There is no denying that this gorgeous couple is absolutely in love! The excitement was definitely in the air when we arrived at Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe, Oahu to begin photographing this wedding. This stunningly beautiful bride wore a knock-out mermaid shaped dress with rouching on the bodice and a dramatic flared train. We love how this stylish bride wore a classic pearl necklace and an orchid in her hair to complement her striking wedding dress. More and more of our Hawaii destination wedding brides have been styling their hair with a flower, always on the left side signifying that you are now a married woman, in lieu of a wedding veil.
Check out these cute pink satin shoes!
The bride's Hawaii wedding bouquet featured large white orchids among pink and white roses
The light colored suit fit perfectly for a Hawaii Wedding
The Bride about to enter the Tahitian Wedding Chapel at Haiku
The moment it all starts feeling real! The ring exchange and the kiss!
You can't beat the lush greenery of Hawaii Weddings!
This bride and groom really pop in this tropical landscape
This bride wore light pink satin high heel shoes at the beginning of the day and changed into classic white converse for the reception.
Hawaii Wedding Photography by L'Amour Photography
This destination wedding couple had their wedding ceremony in the open air Tahitian Chapel at Haiku Gardens followed by an intimate dinner with their guests at Haleiwa Joe’s Restaurant at the same location in Kaneohe on Oahu. If you have never been to Haleiwa Joe’s for dinner or their popular Sunday Brunch, you really have to! Ridiculously large mai tais, the best prime rib we have ever had on Hawaii, delicious local favorites like edamame and ahi poke, and an array of locally caught fresh fish plates are just some of the reasons we always make it a point to bring our visiting friends and family members here. Aside from the food, just checkout that view! Simply breathtaking!
The view from this Hawaii Wedding Reception at Haleiwa Joe's in Kaneohe is amazing!
Congratulations to this wonderful couple and thank you for having us as part of your Oahu Wedding! Mahalo!
Bride and Groom With a Horse at their Turtle Bay Destination wedding in Hawaii
Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu was the perfect Hawaii wedding venue for this couple’s destination wedding. This bride and groom are avid animal lovers who chose Turtle Bay Resort’s Stables for their wedding ceremony followed by a wedding reception in the seaside Pavilion. The stables at Turtle Bay offer a very unique atmosphere for an Oahu wedding venue. Turtle Bay resort stands alone as a wedding venue with its unique combination of accommodations and venues. There is not much more you could ask for from a Hawaii wedding venue with its beautiful ocean side accommodations away from the “big-city” life of Waikiki, a country style venue with horses and a red barn, golf course, beautiful open air glass pavilion wedding chapel, and beautiful beaches with a spectacular view of the sunset.
To see more Hawaii Wedding Photography from weddings at Turtle Bay by L’Amour Photography, browse through our blog or check out this destination wedding, Daily Shot of Love, or this gallery of photos of the grounds of Turtle Bay Resort.
So many of us have dreamed of a perfect Hawaii beach wedding just like the one in the photo below. We have gathered up some helpful hints for your Hawaii Beach Wedding.
Tip #1: Location, location, location! Although you may not be able to scout out the location in person until everything is already planned, make sure you take advantage of some helpful tools in your belt. Google Images. There are few better resources to see a bunch of photos at once and judge for yourself which ones you imagine your Hawaii wedding at. Once you narrow down your list of beaches, search for those particular beaches in Google images and pay attention to how many people are there and the surroundings such as parking lots, life guard towers, boat launches, piers, etc. Make sure you check out the beach on Google Maps’ satellite view too. It gives you a great idea about the clarity of the water, proximity to other venues, access points and terrain.
Tip #2: Permits! If you are planning a Hawaii beach ceremony you should definitely do your research on your chosen beach to find out what restrictions apply and what permits are necessary. This is very important to get all figured out before you make any final decisions.
Tip #3: Day of the Week! Of course, you may not have as much flexibility as you would like on this one, but you should definitely take into consideration the day of the week and time of day during which you plan to be at the beach. While tourists flock to beaches every day of the week, keep in mind that local people will also hit the Hawaii beaches especially on weekends. Weekdays especially Monday through Thursday would likely be your best bet on the least amount of people on the beaches.
Tip#4: Be Realistic: Each beach is a little different from the next. You may not be able to find a beach that meets all of your needs or desires, so it is best to prioritize your most important qualities in your dream Hawaii Beach Wedding. Easy access, ample parking, foliage, bathrooms, view of the sunset, how secluded it is, proximity to your hotel and clarity of the water are all factors that brides have considered when choosing their ideal beach wedding location. If you are dead set on getting married at a particularly popular Hawaii beach, be prepared to have many on lookers and people passing by and more likely than not, lots of people in your photos too. Do your research and think about each location as realistically as you can with the knowledge you gain.
Bride and Groom have a Hawaii Wedding Ceremony on the Beach
Haleiwa is one of our favorite places on the island of Oahu, it is no wonder why this destination wedding bride and groom chose Haleiwa as the perfect spot for their Hawaii beach wedding. With it’s colorful old-western style building’s housing cute boutiques and awesome eateries, this North Shore town draws tourists to take the drive out of Waikiki and hit “the country” for some serious relaxation and fun.
Haleiwa has so many places to be sure not to miss, we thought we would just mention a few (our favorite’s!). Shave ice is shave ice, but Matsumoto’s is a certified tourist must! A Hawaii tourist’s checklist is not complete without visiting this cute shave ice place. We suggest Matsumoto’s Rainbow with ice cream. If you aren’t feeling the need for sweets, just go in and wander around the souvenir gifts. From magnets, stickers, t-shirts, board shorts to hats, you will be happily surprised at the plethora of cool and colorful designs to choose from.
Be sure not to miss the sunset from Haleiwa Beach Park. This palm tree lined beach park honestly is not the nicest looking park, but at sunset people gather to sit on the wall to get the quintessential Hawaiian sunset shot with beautiful silhouettes of palm trees accenting the colorful skies.
destination wedding on the beach in Oahu
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This Hawaii destination wedding bride and groom from California had the great idea to have their wedding ceremony and reception at a private estate in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu, over looking Kaneohe Bay. Private estates can be great wedding venues for smaller Hawaii weddings. In some cases, the houses may be rented out to the couple and their guests in the days surrounding the wedding. That can really make a difference to your guests’ and your families’ experience while in Hawaii for your wedding. No need to deal with hotels, parking issues, or scheduling to meet up with people. To top that, you don’t have to worry about your guests showing up late to your wedding since they will already be there!
This particular private estate had a gorgeous view of Kaneohe Bay as well as a manicured garden with a heart-shaped bush, an inviting pool (so inviting, that the best man jumped right in after doing his speech during the reception!).
Beautiful bride and groom pose on a staircase during their Hawaii wedding
Check out more Hawaii Wedding articles on our blog to see other wonderful Oahu wedding venues and private estates!
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This is one of the cutest private estates that we have ever photographed. This Oahu Wedding venue was a perfect choice for this couple Hawaii destination wedding bride and groom from Canada. The Gingerbread House is on the National Register of Historic Places and dates back to the 1920′s. The cottage is fairly large and is styled after Tudor with French Norman cottage influences popular during that era. This was a beautiful starting place for a Hawaii beach wedding and a private dinner reception at the “Sarento’s Top of the I” restaurant at the Illikai Hotel Waikiki.
This Hawaii destination wedding bride gets ready for her big day in a historic Oahu Wedding Venue.
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Absolutely pure white – the color of the bathroom of the Ocean Villa at Oahu Wedding venue, Turtle Bay. Located on the North Shore, this beautiful villa was the perfect white canvas as a background for this excited bride to be as she got ready. The private destination beach wedding was followed by a reception at Turtle Bay’s beach side restaurant, Ola’s.
Check out our Blog to see more Hawaii Destination Weddings at Turtle Bay and other great Oahu Weddings.
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L’Amour Photography’s team just wrapped up at Karen and Mark’s Hawaii Wedding a few hours ago, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. Here is a sneak peek of some of their wedding photos from their beautiful private wedding at Bayer Estate just outside of Honolulu on Oahu.
This destination wedding couple had a small but beautiful ceremony at the historic Bayer Estate.
The newlyweds during cocktail hour of their private Hawaii Wedding on Oahu. L’Amour Photography’s team photographed this couple’s big day. The gorgeous floral decor and bouquets were done by Designs by Hemingway
We always love sunset wedding photos at this wonderful Hawaii Wedding Venue on Oahu
Friends and family join the happy bride and groom after their first dance to party the night away at their Destination Wedding in Hawaii
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Wendy and I spend a lot of time hiding behind cameras at weddings. It sorta goes with the job. This last Oahu Wedding Association meeting we got a chance to walk a mile (or a few runway lengths… I tend to over exaggerate) in the shoes of our Brides & Grooms. We got to play bride and groom, again, and get all made up to model some of Masako Formal’s wedding attire.
Not only did we get to rock a wicked tux and wedding dress, we had a chance to work with some of our fellow OWA members in a much more up close and personal role than we normally get. Wendy and I were both sized and dressed by the lovely staff at Masako Formals. This turned out to be a repeat for Wendy, since she actually bought her wedding dress from them a couple months back.
I was fitted for a silver Italian tux. It turns out that it is a very popular look for many of the Japanese weddings here. It further turns out – I don’t fit the normal Japanese sizes. No snag there though – they brought the tux to the back and was quickly back out with the tux adjusted to my size. Go go gadget tuxedo!
Not only did Wendy get to wear another beautiful wedding dress, she was pampered with makeup by Wendy Robin of Studio W of Honolulu. Now this part gets confusing – I have to describe Wendy Robin’s (the make up artist) work on Wendy Leslie (the wife). Wendy R. is an INCREDIBLY talented makeup artist and a wonderful person. She was trained in Hollywood, worked in paris for print photographers, and then came back to LA to do makeup for the stars. The list of people that she has worked with reads like the who’s who list of Hollywood – Matt Damon, Carmen Electra, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, James Earl Jones, Bernie Mac, Jack Black, and Jaime Pressly the just name a few. She has skills. Numbchuck skills, bowstaff skills… She has plenty of skills. Wendy R. did an airbrushing job for Wendy’s makeup. I lucked out and only got a quick powder. Ahhh the joys of being a man.
After all the prep, we had a BLAST walking down the runway in front of all of our peers in the industry. It was so much fun and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to get to escort the most beautiful woman in the world down the catwalk. We were both lucky to have some of our wonderful photographer friends there to capture the whole shabang.
All in all it was a GREAT evening. It is always such a treat to hang out with so many amazing people. We are really blessed to work in this industry with these people. Millions of thank yous go out to OWA for the opportunity to dress up and party like its 1999… I mean 2009.
-E
Check out Geralyn’s cutting (it slices, it dices) hair-do, and Mona’s convertible Kimono -
Special thanks to Grant Gomes for snapping the below collage pics for us!
And to Eugene Kam for the below (yes ladies and gentlemen – that is my wifey! I’m a lucky guy!) -
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April 14th, 2009 in
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Tanja and Stephan were so much fun to work with on their big day. With roots in Germany, this couple gathered at Haiku Gardens with many family and friends who flew half way around the world for their special day. Both Eric and I have German heritage and got some coaching from our German relatives on how to pronounce the German word for “Congratulations.” They really make it sound effortless, but Eric and I just could not get it right. But, hey, we tried!
Congrats to this cute couple and thanks for the fun time!
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April 10th, 2009 in
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We always have awesome brides and grooms as our clients. They are always so cheery and nice to work with, it really is always a pleasure. Caprice and Manny absolutely fall into that category. It was so much fun chatting about girly wedding stuff with Caprice before heading down to the chapel at Haiku Gardens. I LOVED her dress and was kicking myself for not choosing a dress like hers for our own wedding (coming up now in less than 3 weeks!!!). I love light and flowy wedding dresses like Caprice’s sheath dress. They are really the best of both worlds: beautiful and comfortable. However, since we are having a church ceremony back in California I chose to go with a more formal satin gown with a huge train (I love it, but I cannot say that it is going to be nearly as comfortable as a sheath dress. *sigh*)
Manny looked very sharp in his Marine dress blues. We did feel bad though because it was pretty warm that day. Oh, the things we do to look good. Side note: I think wedding days are quite possibly the only day that men will understand what we women go through and the uncomfortableness that comes hand in hand with looking good. We suffer with heavy corseted dresses and uncomfortable but really cute shoes while the grooms totally suffer through a sauna in their suits/tuxs. Sounds fair to me! But, I digress…once again…
We had a great time playing with some fun lighting amongst the bamboo and on the path around the pond. Manny and Caprice were whisked away to their reception in the Haiku Gardens Eco-cart complete with “Just Married sign!
Mucho Mahalo to Caprice, Manny and Family for a great wedding!
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April 5th, 2009 in
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Congrats to this cute newly wed couple, Amelia and Aaron! Eric and I were honored to be part of their wedding celebration at Hale Koa Hotel in Honolulu. This was by far the most musically talented family we have been around in a while. Amelia’s brother’s band provided the entertainment for the night with her other brother and sister joining in occasionally to help out on vocals or percussion.
This wedding reception incorporated many personal touches including a family heirloom lauhala mat which was placed under the wedding cake. Of course, Eric will not let me blog about a wedding without mentioning the cake. This cake was from Cake Works and had the most delicious Haupia filling. For those of you who have not been fortunate enough to have heard of or tasted haupia, we suggest you change that soon. This creamy coconut cake filling was absolutely the stuff Hawaiian dreams are made of.
We always try to keep our ears open for any juicy secrets or embarrassing stories that people may sneak into their wedding reception speeches. While we didn’t get to hear any blackmail material, but we were touched to hear some heartfelt praises of Amelia and Aaron as individuals and as a couple. So, if any of you have any funny/embarrassing stories you’d like to contribute… I’m just kidding! We wish Amelia and Aaron the very best in life and love! Congrats!
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April 2nd, 2009 in
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There is a Japanese tradition that a wedding gift of one thousand folded paper cranes will grant the bride and groom a lifetime of good luck and prosperity. Keiko and Clarence were fortunate enough to have a loving guest fold a thousand paper cranes for their big day.
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March 28th, 2009 in
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Celeste and Joseph were married at an intimate ceremony on the most appropriate day of the year, Valentine’s Day! We had a great time with this lovely couple who actually also met each other in our hometown of San Jose, California! As much as we love it here in Hawaii, it is always nice to reminisce about our favorite spots in the Bay Area.
Celeste and Joseph were joined by their two beautiful daughters as well as close family and friends for a beautiful reception at Haiku Gardens & Haleiwa Joe’s.
Our thanks to Celeste and Joseph for involving us in their Valentine’s Day wedding!
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March 17th, 2009 in
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Jessica and Joshua were married in a beautiful ceremony at the chapel at Haiku Gardens in Kaneohe, Hawaii. These newlyweds were high school sweethearts and exchanged touching vows that chronicled their lives over the years.
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March 10th, 2009 in
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