Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a woman of many words. I always have lots to say – and this romantic Maui wedding at Olowalu Plantation House is no exception.
I met Kristin and Eric a few days before the wedding…during a torrential downpour! There was a bit of confusion as to what coffee shop we were meeting. But once we figured it out we were able to laugh it off. We may have been soaked to the bone, but we were happy to finally connect IRL.
Eric and Kristin are the kinds of people that you want to be around for their authenticity and warmth. Right away it felt like we had been friends our whole lives. Even though they live on the East Coast, they felt like those Midwest friends I know all too well (read: the best kind of people there are).
There were so many little moments during this wedding that had me laughing and crying. The birding references during the ceremony. The way Kristin and Eric honored Eric’s father who passed before the wedding (he helped them pick the venue). The gorgeous sunset. The maid of honor speech. I always love speeches. During this one, I learned that Kristin’s nickname is “poop.” You can imagine how hard everyone was laughign at this! There was so much love in this one, guys.
But again, I could keep going because that’s the kind of girl I am. Instead, I’m going to shut up and let Kristin do some talking.
WORDS FROM THE BRIDE KRISTIN
Five and a half years ago Eric and I went on our first vacation to the most magical place I’ve ever been to. So many memories in such a short amount of time. We went snorkeling at Molokini and Turtletown, observed the islands via helicopter, and drove the long and winding road to Hana. It was insanely beautiful, and I immediately knew I had to go back!
I always had a destination wedding in mind- a smaller more intimate affair. We knew we loved Maui, but would anyone come all that way? A little over a year out, Eric’s parents were in Maui for work, and they were able to tour Olowalu Plantation House for us. I remember we were at a friend’s birthday party, and Eric received a call from his dad saying “there is something very special about this place.” So we decided this was it, this was our venue!
From there, made a ton of decisions right away- coordinator, caterer, photographer, officiant, musician, DJ, florist… not to mention I chose the first dress I ever tried on! It was so simple to choose Angie as our photographer, as her photographs really speak for themselves: unique, vibrant, magical. I wanted someone who would not only capture the details of our wedding and the most amazing landscape but also all of the emotions of the day. My nervousness while getting ready, everyone’s hysterical expression when Eric vowed to “get better at birding,” and our pure happiness as we walked down the aisle.
ADVICE FROM KRISTIN
It was truly an out-of-this-world experience being able to get married under the trees next to the ocean with our closest family and friends surrounding us. My biggest advice to couples planning a wedding would be not to sweat the small stuff, as cliche as that sounds. Everything is probably not going to go 100% the way you imagined, but that’s what makes it your wedding! The things that went differently than I thought are some of my favorite parts, and I’m so grateful for these incredible new memories we’ve made in our favorite place.
Kristin and Eric: Thank you for choosing me to document your romantic Maui wedding at Olowalu Plantation House. It was an honor and a privlege – and I also weirdly feel like I need to brush up on my birding skills!
Thanks to our epic vendors that made this possible:
