KRISTINA & EVAN
Photos & Storytime
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes the story behind the picture gives it extra meaning. Here is the story of our wedding day :)
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We started the day off with breakfast at a spot near our hotel. They had a ukulele player entertaining people while they waited in line and ate. We had actually seen this same ukulele player a few days prior at one of our first dinners, so it was nice to see a familiar face! Our table was right next to him and we enjoyed the music while we ate. He flowed into a new song and after a few seconds, we realized that it was our wedding song - "Can't Help Falling In Love". It was such a special moment - we looked at each other and smiled and it felt like we had a secret - we were getting married in just a few hours! After he finished, a couple came up to him and told him that that had been their wedding song and that they were in Kauai celebrating their 10 year anniversary. We then chimed in and told them that we were getting married in just a few hours to that same song! It was such a special moment as people around us congratulated us and gave us their well wishes. It felt like the day was already off to a magical start.
We then decided to go on a hike down to Queen's Bath. The night before, there had been torrential downpours on the island, which meant that the dirt path down was now basically a muddy slip and slide. Neither of us anticipated how STEEP it would be. The climb down was muddy, slightly panic-inducing and breathtakingly beautiful. Queen's Bath is a natural tide pool and can be quite dangerous if the water is too high or rough. But, there is a sweet spot where it's basically a huge natural pool to swim in. We happened to be super lucky that day and were able to swim and enjoy the bath. It was absolutely worth the trek down! On our way back, when we were almost off of the trail, Evan's forehead caught a tree branch that Kristina had pulled back and sliced it right open. Kristina tried to play it off like it wasn't that bad when in reality it looked like someone had drawn a red line straight across his forehead! What a way to start the wedding day!
Next, it was finally time to get ready! While Kristina was getting her hair and makeup done at the hotel, Evan went to a local tiki bar to practice his vows and have a drink. He made friends with the bartender who happened to be from San Diego (!) and he promised to come back with his soon to be wife after dinner!
Meanwhile, Kristina got ready in the hotel room with her amazing stylist Lindsay and FaceTimed friends and family. Outside, the rain was coming down and Kristina might have been mildly panicking as the time to the wedding inched closer. Her nerves were subsided as she got to her know her videographer and photographer, Zane and Harneet.
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While Kristina hid from view, Evan came back to the hotel and quickly got himself ready for the first look. Thankfully the makeup artist was able to work her magic and covered up the gash on Evan's forehead with some foundation :)
We thought we might have to do the first look on the hotel balcony because of the rain, but miraculously it cleared up right at the perfect time. We were able to do our first look on the hotel grounds with the golf course in the background. It was an incredibly special moment when we finally locked eyes and both felt SUCH a sense of joy - we were so happy and relieved that our time to get married had finally come after so many obstacles. It wasn't the original day we had planned, but it was perfect for us and felt like this is the way it needed to be all along. After we did our first look, we turned back around towards the hotel, and realized that there were a few groups of people on their balconies, who had silently been watching. As we headed out for our ceremony, they gave us a cheer and a "good luck"! We were so ready to get married! We jumped into Harneet's car and made the 20 minute drive over to Tunnels Beach on the North Shore of Kauai.
The first time Kristina saw a picture of Tunnels Beach, she knew that this is where she wanted to get married. During the wedding planning process, her wedding coordinator, Christy, had cautioned that while the beach was breathtaking, it was also very popular and had VERY limited parking. There are only a few spots available on the North side of the beach, where the wedding ceremony would be taking place. Nevertheless, Kristina ignored all of the helpful advice and hoped for the best. Not only did we have the photographer's car to park, but we also had the videographer, our officiant Veronika AND our ukulele player, Garrett, so there were a lot of cars to accommodate. We pulled up to the path and lo and behold, there were exactly three spots for us to park in - we could hardly believe our luck! It seemed like the rainy day had done us a favor. We made our way to the beach for the ceremony.​
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We had spoken to our wedding officiant once before on a call and she had a warmth that could be even felt though the phone. Once we met her in person, we felt such a sense of kindness and ease from her and knew we were in amazing hands. Our ukulele player, Garrett, played our wedding song "Can't Help Falling in Love" as Kristina walked towards Evan. Veronika took us through a beautiful Hawaiian ceremony. There was one particular moment that both of us loved - she had us close our eyes, touch foreheads and really take in our surroundings and listen to the crash of the ocean. It was so nice to take a deep breath together and have a moment of gratitude. We ugly cried through our vows (trust us, we have photo evidence) but somehow made it through them. Finally, after years of waiting, we were married!
Once the ceremony was done, we did a quick costume change and headed out to dinner to the delicious Bar Acuda in Hanalei, where we indulged in some amazing tapas and drinks.
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After dinner, we knew we needed to make one more stop at the tiki bar that Evan had been to earlier that day. It's one of those places that tells tourists they close at 10PM but really they are open til midnight for the locals. We got there and sat down at the bar to a huge congratulations from the staff. Within 5 minutes of being there, Kristina turned towards the entrance of the bar and her old coworker and friend from Boston, Adam and his wife Chrissy walked in. It was a CRAZY coincidence and insane, given how tiny of an island Kauai is. It turned out that they were staying across the street from where we were and decided at the last minute to have a late night drink. It was so nice to reminisce on Boston days and catch up!
Many drinks were had and at one point, someone bought a round of shots and the bartender played "Mrs. Robinson" over the speakers as we knocked them back. It felt like an out-of-body experience and was the perfect end to a perfect day.
Since the ceremony, we have talked about how vividly we remember our wedding day and all of the tiny details. It was so fun to share our day with you! If you made it all the way to the end of our ramblings, THANK YOU and we love you!
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And a HUGE thank you to the amazing team that made this day happen. We are so grateful for you.
Coordination: Christy @ Intimate Events Kauai
Officiant: Veronika Bajwa
Photography: Harneet Bajwa
Videography: Zane Persaud
Musician: Garret Santos
Florals: Molly @ NS Buds & Blooms
Stylist: Lindsay Matthews