Captain Cook wedding | KAREN LOUDON photography

Travelling the back roads of Hawaii is always a serene experience. The roads in the Kona coffee growing region, in South Kona, are loaded with small country churches so unassuming their exteriors speak to the simplicities of life in the mid 1800’s. St. Benedict Church in Captain Cook is known as “The Painted Church.” A quaint, simple church on the outside, but upon opening the doors, one is transported to another world….the interior walls of the church are beautifully painted with some striking scenes of the Bible. Designed, constructed and painted as a miniature European Gothic Cathedral by Father John, St. Benedict Church is now considered to be rather unique in the annals of American Art. Without any professional training and using house paint on ordinary wood he beautified the church with his paintings. In those days few Hawaiians could read and so he taught with pictures-most successfully.

The painted church is a photographers dream, the way the light hits the walls and envelops the paintings…. so much texture and color. Take a look at Allisha and Edwards wedding and you’ll see why they fell in love with this little church, and why i was thrilled to photograph it!