Carol + Keith: Sneak Peak

Congratulations to newlyweds Carol and Keith Hamasaki on their recent Thanksgiving weekend wedding on Oahu's North Shore.

Enjoy a this sneak peak trailer of Carol and Keith's wedding day, courtesy of Aria Studios, and check back in for more photos of their simply beautiful wedding day.

TRAILER // keith + carol from ARIA Studios on Vimeo.

Carissa + Mike: The Music

Well i couldn't help but share a little about the music that inspired Carissa and Mike's wedding day! After all, what is a vintage Hawaiian inspired fete without vintage Hawaiian music?

Carissa created an amazing playlist of vintage tunes (think Hawaiian steel guitar and ukulele, straight out of a Kerne Erickson painting) that guests enjoyed throughout the evening. Here's a fun playlist, all available on itunes, of quintessential Hawaiian songs for the perfect Vintage Hawaiian Celebration:

1. "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua Hawaii" by the New Hawaiian Band

2. "Beyond the Reef" by the All-Star Hawaiian Band

3. " Pearly Shells" by the New Hawaiian Band

4. "Lovely Hula Hands" by the Starlite Singers

5. "Hawaiian Paradise" by the All-Star Hawaiian Band

6. "Waikiki" by the New Hawaiian Band

7. "Blue Hawaii" by the All-Star Hawaiian Band

8. "Hukilau" by the Maile Serenaders

9. "Hawaii Nei" by Duke Kamoku & His Islanders

10. "Sweet Leilani" by the New Hawaiian Band

Enjoy!

Carissa + Mike: Lanikuhonua

When San Diego bride, Carissa, reached out to us to help her plan her destination Hawaii wedding, one of the first things she mentioned was how much she loved our website, ESPECIALLY because it was BLUE. Little did we know how important COLOR would be to this wedding, but after a few meetings, it became VERY apparent that "bright" and "bold" and "colorful" would be the buzz words that would inspire the design for Carissa and Mike's intimate celebration. This would be no ordinary wedding!

Carissa already had her wedding dress picked out (a gorgeous, flowing, COBALT BLUE Amsale) and she knew that she would ask guests to wear WHITE, creating the perfect palette for bright, bold and colorful design. From there, we set out to create our own version of Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room (Disneyland is where Carissa and Mike got engaged!), oceanside at Lanikuhonua on the island of Oahu.

Wooden Monkeypod Chargers dressed up the vintage Hawaiian inspired tabletop, complete with pineapple vases filled with fresh island tropicals, including colorful hibiscus, ginger and monstera. Vintage style hula nodders, that guests took home as favors, were a hit. They completed their intimate tiki lounge look with oversized wooden vases filled with lush tropical flowers and foliage, and illuminated Buri Lanterns, that lit up the night and set a perfect mood for a vintage inspired celebration in paradise!

Carissa and Mike... What can i say?! I enjoyed every minute, and i mean EVERY minute of this fun and crazy planning process with you. I'm so thrilled to now call you my friends, and with our shared love (obsession more like) of poke, malasadas and all things vintage Hawaiian, i feel like we're practically family!

Thank you to Frank Amodo and Alex Rapada for capturing amazing images of the day!

(and Carissa, thank you for the sweetest review on YELP!)

Inspiring The Menu

Wedding menu inspiration can come from anywhere: The meal a couple had on their very first date, a Bride's favorite dessert or a Groom's special family recipe. My favorite wedding menus are the menus that have taken shape from inspiration drawn from a couple's personal treasures that hold some sort of meaning to them, that reflect on their lives, the people in them, and their experiences that has brought them to their wedding day.

No place on the island has inspired wedding menus for our couples more then the infamous roadside shrimp trucks of our island's North Shore. After all, no trip to the North Shore (or Oahu, for that matter!) is complete without a pit stop at one of the unassuming but knock your socks off delicious plate lunch joints dotting the highway just past Turtle Bay.

So... headed to the North Shore with Pacific Aisles destination wedding couple, Charmayne & Nick, to check out prospective wedding venues (Loulu Palm and Turtle Bay's Keiki Beach), how could we pass up stopping for lunch at Giovanni's, the last stop for yummy garlic shrimp plates before hitting Kahuku town. The first bite of garlic and butter drenched shrimp had us all in heaven. The second bite had us all convinced that no menu for a wedding on the North Shore of Oahu would be complete without shrimp inspired by this North Shore delicacy. And with that, inspiration was found!

For more must do's (and must eat's) on Oahu's North Shore, check out this great article from our friends at the Pacific Bride Guide.

Carissa + Mike: Sneak Peak

What's an island inspired wedding without some COLOR! After all, Hawaii IS officially known as the rainbow state, and for this San Diego couple, color = happiness.

Stay tuned for more photos from Carissa & Mike's October wedding at Lanikuhonua!

Betty + Kent: Puakea Ranch, Big Island

What more can we say about Betty Lee and Kent Kurihara's Big Island Wedding, except that it was an AMAZING day. It was such a joy working with Betty and exciting to see the creative genius of her design background approach every detail, and we mean EVERY DETAIL, that she worked so hard on in the months before the wedding.

It was even more fun to open and discover the contents of all 23 (and counting) boxes that were shipped from Oahu to the Big Island, filled with details and surprises that we had the pleasure of decorating with for the Big Day.While we have yet to see all the wedding photos from Betty and Kent's day, we're excited to share a fun preview and a little about what fun Betty and Kent had planned for 60 or so of their closest family and friends and the beautiful and very remote Puakea Ranch!

**ENJOY**

The shoes... ah yes, the shoes. Betty's love for beautiful shoes made me realize it's time i update my shoe wardrobe. Seriously! And i love that Betty's shoes (ALL of them - or at least all of them that could fit in her suitcase) garnered their own mini photo shoot (check it out here!) with New York photographer Punam Bean in the cottage as Betty and the girls got ready for the ceremony at hand.

The ladies relaxed as they got their hair and makeup done at the ranch's adorable Miles Away Cottage...

...meanwhile, up at Yoshi's House, the wheels were set in motion and last minute touches were placed as guests arrived and a smiling groom (in cowboy boots!) awaited patiently near the KISSING TREE for 4pm (and his bride!) to arrive.

While it was important to Betty & Kent that their guests feel comfy and "at home" at the Ranch, it was also important that a bit of their own style and personalities infused into their wedding equaled fun and unexpected touches at every turn. Guests helped themselves to Betty & Kent's favorite ice cold IZZE sparkling juices and limited edition designer bottled water by Christian Lacroix for Evian. Batten Lace Parasols kept guests cool in the warm Hawaiian sun, and pashminas offered cozy warmth for later in the night, when upcountry Big Island's temperatures tend to dip towards chilly.

Flowergirls dressed in adorable white cotton eyelet dresses walked ringbearer, Kea (Betty & Kent's beloved pooch), down the aisle and to their awaited seat on the tree swing as they turned their attention to the bride, dressed in Monique Lhuillier couture, and her father as they made their way to the 1001 strung crane adorned monkeypod tree.

With the ceremony short and sweet, guests tossed dried lavender, a symbol of devotion and longevity, in celebration as the bride and groom kissed and were announced as the new, Mr. and Mrs. Kent & Betty Kurihara!

While the newlyweds were whisked away for photos, guests were invited to take their own self portraits at the informal photo booth that was set under the KISSING TREE, complete with props that ranged from masks to funky sunglasses to mustaches and fun hats.

And... as the sun began to set, Betty ducked into the cottage for a dress change into a stunning Pronovias Gown, and festivities continued in the reception tent to the bride and groom's favorite jazz playlist as guests dined and toasted well wishes for the newlyweds, amidst tables draped in specialty lavender, ivory and chocolate linens and set with manzanita style candelabras that held tea light candles and mini birds nests. Each place setting was set with home made fabric flower pins (for the men) and fabric wristlets (for the ladies) that held each guest's name printed on fabric scraps, and a menu that Betty had printed on paper lunch sacks.

Lacey details, strings of pearls and vintage style ribbons held table cards to chairs, and home made garlands made from cupcake liners in whimsical colors and patterns to compliment Betty's vintage modern theme adorned chair backs and tent poles to add touches of whimsy to the celebration. A large vintage bird cage chandelier created by the groom, hung over the bar.

After dinner and cake, Betty and Kent topped the night off with a game of pinata (an adorable creation by the Bride herself) filled with surprises for the guests (to scoop up and fill their paper sack menus with) and a warm bonfire to gather around and enjoy home made s'mores.

Congratulations, Betty & Kent Kurihara!