21 Ways to Use Bougainvillea in Every Part of Your Wedding

When it comes to your wedding-day floral arrangements, there are plenty of traditional options to choose from—namely roses, dahlias, and peonies. While these all result in gorgeous mixes, we're always a little more excited when we see a couple choosing unexpected blooms for their ceremonies and receptions. One such flower? Bougainvillea.

Known for its vibrant hue, bougainvillea is an ideal choice for any couple who wants to add a pop of pink-red color to their party. Use it to brighten up a muted arrangement of classic blooms like roses or include a sprig of it on your neutral table setting for a bit of visual interest. Whether it's on your ceremony aisle or in your bouquet, there's no wrong way to utilize this bud.

Another benefit of bougainvillea? It thrives in hot climates, making it a great choice for use at your summer wedding or tropical destination event. If you're lucky, your warm-weather venue might have them on-site—consider posing in front of the blooms while snapping your portraits or use them as a colorful backdrop for your ceremony, like this couple did during their bougainvillea-filled service at The O'Donnell House. To keep all the focus on the bright flowers, the pros skipped a statement arch; a thin gold pipe with florals from Jensen's Florist didn't detract from the overall beauty of this space's surroundings.

Ultimately, you should feel free to use as much or as little of this plant as you want. No matter what, its color is sure to stand out wherever you decide to feature it. To inspire you to incorporate this bloom into your big day, here are our favorite bougainvillea wedding ideas—they're guaranteed to brighten up your wedding.

Acrylic details are ideal for outdoor environments—their transparency allows you to highlight any part of your venue's surroundings. If your location has a bougainvillea bush, like this one at Casa de Monte Vista, make like Shindig Chic and Samantha Dapper Event Design and showcase it with a see-through seating chart.

Give your attendees a glimpse of your floral-covered invitations before they even see the card itself. The vellum envelope on this Amber Moon Design stationery showed off the suite's bright bougainvillea print.

If you love the look of bougainvillea, but don't want its brightness to overwhelm your ceremony, consider pairing it with white tulle. We're loving the duality of this Outstanding Occasions setup: It featured muted fabric on one side and vibrant florals from Inspired Environments on the other. The pros finished the display by tying the material off with with a few matching vines.

Think beyond the traditional veil and opt for a colorful floral headpiece made of bougainvillea. Jess Wilcox and Gossamer were responsible for this bride's hair and accessory, respectively.

Whether your groom is wearing a traditional tux or a contemporary ensemble, a bougainvillea boutonnière is a welcome (and colorful!) addition to his attire. These iterations were put together by Love Sparrows and Confetti Skies.

At your tropical destination wedding, you can never have too much color—which makes bougainvillea's magenta hue perfect for your vibrant reception tables. The bright flower will pop against nearly any linen color. Just look to this setup by Lovelyfest Events. Bougainvillea (provided by Precious & Blooming) stood out against pink and blue tie-dyed linens from La Tavola and ModMix Studio.

Because bougainvillea is so bright, chances are all attention will be on the bloom. In that case, it's best to keep your other décor minimal. That's why Perfect the Event paired this vibrant hanging centerpiece from Three Petals with ghost chairs from Something Borrowed.

Looking for a natural photo backdrop? We suggest choosing bright florals like bougainvillea. Atelier de LaFleur used greenery and other muted flowers to tone down this vibrant mix.

Plenty of flowers can bring a pop of color to your all-white ceremony chairs, but we're partial to the punchy impact bougainvillea provides. The reason? Whether you use a lot or a little, the bud still is impactful. Although SmittenKiss used a few springs provided by Vo Floral Design, they added just enough pink to brighten up this ceremony.

If you're choosing to forgo a statement tablecloth, garland centerpieces are a pretty way to add drama to your tables, especially when they're as bright as bougainvillea. This arrangement was made by Fragapoulos Flowers and was all this table setting by MBW Events needed. The result? Pure elegance.

Need more proof that bougainvillea works well in small capacities? Gather Events used a single stalk of the vibrant flower from The Vine's Leaf to brighten up this ceremony space. The sprig also referenced the colorful arch in the background.

There are a number of ways to use bougainvillea in your floral arrangements, but if you want a more natural feel, string the blooms overhead. This hanging installation from Detallerie made guests feel like they were right in the middle of a tropical forest.

Use your invitations as your chance to tell guests what they can expect to see on your wedding day. Is bougainvillea going to be featured heavily in your floral décor? Take note from this Lena Tramutola suite and add the flower onto your paper goods.

With a natural backdrop as gorgeous as this one, why wouldn't you want to take your wedding photos in front of it? This venue's colorful bougainvillea arch provided the perfect background for this duo's big-day portraits.

Since bougainvillea blooms during the summer, feel free to pair the flower with other in-season flora and fruits. To make this tabletop feel summery, Love & Splendor added peaches and vibrant roses to bougainvillea-centric centerpieces from Heavenly Blooms; a sprig of the magenta bud was also left on the white place settings for a splash of color.

There's something about bougainvillea that screams bohemian—so naturally, it would fit into a tented display, like this one by My Lovely Events. Wildflowers Floral Design provided the bright blooms that lined this triangular structure. Antique elements added to the whimsical vibe.

If your wedding-day confection features fresh bougainvillea, create a cohesive display by making like Coastyle Events and also incorporating the bloom on or around your dessert table. These fresh flower planters from Blooms by Breesa Lee matched the pink buds seen on this VG Donut & Bakery cake.

Bougainvillea isn't just for your wedding-day floral arrangements. If you're looking for an exit toss alternative, ask guests to throw this bloom's petals (these were provided by Millie Papillons) instead of traditional roses.

It's so simple to include bougainvillea in your big day, that you'll want to use it everywhere. The bud looks especially pretty when tied to ceremony chairs, à la this Maui's Angels setup.

A custom monogram is just one way to personalize your big-day paper goods. If you're throwing a tropical-themed wedding or are working bougainvillea into your event, use the bloom in your monogram. Miss B. Calligraphy created the unique crest seen here.