Waimea Plantation Cottages

My brother's wedding was held down at Waimea Plantation Cotttages, right on the ocean at Waimea Beach, which is almost-black sand. It's more brown, really. Even though swimming is not a good idea (the dark sand makes the water brown and prone to sharks), it was still lovely to be by the sea. We rented one of the big houses there and had the wedding out on the lawn. 

Walking out on Waimea Pier:

The black (brown) sand beach is littered with stark branches of driftwood:

The lawn was completely shaded by an ancient banyan tree, which looked like a jungle all by itself:

Tables out on the lawn, surrounded by tiki torches:

The inside of our historical house was decorated in Hawaiiana style:

My bedroom window looked out on the Pacific Ocean, and it was so wonderful listening to the waves as I fell asleep:

A cool lamp filled with seashells:

Opening the doors to lanai created a sense of indoor/outdoor living:

The kitchen was sunny and bright:

The setting was just perfect for the wedding:

And when you needed to get away for a bit, relaxing in one of the seaside hammocks was a great idea:

Tropical Seaside Wedding

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from the actual wedding. I didn't take a whole lot, but here are a few to give you a taste of what a wedding by the sea in Hawaii can look like. 

Meticulously pulling apart plumeria petals for the petal circle:

We saved money by picking individual tropical flowers at a florist's shop and arranging them ourselves (note the anthurium and tiny yellow orchids):

Mellow guitar music for the processional:

Waiting outside the house we rented to have the wedding:

Flower girl hiding in the giant banyan:

Photoshoot by the sea:

The wedding cake (which had a coconut filling) was simply decorated with fresh orchids:

The table arrangements were stunning with torch ginger and hibiscus:

More on the location later...