How To Give Your Hawaiian Beach Wedding A Little Sparkle

Elegant bride and groom gaze at each other during their wedding ceremony

Glitz and glamour aren't just for Broadway, this next Hawaii based couple brought all that jazz to the beach on their wedding day! Jennifer, the bride, took her inspiration for their wedding day straight from the beach, from the wave-like flow of her gown to the glittering ocean-y sparkle of her accessories and the reception details, it was all meant to feel like the greatest day at the beach ever.

You can find even more of this lovely day thanks to the fabulous photos by Emily Turner for Makai Creative in the full gallery below. Enjoy!

Elegant wedding invitation suite with pink ombre and details

Three elegant pink bridesmaid dresses hanging in a row Elegant wedding accessories including shoes and a cat purse

Wedding shoes with Wifey For Lifey written on soles

Elegant bride in a beautiful wedding dress, portrait photo Beautiful woman with a side braid smiling wearing star earrings

A beautiful bride with her bridesmaids in elegant blush gowns

Smiling man in a suit with a red bow tie and flower on lapel Newlyweds sharing a kiss in the garden on their wedding day

Bride and groom pose on wooden bridge, surrounded by greenery

The Local And The Look

I always knew I wanted to get married near the ocean in Hawaii. We visited quite a few venues on Oahu but instantly fell in love with the Four Seasons Resort at Ko Olina because of its modern style and natural beauty. The west side of Oahu is also known for killer sunsets.

Once we were engaged, I couldn't wait to start shopping. I bought my wedding dress before we even booked our venue. For my wedding look, I wanted something elegant and formal, but that would still work well for an island wedding. I loved the flowy train of my Monique Lhuillier Jaime dress because it reminded me of the ocean's waves. I also wanted my hair to be beachy with soft and flowy curls. The sparkle of my Monique Lhuillier Brilliance veil and Jennifer Behr Borealis earrings reminded me of the sunlight glinting off the ocean water. I couldn't help but ask my make up artist to add sparkles to my eye makeup, too. Everyone who knows me knows my love of cats, so I had to sneak in my Charlotte Olympia Kitty Crossbody Wallet... It was the perfect size for holding all of my reception necessities - lipstick, oil blotting sheets, and iPhone.

Happy bride in a wedding dress holding a bouquet of flowers outdoors

Wedding welcome sign with flowing fabric in an outdoor venue White floral wedding arch with palm trees in the background Tropical wedding venue with ocean backdrop and palm trees

Couple kissing under a floral arch at their beach wedding

The Vibe

After scouring through lots of wedding blogs and inspiration pics, we/I decided on a romantic modern themed wedding that played on the ocean side tropical feels of the venue. To accent the natural beauty of Hawaii, we kept the main color scheme quite simple - ivory, champagne, and blush. The addition of deep cardinal red and gold accents hinted at our Alma Mater, the place where our love story began, the University of Southern California.

Our wedding invitations were letterpressed and foil stamped then hand-painted with blush watercolor and gold edges, which complimented our romantic island theme perfectly. We kept the most of our linens soft and sweet in champagne and blush colors. We added some shimmer/sparkle to our wedding reception with ivory sequin linens for our sweetheart table, gold sequin linens for our cake table, laser cut gold table numbers, as well as pearl and gold sea sponge chargers. I loved the varying textures of our gold, rose gold, and blush votives. For our "something blue" that kept with the romantic island theme, I fell in love with our sea glass place cards.

Our wedding florals combined flowers that I've always loved, roses, orchids, and hydrangea, with one of my new favorites, amaranthus. I was so overjoyed that even though they were out of season, my florist found some beautiful peonies to use in my bouquet. We provided leis for our parents and guests, and my aunt surprised us with special custom-made Tongan leis for the bridal party.

Newlyweds holding hands on a path to the ocean, romantic destination wedding

Wedding couple overlooking the ocean, rocks, and waves at sunset Bride and groom kissing on the rocks at sunset beach wedding Elegant wedding couple embraces on a rocky shoreline at sunset

Smiling newlyweds embrace at wedding ceremony, golden sunlight

Dessert And Cocktails

Our macaron favors were guava and lilikoi flavored. We also had a three-tier wedding cake. Each tier had a different flavor - lilikoi butter, strawberry guava, and haupia coconut. For the design, I wanted to keep the buttercream soft and flowy like the foamy beach waves. There was blush ombre, gold flakes, and a gold laser cut cake topper to mimic our wedding invitations. I also love macarons so much that I had to add some to our cake.

We also loveeeee cocktails. So, of course, we jumped on the chance to have some specialty cocktails on our menu. Our first drink was vodka based with passion orange guava juice and creamy coco lopez. Our second drink was tequila based, with mango puree and spicy jalapeño syrup. We couldn't help but name the drinks after our beloved pets and commissioned our calligrapher to create our bar menu with portraits of our pets.

Having deep roots in Hawaii and with both of our families having multicultural backgrounds, our wedding was full of special and unique moments like the Lion Dance, Banzai toasts, and Hora dance.

The best part of our wedding was spending time with friends and family. We were so excited to share this special day with them and were overjoyed to hear that they loved our special day, too. All the planning and the budgeting and the stress was worth it!

Elegant floral centerpiece on a wedding table setting

Elegant table setting with floral arrangement and candle Elegant wedding table setting with flowers and place setting

Elegant wedding reception setup with pink and white draping details

Elegant wedding table setting with plate and gift box

Happy couple celebrating their wedding with champagne, cheers!

Wedding drinks menu sign with dog and cat portrait art Elegant three-tiered wedding cake with flowers and pink ombre frosting

Wedding cake with Jen and Shawn topper and pink layers

Elegant couple dancing on a cloud during their wedding day

The Budget Breakdown

Photography: $5,000
Videography: $5,000
Venue: $6,000
Food and Beverage: $22,000
Cake: $700
Wedding Coordination (full): $5,000
Calligraphy, Invitations, & Other Paper Goods: $2,250
DJ & Entertainment: $2,800
Floral Design & Installation: $7,000
Rentals: $1,700
Day of Decor: $1,000
Photo Booth: $850
Favors: $500
Leis: $500
Wedding Dress & Veil: $12,000
Bride's Accessories: $2,000
Hair, Make Up & Beauty: $1,000
Groom's Tux & Accessories: $1,000