The main reason we were in Kaua’i was to attend the wedding of my cousin Kari to her fiancee Nathan. They exchanged vows on Sunday in the late afternoon along a beautiful stretch of Shipwreck Beach near Poipu, which is on the south shore of the island. There were about two dozen family members who had made it for the ceremony, probably a few more than Kari and Nathan had originally anticipated. Needless to say, it was a beautiful ceremony.
Tawn comes prepared for the occasion with a nice hat.
My cousin Brad and his wife Silvia. Brad is Kari’s younger brother. The cliff in the background served as a focal point for the ceremony.
Tawn and I pose for a self-portrait.
My uncle Dick and aunt Sandy and their first grandchild Tommy. Dick is the older brother of Kari’s mother.
Orchids are strewn along the beach, marking the path along which the bride walked.
As is probably increasingly the case these days, it seemed everyone (myself included) was trying to get pictures of the ceremony rather than just witnessing it!
We needn’t have worried, though, as the official photographer did a marvelous job and made these photos available on his website. I will say that if you are ever looking for a great wedding photographer, for the Hawaiian islands or elsewhere, I would recommend Gelston Dwight.
The lighting of these photos was really spectacular. They have a “Hollywood-esque” quality to them and capture the couple’s glamor as it looks in everyday life!
This is about half the group – just Kari’s side of the family. From left to right, cousin Bill, his son Tommy, his wife Alex (also my cousin), Tawn, Me, my mother, my cousin Kelly (Kari’s sister), my father, Nathan, Kari, Kari’s mother Pat, father Carl, brother Brad, his wife Silvia, and my uncle Dick and aunt Sandy. Probably more than you needed to know, right?
My cousin Alex designed the invitations, menus, and all the other printed materials. She’s quite a talented designer and you can see more of her work at her website. Fresh local pineapples made the perfect centerpieces. The reception was held at the nearby Plantation Gardens Restaurant.
My contingent – father, mother, husband, and me. That shirt my father is making? My mother made that in 1980 for a trip to Hawai’i the family took. In fact, she used matching fabric to make shirts for both my father and me and mumus for her and my sister. Of the four of us, only my father still fits in his outfit!
Some concoction my cousin Silvia was drinking.
Appetizers – called “pupus”
Kailani farms arugula salad with local mango, papaya, cherry tomatoes, onion, avocado, and a lilikoi cider vinaigrette
Lobster bisque with garlic croutons
Grilled beef tenderloin with gorgonzola mashed potatoes, local green beans, sauteed mushrooms, and merlot reduction sauce.
Fresh local fish with mango and avocado salsa, pan fried green beans and black bean sauce. Can’t remember what type of fish it was.
There was also a seafood lau lau – fish, shrimp, scallops, and vegetables steamed in taro and ti leaves. The picture didn’t turn out, though.
When it came to the cutting of the cake, there was such an explosion of flashes that I ended up with several of these “ultra-exposed” shots.
A picture of the beautifully garnished cake. This was a lilikoi wedding cake (lilikoi = passionfruit), a white vanilla cake brushed with passion fruit syrup and filled with passion fruit butter cream. One of the tastiest wedding cakes I’ve had.
christao408 
Congratulations to the newly wed! Tawn with his hat, is so fashionable, stole the whole show, in my opinion! Beach wedding is so romantic indeed! I think I’ll have one if the oppurtunity comes along ^0^ps. Time flies, your cousin Alex’s & Bill’s son is so big now!
Congratulations to Kari and Nathan!!! How pretty!!!
As usual, your food photos make me hungry (and I am supposed to be on a diet!). I agree the photos taken by the pro photog looks really good. What a romantic wedding. I have always wanted a romantic beach wedding (but too late already!).
What a perfect wedding, the place, the food, the beautiful family and friends.. Absolutely perfect. I love seeing and reading your posts about this trip so much. Thanks for sharing
Mike and I were reading this and when we got to that first food shot… I moaned aloud and Mike simultaneously said, “THERE’S the food porn.” See, we like your work (and we just ate … but thanks to you, I, at least, am hungry again.) You do take gorgeous photos, Chris.
What a great location for a wedding. I’m glad the weather cooperated. Somewhere in your family album, there must be a picture of you and your family in those matching fabric.
Wonderful that so many family members could make it! I love the photos – of the wedding, the food, and the family. And Tawn looks dashing with the hat (and without)!
I love the shot of the orchids, and the photo of the couple reclining on the sand is really nice.Congrats to the new couple! It looked like a fantastic wedding 🙂
that cake sounds like it tastes amazing! congrats to the newlyweds!
Looks like a lovely beach wedding, Chris.
Christopher…we just left Poipu Beach…been there for a few days. Beautiful part of Kauai!
Beautiful couple and beautiful surroundings for a wedding. It looks like everything was perfect for the day.
looks like a beautiful wedding! i keep forgetting that nobody else refers to appetizers as pupus… i wrote that on an invitation once when i wanted to inform guests that dinner was not being served, just heavy appetizers, and then i had to explain to everyone what i meant haha. i also have to keep explaining what lilikoi is, too.
wow great! wanna have my wedding on an island or at the beach… so romantic
Gorgeous. Everything! Someone….anyone….that I know needs to have a Hawaiian wedding and invite me!!
Congradulations – love it
Congrats to your cousin on her wedding – everything looks perfect. I was directed over here by a friend because I am getting ready to leave for Hawaii (the big island) for a family vacation – first time we’ve ever been! Thanks for warming us up with your beautiful photos 🙂
Beautiful photos! Hawaii is awesome! And congrats to the newlyweds!
Beautiful pictures of the mangoes…and yes, of the bride and groom and the entire family, and all the food.. But omg! the mangoes! Anyway, thanks Chris. Great post.
Wonderful post as usual.I want that whole cake!I would love to see a pic of your family in the homemade clothing ,I think that is the sweetest thing that your mom made them and your dad wore his.
The food looks positively amazing. I’d risk my shellfish allergy to try that bisque. The photographer did a magnificent job on those photos. That soft golden light was really perfect.Congratulations to your cousin.
Lovely pictures! This looks like the perfect place for a wedding. It’s such a gorgeous setting!
What a beautiful wedding. Congratulations and best wishes to them.
wow orchids on the beach. Love flowers so much and the food, WOW! I like family shots as much as the pro ones. 🙂 BTW You have a gorgeous husband 😉
beautiful!! =)
@Dezinerdreams – @squeakysoul – @oxyGENE_08 – @Randy7777 – @ThePrince – @yang1815 – @Cestovatelka – First off, thank you to everyone for wishing your congratulations to Kari and Nathan!@CurryPuffy – Yeah, Tommy is sprouting like the proverbial weed. Looking forward to seeing how much more he’s grown by this summer.@DrTiff – Have a safe trip and enjoy the Big Island!@icepearlz – Perhaps you could do a romantic renewal of your wedding vows on a beach somewhere?@awoolham – I’m so glad you enjoy reading these posts.@Passionflwr86 – Yeah, “there’s the food porn”… I know what you guys were looking for. LOL@ElusiveWords – @seedsower – I’ll have to look around and see if I can find a picture of the entire family in those homemade outfits.@murisopsis – So glad you enjoyed the photos and thanks for the compliments about Tawn.@slmret – It was really nice.@Worldlyme – How did you enjoy your time there?@Fatcat723 – We really couldn’t have asked for a better setting, nor better weather.@kunhuo42 – I think we should just adopt “pupus” wholesale into the English language.@lcfu – Gotta meet the right girl first, Fufu! =P@turningreen – Keep subtly hinting that to all your unmarried friends! Ha ha…@ZSA_MD – Glad you enjoyed the photos!@TheCheshireGrins – It was a wonderful location.@Ikwa – Oh, thank you. That’s very nice of you to say and I must admit that I agree.@jace1982 – It sure was, Jason.
Wish you happy married life with great food.Oetker Whip It