Welcome to our first post in our new weddings category here at OhMeOhMy! It just so happens, the first wedding we are featuring is ours! Steve & I got married in November 2017 on the beautiful beaches of Maui. We say “beaches” because it actually took place over 3 different beaches! It’s not as complicated as it sounds, though, more on that later. Our intimate wedding was perfect for us, and it was intimate. In fact, it was just the two of us, the officiant and the photographer. And, a lot of really sweet locals who watched politely from afar. (And were willing to move their beach umbrellas so we could get married in the exact spot we had decided on!) But even though our Maui wedding looks like an elopement, we don’t think of it that way.
First of all, we went all out. We originally planned a bigger, more traditional wedding, but that venue fell through. Sometimes things happen like they are supposed to, right? So we already had tons of ideas, but wanted to do it in a simpler way. First, we found the most beautiful beach. I had my dream gown, gorgeous flowers, makeup and hair done in our hotel room, and our photographer, Caitlin Cathey, was one of the best we have seen, before or since. And, she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet! Steve did a Facebook Live for all our family and friends, from getting ready all the way up to the start of the ceremony. That part, we kept special for ourselves. We are from the camp that your wedding is still a wedding, no matter how you do it! And you should do it exactly your way!
We were lucky enough to stay at the Grand Wailea Hotel during our Wedding / Honeymoon. It. Was. Amazing. If you ever have the chance to spend time at this beautiful resort, do it!
On to all the details of Kathy & Steve’s Intimate Maui Wedding!
Although we stayed at the Grand Wailea, we didn’t get married on their beach. We wanted something a little more private, and a beach that had more of the gorgeous natural beauty of Maui. We ended up choosing Po’olenalena beach for the actual ceremony. But thanks to Caitlin (our photographer, who also helped us with tons of planning!) we were able to hike off over the lava rocks to a more secluded part of this beach for the ceremony. Flats, ladies. Flats. BTW, Caitlin took all the photos here except for three that my talented husband took of my shoes, dress etc.
The actual ceremony was perfect. We found a little shaded spot just next to the lava rocks, near the water, and surrounded by palm trees and pretty native plants. We had scouted out this picturesque spot a couple of days before, but when we got there, the locals had already set up for their day in the sun. They were happy to move so that we could get married in the spot we chose. I wish I could say thank you to them again! It was like a little wedding gift. In return, they got to watch a wedding. Cool day for all of us! Our officiant was Chrissy Kapoor of Maui Ceremonies, and she was amazing. She was so happy to customize our ceremony to exactly what we wanted. And she was such a caring person!
We loved getting married on a beach in Maui! Most romantic way to tie the knot!
So as we mentioned, we kind of had our wedding over three different beaches. We had scouted out all the local beaches ahead of time, but there were things we loved about each one of them. The photography was really important to us, so we decided to just move on to two other beaches after the ceremony, and take pictures at all of them. One of the benefits of not having to worry about guests…
We had tons of fun doing this photo shoot for our Maui wedding. Caitlin made it so easy, and she knew exactly what kind of shots were important to us from our talks before hand. It really started getting fun when I decided that while I didn’t exactly want to “trash the dress”, I was so willing to get it wet! Besides, in the tropical heat, even in November, my hair and makeup were starting to melt. It felt great getting in the water!
Climbing out on those lava rocks was not easy folks. But seriously, worth this romantic shot. One of my favorites!
The last shot of the night. It was perfect. All of it. Our intimate wedding in Maui.
Maui Wedding Venue: Po’olenalena Beach // Accommodations: Grand Wailea // Photography: Caitlin Cathey Photography // Officiant: Christine Kapoor Maui Ceremonies // Dress: Davids Bridal // Shoes: Anne Klein Bow Peep Toe Slingbacks // Hair and Makeup: Salon 253 // Flowers: Bella Bloom
