Maui Wedding at Sugar Beach Events :: Amy & Matt

What better place to go on this mid-January day than to Maui! Amy and Matt made multiple trips to Hawaii every year of their relationship, so it only made sense that they tie the knot there. They stuck with a neutral palette to let the beauty of the location stand out, and they brought their sweet pup Olive with them. All in all it was a lovely island celebration.

SEE THE GALLERY FOR MORE IMAGES FROM THIS HAWAII WEDDING BY WENDY LAUREL.

“I love fancy stationery, so I had amazing Rifle Paper Co. invitations with custom painted portraits of us and our dog on them!” says the bride. “They made me so happy and set the tone for the event, but were a huge splurge! By cutting costs in other areas, we were able to indulge in special details!”

The Ceremony

“Hawaii is a special destination for us: we have gone twice a year or more for our entire relationship. When we got engaged, a Hawaiian wedding was a no-brainer. We were looking for somewhere oceanfront, but most importantly, somewhere very private. And we love to eat well, so delicious food was important too!”

Your ceremony in three words.  Hawaiian, Sweet, Funny.

Who officiated your ceremony?  Laki Kaahumanu. We wanted a Hawaiian ceremony that felt spiritual and unique. He ended up being sweet and so funny and having us seal each and every promise with kisses all through the ceremony.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding ceremony?  I loved that Laki seemed so sincere and that he had all of us laughing.

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding?  We both love the calm and cleanness of white, so we set the tone with a white, neutral color palette, and let the ocean, gorgeous flowers, and perfect pink sunset do the rest.

The Reception

“We planned everything from California, and Dawn with Sugar Beach Events stepped in six weeks before to coordinate everything and create the perfect plan and executed everything the day of,” says Amy. “We felt the most important thing was that our wedding felt like ‘us.’ That meant not following any specific guidelines about what you are ‘supposed’ to do at a wedding. For starters, we didn’t have a wedding party: just Matt and I stood up at our ceremony together. We also nixed having a DJ and dance floor for our intimate group, and instead enjoyed a leisurely outdoor dinner party set to live traditional Hawaiian music, followed by a fire pit and cigar and scotch bar.”

How would you describe your reception?  Tropical sunset dinner party.

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception?  My dad’s speech (the only speech). It was so heartfelt and so perfectly said, just such a special moment. I saw so many people wiping tears away!

Did you have a signature cocktail?  Two! And they were our own recipes from home that the bartenders were kind enough to learn! A from-scratch jalapeno margarita and “POG and Stormy” (a take on a Dark and Stormy: Hawaiian dark rum, POG juice and lime).

Did you include any other traditions in your wedding?  Something old and borrowed: I borrowed my great grandmother’s ring from my grandma to wear, something new: my dress!, something blue: our initials inside a heart, stitched inside of my dress over my heart.

Are there any special details you’d like to tell us about?  The beautiful menu and welcome sign were painted by Miss B Calligraphy, but I did all of the rest of the signs myself and brought them over! Our favors were leather luggage tags, with an anchor and our guests names stamped into them. They also served as the place cards. // Also, we went through some great lengths to bring our pug, Olive, to Maui with us for the occasion. She got to hang at the beach all week long with our group! Any dog lover will understand how fun and special it is to have your furry baby at your wedding with you.

What was the best advice you received as a bride?  Stop in the middle of your reception, and take a quiet moment with your husband to look around and soak it all in. The day just flies by, so be sure to have that take-it-all-in moment.

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding?  I kept telling myself the reception “is just a party,” meaning, don’t get hung up on every little detail. It’s easy to go “Pinterest-crazy” and obsess over everything being perfect. A blessing in disguise about a destination wedding was that you sort of have to cross your fingers that so many things will turn out how you hope, and it forces you to let go, and focus on what is import: the marriage and meaning behind the day.

If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would do differently?  Not be nervous! Haha! No! It was, in our eyes, the perfect day for us.