Plantation Party Chairs “Go Green” With Stylish Leaf Decor

A tropical plantation theme for a wedding reception? How lovely! It brings to mind a sun-drenched scene, with a picnic-style feast laid out in the expansive outdoors. But even with only a home garden or an open veranda as your setting, you can still bring the lush greenery of a Southern plantation to your table display—including the chairs. How? Get the idea from our chair embellishments below—simply using different kinds of leaves combined with raffia fiber or straw. Then add your personal style and ingenuity to create your own fabulous ways of making your party chairs “go green”! See how you can decorate your wedding chairs with tropical leaves.

How to Make the Leaf Decorations

Start with the chairs themselves. For a truly eye-catching effect, we selected silver chiavari chairs for the striking contrast they would provide when set against green. Then, assemble an assortment of shapely leaves from a variety of tropical plants—the more distinct, the better. Here, we’ve put together a broad leaf of (1) Golden Pothos (a type of Philodendron) with a spiky, fan-shaped (2) Chamaerops (also known as “Mediterranean Fan Palm”) leaf, and grass-like (3) Fan iris leaves. This lush trio provides great visual interest because of their unique forms.

Hint: Unsure where to source such leaves? We suggest that you visit a nursery or home improvement store that carries a wide variety of tropical plants.

Use a Variety of Leaves in Various Colors

Add seaweed-like fronds of (4) Staghorn Fern in cool lime green and an exotic (5) Heliconia Bloom in golden orange, and you up the visual impact even more! This is definitely no mere “bunch of leaves.” It’s an artistic arrangement—thanks to the interplay of different colors. So choose leaves that have a wide range of verdant hues and shades. Be creative!

Make one arrangement per chair. Then, attach each one to the chair backrest with lengths of raffia fiber or straw. Make sure the leaves are tied on securely, but leave the ends of the fiber ties hanging loose and untrimmed to keep the look relaxed and rustic.

Hint: To substitute, you can use other large tropical leaves like areca palm leaves, monstera deliciosa, birds of paradise flowers, anthurium leaves, or reed/steel grasses. You can even add a sophisticated air with cymbidium or dendrobium orchids that match your event’s color scheme. If you have trouble finding real leaves, many craft stores like faux ones, too!

Now, step back and admire your handiwork! See how the chairs’ foliage decor is a perfect complement to the entire table display—decked out in an invitingly fresh palette of cool greens, ivory, and natural tones. Add charming finishing touches to the chairs, like a plantation-style straw hat and something sweet presented in sinamay gift boxes. Then, just wait for the guests to arrive…and exclaim!

Pointers to Keep in Mind

1. Look for a variety of decorative leaves from tropical plants in shapely forms ranging from hearts to fans.

2. When searching for leaves, visit a nursery or home improvement store that carries a wide variety of tropical plants. If you already live in a tropical area, then you may want to check out your garden, too!

3. Apply finishing touches using natural materials such as raffia, burlap, or straw.

4. Consider a color palette of eco-friendly hues in green and brown, while adding accent colors such as yellow and orange.

5. Infuse an element of surprise such as placing the guest favors on the chairs.