Set against the water’s edge with an unobstructed view of the island of Molokini, sits Hanua Kai Lani better known as the Sugarman’s Estate in Wailea. With it’s beautifully manicured grounds and breathtaking vistas, Bria and Sean invited their loved ones to witness as they joined in matrimony. Blessed with a clear Maui day, guests enjoyed the scenery as they sipped on fresh mint lemonade before being seated to watch the gorgeous bride make her way to her handsome groom. Sean’s young son and daughter were nearly as excited as their father to marry his love, in a beautiful ceremony officiated by both of the couples fathers.
After sealing their I do’s with a kiss, everyone sipped on signature cocktails such as Tropical Mojitos and Blood Orange Margaritas and ate tapas off of the beautiful mint paper plates provided by Paper Eskimo, as they gazed at the whale breaching off shore. While everyone was in trance by the magnificent ocean life, Sean only had eyes for his lovely bride in her fitted sheath gown. Taking their seats at the table, dinner was served for all to enjoy family style. Â Starting off the toasts was the best man, asking everyone to raise their glass to wish the couple a happy future!
Words from the happy couple…
Being a San Francisco couple, with family on both the west and east coast we had lots of potential places to explore for our wedding. After lots of discussion we decided on a destination wedding in Maui, a place that Bria has visited for years and loves because it is so beautiful, peaceful and relaxing.
We knew that we wanted a ceremony outside, where our guests could enjoy the amazing Maui weather and scenery. We also knew that we wanted a relaxing setting for the event, where everyone could feel like they were on a Exceptional Villas vacation. After some searching, we found the Sugarman Estate, a beautiful and secluded waterfront property in Makena.
When it came time to planning, we only had 4 months to pull everything together so we knew we wanted to work with a wedding planner. After one conversation with Kara Bryne we felt an instant connection and knew she would help us create the wedding day we wanted – one where we could relax, enjoy the island and focus on celebrating with each other and our loved ones. Looking back we can honestly say the entire day, from start to finish was all that we wanted and more.
Our vision for the wedding décor was modern rustic so Kara worked with us to find the vendors that would help us create that look and feel. With strung lights, large wooden tables, Moroccan lanterns and flowers in mason jars, the already beautiful property was transformed into a romantic wedding and reception venue.
Being that we are both foodies who love artisan cocktails, we wanted to have local organic Hawaiian fare with a customized cocktail menu for our guests to enjoy, along with cupcakes instead of cake, for dessert. We were blown away as all aspects of it, the food, beverage and service was exceptional.
We also wanted to work with a wedding photographer who would be as relaxed and at ease as we wanted to be on our wedding day and we were thrilled to work with Kaua. Not only was he so fun and easy to work with, his photos were stunning and captured every moment of the day beautifully.
Venue: Honua Kai Lani (Sugarman’s Estate)
Coordination by Kara Byrne of Your Aloha Wedding Co.
Officiants: Father of the Bride and Father of the Groom
Floral Design: Dellables
Hair & Make-Up: Mira Carmen
Catering: Food for the Soul
Bar Service: Garnish Events
DJ: DJ Skinny Guy of Ace Beats
Vintage Rentals: Opihi Love
Event Rentals: Island Rents
Videography: DMI Video
