roses

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!