There are very few places in the world as majestic as Kualoa Ranch on Oahu. That is likely the reason that Kualoa Ranch has been the background for many movies and tv shows including Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Lost and Hawaii 5-0. With the towering Koolau Mountains on one side and Molii fish pond and a open-air, covered venue, Molii Gardens offers a stunning wedding ceremony and reception site. Our bride and groom had beautiful wedding with red and gold color scheme and pineapple motifs throughout. The bride wore a lace wedding gown with long sleeves and a deep v neckline and a long train. A red rose and orchid flower crown, or haku, added a lovely pop of color that accented her red lips. The red accents also complimented the grooms military dress uniform that was green with red. 
There are many good reasons to do a first look before the wedding ceremony. It can help your timeline along with seeing each other first, then doing some portraits together as opposed to doing all of your portraits along with your family and wedding party between the ceremony and reception while all of your guest wait. Another reason to have a first look is to get our some nervousness by seeing each other before walking down the aisle. I’m a big ugly crier when I’m overcome with emotion, so I knew when I walked down the aisle it was going to be bad. I should have done a first look! Along with these reasons, it’s a nice way to share some last minute thoughts and feelings together before they jump feet first into the most eventful day of their lives to that point. Wedding days go by so fast that it might be nice for couples to have a last moment of clarity together before the whirlwind. But, many couples have thought about all that and just don’t want to see each other before the walk down the aisle. For those people this new trend of the first look without looking might be the right choice for them! This bride and groom met up before the ceremony without seeing each other to just share a sweet little moment together just holding hands. 
The ceremony site, down the stairs along the pond at Molii Gardens had a wood trellis draped with sheer white fabric and adorned with red flowers and lots of greenery. The wedding ceremony involved a few nice traditions including the exchange of lei and the washing of hands.
The wedding reception was set up with wood tables without table cloths, draped fabric runners, red flower centerpieces in gold vases, gold votive candle holders, and gold pineapples. Guests were treated to gold pineapple bottle openers or wine corks as wedding favors. The bride and groom’s chairs had wood signs with calligraphy that said “Better Together” and their reception table had matching signs that said “I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, with a brown suitcase serving as a card box. 
The wedding cake was a two tier, round cake in the “naked” style with minimal frosting covering the cake and a gold personalized script name cake topper. All of the deep reds, golds, and pineapples gave the whole venue a luxurious tropical ambiance. What a lovely way to start their lives as husband and wife!
Venues
Gorgeous beachfront wedding at Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii- Photography and video
This wedding has too much gorgeousness to show but we wanted to start off with the wedding video from this recent Turtle Bay resort wedding with photography and video by our team here at L’Amour. Take a look at the video then please come back to this page to see some of the highlight photos too! CLICK the play button on the below video!
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/151605111[/vimeo]
Stunning location, beaming bride and groom, lovely lavender and cream details all with a colorful sunset and beachfront reception under a clear tent with sparkling chandeliers! the bride wore a pale blush or pink colored wedding dress with a satin sash and sweatheart neckline accented by a veil with bead trim and pearl jewelry. Did we mention those cream colored Badgley Mischka wedding shoes with crystal detailing on the back! The groom wore a light gray suit with a pale lavender or purple paisley tie and pocket square.
The cute little flower girls wore tulle dresses with shades of purple and helped carry this sign announcing “Here comes the love of your life” as the bride and her father prepared to walk down the isle of the Turtle Bay Resort Pavillion Chapel . From this beautiful open air wedding ceremony chapel you can hear the waves crashing on the rocks, spot surfers out on the waves, and witness one of the best views of sunsets on Oahu that you will find! It’s no wonder why this is a popular location for Hawaii weddings and one of our favorite venues for our Hawaii wedding photography and video team.
A few days after this absolutely stunning destination wedding on Oahu we did a “Post wedding photo session” or “Trash the Dress” session on the North Shore of Oahu. These are really great opportunities to get more wedding portraits at various locations and under much less stress and hustle that happens on the day of the wedding ceremony and reception. Our cute couple was able to get more wedding photos with the ability to sit and walk along the sand and get some photos with extra cute touches like the surf board. We hope you have liked these wedding photos and video as much as our photography and video team did capturing these moments! We seriously have the sweetest couples!
We will leave you with this cute photo of the bride and broom walking off down the beach with their footsteps in the sand. We think this couple’s wedding really shows the benefit of having wedding photography and video done on the wedding day. Take a look at our “Prices” page to see our Hawaii wedding photography packages which vary by however many hours and services fit into your wedding timeline. You can also view our video packages which you can acquire separately or individually, no need to pair services. You can mix and match photography and/or video packages based on what makes sense with your wedding timeline. Our couples have expressed how much they love our flexibility and how it has made their wedding planning easier and wedding day smoother by working with our wedding team as we offer both Photography and Videography under one cohesive team. Feel free to contact us with any questions! Please check out our Facebook page and Instagram to see more Hawaii wedding photography and videos!
Hawaii Wedding Photography – Oahu Beachfront Wedding Estate – Love Notes
I can’t even put into words how sweet this couple is. The couple came together in the hallway of their Oahu wedding venue to share their love letters before the ceremony. There was no peeking during this time, but the bride and groom held hands the whole time, shed tears and laughter, and took the last few moments together before they made that walk down the aisle to make it official! Stay posted for more to come from this beachfront wedding on Oahu.
Hawaii Wedding Photographer – Lanikuhonua Wedding on Oahu
We couldnt wait to start posting some photos from this lovely bride and groom’s wedding at Lanikuhonua on the west coast of the island of Oahu!
Check back for more photos from this gorgeous wedding!
Oahu wedding video – Beach wedding with Tiki’s Grill and Bar reception
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/87434784[/vimeo]
We are excited to share one of our recent Hawaii wedding video Highlights of our sweet bride and groom’s beach wedding in Waimanalo on Oahu. The bride and groom said “I do” with their toes in the sand and then headed to Waikiki for a night of delicious food, dancing, cake and fireworks to top it all off at Tiki’s Grill and Bar. This wedding reception was held at the Coconut Club high above the Waikiki Strip with amazing views of Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach and the weekly fireworks show. To see more from this Waikiki Wedding and Recpetion venue, click here for more of L’Amour blog features and here. Stay tuned for our highlight photos from this wedding on Oahu by L’Amour Photography and Video!
Kualoa Ranch – A Beautiful Hawaii Wedding Venue
We are incredibly lucky to have an seemingly endless supply of movie-like wedding venues here on Oahu. Kulaloa ranch happens to be more than movie-like – many movies and TV shows have actually been filmed here, and for good reason! The place is beautiful.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/80180274/[/vimeo]
Chelsea and Josh took full advantage of the beautiful views from Kualoa Ranch and gave all of their wedding guests a beautiful view for the backdrop of their wedding ceremony. L’ Amour team had an amazing time doing both photography and videography for their big day. Truly an amazing couple!
Hawaii Wedding Photographers – L’Amour’s Daily Shot of Love – Dillingham Ranch Sunset
We can not wait to share the rest of these Oahu wedding photos with you all! This lovely bride and groom had their Hawaii wedding ceremony and reception on Oahu’s North Shore at the wedding venue Dillingham Ranch. This country style wedding featured a wedding color scheme of light green with accents of magenta, red and peach. So gorgeous!
Stay tuned for much more from this destination wedding couple and their Oahu wedding!
Hawaii Wedding Photographers – Kauai Destination Wedding – part 2
We are happy to share part 2 of these Kauai wedding photos! Click here to see part 1 of this Hawaii wedding photography blog post. In our first post of this wedding we showed some of our favorite photos from this lovely bride and groom’s wedding rehearsal sunset dinner cruise of the Napali coast and all of the wedding preparations on the morning of this Hawaii destination wedding in Kauai.
The bridesmaids wore a light green knee length dress accented with a coral colored sash giving their look a classy yet tropical twist. The flower girls walked down the aisle holding poms of green orchids on a white satin string. This Hawaii wedding ceremony took place under the large trees on the edge of the beach fronting the St Regis. Lei of tropical flowers and crystal strands hung from the tree branches as the happy bride and groom exchanged vows beneath at the Kamani Cove.
Right after the beachfront wedding ceremony, we went around the gorgeous grounds of the St Regis to photograph the bride and grooms wedding portraits. We were struck by the many stunning locations and really loved the sparkling glass bulb chandelier of the lobby as well as the graphic decor in the front of the main entrance to this amazing resort.
Sunset was absolutely stunning on this Hawaii wedding day. The sun rays perfectly caught on the mountains across Hanalei Bay.
This Hawaii wedding reception was held in the St Regis Bay Terrace overlooking the sun setting over Hanalei Bay. This Hawaii wedding venue features a relaxing lounge area with an attached ballroom giving this venue indoor and outdoor versatility. The wedding reception carried the same classic beach theme with warm gold up-lighting sand filled centerpieces with large shells holding the tropical green and white flowers.
This beautiful bride changed into a knee length sparkling gold dress for her wedding reception. This dress was prefect for busting a move for their choreographed first dance. Not only was this bride and groom super sweet, but they also knew how to have a good time and let loose! Any bride who breaks out into doing the robot during her own wedding is a bride after my own heart!
Here we are with the gorgeous couple! We are extremely lucky and blessed to have such amazing people as our clients. After 5 years in business, based on Oahu, we continue to be amazed at how we always get to photograph such wonderful couples. Thanks for being AMAZING, everyone! Ps: As a side note, you might notice that we have changed our watermarking of photos recently. Don’t worry! We only are putting these watermarks on our blog posts. Our clients receive their printable, full size photos, free from any watermarks on their CD and with a much much less obtrusive watermark on their smaller, web-sized set of photos. Finally, we wanted to mention that Wendy (shown above with Eric) is only able to photograph weddings every once in a while when her carpal tunnel problems allow, and this was one of those rare occasions! She spends most of her days editing all of the Hawaii wedding photos and working on the flush-mount wedding album designs! Our absolutely talented L’amour team members photograph and film all of the rest of the weddings, day in and day out, through the years.
Kauai St. Regis Princeville Destination Wedding – Hawaii Wedding Photography
People often ask if we are available to photograph weddings on any of the Hawaiian islands. The answer is absolutely! As L’amour Photography and Video is an Oahu based wedding photography and video company we serve mainly Oahu wedding. So when we are asked to photograph weddings on Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island we are always excited to spread our wings and fly on over. This Kauai wedding was absolutely gorgeous. We loved so many of this bride and groom’s wedding photos that we decided to do two blogs articles about them! So here is part one! We hope you enjoy these as much as we enjoyed photographing them. PS. Did we mention that we love our jobs?
This lovely couple’s wedding rehearsal was held on a fun filled catamaran sunset dinner cruise. The bride and groom, along with all of their friends and family sailed along the NaPali Coast of Kauai while sipping cocktails and having dinner. We were lucky enough to get a gorgeous rainbow for a good amount of time. A pod of dolphins followed alongside the boat. This magical night ended with a great view of the Kauai sunset .
The setting for this Hawaii wedding was the Kauai wedding venue, the St. Regis Princeville. The St.Regis Princeville is located on the North Shore of Kauai overlooking the famous Hanalei Bay. Stepping into the lobby for the first time, guest are met with a mix of Hawaiian and sophisticated classic decor with wood accents and tropical flowers. The cascading glass bulb chandeliers are such a striking feature, we found ourselves admiring them more than just once. Conde Nast found was also rather impressed with this spectacular resort and listed the St. Regis on it’s 2011 Gold List among the world’s finest properties.
The bride started her Hawaii wedding day getting her hair and makeup done at the St. Regis’ Halele’a Spa then headed up to her bridal suite to slip on her lace and tulle wedding dress and sweet mint green wedding shoes.
Green and white orchids were accompanied by beautiful succulents in this tropical wedding bouquet with a modern twist. We loved the succulents so much and thought they would make a perfect backdrop for the wedding ring photos. The bridesmaids wore complimentary soft mint green sheath dresses with a coral colored sash.
The groom wore a navy blue suit with a coral colored tie that was patterned with tiny whales while the groomsmen wore light grey suits with mint green plaid ties. The men spent their down time relaxing in the St Regis Bar. I’m sure the bride and bridesmaid who spent hours getting ready were a little envious. Stay tuned for part two if this gorgeous Kauai wedding.
Hawaii Wedding Photographer – Waterfront at Aloha Tower
We were so excited to photograph this Honolulu wedding of one of our favorite couples. We have had the pleasure of photographing this couples family portraits, friends’ weddings, and now it was their turn! This beautiful bride was a classic beauty in simple cream colored sheath dress and vibrant red lips. This empire waist wedding dress featured crisp pleats down the front that gave a structured feel to this light and flowy gown. A pearl strand necklace and modern pearl drop earrings were the perfect pairing to the classic feel of this bride’s wedding day look. 
This ocean side Hawaii wedding ceremony was held at the Waterfront at the historic Aloha Tower on the island of Oahu. This wedding venue has a large outdoor space at the base of Aloha Tower with a stage and a great view of the Pacific Ocean and sunset! This wedding ceremony took place on the 2nd floor covered lanai which was perfect for a more intimate feel that fit this bride and groom’s vision. 
This beautiful bride and groom celebrated the night away at Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki in one of the large ballrooms. The bridesmaids and groomsmen got the party started with a grand entrance dance that led into a full wedding party dance. One of our favorite photos from this wedding was when the bride’s grandmother joined all the grandchildren on the dance floor! 
We are so happy for this wonderful couple and we felt so fortunate to be part of their big day!!!
Hawaii Wedding Photographer – Wedding at Haiku Gardens and Haleiwa Joe’s on Oahu
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.
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!
Congratulations to this wonderful couple and thank you for having us as part of your Oahu Wedding! Mahalo!
Hawaii Wedding Photographer -Ihilani Wedding
The Ihilani Resort and Spa is an awesome ocean front Hawaii wedding venue. Located on the west side of Oahu, the JW Marriot Ihilani Resort and Spa is a great location for couples who are looking for the amenities service of a resort, a gorgeous view of the sunset, a variety of wedding venue options, with the laid-back feel of an escape from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki.
The Ihilani Resort and Spa is approximately 26 miles from the heart of Waikiki and can easily accommodate all of your loved ones amongst the 387 rooms and 36 suites. This is a prime location for a Hawaii wedding where your guests and wedding party can dine in great restaurants, sip on Mai Tai’s by the pool, lounge on the beach, or snorkel in the coves. Weddings ceremonies at the Lagoon Lawn have a stunning backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and swaying palm trees lining the shores. The Ihilani Resort has wedding venues for every size event, accommodating large groups in the Hokulani Ballroom, medium sized wedding receptions in the Lurline Room and very intimate weddings in the Presidential Suite. While staying at the Ihilani at Ko’olina, make sure you and your wedding party get pampered and dolled up at the Spa.
To see more Ihilani Weddings, check out some of our Hawaii Wedding Photography blog articles of weddings at the Ihilani.
Hawaii Wedding Photographer – L’Amour’s Daily Shot of Love – Stables
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.
Hawaii Wedding Photographers – L’Amour’s Daily Shot of Love – Palms
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.
L’Amour’s Daily Shot of Love – Haleiwa wedding 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.
