Love a lei! Leis or floral garland (which actually can be made of just about any material) look lovely around the neck of a destination bride or groom! Seen in most Hawaiian destination weddings, we thought we would expand on the idea a little to go beyond just the islands. Perhaps this is your one DIY wedding element and you make your leis from paper hearts for all the bridal party or just the flower girl to wear. For the guys? I love a nut lei with that chunky masculine look. And if you want to involve your guests, setup a lei station pre-ceremony so the entire group gets a beautiful accessory (and looks good in pictures too). If a lei isn’t your bridal style, then consider a statement necklace that looks the part instead.
One of my favorite ways to incorporate leis into a destination wedding is to give one to each parent during the wedding ceremony, as a sign of love and appreciation (and a nice way to involve them from the front row – or even just the moms). Together you can turn and adorn your parents with leis on both sides of the aisle. At Tracy and Adam’s wedding (that we shared last year), they chose to give each other’s parents leis so the groom to the bride’s parents and the bride to the groom’s parents. So sweet!
If fashionable flowers aren’t for you, then dress your sweetheart chairs and lay (no pun intended) leis on each seat back instead! Or create a lei making station for the kids area and even include non-perishable versions in each guest’s welcome bag upon check-in to give them something fun to wear by the beach. Don’t forget the ever popular tongue and check tag – get lei’d!
{Photos: Lei Station on Beach: Studio EMP, Little Girl: Rebecca Cooper Photography, Orange Lei: Martha Stewart Weddings, Chair Lei: Lexi Photography, Nut Lei: Lei Hut, Bride + Parents: Martha Stewart Weddings, Groom Lei: Aloha Hawaiian Flowers & Gifts}
