On the southern shore of the Hawaiian island of Maui lies the sacred land of Makena. The clear blue shorelines are fabled of great spiritual reverence, and it holds one of the most beautiful views in all of Hawaii. When local Hawaii photographer Wendy Laurel along with wedding planner Couture Events shared Yuki and John's stunning Makena wedding with us, we instantly fell in love.
The couple chose this wedding location because Yuki's family has a home in Makena. With the help of Couture Events, they were able to tackle the process of planning a destination wedding overseas. The couple began their romance in Japan before later moving to Hong Kong together, and their 60 guests arrived from all over the globe to celebrate their union.
The couple chose a neutral floral palette of classic creams, warm earth tones, and soft blush sprinkled within textured greens. Erica of Couture Events described it as a, "romantic, garden feel-- infused with hops and neutral tones".
The groomsmen wore boutonnieres of soft ivory spray rose with greens and a natural wrap stem created by Maui floral designer Mandy Grace Designs.
When asked about the decor theme of the wedding, Erica of Couture Events told us, "Yuki and John have a love for beer, so what a better way to incorporate their favorite drink than to use blooming hops throughout their design? Hops were seen in the invitations, welcome event (located at a local brewery) and even over the dance-floor. Mandy Grace Designs created a dance-floor installation made primarily of hops!"
Even the wedding cake was decorated with hops. It had a fresh, simple design to match the organic, romantic feel of the decor. The textured buttercream-covered cake was set on display in a shallow wooden bedestal bowl.
The bride told us, "We wanted to pay respects to the local islands within our ceremony so Hawaiian culture permeated throughout our ceremony." They walked down the aisle to a live rendition of "La Vie En Rose" and were married by a Hawaiian kumu (teacher).
"We wanted to create a dramatic ceremony area that was functional for guests under the Maui sun. We used custom canopies from Inspiration Event Rentals with ivory draping to shade guests. The ceremony was located ocean front at the Makena Golf & Beach Club and offered sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean for Yuki and John's destination wedding guests. Florals in urns and sprawling greens on chairs and drapes helped set the romantic tone of the evening."
The reception tables were accented with gold-rimmed stemware, velvet linens, and soft romantic floral centerpieces. Gold shelving was set up at the bar to display vintage stemware. The reception tent was complete with a statemetn floral installation of hops hanging over the dance floor. And outside of the tent were small lounge areas set up for quiet converstaion by Signature Event Rentals.
For the bridal bouquet, a romantic arrangement was created with "soft open blooms in ivory and light blush using spray roses, garden roses, and ranunculus-- finished with soft green lush vines and long strands of silk ribbon in various neutral hues".
The wedding party dined on a selection of specialty-crafted plates for a delicious experience:
--PASSED APPETIZERS: three types of poke (ahi, hamichi, tako), nori wrapped wagyu, sweet soy, fresh wasabi, mushroom dumpling, citrus, spicy mustard
--FIRST COURSE Kona Maine Lobster Tortellini, Australian black truffles, Kula citrus
--SECOND COURSE: Arugula + Spinach Salad, shaved fennel, surfing goat cheese, pomegranate vinaigrette
-- MAIN COURSE: "surf + turf" grilled wagyu tenderloin, Upcountry veggies, smashed potatoes, giner jus AND crispy snapper, Kula tomoatoes, ogo, shaved asparagus
-- DESSERT: Kula berry tiramisu, mascarpone, dark chocolate
The couple also had a lovely selction of signature cocktails:
--BOULEVARDIER: Whistle pig rye, Campari, vermouth, lemon peel
--CALAMANSI GIN FIZZ: Hendricks, calamansi, soda, Thai basil sprig
--BLOODY OCEAN: Ocean Vodka, blood orange Italian soda, candied orange garnish
Yuki and John shared their first dance as husband and wife to Johnny Cash's "The First TIme Ever I Saw Your Face". The bride's favorite memories from her wedding were watching the gorgeous Makena sunset, admiring the incredible floral decor, and dancing to wonderful music with her loved ones.
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