Oahu

Mint + Blush Hawaii Destination Wedding

May 20, 2014

By Pacific Weddings

Lei Feranil and Gabe Norwood travelled from their home in the Philippines to wed on a private beach in Kualoa Valley on the windward coast of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The gorgeous couple met through a mutual friend and according to the bride, they were instantly drawn to one another. "We've hardly spent a single day apart since that night. Three years and one baby later, we got engaged in Manila at the exact spot where Gabe asked me to be his girlfriend."

They chose to host a destination wedding in Hawaii to honor the groom's Filipino heritage. The islands also holds a special place in Gabe's family history-- his parent's met on Oahu and fell in love there. Lei says, "Gabe wanted to make my dream of getting married by the sea come true, as well. But why not Hawaii, really? It is one of the most picturesque, breathtaking places in the world."

The bride says, "We are both very easy-going peole by nature. We wanted an intimate wedding which felt as natural as possible, not a big production of sorts. Just a celebration of God, love and family. I wanted to focus on soft hues and organic elements, and was drawn to the color of the sea. Mint was the key wedding color and we decided to mix in some soft blush and peach hues. Organic elements such as light grapewood, shells, succulents and balsa wood flowers tied in beautifully with the colors. We decided to elevate the look by throwing in elements of soft gold, silver and champagne for a hint of elegance in the most understated way."

Puey Quinones, a renowned fashion designer from the Philippines and a dear friend of the brides designed the suits and dresses for the entire wedding party. Lei says, "For my dress, I just wanted something that I would feel free in-- lacey and flowy was the perfect combination. I wanted to something bohemian yet still elegant. My headpiece was LoBoheme. The bridal party was wearing different styles of soft mint chiffon dresses, where the fabric blew nicely in the wind. They complemented well with the soft grey linen suits of the groomsmen."

Shilhi of Passion Roots Floral and Event Design is the most talented florist a bride could ever dream of having for her big day. She understood our vision from day one, and easily translated it into artistic expression. I think the first tear I shed on my wedding day was at the first sight of our flowers-- it was beautifully and lovingly done.

Hours before the wedding, rain started pouring and things did not look promising for a Secret Island seaside wedding such as ours. However, right before the ceremony started, skies cleared up and the guests stayed dry; bride-induced waterworks excluded. Gabe and I were wed in the presence of God, our two precious gifts-- our sons Cassius and Orion and our wonderful ohana and closest friends.

Les Saisons and Vignette contributed show-stopping elements such as the capiz shell chandeliers and specialty linen.
We are very grateful to our coordinator, Shari Dang for introducing us to the best suppliers on the island, which are not all mentioned here but contributed so much to our day. Frank Amodo took the most amazing photographs of the best moments.

Our wedding was really a passion project for me and Gabe, and our families and friends who had a hand in making everything work. A lot of the elements in the wedding were handmade. Gabe's mom put together our sweets buffet all by herself, lovingly baked and handcrafted all the cookies and treats. We conceptualized all the printed wedding materials down to the tiniest details--from the Travel Brochure-inspired invitations to the little scrolls that came in the "message-in-a-bottles" we made for each guest to serve as their escort cards. One of my bridesmaids helped coordinate the fine details, making the program and our friends hosted the affair.