Maui wedding at Sugar Beach Estate

It’s always fun to share a tropical destination wedding around here, especially one as sweet as this Maui wedding captured by Wendy Laurel at Sugar Beach Estate. Designers Phil + Katie took their first big vacay together to Maui back in 2012, so when they got engaged, they were all about sharing that experience with loved ones—60 of ’em, to be exact. Plus, their two-year engagement left plenty of time for a few trips over to Hawaii (to plan, ya know?!), which sounds like a perfectly dreamy way to go about things, if you ask us!

Flowers by Dellables Floral Design included king protea and a variety of tropical greens, which meshed perfectly with the design by Taryn of Platinum Weddings & Events… Need we say more?

Their wedding DIY list:
• Wedding invitations + save the dates
• Wedding website philandkatiegetmarried.com (with a teaser video that made it impossible for anyone to RSVP no!)
• Wedding signage (welcome, hashtag, seating, etc.)
• Gold animals with name tags for seating
• Guestbook with Instax film and cameras

We both personally value experiences over objects or things, so we decided the way we wanted to celebrate our marriage was to share this amazing place with the people we love most—giving everyone an unforgettable tropical adventure to escape to in the middle of the cold and snowy winter. The fact that we were having a destination wedding on one of the most remote islands on the planet—which most of our friends and family would have never imagined they’d have a chance to visit—made the location itself in Kihei, Hawaii, the star of the show.

It wouldn’t be a destination wedding without some yummy cocktails, right?

Good note for all you Hawaii brides: Katie loved her Juri by Enzoani gown, featuring guipure lace and stretch georgette, because it was perfect for hot and humid Hawaiian weather with an open back and breathable fabric. Plus, those lace details!

We came across Wendy’s photos and loved her artistic touch and candid approach. The fact that she shoots with only film (an art-school-era love for both of us) really won us over. We felt her style of photography captures not only the moment, but the feeling of it, in a perfectly composed piece of art.