groom kissing bride from behind at sunset

Hawaii Destination Wedding | Kauai Elopement

March 18, 2020

If you’re thinking about having a Hawaii Destination wedding (or just a destination wedding/elopement in general), this one is for you. In other words, have you ever considered getting married on your honeymoon?

Hawaiian Flower

Stevie and Ricky are two of the raddest humans, and I will forever be grateful for them and the experiences we had together. They decided to have their Hawaii destination wedding/elopement on Kauai in July of 2019. The more elopements I photograph, the more I love them, and people like Stevie and Ricky are exactly why.

The whole week we spent in Kauai was…. so… chill. To say the least. It was a vacation, even for me. I never once actually felt like I was even “working”. Stevie and Ricky treated me like family, and I will always remember their generosity and hospitality towards me. Luckily we live in the same city and go to the same gym so I still get to see them… (When I go to the gym hehe.)

We explored around the island, visited blowholes, had breakfast at the Hanalei Bread Company, lunch at the world famous Brennecke’s in Poipu, roamed the farmers market, and spent a lot of time relaxing at the beach.

girl lying on her back in the ocean
couple kissing in the water near hanalei bay
Couple kissing in the water
Kauai Blowhole
Couple kissing

Stevie and Ricky planned to elope on Sunday, at the Poipu Botanical Gardens, more specifically at the McBryde Garden. The day started off like any other. Stevie, her sister and I cruised down to Hanalei and Stevie picked out a ring for Ricky… And in the early afternoon we headed to the other side of the island, where they would get ready (in the most amazingly air conditioned hotel room), and head to the gardens to say their vows. The entire day was just so relaxed, there was no rushing, no drama, no stress… Just relaxation, happiness, beautiful island views, the most colorful sunset, and really delicious food.

bride doing her hair
Bride putting on lipstick
Dress hanging in the bamboo
brides best friend zipping up her dress
wedding shoes and viel
bride putting her earrings on
bride putting on perfume

There is only one way to get into the McBryde Garden, and so we had about 4/5 cars driving (reaaaally slowly) in a single line to get to the location, and had to keep Stevie and Ricky apart of course…. Until we got into the garden where they would have their first look.

driving into the botanical gardens in hawaii
dad seeing his daughter in her wedding dress
Groom standing under a tree
Bride walking towards groom for first look
Bride and groom at their first look at hawaii destination wedding
bride and groom during their first look
bride and groom at their hawaii destination wedding
groom holding brides face after first look
Bride and groom holding each other, with the veil blowing in the wind
bridal portrait at poipu botanical gardens
bridal florals
bridal portrait at hawaii destination wedding

After Stevie and Ricky had their first look, they got ready to walk down the aisle and say their vows to each other, in front of their best friends and family.

Ceremony location at Hawaii Destination Wedding
Grooms emotional expression as his bride walks down the aisle
bride and her dad walking down the aisle at hawaii destination wedding
groom waiting at the alter as bride walks down the aisle
bride smiling at her groom as she walks down the aisle
bride standing at the altar smiling at the camera
groom putting ring on brides finger
bride and grooms first kiss at hawaii destination wedding
bride and groom having a moment together
groom throwing up his hands in excitement
bride cheering after saying their vows
bride and groom throwing their hands up in excitement
couple holding each other
couple hugging after their hawaii destination wedding
couple having a moment after their wedding
groom kissing brides forehead
bride and groom kissing under the veil
couple in the botanical gardens
couple holding each other
bridal portait at kauai elopement
groom watching bride pose for her portraits

After their ceremony, we took some family photos, and then took a little hike to a waterfall. Friendly reminder: Bug spray… Bug spray…… Do not forget it.

bride walking through botanical garden to the waterfall
couple walking towards waterfall
bride wandering through the jungle
couple walking with waterfall in the background
waterfall in poipu botanical gardens
couple standing in front of the waterfall
couple kissing in front of the waterfall
hibiscus flower
pulled back shot of couple in front of the waterfall
family having champagne after the wedding

After the hike we headed to the Beach House Restaurant for the dinner following their ceremony, and took some photos on the beach while the sun set.

bride and groom portraits at sunset
bride and groom kissing at sunset and veil blowing in the wind
bride walking out onto the rocks
bride posing on the rocks at sunset
bride and groom holding each other
groom kissing bride from behind at sunset
bride and groom kissing at sunset
couple kissing in front of the ocean

If you’ve ever thought of honeymooning in Hawaii, just think.. You could get married there too! From my experience photographing Hawaii Destination Weddings, my personal opinion is that November, December, and January can be really great times to visit the islands. It is waaaayyy less hot during those months, and it’s also SO MUCH LESS crowded. Those tend to be the rainier months, but… Tropical rain. Glorious.

If you’d like to get in touch to talk about your destination wedding, you can get in touch here.

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