Love Notes: The Pacific Weddings Blog

Guest Blog: Hawaii Wedding Designer Sandra Williams

Today we welcome one of our Preferred Vendors, Hawaii event designer Sandra Williams of Finishing Touch. Sandra has exquisite taste and a unique sense of style, so we are thrilled to add her to our group of contributors. (Photos by Frank Amodo)

I have been anticipating Junko and Oscarʼs wedding for quite some time, because I knew it would be one of our most beautiful weddings in 2009. Junko first contacted me back in late 2008, and I felt an instant connection with her. We both love fashion and bold, dramatic patterns, and we’re big fans of the t.v. show The Hills. I have to admit, I love working with brides who crave a beautiful wedding—from her gown and hair  accessories to her table linens and flowers—everything had to be absolutely chic. The bride compiled meticulous inspiration boards to plan the day. This can be a great tool to give your vendors, particularly when you’re planning a destination wedding. 

 

Junko was unafraid to use a beautiful espresso brown and white floral silhouette linen to give her table that “wow” factor. A Capri blue table runner and matching napkins balanced the patterned table linen. Pink  dahlias, English garden roses, hydrangea and ranunculus adorned the tables, with seven crystal  chandeliers overhead casting a soft, romantic glow at night.

Guests enjoyed an action station menu featuring fresh local seafood. After a few champagne and sake toasts, the night ended with a surprise salsa performance by the newlyweds, who met at a New York salsa dance class 7 years ago!

Wedding Design & Coordination: Sandra Williams, Finishing Touch
Images: Frank Amodo
Floral: Yvonne Design
Wedding Cake: Cake Lava

The New Pacific Weddings Movie Room

Grab your popcorn and spend a little time in our all new Movie Room at the Pacific Weddings website! Still in the beginning stages, the Movie Room will soon become the hub for all things wedding: the most romantic honeymoon spots, fabulous destination wedding sites, live film of couples tying the knot, and a fun look behind-the-scenes of Pacific Weddings' photo shoots. We also introduce Our Crowd, a special group of individuals on The List of Preferred Wedding Vendors. These are the people we trust to help you create the wedding of your dreams in Hawaii, California and the Pacific. If you would like to submit a video for consideration in the Movie Room, email us a link to your clip along with the location of the wedding to mywedding@pacificweddings.com. See you at the movies!  xo ~robyn

(photo by Visionari)

Vote for Your Favorite Photo: Best Shot Contest Finalists

A Country Wedding at Turtle Bay Stables, Oahu

Today we are featuring a real wedding post from one of our regular contributors, Yvonne Chapman of Yvonne Design, one of Hawaii's most sought after floral and event designers. Photos were captured by talented Hawaii photographers at L'Amour Photography. (For more Hawaii weddings on the North Shore, visit the PW Movie Room.)

My favorite weddings this year have been yellow and white, which seems to have been the color scheme of choice for our summer brides. This season we have created events in varied motifs— modern and chic, classic and elegant, sweet and traditional—all following a yellow and white color scheme. My absolute favorite was this country romance wedding we designed for Jodi Santos and Gary Yu at the Turtle Bay stables on Oahu's North Shore. Delicate flowers in shades of white and pale yellow were gracefully designed in ceramic pedestal bowls. The inviting fragrance of hyacinth, stock, and sweet peas was combined with beautiful Limoncello roses, lisianthus, and hydrangea. To emphasize the country theme, mini gerbera daisies were used throughout the reception, adding a playfulness to the décor. The result was a unique country wedding you don't often see in the islands. ~aloha, Yvonne

A Wedding at the Hawaii State Art Museum: Kristina and Mark

I was perusing the beautiful images of Hawaii photographer, Christie Pham's site and fell in love with the stylish details of Kristina and Mark's wedding at the art museum. Kristina had stumbled upon Christie's work over four years ago and tucked her card away until the day came to plan her own wedding. She also called upon Michelle Maeda of Flower Girls who created the delicate organically-inspired florals for the Honolulu wedding. Along with Christie, Michelle is on The List of PW Preferred Vendors and her site is wonderful resource for elegant ideas and beautiful reception décor. Thanks to Kristina and Mark as well as Christie and Michelle for sharing this fabulous unique wedding!

 

 

The bride selected a stylish green Vera Wang wedding gown and a vintage bird cage veil, and dressed her entourage of bridesmaids all in white--so of the moment!

 

 

 

For more Hawaii wedding photos of Kristina and Mark, click here.

Cassandra Dieterle Designs a Stylish Hawaii Wedding

Today we welcome a guest contributor and talented wedding designer, Cassandra Dieterle, who has been a Pacific Weddings® preferred vendor for many years. Cassandra will be sharing the details of a destination wedding she designed for Bernice Chao and Davison Avery of New York City.

From Cassandra: It came as no surprise that Bernice and Davison were urban New Yorkers. When I first spoke with them and asked them to tell me a few things they loved, they shared their affinity for night life, multi-cultural foods, bright colors, traveling, and--of course--each other. The self-described "city people" wanted to plan a sophisticated beach wedding, and with various family members traveling from around the world, Hawaii was a great central location.

Bernice and Davison were completely at ease with relinquishing control of the overall design to our team at Honolulu Wedding Consultants. To help them decide on a color palette for the event, I directed them individually to the local paint store to select two colors. Ironically, they both returned with red and a blue swatches and this prompted their unique choice of a deep red, rich azure and turquoise blue wedding theme. Unlike many destination brides, Bernice didn't want an overt tropical style for the wedding, so we incorporated a few subtle hints of island ambiance with mini pineapples in the centerpieces and waves of colored sand to decorate the oceanfront setting.

The two were married on May 11, 2009 in a simply elegant ceremony at the Loulu Palm Estate on Oahu's North Shore. Honolulu Wedding Consultants prepared the beautiful flowers for the ceremony and reception, and guests dined al fresco in a clear-top tent at the ocean's edge. Modern lounge furnishings and colorful table linens added to the lighthearted feeling of the wedding, and in the end our NYC couple felt completely at home in the Islands. Aloha,  --Cassie

Cassandra Dieterle is also an accomplished Hawaii wedding photographer. To view her portfolio visit her website and blog.

A Hawaii Wedding at Palms Cliff House Inn

I am happy to start off a very busy week with a beautiful wedding on Hawaii's Big Island in the peaceful surroundings of The Palms Cliff House Inn. The sleepy town of Hilo, Hawaii is often overlooked by travel writers, but it remains one of my favorite destinations in the Islands. It is here that you will discover the "Old Hawaii" of friendly smiles and a genuine appreciation among residents that you've chosen this idyllic spot for your wedding. Tucked above staggering ocean cliffs, The Palms Cliff House embodies this welcoming aloha spirit that Jeannine Ishi and Thomas Gomez desired for their destination wedding.

The couple escaped with their closest family and friends to exchange vows overlooking the majestic Hamakua coastline. The wonderful thing about Palms Cliff House is that you and your family members can literally take all the rooms on the property (eight total and all with fabulous ocean views!) and relax together in the days preceding the wedding. Isn't the view amazing? Maybe I should skip work this week and hop on a plane to Hilo!

The secluded location and warm hospitality of proprietors, John and Michele Gamble, make Palms Cliff House a magical getaway. Michele will even help you plan the details of your Hawaii wedding. For this event she and Jeannine took a cue from the natural beauty of the Islands, using a palette of sunset orange, tropical green and contrasting black lava bridesmaid dresses with tangerine sashes—an unusual combination that works well with the location. (Photos by Mark Nomura, Honolulu, Hawaii)

Destination Maui: Nothing But Blue Sky Weddings

Today we are featuring a beautiful destination wedding and rehearsal dinner on the island of Maui. The events were designed by wedding planner, Gabrielle Longhi, the creative mind behind Blue Sky Weddings, who grew up surrounded by a family that appreciates fine food and art. The Longhi name is well known in Hawaii, and Gabrielle's father has passed on his legacy and knowledge of fine food, wine and etiquette. (Photos by the talented Robie Price and Joe D'Allessandro.)

 

As an event planner, Gabrielle could think of no person better suited to complement her creative vision than her sister, Carol O'Leary, who was featured as one of Maui's top chefs in a previous issue of Pacific Weddings. A master chef who attended the renowned Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Carol was introduced to the culinary world at an early age.

After working as a chef in her family's restaurants in Hawaii, Carol moved on to launch her own catering company in 1995. Since then, the two sisters have dazzled their clients and guests with sophisticated cuisine and stylish service. For more Blue Sky Weddings, click here.

Real Wedding Style Sheet: Red+Black+White Damask

 
Tiffany and Nathaniel held a beautiful hometown affair at the Hale Koa Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. The bride says, "The location, catering, service and beautiful landscaping of the Hale Koa's Luau Garden was the perfect choice to entertain 300 guests." The couple chose a dramatic color palette of red and black, using a black and white damask pattern to convey a look of classic elegance. "Red flowers, black satin sashes, candles and feather accents played up the vintage look," Tiffany says. A 5-piece jazz band provided the music, completing the atmosphere with jazz standards from The Great American Song Book, many made popular by vocalists Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra." It was truly a homespun wedding with family members lending their special talents to the reception space. "My mom worked so hard on the décor," Tiffany recalls. "She sewed all 36 damask table runners, plus several other craft projects!" Their wedding celebration was captured by Frank Amodo Photo.

Photography by Frank Amodo

Wedding Coordinator: Shari Dang Weddings
Floral design: Nicole Lomas of Peony Floral
Hair + Makeup: Dorys Foltin of Maleana Cosmetics
Cake: Kathleen Mahoney of Aloha Cakery LLC
Rentals: Accel Party Rentals
Linens: Les Saisons

Real Wedding Style Sheet: Southern California Vintage Charm

Jordan and Chad's wedding at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe is a breath of fresh air! I love the mustard yellow and persimmon orange color palette inspired by the bride's favorite boutique, Anthropologie. Photographer Erin Kate says, "I love it when couples create a wedding day that truly represents them, even if it's a little non-traditional. Their day was simply beautiful, full of eclectic and artistic details."

Jordan wore a fabulous pewter hue gown by Sarah Danielle paired with Sam Edelman flats, while her bridesmaid's wore J.Crew pencil skirts with matching blouses. The groom, a photographer and VP of a skateboard company, choose to wear a stylish suit coat from Bloomingdales. The bride created handmade fabric flower corsages for the ladies in attendance and bright fabric flower centerpieces for the reception to carry out the vintage look. Thanks so much for sharing with us, Erin!

Flowers by Magnolia Flower Shoppe
Photography by Erin Kate