Sent to us by Holly and Paul at Paul Rich Studios, this is a wedding that just goes to show you that letting your personality shine through on your wedding day is all it takes to make the day a whopping success!
Hawaiian inspiration … in Sandy, Oregon!
It never ceases to amaze me that once you know the ‘who, when, and where’ … the design, colors and style just seem to happen.
Love the leis for the guys…
Floral design was provided by Adria at Lavish.
from Adria … talk about having someone’s personality shine through in their event! This wedding was so fun to work on because Kristin was such a hoot – totally colorful personality. Her father is from Hawaii and she has spent a lot of time there, so they really wanted to bring some tropical elements into their day. We used lots of bright flowers and lush foliage, but we also wanted a modern feel so we went with clear square glass vases with submerged blooms and bamboo for the centerpieces.They also went with the traditional maile leis for the groom and his men as well as leis for the gals.
The story about the plane is great! The wedding was held at her parents home. A few months before the ceremony they had noticed a bright green crop duster circling the area, so on a whim they hopped in the car and spent about an hour following it around until it landed. Then they asked if the pilot would be willing to fly over the reception and drop petals! This is a gal who gets stuff done. I love it! Flowers we used: Flame callas, cymbidium, dendrobium and vanda orchids, Lotus pods, Tropical fern curls … Lots of fun foliage!
In Colin Cowie’s fabulous new book, Wedding Chic, he says, “Today, we live in a world where the boundaries between cultures are blurred and it’s not unusual to find people of one group borrowing and blending the rituals and traditions of another. ..The very idea of borrowing resonates as an openness to exploring spiritual meaning.” The point being … whatever inspires you, whatever makes you smile … embrace it!
and from the bride, Kristin …
When Eric and I were thinking about what kind of wedding we wanted to have, we started by discussing all of our similar interests and what we thought would tell the story of our relationship. We both have a special connection and love for Hawaii. My father is from Hawaii and Eric spent a summer in Maui during college, learning how to surf and loving the island vibe. So, we decided to use elements from Hawaiian culture in our ceremony as well as in our music (ukulele player), flower choices, and decorations. It was really special to be able to have our wedding at my parents’ house because we wanted to create a close family feeling. Many of our friends and family were traveling from all over the country and we were able to have both the rehearsal dinner/southern bbq and our wedding at my family’s house. It truly brought people together in a comfortable beautiful atmosphere. The fireworks show my dad put on after the rehearsal dinner will never be forgotten! Our theme extended into wedding party attire as well. The groomsmen wore fidora hats, seaweed leis, Cuban wedding shirts, and flip flops and the bridesmaids carried tropical bouquets. I designed and made my jewlery and hairpiece as well as the jewelery for the bridesmaids. It was really fun having the fidora hats for the boys, the boys sort of took on new personalities with them on! Probably the most important thing to us was the music for the reception. After trips to Jazzfest, we fell in love with New Orleans culture and music, so we were honored to have The Devin Phillips Band play the wedding. Devin is a Portland transplant who moved here after Katrina. The band was awesome, mellow jazz for dinner and New Orleans funk for dancing afterwards. I didn’t know that some of my relatives could move like that! We chose Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” as our first dance and I felt like I was floating on air when Eric swung me around at the end of the dance!
Thanks so much to Adria, Kristin & Eric, and of course the very talented Holly & Paul for sharing these photos and stories!
Holly Andres and Paul Rich are yet another of Style Me Pretty’s fabulous Little Black Book husband & wife photography teams! Check out their website and blog for more of their fantastic work!