Grand Cayman Wedding Flowers: Protea Bouquet

Their story

Protea and bird of paradise wedding flowers on a dock in Grand Cayman

Fabulous Flowers & Gifts, the Cape Town wedding florist founded by Josie van Aswegen in 1999, did the wedding flowers for Geoff and Jen's wedding in Grand Cayman on Friday, 3 January 2020. They married at home, in the garden where they live and at the end of their own dock, with family and close friends around them. The flowers were South African favourites in Caribbean colours: a bridal bouquet of orange bird of paradise and pincushion protea with blue thistle, fern and eucalyptus, and blue thistle buttonholes for Geoff and several of the men.

Jen's family told us that everyone had a hand in the day, and you can see it in the photographs. A cousin of Geoff's sang and played guitar as Jen walked down the dock. The palapa was laid with patterned rugs and wooden benches, and at sunset the two of them sat barefoot on the boards. Six months later, on their six-month anniversary, Geoff and Jen shared the photographs with family and friends, and Jen's family passed them on to Josie.

I · The walk

Down the dock to a song

The aisle at this wedding was a dock: a long run of weathered boards from the garden out over the water, with a thatched palapa at the far end. Jen walked it in a white two-piece with her bouquet in her hands, while Geoff's cousin sang and played the guitar. A patterned rug was laid on the boards near the end, so the last few steps were softer.

A dock makes its own procession. Every guest can see the whole walk, there is nothing behind the bride but sea and sky, and the bouquet is the strongest colour in the picture. Jen's orange and red flowers work hard here, because against turquoise water warm colours carry a long way.

Jen walking down the wooden dock toward the palapa with her orange and red bouquet, a patterned rug laid on the boards — Down the dock, on a patterned rug

“It was truly magical and we feel blessed to relive it every day we walk out onto the dock.”
Geoff and Jen, six months on

The thatched palapa at the end of the dock in Grand Cayman, laid with red patterned rugs and benches, with potted orange bougainvillea against the posts and the sea beyond — The palapa, set for the ceremony

II · The palapa

A thatched palapa over the water

The ceremony was held under the palapa at the end of the dock, a square of wooden posts and palm thatch open to the sea on every side. The floor was covered in overlapping red and blue rugs, with two long wooden benches, a round floor cushion and lanterns. Potted bougainvillea in orange and pink stood against the posts, and pampas grass rose from a woven lantern in one corner.

In a setting like this, the flowers only need to belong to it, and Jen's bouquet shares its colours with what was already there. The rugs are rust, red and indigo. The bougainvillea is orange. The bouquet sits between them, and in the photographs the whole palapa reads as one warm palette against the blue.

III · The bouquet

South African flowers in Caribbean colours

Jen's bouquet was built around two South African natives. Bird of paradise, Strelitzia reginae, comes from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and pincushion protea, Leucospermum, grows wild in the fynbos of the Western Cape. Around them went smaller red blooms, spiky blue thistle, round eucalyptus leaves and fern, with long strelitzia leaves breaking out of the top. Our protea bouquets use the same family of flowers.

These are good choices for a hot, windy day by the sea. Strelitzia and protea have firm stems and thick, waxy petals that stay upright out of water, and thistle hardly notices the heat. The orange of the bird of paradise is close to the orange of the bougainvillea, and the blue thistle picks up the indigo in the rugs. If you want more orange, our orange flowers are a good place to look.

Geoff and Jen walking across their garden in Grand Cayman, Jen holding a bouquet of orange bird of paradise and pincushion protea — Bird of paradise and pincushion protea

Geoff in a white linen shirt laughing with a guest in the garden, both wearing blue thistle buttonholes, with the sea and palms behind — Thistle buttonholes in the garden

IV · The buttonholes

Blue thistle on white linen

Geoff wore a white linen shirt with a buttonhole of blue thistle backed with fern and greenery, and several of the men at the wedding wore the same. On white linen the thistle shows up clearly, and its steel blue is the one cool colour in a warm scheme. Our buttonholes and corsages page has more ideas.

Thistle is one of the best buttonhole flowers for a hot day. It is dry to the touch, it keeps its shape for hours out of water, and it does not bruise when someone hugs you. At a wedding where everyone hugs everyone, that matters.

V · The signing

Signing the register in the garden

After the ceremony, Geoff and Jen signed the register at a white table on the lawn, under the palms near the house. The orange and blue flowers sat on the table beside them, so they are in every photograph of the moment.

A small wedding at home does not need flowers in every corner. Here, the flowers went where people would look: in Jen's hands, on the men's shirts and on the signing table. Our page on what wedding flowers mean is a good place to start if you are choosing yours.

Jen and Geoff signing the register at a white table in the garden, with bird of paradise, protea and blue thistle on the table in front of them — Signing, with the flowers beside them

Geoff and Jen standing on a patterned rug at the end of the dock at sunset, Jen holding her bouquet, with the thatched palapa behind them in Grand Cayman — The palapa at sunset

Two wooden benches on red and blue patterned rugs under the thatched palapa, with pink bougainvillea on a post and the turquoise sea beyond

Jen under the palapa beside a guest in a pale blue shirt, her bird of paradise and protea bouquet held in front of the turquoise sea

A guest pinning a blue thistle buttonhole onto a pale shirt

Geoff and Jen sitting barefoot on a patterned rug at the end of the dock at sunset, her orange bouquet in her lap and the sea behind them

The flowers

Geoff and Jen's wedding flowers, piece by piece

Bridal bouquet: Orange bird of paradise and pincushion protea with smaller red blooms, blue thistle, round eucalyptus leaves, fern and long strelitzia leaves.
Buttonholes: A sprig of blue thistle backed with fern and greenery, for Geoff and several of the men.
Signing table: The same orange and blue flowers on the white table where Geoff and Jen signed the register.

Strelitzia orangeProtea redThistle blueEucalyptusSea turquoise

In the mix

Bridal bouquet: bird of paradise (strelitzia), pincushion protea (leucospermum), small red blooms, blue thistle (eryngium), eucalyptus and fern; Buttonholes: blue thistle with fern and greenery.

The long wooden dock running out to the thatched palapa over the sea in Grand Cayman, with Geoff and Jen standing on the boards

The place

Grand Cayman: flowers for a wedding on the water

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean. Geoff and Jen married at home, where the lawn runs down to the water and a long wooden dock reaches out to the palapa. January falls in the island's dry season, and the photographs show clear light, palms and a steady breeze off the sea.

A dock is a beautiful place to marry and a hard place for flowers. There is sun, salt and wind, and almost no shade until you reach the palapa. Protea, bird of paradise and thistle suit those conditions far better than soft garden roses or hydrangea, which wilt quickly in heat. When you plan flowers for a wedding by the sea, start with what grows well in a hot, dry climate.

If you are planning a protea wedding closer to home, see Megan and Steve's hexagon arch of pink proteas and our guide to proteas. For places to marry in Cape Town and the Winelands, see our guide to wedding venues around Cape Town.

FloralsFabulous Flowers & Gifts, Claremont (Josie van Aswegen, since 1999)

PlaceGeoff and Jen's home, Grand Cayman

MusicA cousin of Geoff's, voice and guitar

Planning notes

Planning wedding flowers for a beach or dock wedding: what this wedding taught us

Choose flowers that like the heat
Protea, bird of paradise and thistle stay firm in sun and wind. Save soft roses and hydrangea for a cooler, shadier day.
Take your colours from the setting
Jen's bouquet matched the bougainvillea and the rugs. Look at what is already there, from the sea to the cushions, and choose flowers that belong to it.
Put the flowers where people look
At a small home wedding, a strong bouquet, good buttonholes and flowers on the signing table do more than arrangements in every corner.
Pick buttonholes that can be hugged
Thistle is dry, sturdy and keeps its shape for hours out of water. That suits a wedding where every guest wants to hug the groom.
Plan for wind on a dock
A dock has no shelter. Choose a bouquet with firm stems and a compact shape, and keep tall, light pieces such as pampas inside the palapa or another covered spot.

Gallery

Geoff and Jen walking hand in hand down the dock toward the sea, Jen carrying her orange and red bouquet

Geoff and Jen facing each other on the dock, with the turquoise sea behind them

Geoff twirling Jen barefoot on the patterned rugs under the thatched palapa

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What flowers work best for a beach or tropical wedding?

Flowers with firm stems and thick petals work best for a beach or tropical wedding, because they cope with sun, salt and wind. Geoff and Jen's wedding in Grand Cayman used orange bird of paradise, pincushion protea and blue thistle with eucalyptus and fern. Ask us about protea bouquets for a warm-weather wedding.

Are protea and bird of paradise South African flowers?

Yes. Bird of paradise, Strelitzia reginae, is native to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and pincushion protea, Leucospermum, grows wild in the fynbos of the Western Cape. Both are long-lasting cut flowers, which is why they suit a bridal bouquet on a hot day.

What is a good buttonhole flower for a hot outdoor wedding?

Blue thistle, also called eryngium or sea holly, is a good buttonhole flower for a hot outdoor wedding. It is dry and sturdy, keeps its shape for hours out of water and does not bruise easily. Geoff and several of the men at his wedding wore blue thistle backed with fern.

How do you keep a bridal bouquet fresh in hot weather?

Keep the bouquet in water and in the shade until the last possible moment, and choose flowers that hold up in heat, such as protea, strelitzia and thistle. Keep it out of direct sun while it waits, and hand it over just before the walk.

Does a small wedding at home need a full set of wedding flowers?

No. A small wedding at home can look complete with a bridal bouquet, buttonholes and one arrangement where you sign the register. At Geoff and Jen's wedding the setting did the rest: the dock, the palapa, the rugs and the sea.

Your wedding

Tell us about your day

If you are planning a small wedding at home, by the water or in your own garden, tell us your date and what the place looks like, and we will plan flowers that suit it.

Request a quote See all real weddings

More real weddings