Big Surf And Sand Hawaii Wedding

During the year we spent planning our Kona wedding, I got a lot of questions about what our guests could expect. I was happy to answer since I was in design heaven during planning, but I'm sure my answers (which were usually phrased as questions) left something to be desired.

"What are your colors?"
Um, all of them?

"How would you describe your wedding theme?"
Um, no pineapples?

I have family roots in Hawaii that span generations, my fiance is a big wave surfer who comes from a lineage of professional surfers who live and breath chasing waves, and with stunning Kona as our wedding location, the "theme" of our wedding day seemed pretty turn-key to most. Tropical, right? Well, it was definitely going to be tropical by nature, and it was important to us to honor the Hawaiian and surf culture that individually impacted our lives and strengthened us together as a couple. But my initial convo with Allison at Bliss in Bloom went something like "I want to have a design-driven wedding in the tropics that isn't...well, obviously tropical." My request was vague, but the vision was strong - ha!

When it came to our theme-less wedding theme, I wanted the lush, tropical atmosphere to shine, but I was determined to create a design-driven experience that deviated from the obvious (i.e. no pineapples).

I had a strong vision for the overall design of the evening, but that vision wasn't linear and most of it lived in my head. The overall aesthetic was a kaleidoscope of colors, textures, and personalized touches that paid homage to our family and friends. You could say that nothing "matched" (our amber and blush vintage glassware sat next to gold flatware and a myriad of colored blooms) but every element went together while individually shining on their own. With pops of Shibori elements scattered throughout the design (including traditional hand-dyed shibori tea towels dipped and hand-painted with our guests' names on Oahu), we created a cohesive, but unexpected, design story.

Our guests' experience was of utmost importance to us, and we did our best to intertwine their presence into our wedding day. As a way to connect the joining of two ocean-dwelling families, we deviated from the standard table numbers and selected our guests' favorite, or home-town, surf spots as table names. Hand watercolored in the various shades of shibori indigo (Hawaii Calligraphy), the personalized 'surf spot' table cards spoke to the shibori tea towels that served as place cards (the tie-dye reminiscent shibori was the one 'must' when it came to decor). Mirroring the overall themeless-theme, the tablescape was filled with different textures, colors, and unexpected blooms in deep and vibrant hues, tall vases filled with minimalistic native foliage, and dinner were served Ohana style, creating an interactive and casual dining experience.

A repurposed VW bus (Aloha Splitty) turned photo booth offered an insane amount of fun for our guests and memories that still get us laughing when we revisit them. Complete with a curated outdoor "living room" (details included a kilim rug, a copper table, and accent decor, we wanted our guests to have moments of unique and fun experiences at every corner of the private estate venue and at any time during the evening.