Nothing beats that just-married feeling on a beach in Hawaii – with the sun setting on the horizon, the ocean breeze on your skin, and the smell of flowers in the air. Especiallyyy when you were born and raised here, surrounded by all the people who love you. Will never get over Keisha & Drake’s bright, tropical wedding at Kona Salt Farm, full of traditional Hawaiiana-inspired details and vivid colors galore!
A relaxed welcome party at Papa Kona
I’ve known Keisha since high school, which made it all the more special to be present for her & Drake’s wedding weekend in Kona. (she’s wanted to book me for her wedding since I started shooting in high school – cue the tears!) I was so thrilled when she told me they’d be having a multi-day wedding spread across an entire weekend, rather than just a day, starting with their welcome party at Papa Kona. Such a relaxed, low-key way to kick off the weekend and take pressure off the main day!
I knew based on chats with Keisha and Drake before the wedding day that details were going to play a huge role in their vision for the weekend, and let me tell you: they did NOT disappoint. A few faves from the welcome party:
🥂 custom drink koozies for guests
🥂 bar napkins printed with fun facts about the couple
🥂 Keisha’s fun embroidered/sequined “jersey”
🥂 welcome gift bags with items sourced from Kona Salt Farm (a lovely way to start prepping people for the day ahead!)
🥂 leis exchanged among friends and family members
The main focus of the night was giving friends and family great candid photos together – which was the couple’s priority for the entire weekend, as well, more than anything posed or staged. They asked, I delivered! 😉
Traditional Hawaiiana x modern tropical-luxe
Born and raised in Hawaii, it was important to Keisha that all of the weekend’s details reflected a mix of both traditional Hawaiian influence and modern touches. I probably could’ve spent the entire wedding day photographing all the gorgie details they curated to bring this vision to life! As Keisha got ready with her bridesmaids and shared sweet candid moments with her grandmother, I gathered up the endless jewelry, stationery, and accessories to steal away for detail shots – some of the highlights included:
🌺 a custom invitation suite with custom stickers + vintage hawaii stamps that celebrate + showcase the Big Island
🌺 Tag Aloha pareos as getting-ready gifts for her sisters/bridesmaids (local girls know a pareo truly is the best getting-ready accessory)
🌺 chic gold earrings with a draped crown flower lei, Maile perfume, and pearl heels
🌺 a keepsake Hawaiian bracelet engraved with the wedding date – a classic “born and raised” Hawaii touch, given as a wedding gift to Keisha in a custom box
🌺 gorgeous colorful flowers with crown flower lei + orchids and tropical fruit
🌺 crown flower lei with cascading detail, tied into the couple’s broader local-inspired styling throughout the day
The window lighting in the bridal suite was excellent and a total standout for photos throughout the morning, a bit more involved than the men’s suite – where Drake was enjoying beers, snacks, and football with his guys. We kept it quick so everyone could be present together before the first look!
An indoor first look & private lei ceremony
Thank goodness for Kona Salt Farm and its heavenly, air-conditioned rooms – it was so hot outside that we ended up moving Keisha and Drake’s first look & bridal portraits inside. Fortunately the getting-ready rooms are incredibly versatile and aesthetic for moments like this, and spacious enough to host the next part of their day: the private lei ceremony.
Typically, when a lei ceremony is held during the actual wedding ceremony couples will exchange leis with each other, with parents, or other important people in their lives – but these cuties decided to have that moment beforehand. Keisha and Drake shared their first ceremony with immediate and hanai family, taking a moment to say something kind to each person as they gifted them a lei, before moving onto their wedding party. This was a sweet way to give attention to their loved ones before being swept up in the rush of the wedding day, and was made even more special by their speech explaining the significance of the lei. Plus, it allowed them to honor their people without taking away from the significance of the marriage ceremony itself, which was able to be completely dedicated to them <3
Because Keisha has Hawaiian family, she and Drake received a huge number of leis throughout the day. Drake wore a three-strand maile le, woven with crown flower strands – a nice detail for grooms. Maile is fragrant and delightful but can be hard to source; ti leaf is a good substitute (either woven or left loose), though not as fragrant. Keisha wore a beautiful 5-strand crown flower lei, a Hawai’ian bridal accessory typically made from strands of fragrant pikake woven together. Pikake is smells insanely incredible but can also get expensive, so crown flower is a really pretty, more durable option if you’re looking for a budget-friendly alternative!
Oceanfront vows & lush, tropical gorgeousness galore
Keisha and Drake’s ceremony was held out on the rocks of Kona Salt Farm, surrounded by lush tropical styling absolutely everywhere: coconuts, woven details, colorful florals, natural wood chairs, and Lauhala fans provided for guests due to the heat. Many Hawaiian-inspired elements were incorporated into their ceremony, including:
- Opening chant
- Playing of the nose flute (a traditional Hawaiian instrument)
- Saltwater blessing of the rings
- Blowing of the pu/conch shell
- Sacred ti leaf ring cleansing
- Traditional Hawaiian honi as their first kiss – touching foreheads and noses, and sharing an inhale together. A very meaningful, symbolic Hawaiian tradition, and a beautiful act of love!
The vendors I got to work with during this ceremony were fantastic – the locally-based videographer team, their officiant Michaela, and the coordinator from Chapter of Love especially (also local)!
The coastal Kona wedding reception of my dreams
Keisha and Drake prioritized being present during their own cocktail hour, mingling and enjoying drinks with their guests rather than disappearing for photos. Though we did capture plenty of sunset kisses on camera before they headed back to sip on their signature cocktails 😉 Kona Salt Farm’s beachfront area combines both white sand and black lava rock, an option that is so iconic to this specific venue – as is the way your guests are able to walk straight out onto the beach with their drinks!
Florals for the reception tables were repurposed from the ceremony site, colorful and abundant with rich oranges and pink tropical blooms throughout. The rest of the details matched accordingly, from the adorable “his/hers/theirs” signature drink signs and the “sip with aloha” neon bar signage, to their adorable surfboard seating chart. The Aloha Airstream mobile bar was an evident highlight of the night, serving up both delish drinks and fun photo opps. You’d be surprised at how this seemingly small Airstream can actually fit an ENTIRE bar setup, with wine, beer, liquor, and seltzers alongside the couple’s signature drinks. 10/10 recommend if you want to elevate your reception bar setup & turn it into a fully immersive experience!
A note on the reception setup – I loved how Keisha and Drake opted for wicker lanterns with their string lighting instead of the more common disco ball look. No detail was left on default here; every single element was chosen for a reason… including the Polaroid guest table that replaced the traditional guest book, and was such a hit.
Dinner buffets, dancing, & desserts by Kona’s finest
With dinner catered by Umeke’s and desserts provided by gorgeous angel Nadine Loraine, Keisha and Drake’s guests were in for a TREAT – many treats, in fact 😉
Umeke’s brought guests only the finest flavors of Hawaii via a buffet-style meal, beautifully presented on the beach despite its simple, laid-back format. A big perk of having Umeke’s cater your wedding is the wide range of options they offer for all tastes & preferences, including gluten-free, vegan, and dairy/soy-friendly options!
Now onto the sweeter portions of the evening, curated by the legend herself – Nadine never fails to amaze, inspire, and more importantly, delight with her creations. Keisha and Drake went all-out with their dessert table, featuring a collection of Nadine’s stunning (and Pinterest-famous) semi-naked cake style, plus a spread of matching cookies and cupcakes. Lilikoi was absolutelyyyy the standout favorite flavor, but there was no shortage of guests drooling over every one of her creations.
Designed around both flavor and form, Nadine’s cakes are the best of the best – made entirely from scratch, they are truly works of ART. (and they hold up beautifully in the warm island weather!) Her artistry is BEYOND, and she delivers every. single. time. Her desserts are a fabulous option for couples who want to support a local vendor and truly surprise & delight their guests, not only with straight-outta-Pinterest designs but flavors that are BANANAS. I mean that quite literally – her spiced banana cake is a best-seller 😉 Other crowd favorites include her devil’s food chocolate, vanilla with slow-roasted Waimea Strawberries in Wai Meli honey (out of this world), lemon coconut, and gluten-free chocolate hazelnut. Go with a triple-layer cake, mini cakes, or a towering dome cake; no matter what, her mind-blowing creations will be the standout centerpiece of the entire evening. She’s also just the COOLEST, and such a wonderful person to work with!
Anywhooo, I could go on and on about the dessert tables… but let’s head on over to the dance floor, shall we? The evening kicked off with sweet family moments, Keisha and Drake sharing mother-son and father-daughter dances with their parents. Guests joined them on the dance floor immediately after, and from that point on the high-energy party atmosphere took over. It was such a vibe to see this mix of local and non-local guests enjoying the dreamy island evening, poppin’ and lockin’ it under the fun lights from the DJ booth!
The newlyweds gave a thank-you speech to close out the reception, and that was that: the end of Keisha and Drake’s festivities… until their gallery was delivered, of course 😉
Keisha told me after receiving their gallery that “anytime she’s stressed out, she just scrolls through her wedding photos and is immediately happy and giddy.” What a cutie! The power of photos to take you right back into a moment like this is unmatched. It activates every sense and takes you back to every sight, smell, sound, feeling, emotion… and no matter how fleeting a moment (or a weekend) is, your photos will be there, waiting to transport you back in time. ♥️
LOCAL VENDORS
I can’t gush enough about how exceptional and FUN this vendor team was from start to finish! It was my first time working with many of them, and everyone did the most fabulous job – loved that we were all local, too. The team from Chapter of Love really blew all expectations out of the water with this one, whewww!
Day-of Coordinator: The Chapter of Love | @chapteroflovehawaii
Venue: Kona Salt Farm | @konaseasalt
Officiant: Michaela Larson | @hawaiiofficiant
Rentals: Island Celebrations, Kea & Loa, Kona Event Rentals, Meraki Events Hawaii, Ohana Tables and Chairs, Hawaii John’s | @keaandloa, @konaeventrentals, @ohanatablesandchairs_
Baker: Nadine Loraine | @nadine.loraine
Bar: Aloha Airstream | @alohaairstream
Entertainment: Bula Akamu (Bula Music)
Florist: Uhiuhi Flower House, Shoots Blooms | @uhiuhiflowerhouse, @shootsblooms
MUAH: Indigo Grace Artistry | @indigograceartistry
Photographer: Chelsea Abril | @chelseaabrilphoto
Videographer: Kekai Boshard (HI Ticket Films) | @hiticketfilms
Transportation: Polynesian Adventures | @polynesian_adventure_hawaii
About Kona Salt Farm, a Stunning Big Island Beachfront Wedding Venue
Kona Salt Farm is one of the newest and – in my absolutely not biased opinion – BEST Kailua-Kona / Big Island beachfront wedding venues! It’s also one of the more affordable ones on the island, with 7 acres of prime Big Island real estate rightttt on the shoreline of Keahole Point.
A few important things to note about getting married at Kona Salt Farm:
— Because the salt farm sits on an exposed coastline, it can get VERY hot.
You’ll want to lean into the indoor lounge areas around the venue and use umbrellas where possible to escape the sun. Local pro tip: Stylish lauhala fans like these can double as a cutesy favor for guests to take home and a way to cool off in the heat – while still looking fab!
— The salt farm has two separate getting-ready suites, both air-conditioned.
This isn’t always the case with wedding venues on the island, so take advantage! Take a breather back in your getting-ready room whenever you need to, and don’t be afraid to move your first look, portraits, etc inside if need be – just like Keisha & Drake did. Both rooms are spacious and have such gorgeous, flattering lighting anyway; it would be a shame not to make use of it 😉
— Take advantage of experiential upgrades!
Kona Salt Farm has a collection of optional wedding package upgrades that you should absolutely enjoy during your time on the farm. For example:
- An open oceanfront firepit to hang around with loved ones
- A foot-soaking cabana with cold water straight from the ocean depths
- Sparkly string lights to add to your evening ambiance
- Customized salt favors so guests can leave with a taste of aloha
(Keisha and Drake didn’t opt in to the foot soak, but one of my past couples did – they and their guests loved it!)
If you’re planning a Big Island wedding, I would highly recommend Kona Salt Farm and all the vendors who made Keisha & Drake’s fabulous day happen 🙌🏼
Local Kona Salt Farm Wedding Photographer
Now that you’ve seen all the island magic Kona Salt Farm can bring to a wedding day (weekend!), I’m sure you’re looking for someone to capture your own – right? 😉 Get in touch via the form below and let’s get this island party started 💃
For more multi-day Big Island wedding inspo, take a peek at Jordan and Patrick’s Tropical Luxe Multi-Day Wedding at Kona Village Resort.
Or, dig into further planning help & reccs from a Kona local in the guides below!
