind their ear or for their button hole. The guest book table above was decorated using 5 fresh loose ti leaves, 100 fresh loose orchids spread out on the table, a fresh pineapple, a dashboard hula wiggler, and a Hawaiian theme guest book.

Give out sample size macadamia nut treats as wedding favors. You can easily personalize them with labels you create on your computer to say something like "Mahalo (thank you) for sharing in our special day. Linda & Joe 11/25/05". You can also create more traditional wedding favor boxes or little bundles by using macadamia nuts instead of jordan almonds.

Have island treats like macadamia nuts on the reception tables for guests to snack on.

Give unique island treasures as Mahalo (thank you) gifts to your wedding party like shark tooth necklaces for the guys and body lotions for the girls.

Have an authentic Hawaiian luau for your rehearsal dinner, wedding reception, or bridal shower. Our luau resource pages provide additional decorating suggestions, popular luau food recipes, and fun Hawaii theme game suggestions to easily create a Hawaiian luau anywhere.

It can sometimes be difficult to get wedding guests to be the first ones to get on the dance floor and boogie. A great way to encourage participation is have some fresh, silk or shell leis and you reward the first 10-12 people who get to the dance floor and start dancing with a lei. Once the first few people get a lei the other guests will be running to the dance floor so they can get one too. If you plan to adorn your guests in leis anyway you could use other items like macadamia nut treats to encourage people to get up and dance.

Hire a hula dancer to perform at your reception and also give a hula lesson to you and your guests.

If you are having an outdoor wedding or reception tiki torches add great atmosphere and are typically available at any home improvement center.

If you are having a Hawaiian theme rehearsal dinner in addition to your Hawaiian theme wedding and reception it is very popular to utilize silk wedding leis for the wedding rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner and then fresh wedding leis and accessories from Hawaii for the wedding and reception. The silk leis make nice keepsakes from your special day that will last forever.

These photos show how you can easily add a classy tropical touch to a simple white cake with a few loose orchids. A bit of ferns and/or babys breath can also be added to add additional coverage and color. The orchids can be applied to cascade down the cake or just add a few accents to each layer. As little 3 or as many as 25 loose orchids are needed to turn a plain cake into beautiful cake with a Hawaiian flair. Use an additional 30-500 orchids to scatter around the cake table, head table, gift table, guest tables, food table, and dance floor. If you would like to put some on the guest table a good rule of thumb is 2 orchids per person per table. Encourage your guests to pick up a loose orchid and wear it behind their ear or in their shirt/jacket button hole! Loose ti leaves (pronounced tee) are the green leaves used in the two photos below and are also great for adding a tropical touch to cake tables and food plates. Ti leaves believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits in the Hawaiian culture.

Click here to view more Photographs of Suggestions on How to Create Hawaii Theme Centerpieces, Decorate Guest Book Tables, and Wedding Cake Decorating

RESOURCES TO CREATE A HAWAIIAN THEME WEDDING ANYWHERE

EXAMPLES OF HAWAII THEME WEDDING VOWS, CEREMONIES, PHRASES, AND PRAYERS: