Love Notes: The Pacific Weddings Blog

Hawaii-Style Food Stations for Your Wedding

Wedding food stations are so of the moment right now, especially with bona fide foodies who consider the menu to be of utmost importance for the big day. If you are planning a destination wedding in Hawaii, your  menu can include all the delicacies of the Islands, from fresh fish to locally grown vegetables. Today I am posting a few links to some of my favorite stories we've produced with Hawaii's top chefs and caterers. Be forewarned, these images are guaranteed to make you hungry!

We love working with Honolulu chef, Michelle Nakaya, the creative force behind Ginniberries, a top catering company in Hawaii. Not only is Michelle fun to be around, but she can also whip up seriously tasty food! The key at these photo shoots is to work quickly so you can eat the "subjects" after:) I love this cheerful summer cocktail table Michelle created for a previous issue of Pacific Weddings. 

The photos above by Visionari were captured for a story called The Art of the Pupu, featuring Maui's premier chefs: Cameron Lewark, Chef de Cuisine of Spago at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, Bev Gannon of Haliimaile General Store,  award-winning chef James McDonald of Pacific'O, and husband/wife team Carol and Mark O’Leary of O'Leary's Catering. We ate quite well on this particular day!

 

Russell and Karolyn Stokes, owners of Kauai Cuisine, prepared a scrumptious menu for our story Serve Chilled, A Hawaii Reception. A variety of colorful dishes looked magnificent stacked atop large blocks of ice carved by Aloha Ice Sculpting.The image above by Visionari was taken at the shoot  prior to the big meltdown. Keep in mind, ice tends to go quickly on a hot Hawaiian day!

We recently shot a cool series of fun summer libations and after dinner drinks, but you'll have to wait for the Winter 2010 edition of Pacific Weddings to enjoy! In the meantime, if you are still longing for delicious wedding reception ideas, visit the PW website. Bon appetit, or as the local boys say, "Let's grind!" 
xo ~robyn

Wedding Style: Silver & Amethyst Palette

Amethyst is emerging once again as the color of choice among fashion and interior designers, and this rich shade of eggplant makes a beautiful wedding palette when paired with silver. These colors were the impetus for a Pacific Weddings photo shoot on the Garden Isle of Kauai, known for its legendary Hanalei poi, a local staple that is usually a beautiful shade of dusty lavender. A silver bridesmaid dress by Umee Honolulu accents the flowers arranged by Hawaii florist, Yvonne Chapman of Yvonne Design. Photos by Visionari; food prepared by Kauai Cuisine; shot on location at the Princeville Resort, a romantic honeymoon and wedding destination.

 

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.

A Hunt for a Modern Cake Pedestal

Today I was searching online for a modern cake pedestal that I intend to use for an upcoming photo shoot for our winter issue of Pacific Weddings. Since we live on an island our choices are much more limited, so I was happy to find a perfect match at the adorable Modern Lola. The site is mainly dedicated to stylish kids and moms, and I couldn't resist having a look around. If you are planning a casual outdoor shower or BBQ, you should swing on by. Here are a few goodies I liked! (photos courtesy of Modern Lola)

 

 

Candy Girl: Wedding Desserts by Amy Atlas, Part II

I am posting on the fly today due to computer challenges, but there is nothing like wedding candy to brighten up your day! Here are more beautiful wedding confections from Amy Atlas’s website. I wrote about Amy in a previous post, and couldn't resist this style sheet with photos by the talented Karen Mordechai. Like Amy, Karen is based in NYC, but she is available for travel worldwide, so check out her blog and portfolio. Thanks, Amy & Karen, for sharing your stunning work! You can follow Amy on Facebook and become a fan here.

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.

Entertaining Children at a Wedding Reception

 

Many weddings are taking a turn toward the casual styling of a garden party, and we are often asked for ideas of how to include and entertain the children at a wedding reception. Here are a few ideas that will make the keiki feel special. Dedicate a space for a children's buffet at the reception with colorful cookies, candies and small items they can either enjoy during the event or take home as a parting gift. If you are hoping to keep them occupied, it is nice to have one or two nannies attending to the children. Besides freeing up the parents, the kids will have much more fun playing old-fashioned lawn games like Badmitten or croquet. If you have a large enough lawn, you could even create a small putt-putt golf game with child size clubs and a few plastic cups (there are inexpensive sets at any toy store). The children will appreciate your thoughtful planning as much as the adults!

Teddy bear bride and groom were hand sculpted by Yukiko of Deco Clay Craft. Little sandcastle cakes make a whimsical centerpiece alongside sugar cookies in the shape of surfboards, crabs, geckos and tropical fish. Meringues in shell shapes are tucked inside small metal pails the kids can take home with them. Fresh island fruit is another good treat to consider! (Photos by Chrissy Lambert)

Handmade Wedding Signs

  

My appreciation of typeography has grown over the years, so I am always drawn to photos of handmade wedding signs. Since Shaunna and I are not exactly "craftsy" girls, we were happy to find a sweet selection of ready made vintage signs that will direct guests to everything from "cocktails" to the "ladies room". Etsy was my first stop, and there are several pages (56!) to peruse. There are also some good finds (bottom photo) on message boards like Weddingbee Classifieds. Here are a few signs that we like--some shabby chic, others funky and fresh, all cute in their individual ways. We both fell in love with the simple antique signs (above) from Rockett St. George via Apartment Therapy... all you need is love!

Reception Décor: The Ultimate Transformation

When high school sweethearts Alaula and Wailani Artates set out to plan a hometown wedding in Upcountry, Maui the couple had no idea how grand their celebration would become. With a guest list of nearly 1,000 friends and family members, the couple welcomed the challenge of finding a reception venue to accommodate such a large guest list. The bride, a graphic designer and owner of design studio, Artistry8, truly enjoyed transforming the plain event space, Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center, into a festive party atmosphere. Check out the "before" and "after" photos after the jump!

how did you come to pick the location?
Our ceremony was at a park in Waiohuli Hawaiian Homesteads. Alaula was actually helping the community build this park for about a year before we planned to get married. While we were deciding between a few places, Alaula's dad mentioned the park being the perfect place. It overlooks the whole island, it's so beautiful. Our wedding was actually the first event to ever happen there. We have hopes to live there someday and raise a family.

Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center was where we held our reception. It is a common place to host events and it's the largest center in Upcountry, Maui. Since size was the determining factor in our choice, it was perfect. I believe there were about 950 people in attendance in the end. We set-up a large white tent outside on the lawn to accommodate our guests, as well. Our goal was to transform the space, while keeping it simple with ohesive design elements and details.

what did you envision for your wedding day?
We really wanted it to feel like us. Not something you see in a fairytale that only lasts for one day, but a reflection of the people we have grown to be and will continue to be...meaningful, unique, fun and in love!