• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Home
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Submit Wedding

Destination Wedding Details

Inspiration for every detail of your wedding away

  • Shop
  • Real Weddings
  • Vendors
    • Find Vendors
    • Join Vendor Directory
  • Ideas
    • Welcome Bags & Favors
    • Bridesmaid Gifts
    • Styled Wedding Inspiration
    • Cake Ideas & Tips
      • DW Cake Tips
      • Tropical Wedding Cakes
      • Beach Wedding Cakes
      • Beach Wedding Cakes II
    • Save-the-Date/Invitations
      • Personal Destination Wedding Websites
      • Save the Date Ideas
      • Destination Wedding Invitations 101
      • When to Send Invitations
      • At Home Reception Invitations
      • Booklet Invitations
      • Unique Invitation Ideas
      • Destination Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette and Examples
      • Destination Wedding Programs
    • Flowers
      • Bouquet Ideas
      • Bouquet Tips
      • Centerpiece Ideas
      • Beach Wedding Arch Ideas
    • Ceremony/Reception
      • Guest Book Alternative Ideas
      • Program Ideas
      • Unique Wedding Signs
      • Destination Wedding Theme Ideas
      • Creative Ideas
  • Fashion
    • DW Dress Guide
    • Destination Dress Gallery
    • Tips for Buying a Gown Online
    • Men’s Destination Attire
    • Bridesmaid Destination Attire Tips
    • A Guide to Beach Wedding Attire Tips for Guests
    • Destination Hairstyle Gallery
  • Advice
    • DW Planning
      • The Best Destination Wedding Checklist
      • Destination Wedding Planning Tips
      • Destination Wedding Do’s and Don’ts
      • Legal vs Symbolic Weddings
      • Free Planning Spreadsheets
      • Managing Family Reactions
    • Photography
      • Finding a DW Photographer
      • Preparing for Your Photos
      • All about Trash-the-Dress Photos
      • Photography Basics
    • Money Matters
      • Keys to Cheap Destination Weddings
      • Budgeting Tips
      • The Truth about Free Weddings
    • Travel
      • How to Travel with Your Dress
      • Destination Wedding Packing Checklist
      • DW Packing Tips & Advice
  • Etiquette
  • Search
  • Shop
  • Real Weddings
  • Vendors
    • Find Vendors
    • Join Vendor Directory
  • Ideas
    • Welcome Bags & Favors
    • Bridesmaid Gifts
    • Styled Wedding Inspiration
    • Cake Ideas & Tips
      • DW Cake Tips
      • Tropical Wedding Cakes
      • Beach Wedding Cakes
      • Beach Wedding Cakes II
    • Save-the-Date/Invitations
      • Personal Destination Wedding Websites
      • Save the Date Ideas
      • Destination Wedding Invitations 101
      • When to Send Invitations
      • At Home Reception Invitations
      • Booklet Invitations
      • Unique Invitation Ideas
      • Destination Wedding Invitation Wording Etiquette and Examples
      • Destination Wedding Programs
    • Flowers
      • Bouquet Ideas
      • Bouquet Tips
      • Centerpiece Ideas
      • Beach Wedding Arch Ideas
    • Ceremony/Reception
      • Guest Book Alternative Ideas
      • Program Ideas
      • Unique Wedding Signs
      • Destination Wedding Theme Ideas
      • Creative Ideas
  • Fashion
    • DW Dress Guide
    • Destination Dress Gallery
    • Tips for Buying a Gown Online
    • Men’s Destination Attire
    • Bridesmaid Destination Attire Tips
    • A Guide to Beach Wedding Attire Tips for Guests
    • Destination Hairstyle Gallery
  • Advice
    • DW Planning
      • The Best Destination Wedding Checklist
      • Destination Wedding Planning Tips
      • Destination Wedding Do’s and Don’ts
      • Legal vs Symbolic Weddings
      • Free Planning Spreadsheets
      • Managing Family Reactions
    • Photography
      • Finding a DW Photographer
      • Preparing for Your Photos
      • All about Trash-the-Dress Photos
      • Photography Basics
    • Money Matters
      • Keys to Cheap Destination Weddings
      • Budgeting Tips
      • The Truth about Free Weddings
    • Travel
      • How to Travel with Your Dress
      • Destination Wedding Packing Checklist
      • DW Packing Tips & Advice
  • Etiquette
  • Search
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • Advertise

Dreamy Kualoa Ranch Wedding with Spectacular Views

You are here: Home / Real Destination Weddings / Dreamy Kualoa Ranch Wedding with Spectacular Views

//  by Erin McDermott // 4 Comments

Some couples who dream of a destination wedding with a view have to choose between the beach or the mountains… but not Stephanie and Alejandro! They chose to bring their closest friends and family to experience the unmatched beauty of Oahu.  And let me tell you, these photos of their Kualoa Ranch wedding are slaying me with FOMO. From the rolling fog over the mountains to the wild horses, lush forest and flowers, and of course the sparkling ocean… my soul is crying out for a trip ASAP.

I’m absolutely loving the natural, bohemian vibe Stephanie and Alejandro went for with the local flowers, simple greenery, and natural wood accents. These two consider Oahu as somewhat of a second home to them, so it’s wonderful to see just how comfortable and “at home” they looked during the most special event of their lives.

destination wedding resort door hangers

Shoutout to  Rachel Robertson Photography for capturing these beautiful details!

Kualoa Ranch wedding 150

Kualoa Ranch wedding 90

Kualoa Ranch wedding 7

Kualoa Ranch wedding 123
Kualoa Ranch wedding 124

Kualoa Ranch wedding 09

Kualoa Ranch wedding 149
Kualoa Ranch wedding 010

Kualoa Ranch wedding 105

Kualoa Ranch wedding 110

Kualoa Ranch wedding 111
Kualoa Ranch wedding 112

Kualoa Ranch wedding 100Kualoa Ranch wedding 99

Kualoa Ranch wedding 08

Kualoa Ranch wedding 98

Kualoa Ranch wedding 89

Kualoa Ranch wedding 148

Kualoa Ranch wedding 86

Kualoa Ranch wedding 83

Kualoa Ranch wedding 80

Kualoa Ranch wedding 73

Kualoa Ranch wedding 145

Kualoa Ranch wedding 71

Kualoa Ranch wedding 45

Kualoa Ranch wedding 60

Kualoa Ranch wedding 41

Kualoa Ranch wedding 130
Kualoa Ranch wedding 137

Kualoa Ranch wedding 46 1

Kualoa Ranch wedding 02

Kualoa Ranch wedding 36

Kualoa Ranch wedding 29

Kualoa Ranch wedding 07

Kualoa Ranch wedding 93

Kualoa Ranch wedding 92
Kualoa Ranch wedding 94

Kualoa Ranch wedding 96

Kualoa Ranch wedding 97

Kualoa Ranch wedding 19

Kualoa Ranch wedding 122
Kualoa Ranch wedding 28

Kualoa Ranch wedding 23

Kualoa Ranch wedding 04

Kualoa Ranch wedding 35

Kualoa Ranch wedding 27 2

Kualoa Ranch wedding 03

Kualoa Ranch wedding 05

Kualoa Ranch wedding 31

Kualoa Ranch wedding 32

Kualoa Ranch wedding 8

Kualoa Ranch wedding 16

Kualoa Ranch wedding 14
Kualoa Ranch wedding 127

Kualoa Ranch wedding 01

Q&A with the Bride

How did you two meet?

Alejandro and I met a few times throughout college through mutual friends, but we didn’t start dating until our junior year in 2010. I always recognized him because he was tall and had long curly hair that was turning blonde from spending so much time surfing. Although we lived near each other on campus sophomore year and I consistently hung out with his friends, we weren’t
ever really at the same place at the same time. After I returned from 5 months of study abroad in Sydney, Aus my friends and I went over to his house a couple blocks down from ours at the beach. He immediately greeted me with a huge hug (even though we barely knew each other) and I knew then that he was different.

Tell us about the proposal!

Alejandro and I were on Oahu to visit my family and we had made plans to go to our favorite restaurant to celebrate our five-year anniversary. Dinner was amazing as usual and although I was a little suspicious because he had not finished his entree, I certainly didn’t think he was going to propose in the middle of the restaurant. So as you can imagine I was completely oblivious when Alejandro started to propose over dessert (I was so interested in eating my peanut butter chocolate cake that he LITERALLY had to ask me to put down my spoon). He came over to the side of the table and quietly proposed. After I said yes and Alejandro resumed his seat, we were so excited we couldn’t even eat our dessert. As we giddily stared at each other the manager came by with champagne and said, “Did I just see a proposal?” We were both so surprised. It was the perfect ending.

Why did you choose to have a Kualoa Ranch Wedding?

Honestly, I kind of always knew that I would get married at Kualoa Ranch. It is tucked away on the east side of Oahu in between quiet country communities. I grew up going to the ranch as a kid and there is really no other place like it on Oahu. Our ceremony and reception took place on a vast lawn almost encircled by strikingly majestic mountains on one side and on the other a sprawling view of the turquoise green ocean. There is a reason why so many movies are filmed there!

What made you decide to have a Kualoa Ranch wedding instead of a traditional wedding?

Although we currently live in San Diego, I was born and raised on Oahu and Alejandro and I spent a few years living there together after college. When we got engaged, it was really a no brainer! We knew that our guests would love Oahu and we were really eager to share the true Hawaii with our friends and family. It just made sense.

Did you have any special events prior to or after the ceremony?

We had a lot of out of town guests both from the mainland US and internationally so in lieu of a rehearsal dinner we wanted to have a welcome party for those that traveled to be with us! It was also important to us to have our friends and family get together and meet each other before the wedding so Alejandro’s family hosted a beautiful dinner at Duke’s in Waikiki. Duke’s has an amazing private patio that sits right on the beach so with the iconic sparkling waters of Waikiki as our backdrop, we ate drank and laughed under the stars. It was truly magical!

Tell us about your bridal shower!

My sister who was my Maid of Honor, planned a gorgeous surprise bridal shower for me at the Moana Surfrider hotel in Waikiki. The Moana Surfrider is one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels on Oahu and it is my favorite place in Waikiki. The architecture evokes old Hawaii with a wraparound veranda that opens to a large banyan tree courtyard and the ocean. Sitting on the veranda with thirty of my closest family and friends sipping pikake infused tea and eating delicious lilikoi cakes was the best bridal shower I could have ever asked for!

What was the theme of your Kualoa Ranch wedding?

We wanted our theme to be a reflection of ourselves which is laid back and kind of bohemian while really showcasing the beauty of Hawaii and our surroundings. I wanted the floral decorations to include flowers that you could find in Hawaii so we went with king proteas, pink ginger, tillandsia air plants, silver eucalyptus and white orchids. I had the most incredible bouquet of proteas and my bridesmaids each held a singular king protea. We chose to have cupcakes for our guests from our favorite bakery Hokulani Cupcakes: chocolate guittard with cream cheese frosting and strawberry-guava with cream cheese frosting. The music was a mix of hip-hop, indie rock and old-school 70s disco (my mom danced so hard she couldn’t feel her toes for 3 days after.) We of course played “Alejandro” by Lady Gaga.

 Tell us about the color palette of your Kualoa Ranch wedding.

We chose soft colors that would complement our beautiful surroundings: green, blush and gold. Our florals were a mix of green and blush in gold vases. We added other touches of gold with the votives, gold utensils, and gold rimmed champagne glasses.

Did you do any special gifts or favors?

We decided to make our own escort cards which our guests took home with them. I took a calligraphy class a few months before the wedding and hand wrote all of the escort cards and signs. We painted each of the escort cards with blush and light peach water colors and attached them to toy dinosaurs that we had sprayed gold. Why dinosaurs? The Jurassic Park series was famously filmed at Kualoa Ranch, so we wanted to add in a fun little homage to our venue. We also had a Polaroid station where guests could replace their name cards with a picture of themselves. That was really special because we wanted to remember how much fun our guests had at the wedding. We ended up with almost 100 Polaroid pictures of the wedding!

Vendors

Photographer:  Rachel Robertson Photography
Caterer: Beaches and Backyards Catering
Floral Designer: Flowergirlshawaii floral design
Venue: Kualoa Ranch Hawaii Inc
Planner: Milestone Events Hawaii
Equipment Rentals: Pacific Party Rentals

Related

Filed Under: Real Destination Weddings Tagged With: Mountain Wedding, Oahu, Oceanfront Venue, Pink Wedding

Erin McDermott
Erin McDermott

Erin is a New England native living in Cincinnati, OH. For the last six years she has served as Communications Manager for a large home service franchise, working as a freelance writer in her spare time. She has been a contributing editor for Destination Wedding Details since early 2017. Inspired by a desire to plan a uniquely personal destination wedding herself, Erin draws on experience to bring relatability and humor to her writing.

Previous Post: « Breathtaking Iceland Destination Wedding 
Next Post: Did You Have one of the Best Destination Weddings of 2017? best destination wedding»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Samantha

    August 8, 2020 at 9:32 am

    Which Kualoa ranch wedding site was this at? The ranch house?

    Reply
    • Cynthia

      August 8, 2020 at 9:44 am

      This was at Paliku Gardens. 🙂

      Reply
      • Samantha K Mathews

        August 14, 2020 at 11:33 am

        I’m sorry to keep bugging you, this wedding was just so gorgeous! What time of year was this? Approximately how much did the wedding cost?

        Reply
        • Cynthia

          August 21, 2020 at 12:24 am

          Hi Samantha! It’s no bother at all. I’m so happy you love this wedding as much as we do. 🙂 This wedding took place in mid-May. We do not ask couples for the wedding cost when we interview them so I don’t have those details. Good luck!

          Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Top Wedding Site

best destination wedding blog award

top destination wedding blog award

Sponsors

Wedding Dresses, Bridesmaid Dresses, & Formal Dresses - Lulus.com




destination wedding vendors
Dessy Twist

Dessy After 6

Costa Rica Weddings


Advertise on Destination Wedding Details

Featured Destination Wedding Vendors

DamolaMakeovers Makeup Artistry
DamolaMakeovers Makeup Artistry

Damolamakeovers Makeup Artistry is an experienced and versatile Destination m...

Bride Tribe Travel - a division of Escapes Unlimited
Bride Tribe Travel - a division of Escapes Unlimited

Bride Tribe Travel is a division of Escapes Unlimited AZ created exclusively ...

Villa Punto De Vista
Villa Punto De Vista

If your dream destination wedding conjures up images of pristine sand beaches...

KT Travel & More LLC
KT Travel & More LLC

KT Travel & More LLC is a certified destination wedding, honeymoon, and roman...

Stepping Out - Online Wedding Dance Program
Stepping Out - Online Wedding Dance Program

Stepping Out has created a new and exciting way for you to learn your first d...

Linda Dancer - Honeymoons Inc.
Linda Dancer - Honeymoons Inc.

As a former airline employee who loved to travel and an incurable romantic~ b...

VIP Vacations Inc
VIP Vacations Inc

VIP Vacations would be honored to help you plan your destination wedding! We...

Vacationeeze
Vacationeeze

Vacationeeze is a family owned travel agency with over 30 years of experience...

Popular Content

Destination Wedding welcome bags
17 Welcome Bag Items Your Guests Will Love
best destination wedding venues
An Expert Guide to the Best Destination Wedding Venues
Wine Country Weddings destination
This Venue is a Hidden Gem for Wine Country Weddings
Private Costa Rica Wedding Venue
Discover a Private & Luxurious Wedding Venue in Costa Rica
tropical artificial wedding bouquets
These are the Most Authentic Real Touch Bouquets We've Ever Seen
buying a wedding dress online
Guide to Buying a Wedding Dress Online
Destination Wedding questions and answers
Answers to all your destination wedding planning questions
bridesmaid gifts
30 Bridesmaid Gift Ideas
Destination Wedding Guestbook Alternative
11 Awesome Destination Wedding Guestbook Alternatives
best Destination Wedding locations
How to do a Destination Wedding Site Visit
destination wedding website
destination wedding checklist

Follow Us

Featured Posts

Destination Wedding in a Secluded Santorini Venue

Impromptu Elopement on Hanalei Beach

See More

Footer

Ultimate Destination Wedding Etiquette Guide

Get Your Free Destination Wedding Etiquette Guide

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to get a free Destination Wedding Etiquette Guide, plus monthly checklist reminders, inspiration, tips and exclusive giveaways!

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • Advertise

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Destination Wedding Details LLC · Privacy Policy · Cookie Notice · Disclaimers · General Terms of Use · Vendor Terms of Use