julie and alex
From the moment I spoke with this couple, I knew their wedding was going to be one of those weddings that truly let me dream up something special. The first spark of inspiration for the overall vision started with a beautiful watercolor silk scarf adorning a tropical starry night scene. The rich jewel toned colors and the moody vibes in a jungle setting led us to the perfect venue, Waimea Valley.
Although every part of this wedding was special, there are a few elements that really stood out for me. The first one is the flowers. We managed to incorporate every singe fabulous tropical flower into the arrangements. Think pin cushion protea, hot pink heliconia, phaleonopisis orchids… the list goes on. We also made a point of incorporating food into each part of the celebration. The guests were greeted with shave ice and colorful kettle corn treats, during the cocktail hour they had mini poke bowls and mochiko chicken bites, dinner consisted of kona coffee five spice rubbed braised short ribs and a beautiful fresh catch grilled in a banana leaf. For dessert we had guava chiffon cake and chocolate cake with kona coffee buttercream, poi donut holes and lilikoi (passion fruit) cheese cake squares. We ended the night with musubi to go.
The wedding day itself was magical. Although we had a ton to set up, once it came together, it felt like we were living in a dream. The upper meadow at Waimea Valley had rays of sunshine coming down through the massive trees. The capiz shell chandeliers were softly tinkling in the breeze and all the rich colors from the flowers and decor were the ultimate eye candy.
During the ceremony we got the softest mist of rain that created rainbows across the valley. Once the guests entered the cocktail hour they were wowed with a white bouncy house castle, live music and hula dancers, fabulous velvet lounges and our favorite photo booth. Once the sun set, the dance party began and everyone got on the dance floor.
The last and most memorable part of the night was when the generator powering all the lights in the tent (luckily not the DJ’s equipment) ran out of fuel during the last song. The guests gathered around the bride and groom with the lights from their phones while they danced under the stars. I still get goosebumps thinking about that moment.
Photo credit: Stephen Ludwig