Hale Koa Estate is one of my favorite venues on Oahu because it’s got everything you need to have the most perfect Hawaii destination wedding – it’s off the beaten path (read: outside the hustle and bustle of waikiki), it’s private, it also doubles as accommodation (so you can have your closest friends and family all in one place) and it’s got multiple “event spaces” so you can switch from ceremony to reception to dancing, etc, all without having to leave the property.
RECAP OF THE DAY:
This was a June wedding in Hale Koa Estate Hauula, HI. The day was beautiful and as expected in a Hawaii summer wedding, the weather was hot! Thank Goodness for the woven fan souvenirs! You can check the average monthly weather in Hawaii here just in case you have a weather preference on your wedding day.
Interested in booking this venue for your Oahu wedding? Renting the Hale Koa Estate starts at around $10,999 and varies depending on the number of people attending the ceremony.
Lauren and Andreas are some of the sweetest humans around. I was lucky enough to shoot this Oahu native couple’s engagement session before Covid derailed their original wedding plans. Watch out for their Diamond Head beach engagement session blog soon!
Aside from being avid paddlers and dog lovers, L+A are also a Covid couple. They were supposed to be married in 2020 but had to change venues and reschedule twice. Thankfully though they were able to get married last June.
Special shout out to the Hawaii wedding vendors that made this day extra special:
Venue: Hale Koa Estate | Weddingwire and Yelp
Florist: Spinning Web Florist | instagram
Catering: Kahai Kitchen | instagram
DJ/Emcee: Audio Zone DJs | instagram
Dessert: Black Sheep | instagram
Events & Tents: Accel Rentals | instagram
Specialty Decor and Event Rentals: Aloha Artisans | instagram
Rentals and Design: Roam Rentals | instagram
Videographer: Pono Grace | instagram
Waitstaff and Bartenders: Bobby Ahquin | instagram
And now – without further ado: may I present the absolutely stunning tropical glam Hale Koa Estate wedding of Lauren + Andreas!
One of my favorite features of the Hale Koa Estate is their beautiful stone tub in their main floor suite.
Andreas wore a gorgeous navy blue suit with a custom Hawaiian print pocket square.
Lauren had a very unique Tahitian Pearl ring with a custom engraved ring box and vintage pearl earrings to match.
A custom Hawaiian print tie with a yellow clip (Lauren’s favorite color). 2 Dog collars embellished with greenery that Nalu Kea and Ho’omaka wore during the ceremony.
Custom welcome “hangover” package! Here we go!!!
Special moments with her mom and bestfriend before the ceremony.
Bonus of the Hale Koa bridal suite is this HUGE floor length mirror so you can get a full view of your dress!
Pro tip: Andreas had his hair pimped out by the hairdresser. All grooms should do it too!
Pro tip: If you’re getting married in Hawaii, I highly recommend just wearing a Sarong while getting ready so you don’t have to worry about bra straps and what not. Plus it’s very much a Hawaii vibe to get ready in a Pareo or Sarong.
Lauren and Andreas included their pups Nalu Kea (white wash) and Ho’omaka (the beginning – because we got him near the beginning of our relationship). Fun fact, they’re father and son.
How cute are these custom puppy name tags! Fashioned to look like Hawaii state IDs.
The couple exchanged fragrant pikake and maile lei.
Lauren and Andreas had a private first look where they read each other private letters in the backyard.
Beautiful custom wood sign, wooden connect 4 board, and woven fans (Thank you!)
Godparents drape a ceremonial lace veil over the bride’s head and the groom’s shoulder to symbolize being clothed as one. A ceremonial cord is wrapped around the couple in a figure eight. This symbolizes an eternal bond of fidelity.
Lauren and Andreas were able to honor tradition and at the same time have the wedding that they wanted.
Look at those happy faces! I can’t.
They were immediately greeted by their pups who were so happy their mom and dad were finally married! Fun fact: these two are actually father and son (Dad is golden, son is black/white). Their names are Nalu Kea and Ho’omaka, meaning (insert meaning)
Pro tip: Family portraits don’t have to be exhausting 😉
I’m a big fan of making these as quick and fun as possible for everyone involved.
Love getting these family photos (especially for mom’s and dad’s to print and put on their fridges or holiday cards)
Want to make group photos more fun? Add tequila! 😉
Truly though – highly recommend asking your planner (or even just your bridal party) to run off and bring back drinks for you and your honey while you are taking your group photos post-ceremony.
Can’t forget solo photos with you and your ride-or-dies!
Can you even handle those florals? Spinning Web Florist did such a stunning job.
Shoutout to Audio Zone DJ for the awesome surprise fireworks!
Delicious food from Kahai Kitchen
Forever in love with a cozy reception seating area! Accel rentals always does such a gorgeous job.
L+A finished their reception events with a big thank you toast and immediately got the party.
People after my own heart!
L + A aren’t big on cake, so instead, they had ice cream from Black Sheep Cream Co. You can check out their flavors on their Instagram
Shoutout to Pono Grace – my absolute favorite videographer in Hawaii. We always kill it at weddings together, and somewhere in the world there is a really hilarious video of us on our stomachs on the ledge of the pool, yelling and laughing and trying to get the shot while simultaneously directing drunk guests. The things we do for love 😉
Pro tips: If you’re wondering how to make your wedding more fun and are coming up with a blank, ask your photographer for a strategy/scheme session! As wedding professionals, it’s highly likely we’ve worked at your wedding venue, or at the very least somewhere similar (and even if we haven’t, we have a very specific eye for how to make the most out of every location, situation you name it). L+A weren’t planning on jumping in the pool at first,
Are you interested in booking or planning a Hawaii wedding? Check out how to get started and some of the simple steps you can do today to make your wedding day that much more special!
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