A Spring Wedding in Paradise on Kauai With a “Tropical Cocktail” Dress Code

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

White, sage green, earth tones for the wedding decor. Dress code was “tropical cocktail” and we encouraged guests to bring the color.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

Kevin grew up vacationing with his family in Kauai every year. It felt like a second home to them, and they found an undeveloped property on the east side of the island to call their own. Once Kevin and I knew that we were serious about each other, I began to go on the family trips too. During COVID, we went through the double quarantine period to stay on the island for 2 months – just the two of us. It was a special experience, and during this time, we experienced what it was like to live there, ere only loved it to where it felt like home to me too. It was a no-brainer for us when we decided that we wanted to get married in Kauai. We knew we wanted the wedding to be as authentic as possible: both to the island of Kauai and its traditions, and also to ourselves. We were able to find a private property near Kevin’s family that showcased the beauty of the east side of the island. Everything sort of worked backwards from there, knowing that the venue would have both the island green and coastal landscapes. The coconut orchard on the island side set the stage for the ceremony, and the florals reflected that. We cared about having florals that would match the setting. The reception/cocktail hour had views of the ocean as the backdrop, helping to add gravity to an event that was otherwise fun and tropical. We felt we built relationships with our vendors to convey how we wanted our wedding to be: authentic, fun, and meaningful. Our wedding planner, Krisy from K Zeitz wedding, was worth every penny (and more), and this cascaded through the planning process and to the result at the wedding. She spent a ton of time just getting to know us, to where she was able to deliver great recommendations as well as make decisions as an extension of us. As much as we wanted this day to be about us, we also wanted to share our love for the island, too – picking out some of our favorite foods, drinks, and favors to give to our guests. Above all, it was about having fun with our favorite people in our favorite place – sharing the most special day in our lives with the hope that we can spend more time together there in the future. We knew we wanted the wedding to be as authentic as possible: both to the island of Kauai and its traditions, and also to ourselves. We were able to find a private property near Kevin’s family property that showcased the beauty of the east side of the island. Everything sort of worked backwards from there, knowing that the venue would have both the island green and coastal landscapes. The orchard on the island side set the stage for the ceremony, and the florals reflected that. We cared about having florals that would match the setting. The reception/cocktail hour had views of the ocean as the backdrop, helping to add gravity to an event that was otherwise fun and tropical. We felt we built relationships with our vendors to convey how we wanted our wedding to be: authentic, fun, and meaningful. Krisy from K Zeitz weddings was worth every penny (and more,e,), and this cascaded through the planning process and to the result at the wedding. She spent a ton of time just getting to know us, to where she was able to deliver great recommendations as well as make decisions as an extension of us. As much as we wanted this day to be about us, we also wanted to share our love for the island, too – picking out some of our favorite foods, drinks, and favors to give to our guests. Above all, it was about having fun with our favorite people in our favorite place – sharing the most special day in our lives with the hope that we can spend more time together there in the future.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

Kevin and I were living in San Diego when he proposed. It was around Christmas time, and we were getting ready to make the drive up the coast to spend the holidays in the Bay Area with our family. To my surprise, Kevin woke up eager to get the day started (which was unusual). He made the suggestion of taking a walk down to one of our favorite spots, Sunset Cliffs, to take in the beautiful morning and stretch our legs before the long drive. We walked down to our favorite little spot where we had been many times. Kevin grabbed my hands and started to share all these wonderful sentiments about our love story and our time in San Diego. I thought he was just having a moment of reflection, but to my surprise, after he finished talking, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was in total shock! Up until he was on one knee, I had no idea it was happening! It took me a moment to process what was going on, but I was overjoyed and said yes. On our walk back to our little apartment, Kevin told me that we would be making a pitstop in Santa Barbara on our way home to celebrate. When we got to Santa Barbara, Kevin told me he had made dinner reservations at this cute little French restaurant, Bouchon. When we got to the restaurant, they took us back to this secret little room. To my surprise, our entire family was there waiting for us and had made the drive down to celebrate this special day with us. It was a night I will never forget getting to spend with both of our families, soaking in all the love and excitement for our engagement. When we got to Santa Barbara, Kevin told me he had made dinner reservations at this cute little French restaurant, Bouchon. When we got to the restaurant, they took us back to this secret little room. To my surprise, our entire family was there waiting for us and had made the drive down to celebrate this special day with us. It was a night I will never forget getting to spend with both of our families, soaking in all the love and excitement for our engagement.

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[board_carousel title=”First Look”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

I fell in love with the designer Sarah Seven when I began looking into wedding gowns. I loved how classic, chic and elegant her dresses felt. I chose the Cecilia gown and it truly felt so much like me when I put it on. Since the dress itself was so clean and minimal, I added on this gorgeous belt to give it that extra dimension. I also wanted to add something that was unique and little different from the classic wedding look, so I opted to add on the Brandy overlay which was this beautiful ivory color. It brought my whole vision to life and I felt like Elizabeth James from the Parent Trap. I wore the overlay for our ceremony and photos and took it off for the reception for my second look.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”][/field]
[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]Groom-
Kevin always thought he was going to look like James Bond in his wedding and thought that was the studly way to go. So much of what he wore was rooted in that principle, he wore a classic black tux with black suspenders for a bit of flair once he was able to take the jacket off.
However, Kevin also wanted to bring a bit of personality to that timeless look and knew that his Dad wore floral bow ties to his reception when he got married to his Mom. So Kevin spent countless hours and a few prototype iterations designing his own floral bow tie (thank you Krisy for the color help) which he wore and gave to his groomsmen and father of the bride/groom. The final result was a palm leaf design with macadamia colored leaves and a crimini colored background.
The most notable thing that Kevin wore, and really was the star of the show, were the leis that Kanani designed. He wore the traditional Hawaiian Ti Leaf Lei for the ceremony and a special custom floral one for the reception. Both were beautiful and he kept them on the whole night.
However, Kevin also wanted to bring a bit of personality to that timeless look and knew that his Dad wore floral bow ties to his reception when he got married to his Mom. So Kevin spent countless hours and a few prototype iterations designing his own floral bow tie (thank you Krisy for the color help) which he wore and gave to his groomsmen and father of the bride/groom. The final result was a palm leaf design with macadamia colored leaves and a crimini colored background.
The most notable thing that Kevin wore, and really was the star of the show (outside of Devyn of course) were the leis that Kanani designed. He wore the traditional Hawaiian Ti Leaf Lei for the ceremony and a special custom floral one for the reception. Both were beautiful and he kept them on the whole night.
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

One of our favorite things to do on Kauai when we visit is eat (it also happens to be one of our favorite things to do in general). We have been to some weddings where the food has not been the greatest and we very much wanted the food at our wedding to be great. After all, one of the best parts about Kauai is the diverse food options and fresh fish. Krisy helped point us to Jen at Destination Events Hawaii who works with Chefs Ron and Sam. They were truly fantastic to work with from day one and were even better on the day of. Jen went out of her way to host us at her new place to give us the tasting experience – we knew our guests would love the food the same way we did that day. The pupus that we shared were the kalua pork crostini, ahi tuna poke, and sweet potato and goat cheese potstickers. After trying these in the tasting, Kevin made sure to hype these up to everyone before the wedding – seemingly almost talking about them more than the impending ceremony itself! They were enjoyed with two signature cocktails that we picked out ourselves and gave the recipe to Jen, with the help of my brother who is a bartender and helped design them for us. One was a lilikoi margarita named “Na Pali Girl” after our puppy Na Pali who we adopted last year and the other was a banana rum old fashioned named “The Banana” because it is a nickname for me given by Kevin. The cocktail and pupu hour was perfect with the ocean view setting, the bar that Jen set up on the property, and JoJo’s great music. For dinner, we ate under a beautifully designed outdoor tent (in case of the elements, which luckily did not affect us on our day) and on these long wood tables that Krisy, Kanani and Jen set up. We served everything family style and began with a southwest salad with kale, cotija cheese, pepitas and a cilantro lime dressing. For the main course, we had pepper filets of beef with grilled snapper and a fresh fruit/veggie relish and roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables on the side. There was no shortage of food to go around and it all tasted amazing/was perfectly cooked, especially considering our wedding was sized for 100 guests.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]We were getting married in this beautiful setting of Kauai and we wanted our florals to feel organic and fit in with the natural beauty of the island. We opted to keep things very classic with whites and greens being the primary colors for our wedding florals, so it felt like it blended in with the already gorgeous backdrop. It was also very important to us that we picked plants and flowers that felt tropical and not totally foreign to to the island. Our florist Kanani from Milianani Kauaʻi was truly the visionary behind it all. From the very initial conversations, we felt safe in her hands. Her and her team also created these one of a kind custom leis that were the perfect addition to our day. Not only did they look stunning, but they smelled so fresh and beautiful and it’s something we always remember about wedding day.
Velvet Fox was our stationary vendor and they truly blew our expectations out of the water when it came to our invitations and signage. We opted to bring in more of the earth tones for our signage on the wedding day to contrast some of the green backdrop and we couldn’t be more happy with how it all turned out.
Kauai Event Design was our vendor for tent and lighting and they helped put together the most stunning design. Because our venue was on turf, we had to find a tent company that used water barrels since we couldn’t stake anything into the ground. Initially we were worried about the look of the barrels, but on the day you didn’t even notice them. The team hid them beautifully with covers and it didn’t take anything away from the tents’ beauty. The string lights and greenery drapery in the tent transformed from sunset to the evening, creating this gorgeous setting for the reception.
Velvet Fox was our stationary vendor and they truly blew our expectations out of the water when it came to our invitations and signage. We opted to bring in more of the earth tones for our signage on the wedding day to contrast some of the green backdrop and we couldn’t be more happy with how it all turned out.
Kauai Event Design was our vendor for tent and lighting and they helped put together the most stunning design. Because our venue was on turf, we had to find a tent company that used water barrels since we couldn’t stake anything into the ground. Initially we were worried about the look of the barrels, but on the day you didn’t even notice them. The team hid them beautifully with covers and it didn’t take anything away from the tents’ beauty. The string lights and greenery drapery in the tent transformed from sunset to the evening, creating this gorgeous setting for the reception.
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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

We opted for something nontraditional for our wedding sweets since neither do us typically likes cake. On our visits to Kauai, we found this awesome local bakery, Aloha Sweet Delight, and we fell in love with their Malasadas (traditionally a Portuguese donut). They are these light and fluffy donut-like pastries covered in sugar. The most wonderful Hawaiian ladies work in the bakery, and we wanted to share our favorite treat with our wedding guests. Our catering company was nice enough to create dipping sauces like chocolate and fruit compote that were the perfect touch.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

For the music in the ceremony, we chose two songs that have sentimental meaning to us. As a tradition, each year before we go to Kauai, we set the stage for the trip by watching a few movies leading up to it. One of those is The Descendants with George Clooney, and the soundtrack features many famous Hawaiian musicians, something we wanted to do on our wedding day as well. The speaker, groom, bride’s family, and wedding party all walked into the scenic orchard location as “Ka Makani Ka’ili Aloha” by Gabby Pahinui and featured in The Descendants, played. I walked down the aisle with my Dad to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. In general, we wanted as much live music as possible at our wedding. Krisy recommended we listen to JoJo Tang, whom she called the “Hawaiian Bruno Mars,” when we were doing some of our early planning visits. We got to meet him and hear him play, and he was just an amazing artist – we think that this undersold how great Jojo was. We were so impressed with not only his talent, where he would do all of the background music himself and then record the vocals, but also his range. When it came to the wedding day, he played everything from country, contemporary, to Hawaiian music, all while engaging the guests beginning in cocktail hohhour inreceptionhrough dinner. I am not sure I can put into words how appreciative we were that he was the one to play at our wedding and helped make the occasion even more special.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

Krisy had this amazing idea that she had seen at other weddings to have our seating chart displayed and written on coconuts. Angela Nakahara from Ink and Aloha wrote every guest’s name on the coconuts, and it added such a fun way for our friends and family to find their seats. Since we got married under coconut trees in the front of the property, it was a cool way to tie everything together from the ceremony to the receptions.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

Finding a photographer for your wedding is so personal to each couple. Based on our style and preferences, Krisy connected us with Emily Choy. After looking at her website and some of her other galleries, we knew we wanted to meet her and see if she would be willing to capture our wedding. After meeting her over a Zoom call, we fell in love with her as a human and artist! She was such a dream to work with leading up to the wedding on the day itself. It felt like she fit seamlessly into our inner circle, and we were thrilled to have her alongside us for the whole day. Kevin and I opted to do private vows at his family’s property, which was a short 5-minute drive from our venue. Emily drove me there herself! It was so special for us to be able to do our vows in this private spot, and we’re looking forward to all the memories we will make there with our own family one day. Emily was nice enough to send us some sneak peeks of our photos a few days after the wedding, and it was so special to be able to share them with our family while we were all still in Kauai. Fast forward to getting the full gallery before Christmas, and to say we loved the final product is an understatement. She captured the day perfectly, and it was so fun to relive the day through her photos. Her documentary style gave our photos this wonderful, warm authenticity. Some of the film photos were our favorite and the ones we chose to put in our home. We couldn’t be happier with how our wedding photos turned out, and working with Emily was a dream!

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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