As we don our chunky knits and brave the frigid winter temperatures here in the South, visions of tropical beaches are beyond welcome. And for StyleBlueprint’s lead writer in Louisville, Hawaii holds a particularly special meaning — it’s her home state AND her wedding day locale!
From leis and lush mountain views to a sweet serenade from the groom, this tropical wedding is everything you need to make your day a little sunnier.
Lennie and William might just be able to chalk up their meet-cute to a Waterfront Wednesday concert at Waterfront Park — how quintessentially Louisville! But it wasn’t until they were on the same sand volleyball team that they truly connected. “We were literally the worst team in the D league,” admits Lennie, “so, the worst of the worst.” But as far as we’re concerned, the couple had the last laugh. They may not have won games, but they certainly won each other’s hearts!
A few years later, wedding bells were on the horizon as William proposed on the Waterfront Park walking bridge. And while some of the planning took place in Louisville, such as Lennie’s hunt for the perfect dress, their wedding destination was a bit more tropical. “I knew we wanted a small wedding, and I was initially determined to have our ceremony on the beach,” says Lennie, who knew Hawaii was the dream location. “However, I quickly realized that we wouldn’t be able to have a truly private experience — and one in which all the guests could hear clearly — if there were crashing waves and people walking by.”
Luckily, the bride stumbled upon the perfect solution while browsing beach venues online — Weddings of Hawaii offers intimate ceremonies at Nalo Gardens, a mountain-adjacent private garden. “When I put our guest list together — which included immediate family and close friends — it came out to exactly 50,” she says. “The Weddings of Hawaii site stated a maximum capacity of 50 people for Nalo Gardens, so I took that as a sign and booked it.”
Lennie was also set on having the reception at Roy’s in Hawaii Kai, the original location of the famed restaurant of James Beard Award-winning Master Chef Roy Yamaguchi. “My main goal with the reception was to give our guests good food!” she tells us.
Her love for planning came in handy, but Lennie was grateful to have some help from Angela Asato when it came to the reception details. “I LOVE planning parties and was excited to plan our reception,” she shares. “However, planning from 4,000 miles away — even when the wedding is in your home state — can be a bit much, which is where Angela came into play.”
The bride gushes about Angela’s assistance. “She was absolutely amazing, from start to finish. She found my hair and makeup artist and our DJ and coordinated everything at our reception. She did it all — from setting up linens and signage beforehand to helping me bustle my dress during the reception to boxing up leftover cupcakes afterward. She took a HUGE weight off our shoulders.”
The planning continued without a hitch. “One week after we got engaged, we had both venues booked, and I’d ordered our save-the-dates and invitations,” Lennie says. And finding a dress was pretty seamless, too. “I was looking for dresses online when I found one that I really liked. Adorn Louisville was the only place in town that carried that brand (Enzoani), so I made an appointment.”
While the shop didn’t carry the exact dress Lennie had seen online, they nailed it with a similar gown from the same designer. “Once I put the first dress on, I knew it was the one,” she says. “I tried on a few more since I was already there, but there was really no need to. It was everything I didn’t even know I wanted.”
When the big day arrived, Lennie donned her dress, silver leaf-drop earrings, and flat ankle-strap sandals with rhinestones. “The ceremony was in a garden, so I didn’t want to wear heels!” she explains. And a gorgeous garden it was, filled with 50 of their closest family members and friends.
“About 40 of our guests were flying in (from Washington D.C., North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, California, and the Big Island of Hawaii) — so in addition to creating a meaningful and memorable day for Will and me, I wanted everyone to have a really good experience,” Lennie says. “After all, for most of our friends and Will’s entire family, it would be their first time in Hawaii! This inspired my mauka to makai (mountain to ocean) theme; I wanted everyone to experience as much of Hawaii as possible on our special day. Our ceremony was on the lush windward side of the island, with a mountain as the backdrop.”
Lennie and William opted for simplicity and Hawaiian tradition for the ceremony — they skipped first looks and a bridal party, too. However, their family members dressed in matching prints from a local company, making for some sweet family photos!
The happy couple wrote their own vows, and the ceremony was conducted by Kelehua Kawai, a Hawaiian wedding officiant who has been featured in Brides magazine. “She started with an ‘oli’ (traditional Hawaiian chant), then blessed our rings and led us through Hawaiian vows, a lei exchange, sand ceremony, and He Alo ā He Alo,” explains Lennie. “This translates to ‘face to face’ and is a ritual where a couple shares their ha (breath). We brought our foreheads to touch and breathed in each other’s ha, essentially sealing the ceremony spiritually. This was probably my favorite part.”
When it came time for the reception, the newlyweds and their guests headed to Roy’s for a feast overlooking Maunalua Bay. “We fully leaned into the tropical vibes of Hawaii,” says Lennie, “so there was no color scheme, per se. My bouquet, the centerpieces, and the flowers on our welcome sign and cake were all done by my friend Jeff of Creative Concepts by Jeff. I’ve known him for over 15 years and fully trusted him to come up with something beautiful, so my only request was to make it ‘tropical, focusing more on pinks than reds.’ He did not disappoint. I couldn’t have been happier with how the flowers turned out, especially my bouquet. He also suggested the tropical leaf-print napkins, which inspired individual menus that I typed and printed out.”
As guests filtered into the reception, they enjoyed a cocktail hour with signature drinks while the newlyweds celebrated at a beachside photo shoot. Then, dinner and dancing got underway. Guests feasted on dim sum appetizers like smoked baby back ribs and chicken spring rolls, then chose between five entrées, including macadamia nut-crusted whitefish, hibachi grilled Atlantic salmon, and slow-braised beef short rib.
For dessert, Lennie had strong opinions. “I was adamant about including Roy’s chocolate soufflé with everyone’s dinner (they’re known for it!),” says Lennie, “so I knew we’d end up with a lot of leftovers if we got a big cake. We opted for a small, four-inch red velvet cake for our cake cutting, which sat at the top of a mini cupcake tower. Guests could then help themselves to guava, lilikoʻi (passion fruit), and ube (purple yam) mini cupcakes.”
In a beautiful moment that no guest is likely to forget, William sat down with a guitar and serenaded his bride with “Danny’s Song.” “It was so sweet, and he changed some of the lyrics to apply to our lives — like saying ‘and the little dog is mine’ rather than ‘and the little boy is mine,'” says Lennie. “He loves karaoke and plays the guitar all the time, but I didn’t realize that he’d never sung and played the guitar simultaneously in front of a group. He told me later that he was nervous about it all day! I really appreciated the effort that he put into doing that.”
The mother-son and father-daughter dances followed this special musical dedication, after which the entire crew hit the dance floor! “Later in the night, our DJ passed the mike to Will, and it turned into an impromptu karaoke/dance party, which was a lot of fun,” says Lennie.
While the couple opted out of a traditional departure in lieu of more time with their guests, they included a tribute to Lennie’s mother. “Everyone received a heart-shaped cookie with a little message on it. The cookie featured a gardenia, her favorite flower; and purple accents, which was her favorite color.”
As for any advice she has for future brides, Lennie tells us, “Make the day your own. Your wedding should be about you and your soon-to-be spouse, and there’s no right or wrong. I think unique personal touches — like writing our own vows, Will’s song, the ways I honored my mom, and our signature drinks — are what make weddings beautiful.”
Congratulations, and thank you for sharing your special day with us!
RESOURCES
Ceremony Venue: Nalo Gardens
Reception Venue: Roy’s Hawaii Kai
Photographers & Videographers: Weddings of Hawaii
Beach Shoot Photographer: Olivier Koning
Coordinator: Angela Asato
Officiant: Kelehua Kawai
Bride’s Gown: Adorn Louisville
Hair & Makeup: Cheryl Hazelgrove
Groom & Family Attire: Tanoa Hawaii
Stationery: Wildwood Wedding
Flowers: Creative Concepts by Jeff
Entertainment: DJ Neekz
Cake & Cupcakes: Hokulani Bakeshop
Linens: The Wedding Linen Company
Cookies: Danijo
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