Wes & Savana

I remember chatting with Savana and Wes about their ideal wedding day. They told me that they didn’t want a typical wedding day. Savana didn’t want to get ready all day. They didn’t want to get married at 5pm. They didn’t want to have your typical “cocktail hour”, sunset portraits, reception timeline. Instead, they wanted to be married all day, have a breakfast style cocktail hour, and relax most of the day until their dinner reception. I immediately fell in love with the idea, and started brainstorming ideas on how we could create their dream wedding day. Wes and Sav are a very unique couple. Sav was born in New Zealand, and lived on a boat with her family most of her childhood. Wes is a Cali native, running his own solar business - Tiny Watts Solar. These two lived in a van most of their relationship, and as of recently starting their new venture on a sailboat with Sav’s family.

Wes and Sav value experiences over things, and wanted their wedding day to be more of an experience for their guests. After going back and forth, they decided on the ultimate destination - Kauai’i, Hawaii. These two are very close with their families and friends and knew that most of them were traveling from far away places to be there to celebrate their marriage. Wes and Sav didn’t want their guests to have a full day dedicated to them, so they decided to have a sunrise wedding so their guests could enjoy an afternoon in Hanalei Bay. They created a “day-of-timeline” for their guests, with recommendations on fun activities, restaurants, bars, beaches and hikes in Hanalei.

The morning of their wedding, we met up with Wes and Sav at 4am. Sav popped champagne bottles with her girls, and Wes enjoyed Yerba Mate with his boys. We took some getting ready photos of each of them, and made our way down to the beach in Hanalei Bay. At 6:30, while the song “Here Comes The Sun” played over the speaker, Sav emerged from the beautiful greenery with her father on her arm and made her way down the aisle. I always give my couples tips on having a seamless wedding day, and one of those tips in being 100% present. Taking in moments, rather than just going through the “wedding day checklist”. I’ve heard from many brides that they don’t really remember their ceremony, and one thing I always recommend is taking the time you need at any point during your day. While Sav was walking down the aisle she took the time to stop and take in that very moment. Her soon-to-be husband, all of her friends and family, and the beautiful scenery encompassing it all. Wes and Sav picked two special people to marry them, which made their ceremony even more unique. They shared handwritten vows to each other and sealed their marriage with a kiss in one of the most beautiful locations I have ever been to.

After their ceremony, we ran off to take sunrise portraits of Wes and Sav. We only took a handful of photos because we had an adventure elopement session in the works for later in the week (COMING SOON!). We ran along the beach and in the beautiful greenery in Hanalei.

We took photos of their bridal crew and my absolute favorite family photos….EVER! Seriously, family photos can be a daunting task, but Wes and Sav’s families made it so much fun. Prior to their wedding, we had the opportunity to spend some time with both Wes and Sav’s families, and the photos we took are a true reflection of the love that these guys have for one another!

While we were off taking portraits, they had a crew of family and friends setting up for their breakfast cocktail hour. They had an awesome display of breakfast pastries, along with iced coffee, tea and mimosas! To keep with how unique Wes and Sav are, typically a couple gives each other gifts the morning of. Jewelry, a watch or a bottle of their favorite whiskey, tied with a love note. In true Wes and Sav fashion, Wes went the more experience/adventure route and gifted Sav a new surfboard! We enjoyed a beautiful morning surrounded by their friends and family, and then had an afternoon of adventuring around Hanalei Bay and floating in the ocean with a beer in hand.

Wes and Sav have a family friend in Kauai that gifted their backyard space for their reception. They had a beautiful white tent, decorated with lights and Hawaiian florals. All of their friends and family gathered in the tent and awaited Wes and Sav’s arrival. Their grand entrance was nothing short of amazing. They wrote in on a bikes with a “Just Married” sign and cans dragging behind the bike!

The rest of the night was filled with amazing speeches from their loved ones, a traditional Hawaiian Hula, and lots and lots of dancing! We are so incredibly thankful to have been a part of their amazing wedding day. Their families opens their hearts and homes to us and we couldn’t be more grateful for this experience. You might be wondering why we didn’t get too many portraits of Wes and Sav. Be sure to check in soon for PART TWO of their Kauai Wedding…. ITS EPIC!!