Hawaii Wedding | Olowalu Plantation, Maui

Destination Wedding Photographer | Hawaii Weddings

There are weddings and then there are WEDDINGS – ones that end up meaning much more to you than you could ever anticipate. Adrienne and Trent’s wedding in Maui was one of those weddings for me.

A little backstory – they had met with me and we were all booked for a Connecticut wedding at one of our wonderful wineries close to the Rhode Island border. A few months later I open up my email and spot a long, 3 paragraph message. Now, I think we all know that generally speaking long emails are never a good thing! Since every year or so a coupe cancel for some reason, I assumed that was this was all about.

Turns out however, that they had taken a trip to Hawaii, fallen in love with the island and decided to switch up plans. What had been scheduled as a 150 person winery wedding, would now be a 12 person immediate family only destination event in Maui. They were also asking if we could figure out a way to still have me go to photograph it – and believe me: you don’t have to ask ME twice if you want me to go to the islands!!! Don’t get me wrong – I adore our Connecticut Vineyard weddings, I LOVE photographing a wedding in a completely new and different location, since it keeps me on my toes and makes you really SEE what’s around you. You don’t take the surroundings for granted, but see it all with open eyes. (as my friend Carla Ten Eyck says: “head up – eyes open.”) I remember being really concerned that the photos LOOK like Hawaii and not Florida or Bermuda- lol!

So that August off I went and I have to say, Hawaii really exceeded my expectations. Over the years I’ve asked couple who went for honeymoons – “SO! What did you think?” I’d always ask often getting an “It was nice.” response, which always seemed so disappointing. So even though I studied up on where to go and what to do, I flew there with a little hesitation expecting it to maybe just be ‘ok.’

However, all it took was my waiting for my luggage in an open air luggage carousel with the Maui winds blowing through to completely hook me (just a smidgen nicer than getting your bags at LGA)

Enough about my travels – we had hung out the day before for a mini-shoot and they invited me to their rehearsal Luau – so come wedding time I felt like a guest! (we even went to the grocery store together for wedding-day sodas and flowers, and you would not BELIEVE the amazing tropical flowers you get in a basic grocery store there!)

The wedding itself was so intimate, personal and emotional I truly felt a part of it. There’s just something about a VERY small wedding that makes it truly feel special. Held at the incredible Olowalu Plantation House in Lahaina, we had a perfectly blue breezy day Hawaiian day, and even had Pastor Laki Kaahumanu perform the ceremony (he was on Modern Family when they went there and renewed their vows!)

When the evening was over, we bumped into each other in the open–air foyer at the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort, and may or may not have had a few beers together! It’s always just the BEST feeling when you really connect with your couples, as it makes the experience for me just much more special and meaningful. But when you feel involved in the manner I did, it takes it to an entirely different level.

I hope you enjoy this mini wedding journey, and that my excitement to be there comes through in the photographs!

Enjoy Hawaii now for a few moments…

Adriennes mom takes in the view while her hair sets

Those flowers!!

I HAD to ask him for a quick portrait!

They talked me into walking out to this set and i’m SO GLAD they did, as this turned out to be one of my favorite images of the day!

This is Adrienne trying to take my ‘pose like a model’ directions seriously!

This probably doesn’t translate as well here as it was in person, but this was a show-stopping sunset that made us all take pause and walk over to watch–just an incredible capper to the wedding day.

Dinner under the Hawaiian moon

Oh and P.S. : they just had their second baby!!!

SaveSave