HAWAIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!
In fall 2017 I met Kelli and her fiancé Bobby at Green Bench for their engagement session. I learned that these two loved to travel and were deciding where on the globe to get hitched! A few months later I got the best e-mail ever! They had decided on the Grand Hyatt on Kauai in Hawaii and they want me to come along to capture it! AHHHH!!!
Hawaii has been high on my list FOREVER! I started stalking the Hyatt and it’s hashtags immediately and beyond exited. When they reached out again about bringing along a videographer I knew that Jason Mize would be the perfect compliment. He loves destination and is beyond talented with video. We were so excited to work together in this tropical dream land!
Joe, my amazing human light stand, and I arrived to the island just before sunset and we were BLOWN AWAY! The lush mountains were almost unbelievable and when we arrived to the hotel I needed to pinch myself. NO photo I had seen did it justice. It was so grand (ha!) and perfect detailed. The picture perfect way it opened up to the coastline was stunning.
Right off the bat we were mixing it up with the Fierce Island Crew for a sail down the iconic Napali coastline. Miss Frazier and Mr Pierce came up with the best tag, the Fierce’s! Whenever I travel with my couples I try to include an excursion or session outside of the wedding day and this was the PERFECT idea! The coast line was incredible and we learned all about the area, local legends, and just ho many films were made there! Plus DOLPHINS! We were all squealing and gaining when we ran into pod after pod. We saw both Bottlenose and Spinners! There was even a little baby one! It was quite a challenge to capture but so much fun!
From there we had a day to enjoy the resort and scout around for the big day. We didn’t miss a single sunrise or sunset the entire trip! And I gotta say the sunrise was always incredible. The rainbow of colors was insane. #nofilter was invented for Hawaii.
And before we knew it the wedding day arrived!!
The day began with laughs and bubbles in the spa. Kelli and her ladies soaked up the quality time together. It was so awesome to have such an incredible spa and services just steps from their suite. Jason and I were maniacs running around the lush grounds were the pretty details, excited for the party to start. Kelli worked on her vows before getting into her stunning gown, I loved how her mom looked in on her. The girls kept the bubbles flowing and even put a cherished six pence in her shoe.
Before it was time to walk down the aisle we did a quick first look with dad! Kelli had a traditional lei for him and he hammed it up between tear of joy. He might have actually gone down the aisle with it wrapped around his forehead…Bobby quietly adjusted his glasses and was probably holding back tears as his bride came walking down the grass. Their good friend had the honor of marrying them and he immediately had everyone relaxed and smiling with a group SELFIE from the altar! Their vows and special reading were so both sentimental and hilarious. Kelli nailed the rattling off of Bobby’s super long and crazy college nickname! Phew! Sealed with a kiss and then they were the FIERCE’S!
A perfect blanket of clouds rolled in just in time for their formal photos, phew! The light was amazing! We had some fun with their stunning bridal party and stoked families before they joined in on the fun of cocktail hour. Live ukulele music, delicious food, and mai tais! Yes please! Unfortunatley as the sun was getting lower the clouds were getting thicker and it even started to sprinkle when it was time for their romantic portraits. They both loved the grounds of the resort so much so we stayed close to cover before heading back in to kick off their amazing reception!
The terrace was gorgeous! It opened up to a view of the beach and the home of 2 majestic swans. The bright tropical florals and crisp white linens was just beautiful! It was the perfect setting for a delicious meal and so so so much dancing! Did you catch that unique cake topper? They danced the night away and crescendo’d into a last dance with everyone encircling them. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Pierce! Thank you so much for the honor of being apart of your amazing celebration!
