An Elegant Maui Wedding at the Fairmont Kea Lani | J + E
The Fairmont Kea Lani is one of the luxurious resorts located on Maui’s South Shore overlooking the beautiful, blue Pacific Ocean. In addition to providing plush accommodations for visitors, this resort serves as a stunning venue for weddings. When Jessica and Ernest became engaged earlier this year, they decided on the Fairmont Kea Lani as their Maui wedding venue.
Initially, Jessica and Ernest had planned to book my photography services for one hour of coverage to include photographs of the ceremony and portraits of the bride and groom following the ceremony. After I spoke with the couple about what was most important to them regarding their wedding photography, the couple quickly realized that an hour would not be enough time to capture all of the moments and details that they wanted to have documented. Jessica and Ernest wanted their wedding images to reflect a story of the day. In particular, they wanted to document getting ready images of both the bride and groom, a first look between the couple, lots of family formal portraits with variations in posing and location, the ceremony, and a full portrait session.
I absolutely love capturing getting ready images and first looks prior to a ceremony! These types of images really help to tell a story of the wedding day, and to capture the excitement and positive, nervous energy that is present in anticipation of preparing for the day. As you’ll see in the photos below, Jessica and Ernest’s getting ready images were taken in their resort suite. They were sharing a hotel room, and didn’t want to spoil the first look, so I took images of Jessica getting ready first and then had Ernest enter the suite after Jessica and her entourage had left. I mention this to detail some of the coordination necessary to make this part of the day run smoothly.
I arranged the couple’s first look to take place at a beautiful location on the resort grounds. There were several options of locations at the Fairmont Kea Lani that I considered, but I ended up choosing the location based on the lighting and privacy of the location. And their first look— oh my goodness!!! It was soooo sweet, and touching! For the family formal portraits, a location at the resort grounds was used, and also the beach for variation. Most wedding photographers don’t include examples of family formal portraits in their portfolio or blog posts, but I am! I want you to have an idea of what to expect for family formals.
Jessica and Ernest wanted to have the ceremony on the beach, so I suggested a nearby beach on Maui’s South Shore. Beach ceremonies in Hawai’i are limited to 25 guests, which worked for the number of guests present for Jessica and Ernest’s intimate wedding. Ernest’s uncle is licensed as a marriage performer in Hawai’i, and it was special to witness how touched he was to marry the couple. (Read more here about the legal requirements for marrying in Hawai’i).
Jessica and Ernest live in San Francisco, CA, and they have been together for 5 years. They chose Maui as their destination wedding location, because they visit often and they simply love the island! They were excited to have their closest family and friends join them on Maui for their wedding celebration.
Ho'omaika'i 'ana (Congratulations), Jessica and Ernest! It was a pleasure to be your Maui wedding photographer! I hope to see you back again on Maui again soon!
Location: Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, Maui
Hours of Photography Coverage: 3 hours
Wedding Coordination: Simply Eloped
Hair and Makeup: Hair and Beauty Hawaii
Florals: Stems and Bloom Maui
Photographer: Kathryn Haldiman
