To say that Florence & Jay had a fairytale wedding would be an understatement. They carefully planned and re planned every detail of this wedding and we were the lucky team they hired to turn everything into a reality. Florence had a wedding vision of a timeless vintage with a splash of modern and an abundance of fresh flowers. She wanted neutral colors with colors like champagne and ivory to create the feel of a subtle romance, she NAILED it!

The morning started with clear skies at the Waikiki Beach Marriott in Waikiki.  After a relaxing morning of getting their hair & make up done they slipped into their stunning dresses. Florence’s dress was flown in from Spain and it was truly a one of a kind dress. Coming from a wedding coordinator who sees many different dresses, this is a BIG deal. The Maid of Honor had a separate dress from the bridesmaids and it made a huge difference. The dresses still matched perfectly while letting the Maid of Honor shine just a little more.

The ceremony took place at St. Peter’s & Paul Catholic Church in Honolulu, the same church that the couple regularly attends. It was a perfect place for Florence to show off her gorgeous cathedral veil. They kept the ceremony decor simple and made the wise choice of reusing the flowers for the reception to save on costs because lets face it… flowers are expensive – Reuse – Reduce – Recycle??

We aren’t even at the best part yet, the reception venue was at the YWCA in downtown Honolulu. It’s a great central location that is right next to the old post office and Iolani Palace. Great wheel chair accessible venue with a city type wedding reception and endless photo opportunities.  Cafe lights really transform this space into a more romantic feel and they already have plenty of trees to assure your guests they are still in Hawaii. Catering is in house by Cafe Julia, tables and chairs are included in the rental and the food was absolutely delicious.

Right away I could tell that Florence & Jay were beyond excited about how the reception decor turned out it was so visible how relaxed they were and truly enjoyed themselves. The guests participated in the “Kissing Game” and it was probably the most hilarious highlight of the night. The Kissing Game is where if anyone clinks their glass they MUST demonstrate the exact kiss they would like the bride and groom to imitate. The first challenger was the bride’s best friend and she started right away with a sloppy kiss to her husband – all tongue from chin to forehead. Florence & Jay followed suit and impressed the guests by upstaging the demonstrating couple. The second couple to challenge Florence & Jay was the Emcee and his wife. The Emcee gave a seductive wink to his wife and invited her onto the stage just to pin her against the wall while dancing to sexy music (whatever that is..) and planted a very intense kiss on his wife. Immediately after Jay took Florence and seductively pinned her on the wall to imitate the same kiss. I have to say, it was much more romantic with the victim all dressed in white.

The guests danced into the night, enjoyed the open bar and any stranger could sense that love was in the air. Florence & Jay finally married after 10 years of dating and it was well worth the wait. I have never seen such a perfectly balanced couple with such genuine love and trust in each other. Their wedding was truly inspiring and she is already asking for a vow renewal or even a time machine… No pressure Jay.

I wish you all the best of luck and we are so honored to have been your Day of Coordinators. A MAJOR thank you to all of the hard working vendors that helped this wedding become as flawless as it was!

Photos by Joseph Esser Photography *