Turks and Caicos Wedding Flowers & Florists
Flowers and floral arrangements for weddings and other special events in Turks and Caicos usually require a little more planning than at other destinations. Like the vast majority of food, goods, and items sold in the country, store-bought flowers are typically imported from the United States.
It’s usually necessary to place orders well in advance (at least one month) with the local florists to ensure your arrangements are ready when you need them for bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, and general décor.
There isn't a large local market for fresh flowers, so Turks and Caicos florists often keep a very limited selection of live blooms on hand (such as imported roses, lilies, and carnations).
A few boutique stores on Providenciales, such as Flowers by EA, offer more complex arrangements as well as a selection of gift baskets, chocolates, cards, and other gifts for occasions ranging from birthdays to anniversaries.
Graceway IGA, the country’s largest supermarket, usually has a small selection of premade bouquets for sale as well.
Flower Delivery
Delivery is offered on the island of Providenciales. There is typically a fee for delivering arrangements (or an installation fee in the case of events).
Planning Floral Decorations
There are a few local flower shops, each of which offers arrangements and décor for weddings, proposals, and corporate events, as well as the usual holidays like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Decorations are usually handmade from bulk imports so that every design is bespoke.
The best approach is to give your florist or wedding planner ample notice of the flowers you want. If plants need to be specially ordered, they will have to be flown in or shipped via refrigerated shipping container (which is how nearly all produce is transported to the country).
The intense heat and sun here can make flowers more prone to wilting. Consult with your planner (or florist directly) for their advice. It’s especially important to consider the time between your ceremony and reception to ensure that your arrangements aren't kept out for too long.
Locally Grown Flowers
Unfortunately, it's often not feasible to use local flowers in arrangements as the native blossoms tend to be small and have limited blooming seasons. However, locally grown introduced flowers that are common in landscaping are an option.
These include bougainvillea—which may be purple, pink, peach, white, or salmon—the yellow elder, the sky blue plumbago, beach morning glory, hibiscus, cork tree, mahoe, royal poinciana, wood rose, several types of white lilies, and the larger introduced variety of frangipani. These plants can create a beautiful bouquet or serve as décor for your wedding venue.
Some of the really exquisite native blooms include several types of rare orchid (the butterfly orchid, tall orchid, Caicos orchid, and Inagua orchid, to name a few), the sacred lignum vitae flowers, wild apricot, sea sage, and yellow alder. Unfortunately, the plants and trees that produce these flowers are very rare globally and in some cases endangered, so it’s best to avoid using them to preserve the limited local flora populations.
