Tag Archives: Hawaii Photography

Alicia and Stewart, Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort, Big Island of Hawaii

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It was love at first sight during a snow ball fight in a snow storm. Stew face washed Alicia with a snow ball and they’ve been hanging out ever since. Stew and Alicia live in Northwest Washington, on their first real date he took her to a spot out on Chuckanut Dr. over looking Puget Sound & beautiful Chuckanut Bay. 2 1/2 years later he took her back to watch the sunrise and asked her to marry him! She said yes! He had the ring custom made by a local jeweler because she’s in love with sapphires.

Alicia and Stewart are two very happy people! I was so thrilled when Alicia contacted me and asked me to photograph their wedding. She wanted to know if I could start from the time they woke up on their special day…. what a novel idea, I loved it!

I knocked on the door to their beautiful suite located in the Palace tower at the Hilton Waikoloa Village at approximately 8am, to find the two of them lounging over a leisurely room service breakfast. They were so relaxed. We went back into the bedroom for a do-over wake-up photo session,  I had an idea of them having a pillow fight (with a feather pillow that just happened to spill a few feathers, naturally!). Alicia and Stewart were up for it. I love it when couples just feel like friends you have known forever. That is exactly how I feel with these two. It was so FUN!

 



hair and makeup by Jackie Zimmerman http://jackiezimm.com

Terre and Mat, Green Church, Waimea, Big Island of Hawaii

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Terre and Mat are the kind of couple that inspire you to love.

They met in 2008 in Kailua, Oahu at Morning Brew which is a coffee shop (they are both coffee fanatics). Terre was studying for nursing school finals and Mat was having lunch. They’ve been drinking buddies ever since!  They loved living in Oahu – they enjoyed hiking and their first official date was a hike at north shore. Mat is a skin diver and Terre likes to snorkel so they would go to the ocean as much as possible. He proposed on Christmas Day 2009 first thing in the morning after they had both just gotten up. Mat had the engagement ring made in Germany and he did not expect it to arrive so soon, but because it had, he thought Christmas would be perfect – and Terre agreed !  They decided to move to the mainland because they thought  it would be best for a growing family in the future. They’ve settled in Austin, TX. Now they have a 4 bedroom house and they can’t wait to fill the rooms with children!

Initially, they thought their Hawaii vacation was just going to be that, but they could no longer wait – they really wanted to get married.  A big fancy wedding was not important to them. On a trip to Terre’s hometown (NYC) in July, they managed to get custom made wedding rings done within days, then they decided to look for a small chapel in Hawaii where they could say their vows in a church. Terre happened upon photos of Ke Ola Mau Loa Church (the Green Church) in Waimea when surfing the internet, and contacted Rev. Terminello, who was very accommodating.

The church was even more beautiful in person than in the photos. The simple ceremony started and ended with Hawaiian blessings. It was sweet and beautiful and just felt natural. Terre’s bouquet was picked from a plumeria tree that morning. After the ceremony the newlyweds drove straight to Mauna Kea Observatory in their wedding attire. They took pictures up there and other visitors complimented them on being the best dressed tourists. The “reception” was at the shops at Mauna Lani. The Sunday following the wedding they attended services at the church. Rev Terminello, the Kahu of the church, and the church goers were very friendly, and invited them to lunch afterwards.

I didn’t meet Terre or Mat before their wedding, in fact our photo session was the day after the real wedding. Rev Terminello was also nice enough to open the church again the next day. it didn’t matter one bit.  From the second Terre and Mat emerged newly married from their rental car, they were grinning from ear to ear and ready for photosAfter spending about 45minutes taking pictures at the church,  we headed off to Hapuna Beach in time for a beautiful sunset.

Terre and Mat were were married on August 10, 2011 on the Big Island of Hawaii.

A wedding at the Green Church in WaimeaKe Ola Mau Loa Church Wedding Photographer

Rick and Ellen’s Wedding / New Orleans, Louisiana

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I’ve had a great time getting to know Rick and Ellen over the past few years. These two fun-loving former New Orleaneans moved to Kailua Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii about 4 years ago. Ellen is a former elephant manager at the Audubon zoo in New Orleans and was among those who rode out hurricane Katrina with the animals, so having their wedding at the zoo had special significance for the couple.

This is a couple that works hard, plays hard, and throws some amazing parties. It’s difficult to sum up their wedding into just one day….. the wedding festivities truly began a week before for me, with the arrival of myself along with many other Hawaiians into New Orleans in time for the end of jazzfest, followed by a full week of festivities leading up to the wedding, which included a crawfish boil, the bachelor and bachelorette parties, the reception dinner and finally the wedding…..

Rick & Ellen married on May 14, 2011! Preparations for the day began at the beautiful Avenue Plaza Hotel on St. Charles, then we headed to the Audubon Zoo where their evening ceremony took place in front of the fountain close to the sea lion exhibit.

The reception took place at the Louisiana Swamp Exhibit which is a re-creation of a 1930s swamp settlement equipped with a trapper’s cottage, Spanish moss, white alligators and cypress knees. This wedding included a blend of  Hawaiian and Louisiana traditions. Ellen wore a white orchid haku lei in her hair and Rick wore a traditional maile lei. Their first dance, “A Beach in Hawaii”, was followed by a New Orleans wedding tradition, the Second Line Parade, which signifies the start of a new beginning of life for the bride and groom. Friends and family danced the night away in celebration in the Cajun Ballroom.

Rick and Ellen, you both are wonderful, kind hearted people and it was truly a pleasure to be there for your wedding day. I enjoyed the entire week, but after all those parties, I’m definitely looking forward to a vacation from this vacation! Congratulations! KL

Mike and Kestrels Engagement / Keauhou Beach Resort / Big Island of Hawaii

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Kestrel and Mike met while they were both performing in a theater production of Hamlet in Waimea. They started dating after opening night. Mike proposed at their favorite beach, Mauna Kea, they had packed a picnic lunch and found a spot in the shade. He disappeared to get something out of the car and when he came back, he told Kestrel he had just spoken to her father. He got down on one knee, read a beautiful poem he had written for her and proposed. The engagement ring is pink sapphire (sapphire is Kestrels birth stone) and white gold. He got it at their friend Moses’ shop, Mountain Gold Jewellers, in Kawaihae. He actually told Kestrel he was going to rehearsal for a show early and instead he drove to Kawaihae. He had the ring for 2 weeks before he proposed! The inspiration for their engagement photo session was 40s movie star glamour, as well as the Hawaiian beauty of the Keauhou Beach Resort grounds and their love for each other and their son.

Kestrel and Mike’s story and pictures were also published at your engagement 101.com

Kestrel and Mike’s story and pictures were also published at www.yourengagement101.com

Mac and Sienna’s Wedding / Kailua Kona, Big Island of Hawaii

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I’m  excited today to bring you Mac and Sienna’s very beautiful and classic wedding and reception.  The day started by walking into the beautiful Hale Kiwi Plantation vacation home, this home was made for wedding photography and perfectly complimented Mac and Sienna’s classic wedding feel and decor. Enter through the magnificent crystal cut glass front doors and you are greeted by an expansive view of the blue Pacific Ocean, framed by an open 40 foot sliding glass wall of the great room with it’s own indoor atrium reaching 25 feet to the sky light. I went directly to the bridal suite to take some pictures of the brides preparations, then off to the ceremony!… a short walk to the gardens just beyond the pool. The lovely 20 minute ceremony was directly followed by the reception.  There were so many lovable parts to this reception. Everything from the lively Hawaiian music by Aloha in Motion Trio to the amazing selection of fish for dinner, which was caught and brought in from the Bahamas by Sienna’s father, Mike. Mac and Sienna, I had a blast capturing your gorgeous day. You two are truly awesome people, and I am a big, big fan! Thank you again for allowing me to be there along side you on your wedding day!

Brian and Sharon’s wedding / Kailua Kona / Big Island of Hawaii

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I met Sharon 2 years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter. Friends had recommended Sharon’s natural birth class to us, and we were so glad we took those classes! I came out of that training not only empowered to take control of my pregnancy, but with an entire support group of new friends. Sharon is truly passionate about what she does and inspires those around her. She completely gives herself to her moms, you can find her on the phone at all hours, comforting a panicky mom-to be, or in the water at Kukio beach (the baby beach) with her mommy group, swimming newborns underwater.

So, of course, when Sharon told me she was getting married I offered to be her wedding photographer right away. I wanted to give something back to this women who does so much for others.

The ceremony was originally scheduled to be at Kukio Beach, however, the stench of rotting fish left over from the Tsunami was still a little too overwhelming. Sharon and Brian decided to move the ceremony to the reception venue. I was a little worried about this location change at first, thinking to myself, how will I ever be able to get a background that will compare to Kukio beach? I took a drive by the new venue and noticed the grassy lava field just across the street, I had done a family photo session in a similar location just a few weeks before so I knew that it would be a beautiful backdrop for wedding photos.

As the sun went down over the Kailua-Kona horizon, surrounded by their closest friends and family, Brian and Sharon were married at the Palisades Community Center. The ceremony reflected their relationship in the truest form. Casual, joyful, loving. Sharon and Brian…I can’t begin to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your celebration..it’s an honor I cherish.

 

Margaux and Colin’s Wedding / Hawi, Big Island of Hawaii

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Margaux and Colin were married in September 2010 at Hawaii Island Retreat, a boutique eco-hotel in Hawi, on the Kohala Coast of the Big island of Hawaii. I got to know them both very well when I photographed an engagement session for them a few months before the wedding. Margaux and Colin are a fun couple, always willing to be a little silly in photos, and both love to ham it up in front of the lens. In the above photo, I had the bridesmaids (all 9 of them!) swooning over Colin, needless to say, he loved it

After the ceremony, the bride and groom stayed behind on the cliff and shot an arrow together, into the ocean, a family tradition in Margaux’ family. To see more photos of Margaux and Colin’s wedding and engagement, please visit my website karenloudon.com

A few pictures from this wedding were featured on a larger wedding blog, see eco-beautifulweddings.com to read more