Reflecting on their Hawaii destination wedding, Jess and Kevin “recall how perfect everything was from that first moment arriving at Olowalu, to the flowers, the music, the weather, our wonderful friends and family, food — everything was absolutely perfect.” Not to mention bright, cheery and filled with playful nods to the tropical locale. We’re especially loving the punchy blue and coral color palette, pineapple motif and local Ululani’s Shaved Ice for desert. The all-star team planner Maui’s Angels and florist Damselfly Designs put together a day filled with memorable details and photographer Wendy Laurel was on hand to capture it all.
What made the wedding special and unique?
Our wedding was completely customized and hand-picked to what we wanted. We are big foodies and wanted to make sure we chose the best appetizers, drinks, food, and dessert. We were so happy to Ululani Shave ice and mini pies from Leodas; our guests also loved this!
Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!
I brought a small entourage of family members and one of my bridesmaids to help me pick out my dress. I have always loved bling and sparkle but didn’t want something too heavy since we knew we’d be having a beach wedding. I found THE dress during my first visit to a local wedding dress boutique. I customized it by adding on more elegance/bling with a belt and tailored it to have a slight mermaid fit.
What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?
Sadly my grandma had passed away one week prior to our wedding. Growing up my grandma and I were very close as she helped to raise me while my mom was working. Of course I wanted her to still be a part of the wedding so I had borrowed my grandma’s ring from my mom and had it tied to my bouquet. When we tied it to the bouquet, our florist Damselfly had made sure to ask my mom and I to tie the ring to my bouquet together — it was truly a very special moment for us.
We also loved that we had Marvin Tevaga perform during our wedding. We chose songs that were very close to our hearts — Kevin walked down the aisle to Beegee’s “How Deep is Your Love”, which is the song his parents walked down the aisle to, and I walked down to “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, the song that Kevin played while we watched the sunrise at Haleakala (our first vacation together to Maui). Marvin absolutely has the voice of an angel!
Lastly, we chose some of our favorite Hawaiian dishes to notate our table names rather than using the traditional numbers.
What was the most memorable part of the day?
The simple answer is everything — we look back on our special day frequently and just recall how perfect everything was from that first moment arriving at Olowalu, to the flowers, the music, the weather, our wonderful friends and family, food — everything was absolutely perfect for us.
Tell us how you met and became engaged.
Kevin and I met towards the end of our undergraduate years through a mutual friend (the best man). We developed a close friendship but I was already in a long-term relationship with someone. When that relationship finally ended, Kevin did the swoop and charmed his way into my life. Kevin supported me through the hardships of veterinary school and when I graduated we finally no longer had to have a long-distance relationship. Our relationship grew stronger through our continuous love and support for one another. After about 4 years of dating, Kevin proposed to me at the restaurant where we had our first date — the restaurant was decorated with photos of us through our years together that were tied onto balloons. I thought I was going out to have drinks with his sister and was so shocked at what was going on, but of course I said yes. I also always told Kevin that if/when he proposed, I wanted to make sure my nails were done for all the photos to come so he brought a bottle of nail polish to the restaurant too!
Photographer: Wendy Laurel // Wedding Planner: Maui’s Angels // Florist: Damselfly Designs // Invitation Design: Lin Kung // Venue: Olowalu Plantation Estate // Gown Maggie Sottero // Salon Janene’s Bridal Boutique // Officiate: Ernest Puaa // Musician: Marvin Tevaga // Hair & Makeup: Maui Make Up Artistry // Cake: Cake Fanatics // Event Rentals: Hawaiian Style Event Rentals // Catering: Aloha Events Catering // Shaved Ice: Ululani’s Shaved Ice // DJ: Maui DJ Services