Stella and Jerome had a beautiful destination wedding on the Oahu North Shore at this amazing Balinese style estate – the Mahakea Estate. Their photographers, Evonne and Darren Wong at U Me Us Studios captured the vibrant purple colors of the décor and the spectacular nature of the estate effortlessly! And this location wasn’t just any venue, but special to the bride and groom. Stella shared with us how Hawaii became home to their wedding. “Oahu was the site of our first vacation together as a couple 9 years ago. It was both our first trips to Hawaii and we fell in love with the beauty of the islands when we were there. In selecting Oahu as our wedding location, we hoped share the magic of Hawaii with our friends and family. We wanted to pick a unique locale for our wedding and we searched high and low until we discovered the beautiful Mahakea Estate on North Shore. Oahu is beautiful all-around but North Shore beaches are particularly stunning (and less crowded). We thought Mahakea would be the perfect blend of elegance and intimacy for our nuptials. We loved the idea of staying at a private estate with its own beach in the backyard. In a ways, it was like hosting a wedding at our own home! ”
“We stayed at the estate with some of our family members, which made the experience feel more personal, like we were at a home away from home, instead of a foreign locale. We also decorated the space with some pictures of us with friends and family to make it feel more homey.”
“Taking pictures with my bridesmaids all dolled up was a treat because we rarely see each other all dressed up anymore. And dancing with everyone was a blast – some of our guests have serious moves on the dance floor!”
“The wedding was beautiful from beginning to end. The First Look was very emotional for the both of us – and we’re glad we opted for it because otherwise we would have been bawling at the altar. The ceremony went smoothly – it was so wonderful to see all our family and friends together in one place. That rarely happens because we have friends that span the nation and the globe, and for once, we were all together in one place. We had great food, romantic ambiance, good music – what more could one ask for? It was a super special night for the both of us.”
“A few months before the wedding, we met a local artist named Genevieve Santos. We fell in love with one of her hand-drawn illustrations, Clink, and asked her to personalize it with our names. We brought the drawing with us to Hawaii and it served as our bride & groom portrait.”
“Our colors were purple (the bride’s favorite color) and green (the groom’s favorite color). To that end, the flowers were a blend of purple orchids and green hydrangeas, we used personalized purple and green napkins, the cake was topped with purple and green orchids, and the lanterns were a blend of purple, green, and white. We used what made sense but didn’t go overboard with our color scheme.”
“Our goal was to create an event that was fun and had a familial intimate flavor yet still be a structured (and not stuffy) and we think we achieved that with our wedding.”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Evonne & Darren Wong of U Me Us Studios
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Location: Mahakea Estate, Wedding Planner: Maile Hawaii Weddings, Wedding dress designer: Oleg Cassini, Wedding shoes designer: Nina, Jewelry: Derco, Bridesmaid’s dress designer: David’s Bridal, Groom’s + Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse Black by Vera Wang Collection, Invitations/Stationery designer: Minted, Hair/Makeup Stylist: Dorys Foltin of Maleana, Florist: Shilhi Seibel of Passion Roots, Wedding Day Caterer: Chef Peter Foster of Memoirs, Baker: Kristin Kato of A Cake Life, Officiant: Rev. Elias Parker, Rentals: Pacific Party Rentals, iPod DJ: Just Press Play Productions, Wedding Favors: Honolulu Cookie Company
