The Australian Academy of Wedding and Event Planning have given us party planners the next big thing in trending party themes: Aztec and Tribal themes!

Aztec patterns have come and gone within the fashion industry, just as I was starting to appreciate it! But all is not lost as it has now just translated into the event industry. Here are some awesome ways you can incorporate Aztec and Tribal styled themes into your own event:

Photo from VibrantBride.com

The first thing Event Experts suggested was found on VibrantBride.com and featured Tribal style make up that is weaving it’s way into wedding make up. It is certainly a bold move for your wedding, but if you can pull it off it would certainly create a striking effect! Love it! It works especially well if it is a major aspect of your heritage, and would be a great tribute to your ancestry!

Photo from Tribe NYC

If you want to go with the very stereotypical Aztec style for your theme, you can do what they did at Tribe NYC and create a jungle feel to match Aztec and Mayan temples in Mexico. Bring in heaps of ferns and jungle plants to create the Tarzan feel, and add a few intricate Aztec pieces to the mix to bring it home, such as wooden pattern boards to hang, Aztec stone pillars to withstand at the entrance and a gold rimmed Aztec artefact to decorate as a show-stopping centrepiece.

Call on Aztec print fabrics as your inspiration and feel free to use a few mix – matched patterns as decoration pieces, such as a tablecloth or table runner on your dessert table, mixed with a fabric banner to hang behind it or a blanket or rug to put down. You can find these kind of fabrics anywhere if you look hard enough!

Once you have mixed these Aztec prints into the party, you can create an even more mismatched look by adding in other jungle elements, such as tiki torches, wooden or gold decorational pieces, cheetah and leopard print themed items (plates and cups go well to bring this item into the theme) and even more quieter jungle items such as bright feathers.

Remember, browns, golds and aztec patterns should be the main aspect of the theme, but you can add in all these colourful little extras to help them all go together. It’s easy too go to crazy and too overboard with this kind of event, but to avoid making it tacky I would suggest to use very earth-bound colours and textures, and don’t bring in too many colours to avoid them clashing. You can add plants and animal prints to any kind of neutral toned event, so stick to that!

If you need any help, click on the Australian Academy of Wedding and Event Planning link  and you will see an awesome mood board that is sure to help you link it all together.