Hawaii Wedding from Sarah DeShaw Photography
When you live in Hawaii, you need not go far for a drop dead gorgeous destination wedding. And that's exactly what these adorable love birds did. They headed to the secluded North Shore, away from all the hustle and bustle of their home base of Honolulu, and invited only their nearest and dearest for an intimate and unforgettable ceremony. Sarah DeShaw Photography captured all the pretty details like the gorgeous all-white flowers and the yummy Kona coffee favors and you can see all the rest right here!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride... We met in 2004 at Duke University during a two-week summer program right before our senior year of high school. We hit it off and continued to talk after the program was over and started dating long-distance between Arizona (where Julia lived) and Iowa (where Matt lived) in the fall of 2004. Julia decided to go to the University of Iowa, and we continued to date for the next seven years. We got engaged on the beach in Hawaii in April 2011 while we were planning our move from Iowa to Hawaii. Our wedding included 52 guests from all around the world. (For example, the bridesmaids were from Iowa, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Colorado, and Julia’s dad lives in Hong Kong.)
We live in busy Honolulu and wanted to get married away from the hustle and bustle. We thought the North Shore would be perfect. Loulu Palm Estate was the intimate setting we were looking for — we didn’t want hotel guests staring at us. We also wanted to have our wedding and reception in the same place so our guests wouldn’t get lost in an unfamiliar town. The estate was ideal because it was only two miles from Turtle Bay Condos where we were all staying, and we were able to get vans to shuttle guests back and forth. By the day of the wedding, everyone knew each other by name. It was amazing how much everyone truly enjoyed each other and made for an intimate, laid-back and fun wedding. All of our living grandparents were able to make the trip, and all spent time on the dance floor!
We had a surf board shaped and painted with our last name and had guests sign the back for a guest book. The flowers were all white but of great variety — all of the bridesmaids had different posies that they got to pick out themselves. The wedding designers were able to take the shabby-chic but laid-back and simple style we were going for and make it come to life.
Wedding Photography: Sarah + Brent DeShaw of Sarah DeShaw Photography / Wedding Venue: Loulu Palm Estate in North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii / Event Design: Sandra Williams of Finishing Touch / Event Planning: Tristen Lobendahn of Finishing Touch / Floral Design: Passion Roots / Catering: Big G’s Catering (808-218-4096) / Wedding Stationery: Finishing Touch / Ceremony + Cocktail Music: Kunoa / DJ: Troy Michael / Surf Board: Designed by the Bride & Groom + Created by Keoki / Wedding Dress: Allure Bridals "8800" / Bride's Jewelry: Givenchy / Hair + Makeup: Maleana Cosmetics / Groom’s Suit: Ben Sherman / Other Suits: Celebrity Tuxedo / Rings: Seibke Hoyt Jewelers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa