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.
Eric and I started this wedding day with heading over to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to capture the bride and bridesmaids getting for the big day! I’m always excited to shoot somewhere new and was particularly excited to finally get to see the newly remodeled Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki. When Eric and I moved to Oahu back in October of 2008 the Royal Hawaiian Hotel was closed for renovation and just recently reopened. So, needless to say, I couldn’t wait to finally getting to shoot at “the Pink Palace of the Pacific.”
Lauwa’e enjoyed some good girl time with her bridesmaids while getting her hair and makeup done by Jaque Rojas. I hung out with the ladies as they got ready while Eric headed over to the wedding ceremony venue to capture the groom, Jay, and his brothers getting ready at The Bernice Puahi Bishop Memorial Chapel at Kamehameha School. This was our first time shooting at this venue and we were instantly struck by its culture and beauty.
The lively group of family and friends headed over to the The Willows Restaurant for a delicious dinner. Not much of a public speaker myself, I always am in awe of people who can give funny and touching speeches at weddings. Jay’s brothers and sons definitely have that gift. I will have to get them to mentor me in case Im called upon to make a speech. (I mean, I have gone to great lengths to get out of speeches. I even spent weeks scanning photos and putting together a slide show to take the place of a speech for my good friend Brittany. Somehow I managed to shut the power off to the DJ while doing my slideshow and ended up rambling “im sorry” into the microphone while we all waited for the DJ to re-boot all his equipment!… but I digress)
Eric and I broke from our “pre-wedding” diet (30 days to go!) to try some of Lauwa’e and Jay’s wedding cake and oh my gosh it was definitely worth it. This cake was done by one of our favorite cake artists Sunshine’s Cake Creations. We never cease to be amazed each time we see and taste Vikki’s work.
Best wishes to Lauwa’e and Jay. Thanks so much for allowing us to be part of your beautiful big day!
If you are having a destination wedding, make sure your essential beauty gear is adaptable to that locations power outlets. Look into this before your wedding to make sure you don’t get a rude awakening during your wedding preparations. Hannah made sure to avoid frizzy hair that can creep up on brides in Hawaii and other humid, tropical destinations. Hannah was a well-prepared bride and bought this Good Hair Day flat iron after finding out her favorite tools from the United Kingdom were not going to work in Hawaii.
This GHD flat iron was like a 4th bridesmaid to Hannah and the other ladies! Eric and I made sure we took a good portrait of it!
