All I wanted for my wedding day was to be present. To take in my surroundings, settle into the moments, focus on only him. And because of how I am….that meant I had to elope. Lol.
Enjoy the recollection of our Maui elopement below.
May 20, 2025
Our wedding day began with rain. Soaking rain, heavy, humid air all morning long. It was beautiful…and concerning for my wild and unruly curly hair. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I settled onto the deck overlooking the ocean of our condo and wrote my vows as the sun rose over the morning sea.
By the time the sun fully met the day and my vows were complete, Josh and I decided to go grab a coffee, constantly looking over at each other and laughing as we drove to Kai Cafe trying to understand how we were going to get *married* in just a few short hours.
Note: when in Hawaii, get an iced latte with one pump coconut and one pump macadamia nut syrup. It’s divine.
As we ventured back to the condo, my hair and makeup girl arrived shortly after. Even though we chose to embark on an “adventure elopement” - which entailed driving, hiking, sweating, and tromping around the Hawaiian wilderness all day - I still had to look cute. I also wanted a first look moment…which meant Josh was banished to a bedroom while I took up the entire rest of the large condo. Couldn’t ruin the surprise!
…..
However, I was the one who ended up being surprised with my hair and makeup, and not in the best way. The process took longer than expected. I didn’t love the makeup, and at one point had a Snookie bump that I didn’t really have time to correct because my photographer was knocking on the door to begin the day before the curling iron was even unplugged.
In the grand scheme of things I knew that my hair and makeup didn’t matter…like, either way I was getting married and it was going to be wonderful. But even so, I am still a girl and I had been dreaming about this day in some capacity or another for most of my life. I wanted to feel comfortable in my skin, so again, I could relax into the moment and not sweat the small stuff. Like heavy eyeliner and a weird lip stain.
I got there. Eventually. But the delay in the hair and makeup created a situation where I never got that time to take a beat, breathe, settle into the day, phone a friend, put my dress and accessories on intentionally, read the letters loved ones sent along, say a prayer, journal, talk to my future husband, eat. I felt slightly rushed and apologetic…so I hurried along and threw on my dress, forgot my bra, forgot the beautiful handmade bouquet I brought an extra carryon suitcase to transport. Said f**k it to my hair and got on with it.
The photographer, Ryan from Aloha Zoe Photography, jumped right into the madness. “Getting ready” photos weren’t on the itinerary for the day, but they were now! Check out a few below.
First Look
Josh and I were staying at the Kapalua Bay Villas, a smaller non-resort community overlooking Oneloa beach and the Molokai mountains. When we booked the VRBO over 10 months ago, we barely we remembered what it looked like. When we walked into the unit that first night, we were shook! Panoramic ocean views, mountain views, garden views, natural light, breezy crosswind. Could not believe it. So, suffice it to say, the grounds proved to be the perfect place for us to have that first look moment.
Oh, and, the rain cleared unveiling a perfectly sunny (and windy) day! More on that later.
The Jungle
When working with our photographer, location setting was important to us. Choosing which Hawaiian island to elope to was difficult because we appreciated and wanted to experience it all - the beaches, the mountains, the volcanoes, the wild jungles, the misty forest-scapes. Maui provided the most diverse scenes for us to adventure to during our ~4 hour time slot.
The first location we traveled to was an enchanted forest within the Honolua Jungle. A short five-minute drive from our condo, we accessed this jungle via parking on the side of the road and descending into a relatively hidden jungle, easily overlooked by the common eye.
We were greeted by lush vegetation, mossy forest floors, large milo, monkeypod, and java plum trees, and a giant banyan tree. Within SECONDS my nervous system calmed down. The air was still. The outside world absorbed by the trees. We were insulated, protected, present. Finally.
Ryan encouraged us to take a moment to stand in an embrace and do nothing else. He then led us through various spots in the forest as he captured photos and we mentally prepared for the next stop of the day: the ceremony.
The Ceremony
Getting married in Hawaii was never part of the plan. At least in my mind. When we got engaged on May 20, 2024, we had a hunch we wanted to elope but we didn’t know where. Colorado? Michigan? Northern Wisconsin? Arizona? the Oregon Coast? It wasn’t until I was sitting in meditation one night - not thinking about the wedding at all - that a quick vision flashed through my mind revealing me in a white dress standing on jagged rocks against a wild ocean at dusk. It was so beautiful and so surprising that I stopped meditating and tried to describe the setting into Google to figure out where it was. The closest image was Big Sur, CA. I went downstairs to tell Josh.
While we agreed we didn’t want to get married in California, this vision opened me up to the prospect of getting married near an ocean. Josh threw out the idea of Hawaii, to which I immediately said, “there is no way we could do that…” but after some research, finding our photographer’s online portfolio, and a strong gut feeling, we set the plan into motion.
*
Even though we chose to elope, it was important to me that the wedding ceremony itself still felt sacred. Because our friends and family would not be there to witness it, nor could we find an officiant to travel to our location, I struggled briefly with wanting to make sure that our wedding didn’t accidentally feel like an expensive photo op. As a deeply spiritual person, I needed a ritual, a sacred exchange, a sense of ‘this is before, and now this is after’ - something to help me embody the act that had just occurred - as above, so below.
So, a plan emerged. We would bring our fathers’ ashes. Find a spot on the cliffs to spread a portion in a half circle (altar) to open and bless the space. Then we would take turns reading vows and exchanging rings. Before our first kiss, we would walk to the edge of the cliff - each of us holding a stone to represent us as individuals and the vows that were just exchanged - then on the count of three we’d throw the stones over the cliff’s edge into the ocean to signify two becoming one, held by the All. Then, we’d kiss, and finally after that, we’d spread the remaining portion of each of our fathers’ ashes into the water below.
However, the wind was non-stop blowing 45+ mph and we had to improvise! While all the parts of our ceremony still happened, they happened a bit more…chaotically. Nevertheless, reading our handwritten vows, over looking the wild ocean, in the presence of our passed on fathers is a moment I will never forget.
The Cliffs on the Side of the Road
After our ceremony, we packed up the car and began the drive to our sunset golden hour location, about 45 minutes away. Along the way our photographer led us to an unsuspecting, somewhat hidden cliff area. The lighting at this location was insane! The photos from this unexpected stop are some of my favorites. After the rush of the beginning of the day and the beautiful chaos of ceremony, these photos capture some of the first moments I could relish in being actually, truly, 100% married.
The Drive to Waihe'e Ridge Trail via the Kahekili Highway (340)
With the sunset quickly approaching and the entrance gate to our next location shortly closing, we hopped back into the car and raced the rest of the way up the mountain to our final destination: a gorgeous lookout reminiscent of Jurassic Park on the Waihe'e Ridge Trail.
But first, we had to survive the Kahekili Highway (340).
In our intake form from the photographer, we were asked all sorts of questions: what’s important to you, what are you nervous about, how experienced are you with hiking, do you get carsick?
We breezed through the questionnaire with ease. Going off the beaten path is important. We get a little awkward in front of the camera. We’re experienced hikers. No, we never get carsick…
The Kahekili Highway (340) is often referred to as Maui’s “Death Highway.” Dramatic, but fitting as its 21-miles of a narrow, rocky, switchback type road up a steep mountain with extreme drop-offs and no guardrails. It’s poorly marked, there are very few pull-offs, and if another car is coming the opposite way, your only choice is to play chicken - one of you is scooting over - tires clinging to the side of the mountain - while the other attempts to pass, or you throw it into reverse down the mountain (!). If I would have known we were going to have to take this highway - far worse than the backside of Road to Hana - I probably would have avoided it. But that was not an option. Luckily Josh is calm and steady in these situations.
By this time in the day, I had also forgotten to eat and drink water. The quick pace, winding roads, and general sense of fear for my life sent my stomach over the edge. I became extremely carsick, and trapped, as stopping was not an option.
Finally, we got to the spot, about 30 minutes behind schedule in the near dark, but at least we got into the gate - once you’re in the park, you can stay in until after sunset. I burst open the car door and praised the ground below while trying not to puke. Ryan instructed us to change out of our wedding clothes and into our hiking gear so we could proceed to run up a vertical incline for 10 minutes straight.
We were pouring sweat and shaky, but not about to go back on our questionnaire, so we pushed through. I only had to stop once for five minutes because I decided to listen to my body and the stars that were starting to form in my vision. Whoops.
Eventually, the terrain evened, our pace decreased, and the fog lifted revealing the reward of the past hour. Taking photos at the top of this mountain, against that greenery, in the misty clouds at sunset - with all my stress, defenses, and anxieties finally melted away - was the highlight of the day.
My favorite part about our wedding photos is reflecting on how we started - a little stiff, polished, pretty, to how we ended - relaxed, messy, connected.
Wedding days don’t come without snafus, even when you elope. But that’s what makes the story and cements the memory. That’s what made the day unique to us and something we’ll always look back on and laugh about.
Tacos
Exhausted, happy, hungry. We ran back down the mountain, this time in our wedding clothes, in the near pitch black, said goodbye to Ryan, and set off on our own as Mr. & Mrs. for the first time.
Once back on a solid, paved, two-way street we sought out the first nourishment that was available: a taco truck. And it was perfect.
