Weddings

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Liza & Max’s Royal Hawaiian Wedding

June 1, 2012 in Finishing Touch, Weddings | No comments

I apologize for falling off the blogging wagon as I realize it’s been almost 4 months since I’ve posted anything here. We are in the midst of one of our busiest wedding seasons, but it’s certainly exciting to see all the fun and gorgeous weddings unfolding again on a very regular basis.

Today I want to feature Liza and Max’s gorgeous wedding at the historic Royal Hawaiian hotel. It was alot of fun collaborating with Liza’s mother Kitty throughout the planning process. With Kitty’s interior design background, we made sure no details were left unnoticed at the wedding. It is often said that “it’s the details that make a wedding”, and I couldn’t agree more. Liza and Max’s wedding was rustic and nature inspired, but still very elegant to fit the couple’s refined taste and style. We incorporated traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain vases throughout the wedding (our first time using them at a wedding!) to honor Liza’s Chinese heritage, and large succulents to represent Max’s home state of Arizona. Guests dined on a three-course dinner prepared by the chef at the Royal Hawaiian hotel and ended the evening on the largest sweets table we’ve ever put together! Thank you to all the talented vendors for making this day perfect for Liza and Max! Images by Visionari, flowers by Yvonne Design, lighting by Mood, linens by Les Saisons, stationery by Brandley & Lily. ~ Sandra

A Tiffany inspired wedding

January 29, 2012 in Design, Finishing Touch, Weddings | No comments

I had a great time working with Tiffany and John last year designing their Tiffany inspired wedding. Tiffany and John’s ceremony was held at the gorgeous St. Paul’s Parke Church. We kept the ceremony decor simple and classic so we can showcase the amazing architectural features at this historic church. Their wedding reception was held at The Pacific Club, a private club in downtown Honolulu. In keeping with the classic Tiffany theme, we draped the entire room in white so we will have a clean canvas to work with. Besides just using Tiffany blue as the wedding color, we also made sure all her wedding day stationery is printed in Tiffany’s Ecru paper with Tiffany typeface. Her favors were also presented in classic Tiffany boxes with white satin bow on top. We also named each guest table after an Andrey Hepburn’s movie. How cute is that? I just love it when a theme of a wedding is carried throughout the entire event! What I love most about this wedding is the stunning centerpieces created by Yvonne Design. I love that minimal flowers were used (only a few blooms of white Phalaenopsis orchids per table as accents), and candlelight (floating candles at different heights) was really the star of the table scape. Many brides choose to spend 90 to 100% of their decor budget on flowers, but I highly suggest spending more on lighting, including candlelight. Lighting really changes the mood of an event, and it stirs up a warm emotion inside your guests when attending a wedding. Although we only had 3 weeks to plan this wedding (yes, 3 weeks from start to finish!), but I thought everything turned out quite nicely. Thank you to all the vendors for making this wedding possible! All images by Visionari. ~ Sandra

Jessica & Patrik’s rustic lakeside wedding

November 11, 2011 in Design, Finishing Touch, Weddings | No comments

Jessica and Patrik’s wedding has got to be one of my favorite weddings this year. This is our first time working at Kualoa Ranch Hale Moli’i, and I just LOVE it there! The big grass lawn sits right next to a serene lake (well, it’s really a fishpond) with the majestic Ko’olau mountains right behind. It’s such a gorgeous venue! Jessica and Patrik had a beach ceremony at Kualoa Ranch’s Secret Island. Since it is a private island / beach, we were able to set up a ceremony arch and seating benches which are usually not allowed on a public beach. After the ceremony, their guests took a quick 3 minute boat ride back to Hale Moli’i for the open air reception under the stars! Jessica and Patrik are both architects, and they came into the planning process with a defined style in mind: rustic and natural with a touch of whimsy. I love all the details we used in this wedding: bare wooden tables, succulents, yellow Billy Balls, vintage glass vases…etc. These elements definitely pull together a rustic, eclectic and fun look! Thank you to Green Honolulu for doing such an amazing job with the flowers! Images by Shawn Starr. ~ Sandra

Sheena & Eric’s French Garden inspired wedding

October 28, 2011 in Design, Finishing Touch, Weddings | No comments

Sheena and Eric were a dream to work with! They are such a fun and relaxed couple, not to mention the sophisticated taste Sheena has. Sheena and Eric got married at The Westin Moana Surfrider hotel Diamond Lawn, and their reception was held inside the Beachhouse restaurant at the hotel. The restaurant is such a amazing space to work with! Unlike a standard ballroom wedding, there are some challenges we often face when we design and coordinate a wedding at a restaurant. For example: we have to work with odd size tables that are designed for restaurant dining, we must use the restaurant’s chairs because there’s no room at the location for storage if we bring in our own, lighting can sometimes be an issue…. however, we were able to work with what we got and put together a chic wedding for the couple. I was actually pretty excited about using the restaurant’s loveseat sofa as part of the guest seating. The mix of different types of seating really gives the space a cozy feel. Yvonne Design did it again with their beautiful and vibrant floral arrangements, the space was absolutely lovely! It was also a joy working with Los Angeles based photographer Steven Lam. Thank you Steven for capturing all the wonderful images, and I hope to work with you again soon! ~ Sandra

Shanon & Marc’s Romantic Italy Countryside inspired wedding

October 7, 2011 in Design, Finishing Touch, Lanikuhonua, Weddings | No comments

Shanon and Marc brought rustic beauty to the West side of Oahu. Inspired by Italy countryside, their wedding was warm, relaxed, rustic, yet refined. Besides all the gorgeous details, I love that Shanon and Marc named each of their guest table after an ‘ingredient’ to a great marriage: tenderness, kindness, love… it was the sweetest thing! One of my favorite design piece has got to be the new wrought iron chandeliers that were brought in specifically for this wedding. These chandeliers are available to be rented through Yvonne Design / Mood Event. You may also not recognize the ceremony location; it is Phase 3 of Lanikuhonua. Phase 3 is now available as a ceremony venue option. It’s a beautiful secluded space with lush grass and lots of palm trees. I am looking forward to coordinating more events at this space. Thank you to all the vendors who made this event a success! Images by Visionari. ~ Sandra

Marina & Craig’s Modern Soiree

September 17, 2011 in Design, Finishing Touch, Weddings | No comments

Marina and Craig got married at the beautiful Lanikuhonua estate. They chose Phase I of the estate and utilized the existing pavilion for their ceremony. Through fabric, Mood did a wonderful job transforming the pavilion into a romantic ceremony space. I definitely look forward to utilizing this space more often for future wedding ceremonies. Marina’s family crest was used as the inspiration for her wedding. The family crest motif was used in various day of wedding stationery pieces carried throughout the wedding. Our designer Stacey (owner of Bradley & Lily Fine Stationery) did an amazing job incorporating this motif in the stationery design; keeping the style simple, chic and modern. Alot of couples underestimate the “power” of stationery and how they can really pull together the look of an event. For Marina’s wedding, I think the day of wedding stationery is really the star of the wedding! From the ceremony program and straw flags, to the escort cards and menu layout; guests were in awe of how a family crest motif can play such a crucial role in the overall wedding design! I hope you will enjoy these little details as much as I do. Mahalo to Shawn Starr for capturing all the gorgeous images! ~ Sandra

Jason & Jacinta’s lavish, elegant and timeless wedding

August 14, 2011 in Design, Finishing Touch, Lanikuhonua, Weddings | No comments

We had the honor of working with lots of great couples last year and watching many fabulous weddings unfold, but one of my favorite has got to be Jason and Jacinta’s wedding. Jason and Jacinta were a dream to work with – a really down to earth couple and know exactly what they want. They wanted a traditional Christian wedding ceremony (held at Central Union Church), followed by a quick lunch (held at The Kahala). Both Jason and Jacinta are surfers and met through surfing, they wanted their reception to be outdoors, right next to the ocean. They had a gorgeous wedding reception at Lanikuhonua in Ko Olina - a reception with an enormous amount of details that took us 3 days to set up and 1 full day to break down! After the formal reception, guests were escorted to the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa for a Tommy Bahamas inspired after party. We even had a vintage VW bus parked right at the entrance to the after party for guests to use as a photo booth backdrop! We planned a total of 7 events for Jason and Jacinta that took place over the course of 3 days. We just love being able to coordinate multiple events for our couples because this is a great way to spend more time with their guests and give them a true destination wedding experience. In true Jose Villa fashion, Jose captured all the details and candid moments so perfectly. Thank you to all the vendors who made this wedding a huge success! ~Sandra

Seashell, coral and ocean. Yi Bing and Josh’s perfect tropical wedding.

August 1, 2011 in Design, Tips, Wedding, Weddings | No comments

Yi Bing and Josh got married at the luxurious Paul Mitchell Estate in Lanikai. Lanikai is known for its crystal blue water, and Yi Bing couldn’t have selected a better color palette of light turquoise and coral to compliment the beautiful setting. Yvonne Design did an amazing job on the flowers incorporating different types of exotic shells and corals. Stacey of Bradley & Lily Fine Stationery created a letter pressed invitation which was individually boxed and packaged with natural raffia and a starfish. All these little details pull together such a cohesive event in style and ambiance. Thank you to Frank Amodo for capturing the day so perfectly! ~ Sandra

Beautiful Outdoor Soiree

July 3, 2009 in Deisgn, Outdoor, Tents, Weddings, custom canopies | No comments

One of the many special things about Hawaii is its beautiful weather all year round. Alot of brides ask me if there’s a time they should avoid getting married in Hawaii due to rain, and my answer is often “no”, besides Winter months are a little riskier than Spring and Summer months. We coordinate weddings all year round, and a majority of them take place outdoors. We do get tropical passing showers, but they are usually harmless rain that will pass in 5 to 10 minutes. We are also able to tell from the forecast when there’s going to be a downpour, and that’s when your wedding planner will come in and introduce her rain plan Since Summer is in full swing, I thought these ideas about tents, and the many possibilities of how to make them your own would be appropriate. Tents have come a long way… there are so much we can do these days to make your outdoor reception fabulous, elegant and refined! Say bye-bye to backyard weddings, hello to beautiful outdoor soiree!

BELOW (Christina & Brian): Custom canopies are really making waves these past few years. We don’t call them “custom” for no reason. They can be built in different sizes or shapes, any stained wood color and any fabric / color of your choice. They are a bit pricier than the other tent options mentioned in this blog, but they are worth every penny!

BELOW (Miki & Joel): To create a simple and understated beach chic ambiance, go with natural color bamboo and white sheer fabric canopies. *General disclaimer: custom canopies provide great sun coverage, but definitely not rain

BELOW (Erin & Mat): Solid top tent is probably the least expensive tent available for rent. They provide great sun and rain coverage. This photo shows a solid top tent lined with a white tent liner completed with uplighting. Tent liner is a great way to hide the metal poles that are visible from underneath the tent, and they also make your event look 110% more elegant!

BELOW (Jennifer & Michael): Gobo projection can be used in many different ways at an event, the most common we’ve seen is on the dance floor. Projecting a pattern on the outside of a solid top tent is another way to dress up that plain white vinyl sheet

BELOW (Christina & Steve): Clear top tent is another beautiful option for outdoor weddings. They do not provide very good sun coverage, but the fact that your guests can look up and see the stars at night is well worth it. We did a light swagging of white fabric under this tent. The fabric really helped to create a softer look for the reception.

BELOW: Another photo showcasing what fabric can do to soften up the look of a metal framed tent.

BELOW (Miki & Joel): Hanging dramatic light fixtures under your tent is also a great way to make a stunning statement.

BELOW (Miki & Joel): These Capiz shells chandeliers emit a nice glow at night.

BELOW (Renee & Adam): Looking for an affordable way to dress up your tent? Try hanging paper lanterns sporadically throughout your tent. These lanterns are affordable, and they come in any colors you can imagine.

BELOW (Amy & Jeff): If you want to create a more contemporary look, try grouping your lanterns and hang them over each individual guest table – sort of like hanging your lanterns in the shape of a bunch of grapes. This group of lanterns will feel like a custom chandelier piece you will see hanging over a dining table at someone’s home!

BELOW: I also love the use of market umbrellas to provide coverage for an outdoor reception. The simplicity of this set up feels rustic, intimate, charming and simply lovely – everything a wedding should be all about.

Leslie & Greg

April 10, 2009 in Country Wedding, Design, Finishing Touch, Greg, Leslie, Moana Surfrider, Weddings, Yellow | 1 comment

Leslie and Greg got married at the Westin Moana Surfrider in December 2008. They are both originally from the South but are currently living in Hawaii. When I met Leslie and Greg for the first time, their genuine personalities captured me right away. They were true Southerners who are known for their hospitality and generosity. When it came to selecting a color and ambiance for their wedding, there was no question that Buttery Yellow was perfect choice. There’s a certain kind of “sweetness” the color Yellow possesses: it’s so soft, romantic and down right “country”. I usually don’t get to design alot of “country style” wedding, but since this is actually Leslie’s personal style, I was excited to have this opportunity to do so. Leslie and Greg were married in the new Lani Kai room at the Moana, underneath a soft ivory canopy completed with hanging candles and flowers. For their reception, the guest tables were draped in a floor length buttery yellow linen with a garden patch-work style overlay. The pretty table linen was topped off with a lush and low garden style arrangement filled with English Garden Roses, Tulips, Peonies, Hydrangeas, Dusty Miller and other vintage style foliage. For a traditional country-styled wedding, ivory chair covers are a must! Naomi Lee of Les Saisons helped me tie these cute little “rosebuds” with coordinating sashes on the back of each chair – this small accent truly completed the look we were trying to achieve. Cake Lava created a beautiful and delicious 4-tiered wedding cake for the newlyweds. Thank you to Nicole Lomas of Peony Floral who did an amazing job with the flowers. This wedding was Nicole’s last wedding in Hawaii, she moved to San Diego in January. Nicole is probably one of the most talented and knowledgeable florists I’ve worked with; so watch out San Diego, she will be definitely be making some waves out there in the Southern California wedding industry. All images are taken by the talented Frank Amodo.

Leslie – the beautiful Southern gal