Archive for the ‘Hawaii’ Category

The Couple:  Alicia and Tyler Brown

Wedding Date:  January 28, 2011

Photography by Lexigraphics Photography

Tell us a little about you and your beloved:  We were best friends for a long time before we started dating. The first gift he ever bought me was for Valentine’s Day, and it was a pink fishing pole. After that, most of our dates were trips up to the lake to fish. I am from Tennessee, a country girl, and being able to find someone who can share my love for nature and the outdoors was important. During our dating and engagement we found our commonalities in the outdoors and just enjoyed each other’s company.

What was the most amazing part of your day?  The most amazing part of my day was marrying my best friend and being in such a beautiful place.

What else would you like to share about your big day?  We got married in Maui at a golf resort, and you could see the whales jumping out of the water during our ceremony. It was such an amazing view for us and our guests!

I was a wedding planner at the time for Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa and after planning hundreds of weddings I knew what I wanted. I want to have a day that my best friend and I could get married and have those closest to us attend. No stress, no concerns — just like both of us — relaxed and enjoying the day for its real reason.

We saw each other before the ceremony and exchanged gifts with each other and enjoyed a beautiful ceremony and intimate reception afterwards with our guests. Going to Maui was a great chance for us to get away from the stress back home and spend time with our family and friends before the wedding.

Our rehearsal dinner was at Mulligan’s where we invited everyone attending the wedding to join us. This gave us a chance to spend more time with everyone who had taken the time and money to come share the day with us. We were so excited to be able to use Lexigraphics Photography — a local Sacramento wedding photographer  and good friend — for the photography.

Ceremony Site and Reception Venue:  Gannon’s Restaurant in Maui

Photographer:  Lexigraphics Photography

Flowers:  Bella Bloom in Maui

Wedding Dress:  De la Rosa’s Bridal

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Bridesmaids Choice

Hair & Makeup:  Grand Wailea Salon

Invitations:  Minted

DJ/Entertainment/Band:  Guitarist Tarvin Makia

Honeymoon location:  The Sheraton in Kuaui

Cake Cutting Song:  “I’m Yours” on the Ukelele

Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?  Remember that your wedding day is all about marrying your best friend. Things can happen that you don’t plan on happening, but it just makes your day that much more unique and memorable. Your family and friends are there to see you and watch you enter into a relationship with someone you love.

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?  The only thing I would have done differently is hired a videographer.

Photos courtesy of Lexigraphics Photography.

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Honolulu’s most bustling beach is going from touristy to trés chic thanks to the addition of The EDITON, a new luxurious, contemporary hotel on Waikiki.

Mixing polish with personality, perfectionism with individualism and comfort with charisma, this stunning new property was conceived in collaboration with architects George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg and landscape designer Deborah Nevins to resemble a home away from home for the stylish traveler. So you get all the pleasure of being steps from one of Hawaii’s most popular beaches while enjoying a heavy dose of luxury and leisure on site.

Recommended Resort:  The Waikiki EDITION. Located near the fashionable retail stores of Ala Moana Center and Kalakaua Avenue, the brand new hotel is more than a place to hang your bikini and board shorts after a day at the beach, it’s an experience all in itself.

The lobby features fragrant and lush Hawaiian gardens and a wall-to-wall surfboard installation by artist and internationally famed former professional surfer Herbie Fletcher made from over 100 collected, broken surfboards from the sports best pipeline surfers like Kelly Slater and Andy Irons.

The 353 beautiful rooms and suites are decorated in natural tones and rich woods, many overlooking the Yacht Harbor and ocean. The Spa at Waikiki is conveniently located near the Private Sunset Beach and offers all the treatments and amenities you’d expect of luxurious escape.

Check In:  175 Ala Moana Boulevard in Honolulu. 800-466-9695, editionhotels.com.

Check Out:  MORIMOTO Waikiki at EDITON. World-renowned chef Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame brings his dynamic and unique cuisine to this new eatery, featuring an innovative approach to a contemporary Japanese menu that infuses traditional dishes with Western ingredients and techniques.

Don’t Miss:  Surf and Bikini Boot Camp. Melt away those post holiday pounds and start the New Year off right with this adventurous way to get fit and enjoy the island’s natural beauty.

A team of pro-surfers, naturalists, yogis and personal trainers, including renowned nutritionist Corey Coopersmith and two-time World Longboard ChampionSaize Shayne Goodwin, take guests on a four-day program that combines fitness, wellness and luxury. The first program of the year starts January 13.

Want more honeymoon ideas? Check out our other Mini-Moon and Honeymoon Blog Posts!

Blog Post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of The Waikiki EDITION

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I fell in love with Hawaii the first time I visited as a teenager…the sweet smell in the air, the friendliness, the lush landscapes, the warm waters. If, like me, you’ve done busy Oahu and popular Maui, be sure to fly in to Kauai and experience another facet of Hawaiian hospitality.

Recommended Resort:  Ko’a Kea Resort and Spa. Located on Poipu Beach, on the south coast of Kauai, this beautiful resort gives guest access to one of Hawaii’s most exclusive ocean stretches. Recently renovatedduring a multi-million dollar project in 2009, the property is one of the last in the area to undergo reconstruction since Hurricane Iniki devastated the beaches in 1992. Utilizing the original footprint of the former Poipu Beach Hotel, the new resort is better than ever, boasting 121 luxurious rooms, six oceanfront suites and the ocean view suites. With a contemporary design by Anita Books, the interior mixes chic modernity with the vibrant colors of the region’s floral and sea life, touches of coral, crimson and turquoise.

Check In:  2251 Poipu Road, Koloa, Hawaii. 808-828-8888, www.koakea.com.

Check Out:  Romance abounds in the intimate setting, with gorgeous ocean view rooms and seductive dining venues, like the upscale Red Salt. The Spa offers only five treatment rooms, including one couples suite, for a blissful afternoon of relaxation of wellbeing.

Don’t Miss:  A trip to Kauai should always include exploration of the breathtaking natural wonders, from sand to sea to summit. Hiking, horseback riding and golfing are all accessible to the resort, as well as snorkeling, scuba diving and other water adventures.

Want more honeymoon ideas? Check out our other Mini-Moon and Honeymoon Blog Posts!

Blog Post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of Ko’a Kea Resort and Spa.

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