Kat and Zion met during their freshman year of college and "quickly fell in love and became inseparable." They knew they would spend the rest of their lives together. Kat tells us, "When Zion and I decided to get married, we knew we wanted to use our wedding as an excuse to go on an adventure with loved ones. We also knew we wanted to keep things simple, intimate, and true to our personalities and style. Over the years, our love of the ocean has become an important part of our relationship. So, after lots of thought and planning, we finally decided that we would fly to Hawaii, stay in a beach house with five of our favorite people, explore the extremely diverse Big Island, and have Zion's best friend, Pete, marry us at some point along the way."
The Location
"We chose the Big Island because of it's diversity. The island has so much to offer and the scenery is otherworldly. We really wanted our trip to be an adventure and it was important that the location we chose had something special to offer to every individual in our group. We were able to find the perfect pod style house in Puako. It was right on the water, was sunny there every day, and accommodated our whole party really nicely.
The day we landed on the Big Island, we were so overwhelmed by the beauty around us, and couldn't believe our eyes when we got to the beach house we rented. Over the course of our trip, we created so many amazing memories with our loved ones and were filled with joy to see the happiness this trip was bringing to the people we care so much about. The extent of our wedding preparation the day before involved some light steaming and a pitstop at the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market to buy flowers for my bouquet, on our way to Akaka Falls."
The Wedding Day
"When the day finally came to get married, we were excited, but our focus had always been to soak up every wonderful moment of the trip. We weren't expecting our wedding to feel like a blissful dream, but it truly was the happiest and most magical moment of our lives. We woke up early that morning, got ready in separate pods of the beach house, had our first look, then walked down the beach together, towards our loved ones waiting for us down by the water. Our wedding wasn't long, but having someone so close to us write the ceremony created such a personal and emotional experience, that made the time on those rocks feel infinite. Drenched in sunlight, surrounded by the ocean and the people we love so much Zion and I officially became family."
The dress
"I knew I wanted a black dress, at a reasonable price. It took a lot of research to find something that fit my aesthetic, and would also work for a beach wedding. When I finally came across the dresses on Reformation, I immediately fell in love. I ordered two dresses online to try, but I knew right away, the first dress I put on was the one. For our flowers, we went to the Waimea Homestead Farmer's Market the day before the wedding, grabbed our favorite flowers from various vendors and then made a bouquet later that night."
The Celebration
"After the ceremony, Zion and I ran around the beach behind the house with Couple Cups then we drove to Beach 69 for some more shots, stopping in an amazing desert setting along the way. After the photos, we stripped down into our swimsuits, ate lunch on the back porch, drank tequila sunrises, snorkeled all afternoon, and ended the night with a celebratory sunset dinner at Brown's Beach House in the Fairmont. A few days later, we parted ways with the group and Zion and I headed off to our honeymoon on the North Shore of Oahu, to continue our adventure."
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