Coral & Seafoam Green Maui Destination Beach Wedding ♥

Princess & Jireh, from Houston, Texas, were married in a romantic beach destination wedding in Maui held at Sugarman's Estate (Honua Kai Lani). Luckily, BellaEva Photography was there to capture every darling rustic detail - from burlap and lace table runners, lots of cute signage, and Dupioni silk rosettes, to arrangements of delicate white hydrangeas beside coral roses. They wanted their wedding to reflect their personal style - natural and down-to-earth but still beautiful. They totally got it right in my books. Jireh, sporting his relaxed but stylish linen suit, Princess looking sublime in her strapless, sweetheart style Maggie Sotero gown, and her bridesmaids perfectly pretty in their are seafoam green and coral dresses - totally gorgeous!

From the Bride: Our wedding was held in the beautiful island of Maui where God's fingerprints cannot be denied. Our big day was made perfect by the presence of our family and friends who flew all the way from Houston to witness and celebrate our union as husband and wife. We are so blessed by family members who were so generous with their time and efforts to make our wedding perfect in every way. The Groom's sister offered to be our wedding planner, and she did an amazing job with the decorations. My brother was our music instrumentalist during the ceremony, playing to the tunes of "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" and "I'm Yours" with his ukulele. The ceremony was extra special as my now Father-in-law was our officiant. Our wedding not only symbolizes our love and commitment to each other, but more importantly our love and commitment to God. When God writes your love story, it is beyond anything you can ever imagine it to be.

Love Story & Proposal: Ja and I met through bible study. We became good friends, and only many months later did began showing interest in one another. On our first date, he took me to a park next to the beach to see the planetary conjunction of Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter. About two years later, we decided to go camping on the same spot where we had our first date. We both love to camp so I thought it was just another camping trip. He first surprised me with a certificate saying that he named a star after me. Little did I know that this was just a setup to something much bigger. While outside looking for the brightest star I could find, he got ready to propose and it could not have been any more perfect! He had actually arranged a surprise engagement party the following day. I have to say, I felt deeply loved!

Bridal Attire: My wedding was an Ascher by Maggie Sottero, an ivory embroidered lace fit and flare gown over delustered satin with a strapless sweetheart neckline, a corset back closure, and Swarovski crystal embellished belt. It fit like a glove, hugged all the right places, and, most of all, made me feel like a beautiful bride! In terms of hair, I wanted something appropriate for a beach wedding; a romantic side swept french braid and side curls for my hair. I smokey eyes with peach nude lips for makeup. My hair and make up artist, also a bridesmaid, did an amazing job!

Bouquet: My bridal bouquet consisted of white hydrangea, dusty miller, & white and coral roses.

Bridal Party Attire: My maid of honor and bridesmaids wore beautiful strapless, long and flowy chiffon dresses with pleated bodice. To make her unique from the bridesmaids, my maid of honor wore a coral dress and her bouquet was a smaller version of the bridal bouquet but with white and coral roses. The bridesmaids wore mint / seafoam dresses with coral roses bouquets that complemented their dresses beautifully! The Groomsmen wore button-down linen shirts in matching colors with the bridesmaids, their starfish boutonnieres was handmade by the Groom's sister.

Groom's Attire: My Groom's entire attire was from Tommy Bahama. He wore a linen shirt, a Sonoma blazer, and linen pants that matches his blazer. He sure looked perfect!

Western Wedding Ceremony: Our ceremony was held at the beautiful Sugarman's Estate in Makena overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We had adorable sign bearers holding a sign saying "Here Comes the Bride". I walked down the aisle to "Canon in D" by Pachelbel performed by my little brother on ukulele. We had three scripture readings that were special to us: 1 John 4:16-19, Colossians 3: 12-17, and Romans 8:28-30. The message was delivered by the officiant, who was the Groom's father. Aside from the exchange of personal vows and rings, we also included wedding ceremony traditions specific to the Filipino culture.

Filipino Ceremonial Tradtions: Ceremonial traditions in Filipino weddings include the presentation of wedding coins, veil, and cord. The coins are a symbol of the groom's devotion to the welfare and well-being of his wife and future children. The veiling ritual signifies being "clothed as one" in unity under the presence of the Lord. The cord is a symbol of the everlasting bond; that indeed they are no longer two but one in their new life as husband and wife. Presentation of the bible and a unity sand ceremony also followed.

Ceremony Decor: Our ceremony decor included a bamboo arch with burlap/white cloth draped on it and tied together with burlap ribbons embedded with rosettes and starfish; wooden chairs; fan programs; and aisle decorations made up of burlap ribbons, rosettes, and starfish.

Wedding Reception: Our wedding reception was held outdoors at the same beautiful venue. During the cocktail hour, we had a lei making station and shave ice truck from Kona Ice of Maui. Table decors consisted of mason jars with burlap and lace filled with hydrangea and roses, white stagecoach lanterns, burlap and lace table runners, and corals. The place was lit up with bulb lighting across the trees, tiki torches, and additional uplighting on the trees. If we had a dream wedding, then it came true that night. Our wedding was nothing short of magical. It was epic in every way!

Wedding Playlist:

• The bridal party were welcomed to the reception to the tunes of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. It was fun to see each pair do their gimmicky dances as they were introduced!
• For the Bride & Groom entrance song, we proudly choose the "Star Wars Theme Song" by John Williams ending with an epic battle on the dance floor.
• Our first dance song was a cover of "First Day of My Life" by Jesse Smith.
• The Father-Bride Dance song was "I Love You Daddy" by Ricardo & Friends, which became an emotional, crying session for me and my dad as we remembered how I used to sing this song to him when I was a little girl.
• The Mother-Groom Dance song was "A Mother's Song" by T Carter, shortly interrupted by the song "Turn Down for What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon for the most memorable impromptu dance by the mother and son.

Advice for Brides:

• It's best not to worry over every details of the decorations because all that won't matter the day of the wedding. The wedding will be a good blur that you will hardly notice the small details. Just remember that a wedding is made special, not simply because of the wedding decors, but by memories made with your loved ones.
• If you can afford it, I recommended hiring a wedding planner. My sister-in-law offered to be ours for the wedding, and she saved us from stressing out during the planning process!
• DIY projects were definitely cost savers. My sister-in-law offered to make most of the decorations (including table runners, aisle runners, boutonnieres, and signs) as a wedding gift, so she helped us save a ton!

Stand Out Vendors: My Groom's Aunt from Maui, who is also the owner of Cafe O'Lei Restaurants with her husband, was very helpful in coordinating with the local vendors while we were in Houston. Not only was the food delicious, their staff is wonderful as well.

♥ ♥ ♥ CREDITS ♥ ♥ ♥