You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column ‘Planning Your Happily Ever After’ with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds. Her focus this week: creating floral statements.

The lush tropical floral trend has been with us for a while now and continues to be big right now. Big, bold details combined with vibrancy and colour are now top of the wedding trends around the world.

Flowers that are internationally noted as being exotic and unusual grow naturally in our backyards and on the hillsides here in Jamaica. Our Government has been promoting Buy Jamaican, encouraging us to use what we grow. So why not do so with your wedding details as well? The foliage and floral colours can be easily sourced locally and adapted to suit your wedding design

Here are a few new and creative ways locally grown flowers are being used.

Tropical plants and flowers

Palms — The new statement floral! From lush tropical leaves to fanned dried palms, I’ve seen a variety of palm leaves featured in different aspects of weddings recently. Whether you’re going for a fully tropical look or a bohemian-inspired theme, palms will do the trick.

They are fairly easy to work with to create an effortless yet impactful look. Put some long stems of palm in a tall vase to make a statement centrepiece; heliconia or monstera leaves are equally stunning.

The textural beauty of tropical greenery and the vibrant colours of tropical blooms such as ginger lilies, heliconia, birds of paradise, anthuriums and orchids, when combined or individually, instantly transforms a space.

Our lush landscapes around the island are the picture-perfect wedding screnery for an outdoor wedding.

Uses

Textural green bouquets

Table decoration and centrepieces

Backdrops

Place settings

Cake décor

Leaves for cool signage

Tip: Weddings flowers can be expensive but using locally grown flowers are a great way to save cost and stay on trend.

I love the idea of using lush greenery accented with bright and colourful flowers.

Find your favourite elements and infuse them into your special day!