The OLOWALU PLANTATION HOUSE is arguably one of the most sought after destination wedding venues on the island of Maui, and after scrolling through this gorgeous wedding gallery with images by Maui wedding photographers DMITRI & SANDRA, you’ll see why! With the fun shade of Living Coral, Pantone's Colour of the Year in 2019, thoughtfully accented throughout the vibrant celebration, mixed in with some tropical Hawaiian flair, there’s no doubt that everyone in attendance felt the love, warmth, and Aloha flowing at every turn. From the couple’s charming sweetheart table with rustic Hawaiiana inspired lanterns hanging from above to the gorgeously styled place settings to the fun Shave Ice Station that the guests were treated to after the ceremony, this wedding was truly drop-dead gorgeous! Amber of PLATINUM WEDDINGS & EVENTS worked with Annie & Chris and ensured that every detail was planned to perfection.
Annie tells us, "Like lots of brides, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. I wanted vibrant colours and came across this palette called "sumptuous sorbet" which featured coral as its main colour. From there I chose romantic, complementary colours of blush, tangerine and raspberry. After the colours were chosen, Amber helped to bring our tropical, romantic, and whimsical wedding vision to reality.
We've vacationed in Maui a couple times and we have always made the best memories there. We wanted our guests to also experience the paradise that is Maui. After searching online for venues, I completely fell in love with OLOWALU PLANTATION HOUSE. The location is unbelievably beautiful. With the West Maui mountains as backgrounds and the vast Pacific Ocean as the foreground, it took our breaths away even through pictures and videos online. We hadn't even visited the venue until the wedding rehearsal but we never had any doubt about our decision."
HOW DID YOU MEET? We met online through a dating app. Chris was the first person to message me, and I have no idea how I got so lucky that it was success on the first try!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: We took a vacation to the Philippines to celebrate my graduation from dental school. We booked a multi-day boat excursion and had an amazing adventure exploring and island hopping through the beautiful Palawan islands. We were admiring the Philippines' sunset on our last day when Chris proposed!
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: You know what they say, "you know when it's the one." I had gone from store to store trying on sheath dresses and didn't feel anything special with them. It was at the end of an appointment that I decided to try on a ball gown for the fun
of it. The bridal consultant picked out a whimsical, boho, blush toned A-line ball gown from Morilee. As soon as I put it on, I felt beautiful and thought it was perfect for my outdoors wedding in Maui. It was soft, romantic, and detailed with 3-D floral appliques.
DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS? My flowers from Bella Bloom Maui followed the same colour palette of coral, blush and raspberry. They did such a beautiful job with the bouquets, which featured king protea, garden roses, dahlias, and other seasonal blooms in those colours. I wish I could have kept my bouquet forever!
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY ELEMENTS? As it was a destination wedding, it was hard to do more DIY. But my best friends helped me create our blush toned, water colour stained menu. My friends created the design and hand painted the menus. They turned so perfect with the rest of the wedding style.
FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: Our favourite detail was the shave ice from Ululani's Shave Ice. It was delicious and a hit with our guests in the warm afternoon. Our bride and groom ones were extra special with a little vodka!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUR TO A WEDDING COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Wedding planning process is overwhelming and stressful but I think a lot of that comes from budget. So I think a couple should definitely hammer out a budget beforehand to lessen the emotional toll of planning.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? We wrote our personal cards and read them with our backs to each other during the first look before the ceremony. I like that we did that because it gave us a chance to just be with each other. We are more introverted people and that time gave us the opportunity to be in our little bubble before the actual ceremony.
WHAT ASPECT OF THE WEDDING WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND? We wanted our guests to have fun and have delicious food. So alcohol and food were the most important to us and took a big chunk of the budget. No regrets because we had delicious appetisers during the cocktail hour and I think our bartenders from Aloha Bars Maui did an amazing job throughout the whole event.
ANY OTHER DETAILS THAT HELP TELL THE STORY OF YOUR DAY? From our signature cocktails to the sunset next to the ocean to the twinkle lights that hung throughout, all the details made for the most amazing day of our lives. Many of our guests say it was the most beautiful wedding they've been to.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: We went over to the Big Island for our honeymoon. It was very different from Maui but nevertheless very relaxing and rejuvenating. We even got to night snorkel with manta rays!