When Two Worlds Collide - Oahu Wedding Edition
The excitement around this Paliku Gardens wedding was undeniable. When Jaerim called me for her wedding she and her fiance were living in separate states and seeing each other on the weekends to plan. Having their family meet in Hawaii for their wedding was a perfect mid-way point for everyone. They were planning from afar and living even farther. If you’ve never believed the phrase ”absence makes the heart grow fonder”, you would if you saw their first look. Chris was probably one of the happiest grooms I’ve ever seen and even I had to fight back a tear.
Because they were both from very different cultures we decided to mix in several elements from each and really make this wedding custom and intimate. We decided to lose the traditional officiant and go with a blended collaboration of poems, personal vows, special lyrics from Jaerim’s favorite Korean boy band and a letter from her father for the ceremony and use both sets of parents to add a little love to the ceremony. Both moms cried (of course) but it was a beautiful way to pay homage to both sides of their families.
Needless to say, the best part about an island wedding is the water! The not-so-great part about an island wedding is getting sand. Luckily, Paliku gardens has the perfect mix of water-view without worrying about the sand and believe me, the views are even better in person! The Paliku gardens lawn has epic views of both mountain and ocean (not-to-mention a whole other island!). There’s pretty much not a better wedding venue on Oahu.
One of the greatest things about Paliku is the ability to go with simple decor. The wedding gardens are so naturally beautiful - you don’t have to do much! We went with a dark crimson and blush color scheme and her best friend designed the acrylic menu cards which paired well with the dark green anthurium leaves we placed at every setting. Because of the island view - Jaerim decided to go with a naked arch (no fabric) and simple arch greenery pieces in the corners.
For the reception we made sure to place some romantic bistro lighting over the dance floor kept the centerpieces simple and low (high centerpieces + outdoors = disasters),The calligraphy cut-out for their chairs said “Doctor” and “Doctor” instead of the typical “Mr and Mrs.” (talk about a power couple -take that Jay-Z and Beyonce!) and we were here for all that boldness. They worked hard for those titles. Why not celebrate their love and their accomplishments, too!