Cafe Julia Wedding, Honolulu, Hawaii | Chelsea Abril Photography

Cafe Julia Wedding in Downtown Honolulu | Chelsea Abril Photography

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I’m not gonna lie, Jenny and Yao’s Cafe Julia wedding in downtown Honolulu, was a celebration after my own heart.

My friends, if you have followed my work for any length of time you know I am all about the fun side of things. The scrunched noses and belly laughs, the awkward dancing and thousands of real moments that pop up throughout the day. These are the things I strive for at every wedding. The moments that show who you really are.

While this is the goal every damn time, every now and then I get clients like these two incredible human beings, where the connection is instant and it is strong. When this happens, you KNOW you are in for a great time and the rest just comes naturally.

A details photo featuring brown men's dress shows, a brown belt, sunglasses and pink tie.

A man can be seen from the knees down tying his brown shoes. He is wearing blue dress pants, polka dotted black and white socks, and a white dress shirt.

A groom stands with a phone in his hand and a groomsman on each side of him. All three men have a silly look on their face as they attempt and fail to tie their neck ties.

A man watches video on his cell phone which shows how to tie a neck tie.

Three boutonnieres for a wedding. All three feature calla Lilys, two pink and one white.

A Little About Yao and Jenny:

This is couple is from right here in Seattle, WA, but decided to escape the cold city winters. So, they headed to the warmth of Hawaii for their Cafe Julia wedding. If this wasn’t a match made in heaven, I’m not really sure what is!

They are huge fans of goofy moments, silly dancing. While they frequent plays and musicals, their fave moments are spent chillin’ together at home with copious amounts of takeout, Netflix and their rad cat Marley.

Jenny moved to Seattle in 2013 from Puyallup, WA where she was born and raised. Yao was born in China but moved to Scotland when he was three. The pair were introduced by a mutual friend after Yao eventually moved to Seattle for work in 2013. It took three years for them to start dating. Both agree that they knew it was something special from that very first date. By 2018, they were married.

Yep, you read that right. These two lovebirds knew it was meant to be, got engaged, and organized a courthouse wedding in just THREE WEEKS! Most of Yao’s family are still in China or Japan which meant they were not able to attend on such short notice. Friends and family are some of the most important things in their lives, so the duo organized their Cafe Julia wedding as a chance celebrate together with everyone they love.

Hawaii happened to be where they went for their first vacation together and the area holds many special memories for them. The decision to host their wedding there was pretty much a no brainer.

Trust me when I say, these two were meant to be together. They are constantly making each other laugh and admit to being the couple often found giggling in the corner of most formal events.

While they were both extremely excited for their big day, they weren’t too stressed about details like cakes and decor – these two were in it for the party with all of their faves.

A bride inspects her white wedding dress which is hanging in the light of a window

A bride stands with her back to the camera while wearing a detailed white wedding dress. Her mother stands behind her buttoning up the back while three bridesmaids help spread out the dress's train

A closeup of a blonde bride putting on her earrings

A blonde bride has her hair put up into a formal bun. Her back is to the camera as her dress is buttoned by someone standing behind her.

A bride in her wedding dress cuddles up to her m other as they hold hands before their wedding.

The Big Day

The morning was spent at the Courtyard Marriott where the bride and groom got ready in their separate rooms. From the very freakin’ start these two let their personalities run wild and I absolutely loved every minute of it. There was so much laughter, dancing, and quite a bit of swooning (at least on my part).

A mother buttons up a. bride's dress. The bride is out of focus.

A bride pulls back a strand of hair as she gets ready to leave for her wedding

A mother and bride are seen from their shoulders to their waist, facing one another and holding hands.

Bridal details which include earrings, a necklace and a handkerchief that has the words 'keep your shit together' stitched into it in blue thread.

Jenny and Yao kept their wedding party small for their Cafe Julia wedding, with three bridesmaids and two groomsmen, and their guest list to 50 people. It was simple and it was EVERYTHING! I quickly found out that it wasn’t just Jenny and Yao who were absolutely amazeballs, but their family and friends were a party and a half.

A groom stands in front of a building with lots of dark and tropical greenery. He's wearing a dark blue dress pants and jacket, pink tie, white shirt and brown dress shoes and black glasses.

A groom grins sillily while throwing up some devil horns with his hands. He is wearing a dark blue suit jacket and pants, a white dress shirt, pink tie and brown shoes and black glasses

A groom stands in his dark blue suit with a pink tie and white shirt. He has his hand over his chest while taking a deep breath moments before his first glimpse of his bride at their Cafe Julia wedding

At about 3 pm everyone headed off for the Cafe Julia wedding. This, by the way, is possibly the cutest venue ever and was perfect for the entire day. Their first looks, ceremony and reception all took place at this adorable venue. They kept the ceremony short and sweet and off we went to take advantage of the amazing archetecture surrounding the venue and capture some photographic awesomeness.

A bride places her hand on her groom's shoulder as she approaches him from behind. She is wearing a detailed floor-length white wedding dress. The groom stands waiting to get a first look at his bride. He is wearing a blue suit with brown dress shoes.

A groom dances with excitement as he sees his bride for the first time. He is wearing a blue suit with a brown belt, white dress shirt and pink tie. The bride is in a detailed white backless wedding dress.

A bride and groom stand outside at their Julia Cafe wedding. They stand side by side but are looking in opposite directions. The groom is in a blue suit, white dress shirt, pink tie, and brown dress shoes. the bride is in a detailed white wedding dress with a semi long train and is holding a large bouquet of tropical greenery and flowers.

A bride and groom throw their hands in the air and wiggle their bums at the camera as they dance sillily. The bride is in a detailed white wedding dress and the groom is in a blue suit and brown dress shoes. They both are standing outside of Cafe Julia

A bride and groom do a goofy dance outside their Cafe Julia wedding in Hawaii

A bride and groom stand facing one another hand in hand at their Cafe Julia wedding in Honolulu, Hawaii. An Officiant can be seen reading his speech between the two.

Once group shots and portraits were done we settled in for the reception. One major perk of a Cafe Julia wedding is by far the courtyard. Its intimate without being cramped, and adorable while still giving an elegant feel. Their decor was simple, bright and playful, a perfect reflection of the couple of the day. The table settings were small and intimate and the food was to die for.

Dinner turned into dancing and you better believe that this crew took FULL advantage of that dance floor.