Totally Tropical Wedding In Maui

Bridal Q&A
How did you and your spouse meet?

“We were set up on a blind date by friends of ours who were dating. We had a great first date and were together over 6 years before getting married.”

Tell us about your proposal

“We went to the Oregon Coast, which is one of our favorite places to go for a weekend trip. We got up early and went to Hug Point beach with our dog, Kona to watch the sunrise and James got down on one knee. We got married 2,000 miles away, but on the same ocean.”

Wedding Planning

“We live in Portland, OR. We found it surprisingly easy to plan our wedding from across an ocean, thanks mostly to Kristen and Sugar Beach Events. They were easy to communicate with, very organized and coordinated everything flawlessly.”

Describe the vision/theme/colors of your wedding

“We wanted to embrace the beautiful, tropical colors and flavors of Maui, which is a special place for us. Our invitation suite kicked off the tropical theme by incorporating pineapple, coral and palm trees. We used many native flowers and foliage in bright colors of coral and green. We used local fruit to display photos and table names to go along with the theme. Pale pinks from the bridesmaid dresses and glassybaby votives on the tables complimented the bright tropical colors. Groomsmen had tropical leaf print ties which were gifted from the groom.”

Any DIY projects for the day?

“Since our sweet dog, Kona wasn’t able to make it to Maui for the wedding, we wanted to do something special to have her be there in spirit. We decided to name our signature cocktail to Kona Kooler. We made stir sticks with her picture to garnish the cocktail. We also wanted to honor our families, especially our grandparents who were not able to be at the wedding. We used pineapples to display wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents.”

Details that stood out visually

“The entire tablescape had tropical, Hawaiian look. The florist used monstera leaves under the floral centerpieces. We used pineapples, which are a symbol of hospitality to display our table names. In the spirit of embracing Hawaii, we chose to label our tables with Hawaiian words. We also had glassybaby votives in creams/pinks on the tables to tie it all together. Miss B Calligraphy made beautiful signs, including a welcome sign, bar menu with our signature cocktails, as well as a sign decorated with coral that wrote in lieu of favors we made a donation to the Surfrider Foundation. She also did the name cards and table names, which were gorgeous.”

Details that stood out emotionally

“We also wanted to honor our families, especially our grandparents who were not able to be at the wedding. We used pineapples to display wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents. On my (the brides) bouquet was a handkerchief and pins from my grandparents. The toasts done by father of the bride, maid/matron of honor and groomsmen made us laugh and cry.”

Favorite memories from the wedding day

“The entire day, from start to finish was perfect. The first look was a special moment and so nice to have some time, just the two of us. The ceremony was very personal and thoughtfully officiated by our brother in law. We had so much fun on the dance floor, including getting lifted on the shoulders of some of the groomsmen at one point. The music was awesome and the dance floor was always packed.”

Tell us about your accessories

“Brides earrings were a gift from the groom, hand cut diamonds from the 1800s. Brides ring also vintage from the 1930’s.”

Location and Venue

“Sugar Beach Events, Maui, HI. It is the most gorgeous venue, right on a white sand beach. There are breathtaking views of the ocean and mountains and we had an amazing sunset. The ceremony and dinner were on the beautifully landscaped lawn and cocktail hour and dancing were inside, creating a nice flow. It was a perfect space for our 116 guests. Many guests said it was the most beautiful wedding they had even been to. Maui is a special place for us. We love the ocean and sunshine. We had many trips to Maui with friends and family over the 6 years we dated.”

Food

“We wanted to celebrate the local flavors, including fresh fish and produce. We had poke cones, bacon wrapped scallops and kalua pork potstickers as appetizers, which were delicious. Salad had local greens and fresh fruit. Entrees were choice of fresh Mahi Mahi fish or filet mignon. We had a banana split bar using local bananas, fresh fruit purees and traditional toppings including hot fudge and caramel.