Philana + Gary Wedding :: Shine (Oahu, Hawaii) Part III of III

Words by Maureen Young

A 6am wake up call ensured we captured the morning light from the top of Honolulu.  It was a thrill to introduce Philana + Gary to a new area of their favourite travel destination.  The view was breathtaking; looking out over the city and ocean, it felt like being on top of the world.

A morning nap followed by lunch at ‘Pho One,’ Philana + Gary’s favourite Vietnamese meant we were all well rested and happily fed.   From lunch we headed to Rina’s dream location – the bamboo forest.  The forest encouraged exploration and we meandered around through the mist chasing sunbeams and feeling water droplets on our fingers.  Truly a location for all the  senses.  The bugs made sure we were kept fully alert though!

On our way out of the bamboo forest we came across a flock of wild chickens and roosters.  A huge storm set them free from a farm a couple of years ago and now they roam wild.  The thought of catching our dinner was appealing until we realised that, being wild, they’re not exactly edible.

A break at a local drive-in for giant sno-cones topped with 3 different flavours was delicious – sugar keeps us going!

The beach was ideal for a pseudo trash the dress as Philana opted to wear her white dress rather than wedding dress.  Walking along the beach, we came across a big monk seal who was snoozing in the shade.  Any noise we made while shooting nearby didn’t disturb his slumber, he was so cute Rina wanted to take him home!

The newlyweds laughed and played in the water, Gary even tried dragging his wife in!  Philana took the opportunity to write ‘thank you’ in the sand to send to everyone who came for their wedding.  (No sneak peak of the thank you card here!)

From beach shore to volcanic shore, we travelled to where people go fishing and you can see the different layers of volcanic ashes.  The striated rock was a gorgeous backdrop, especially for Philana’s wedding dress – we loved framing the shots around the pools of water which reflected a more abstract sense of colour and beauty.  During the shoot waves crashed onto the shore, splashing us with water and creating a movie set atmosphere.

Perfect lighting and a Hawaiian sunset – a stunning end to a Honolulu stay.  We packed up our summer clothes and trekked back to a very, very cold Edmonton and Philana + Gary embarked on their Maui honeymoon.

Philana + Gary – thank you so much for inviting us to Hawaii to capture your incredible love story in such an amazing environment.  We loved the introduction to Hawaiian food & indulged in pineapples, papayas and Poke Ahi tuna en route to the airport (what can we say, our stomachs demanded it!).  Thank you for such a wonderful experience, the warmth and kindness of your family members and friends was incredible.  We’re so pleased that we attended your Edmonton reception as guests and had the opportunity to see people again!
Good night and Mahalo!!
A + R