An Interior Designer’s Bohemian Hawaiian Wedding

An Interior Designer's Bohemian Hawaiian Wedding

This over the top gorgeous wedding was planned form over 2500 miles away! The bride is an interior designer and spent a year foraging flea markets and working with local vendors to bring her dream wedding to life on the island of Kauai. With the venue being a large inspiration for this wedding, this couple was able to seamlessly combine boho elements with a vintage Hawaiian vibe.

Keep scrolling to see all of the beautiful photos by Julia Kathleen Photo. Christina Higham and Tie The Knot Hawaii planned every detail, Flowers By Emma Kauai created all of the amazing florals at Waimea Plantation Cottages. You can see all the images in the full gallery.

An Interior Designer's Bohemian Hawaiian Wedding

From Christina Higham

Daniel Kadvany and Christina Higham grew up 3 blocks away from each other - but never met! It wasn't until their friends started dating and took them on a group trip to Lake Tahoe that a spark was lit. On their first date they bonded over their shared love for the island of Kauai - and little did they know that 7 years later they would be saying "I do" in that very place.

Daniel and Christina immediately fell in love with Waimea Plantation, with it’s beautiful “old Hawaii” charm, the magnificent banyan tree, and the convenience of having the cottages within walking distance from the wedding so their guests could stumble back at the end of the night.

The venue itself was a major inspiration for the wedding design - the couple wanted their wedding to reflect not only the beauty of Kauai but also the laid back nature of the island. An interior designer by trade, the design was incredibly important to Christina and where she had the most fun. Her goal was to weave in bohemian elements with elements that spoke to the vintage Hawaiiana feel of the Plantation - she spent a year sourcing vintage brassware, kilim pillows and rugs at local flea markets and worked with local Kauai vendors such as Atmosphere Rentals, Kawaii Designs Hawaii and Hilight Installations to feature retro rattan pieces throughout the decor. To balance out some of the more tropical elements, Christina sourced battenburg lace table runners and vintage brass vases to feature on the tables, with loose tropical florals as to not feel overdone. The couple hired Swell Press to design the menus to reflect the design of their embossed invitations.

An Interior Designer's Bohemian Hawaiian Wedding

Planning a wedding already has its challenges, but doing so from 2500 miles away brings a whole other element to the table! The couple was so happy to have found on-island wedding coordinator Heather Singleton of Tie The Knot Hawaii through a few referrals - while Christina had a very specific vision in terms of aesthetic, Heather brought unparalleled knowledge about ways the couple could weave local elements into the wedding day.

The day of the wedding started with yoga under the magnificent banyan tree with all of their guests - Daniel and Christina thought it would be the ideal way to start the day and ease any pre-ceremony jitters! Christina and her MOH then retreated to the main house to get their hair and makeup done by the team at the The Artists Co Christina’s MOH wore a dress by Stone Cold Fox, and the bride wore the “Eloise” gown by Sarah Seven. As family and friends converged upon the wedding site, they were treated to freshly opened coconuts and rum, kept cold in an ice-filled Hawaiian canoe!

The brides parents walked her down the aisle to Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing.” The ceremony, officiated by two of the couples closest friends, included personal anecdotes and readings from family members, followed by vows we had written to each other. Local photographer Julia Kathleen and San Francisco based video crew Gold & Gumption captured every incredible moment in beautiful photos and video.

An Interior Designer's Bohemian Hawaiian Wedding

The west side of Kauai sees less rain than other parts of the island, but one of the best investments we made was in renting a tent. Kauai is home to “the wettest spot on Earth” just up the mountain from Waimea, and sure enough, the reception was blessed with a Hawaiian rain shower which is said to be good luck! The tent itself became a major design element; Christina worked closely with lighting vendor Hilight Installations and local florist Emma Chidgey to create an enchanting, illuminated green house filled with lush greenery amidst the vintage brassware. Guests enjoyed local mahi mahi and lamb riblets from Destination Events, and malasadas (Portuguese sugar donuts) and fresh juice shaved ice from Wailua Shave Ice for dessert. After dinner, guests stepped out under the stars and danced the evening away to live music from The Greenstone Project and had a blast snapping photos in the Hawaiian Photo Bus, a converted VW van!

The morning after the wedding, the couple’s favorite local coffee roaster Java Kai greeted their sleepy (and hungover) guests with a CBD coffee bar. To top the weekend off the couple treated everyone to a zodiac tour of the legendary Na Pali Coast. As they filled our eyes with the Na Pali’s emerald green cliffs and perfect cobalt water, the group was surrounded by a pod of 50 dolphins (nai’a), adding yet another blessing and unforgettable memory to the most magical weekend of their lives.

An Interior Designer's Bohemian Hawaiian Wedding