Tropical Elegance Inspired This Couple's Destination Wedding in Maui, Hawaii

Welcome!

The pair welcomed 170 guests to their wedding weekend at Four Seasons Maui at Wailea. Christina wore a Jonathan Simkhai dress and Cult Gaia necklace for the rehearsal dinner.

• The Etiquette of Wedding Rehearsal Dinners

Let's Eat

"My number-one priority when it came to finding our perfect wedding venue was the guest experience," Christina says. "Kenny and I had always imagined a destination event where our closest friends and family would be on vacation with us, mostly staying at the same hotel and all vacationing together—not just coming and going for the big day." The Four Seasons Maui set the perfect upscale, tropical scene for the entire wedding week's festivities, including their beachside rehearsal event.

Floral Affair

Dellables Floral Design provided the vibrant floral arrangements for all of week's events.

• Should Your Rehearsal Dinner Be as Formal as Your Wedding?

Pool Party

Since most guests stayed at their venue, everyone enjoyed all the amenities, including the pools (which they hopped into, clothes and all, post rehearsal dinner!), beaches, and spa, together. "It was the trip everyone had waited over a year for, and all of our friends and family were absolutely thriving in vacation mode," Christina says. "The excitement, love, and pure joy in the air throughout the weekend was palpable."

Dressed to the Nines

Kenny and all of his groomsmen donned dark navy suits, custom-made by the Kenny Flowers' manufacturer in Bali. The inside of the ensembles featured the brand's signature shirt fabric with a Wailea print designed specifically for the big day. They also wore pocket squares composed of the same material.

• The Groom's Guide to Choosing Colorful Wedding-Day Attire

Yes to the Dress

Finding the perfect wedding dress came easily for Christina while she shopped with her maids of honor and her mother. After stopping by four stores, she said "yes" to a Monique Lhuillier silk trumpet gown with a sheer bodice, embroidered appliqués, and removable off-the-shoulder cap sleeves. "We ended up finding the dress at San Francisco Bridal Galleria, where Grace and her team took such amazing care of us," the bride shares. "This dress was the perfect blend of beachy for Maui, but still elegant and chic, and I loved every part of it."

Here Comes the Bride

"Kenny and I decided against a first look, so that when I walked down the aisle was the first time he saw me. It was the best decision (for us)!" the bride recalls. "My planner, Stephanie, the special events manager at Four Seasons Maui, had me enter from the top of the infinity pool down these grand stairs to the ceremony lawn, where my dad was waiting to walk me down the aisle." Kenny says his favorite memory from their wedding day was seeing his soon-to-be wife at the top of the stairs, making her entrance. As for Christina's most cherished moment? Seeing Kenny's eyes welled up with tears once she met him at the altar.

• Is a First Look Right for You? Consider These Pros and Cons

Everlasting Love

The couple exchanged vows under a canopy arch filled with white king protea, white peonies, ivory vendela roses, asparagus ferns, and monstera leaves.

Coconut-Centric Cocktail Hour

"The Catered Coconut had a live coconut chopping station, which was amazing," the bride says of their cocktail hour entertainment. "Guests had the option to add booze to theirs or just hydrate!"

• 25 Cocktail Hour Ideas from Real Weddings

Signature Sips

A "Ditch Mai Tai," complete with pineapple juice, orange curacao, orgeat, and light and dark rum, along with a "Jetsets on the Beach," filled with tequila, sliced jalapeños, and house sweet and sour mix, served as the couple's signature drinks.

All Smiles

Instead of attending the full cocktail hour, the couple enjoyed the beginning and rejoined the interlude at the end, squeezing a portrait session in between. "The only downside of not doing a first look is that we definitely had less time for photos, but since we take so many photos for a living, between photoshoots for our resort-wear line and my job as an influencer, we never wanted our wedding day to feel like a photoshoot," the bride says. "I chose Anna Kim for my photographer because I knew she could be up for the challenge of capturing the best moments as they happened—I wanted beautiful memories captured, not staged."

• The Ins and Outs of Hiring a Photographer for Your Destination Wedding

Dinner with a View

The duo and their attendees enjoyed a lobster Cobb salad and chose one of three entrées: the catch of the day (which was seabass), all-natural beef tenderloin, or vegetarian hearts of palm "crab cakes."

In Full Bloom

Reception tables featured tall floral centerpieces on gold pedestals, which were surrounded by votives. They infused modern, tropical elegance into the outdoor space by adding transparent chairs and place settings with sand dollar name cards emblazoned with gold calligraphy.

• 50 Wedding Centerpiece Ideas We Love

For the Sweethearts

The newlyweds re-used their altar arch and added it to their table for two. "We love Champagne, so we had a really special bottle of Pierre Jouet Belle Epoque Brut that we popped at our sweetheart table during the reception," the couple recalls. "Now each year on our anniversary, we plan on popping the same bottle to celebrate!"

Dancing the Night Away

"If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" by Marvin Gaye played during the couple's first dance. The bride and groom say that it "speaks to us as a couple because we try to create the very best world we can, and have truly built our worlds around one another."

The Haisfields

Everyone indulged in the couple's five-tiered wedding cake complete with vanilla buttercream and fresh, cascading florals.

• 50 Beautiful Wedding Cakes That Are (Almost!) Too Pretty to Eat

Two Become One

For any couples planning their own big days, the bride recommends keeping this advice in mind: Be the star of your wedding. "Leading up to the wedding, you're so often the producer, director, writer, editor, and assistant, all in one," she says. "Nobody wants you to be working behind the scenes or stressing about x, y, and z—they are there to watch you have the time of your life on the happiest day of your life. All the best weddings I've been to are when you can just tell the couple is beaming with joy. Let any stress go and go have fun! Your guests will always follow your lead."

• The Truth About Pre-Wedding Stress

Sources

Photography, Anna Kim
Venue, Cake, and Catering, Four Seasons Maui at Wailea
Wedding Planning and Event Design, Stephanie, Special Events Manager at the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea
Videographer, HiFocused
Florist, Dellables Floral Design
Invitations and Paper Products, Gus and Ruby
Officiant, Spencer McLeod
Bride's Gown and Veil, Monique Lhuillier; San Francisco Bridal Galleria
Bride's Rehearsal Dinner Attire, Jonathan Simkhai dress; Cult Gaia necklace
Menswear, Kenny Flowers
Jewelry, IVAR by Ritika Ravi diamond earrings
Shoes, Margaux Atelier
Hair and Makeup, Cynthia Rose of Kipona Aloha Beauty
Music, Shea Derrick and Full Flavor
Favors, Custom Kenny Flowers Hawaiian Shirts and Sarongs