A laid-back Hawaiian beach wedding (planned in two months!)

Photo by The Ferns Photography via Bridal Musings

Laid-back & intimate, tropical scenes & pastel-colored skies – this relaxed Hawaiian beach wedding is a stunner. But what makes this destination wedding even sweeter is that Bride Zoe is a friend of Bridal Musings! (Cue the happy tears!)

Zoe is well versed in the wedding industry. Now the founder of Canadian retail brand Finding July, in the past has represented many of our favorite bridal designers such as Rime Arodaky, Alexandra Grecco, Watters & Laure de Sagazan. So it’s no surprise she was able to pull off this flawless Hawaiian destination wedding in just two months. Taking advantage of her beau Ziad’s family’s trip to Maui, the stylish couple called on a number of Hawaiian venues to see if they could make some beach wedding magic happen – and they absolutely did!

While we may not all be wedding pros like Zoe, she thankfully offers quite a fair amount of sage advice for anyone planning on a tight schedule. Knowing that all of their twenty-six guests would be making a vacation out of their wedding, the couple were flexible about which day of the week their wedding took place – giving them plentiful venue options with midweek availability even on such short notice.

And what if you don’t have the budget for a destination planner? Zoe says, “Ask your vendors.” If you’ve found anyone local you already love – photographer, florist, venue, etc – chances are they’ll have suggestions of other vendors they love to work with.

Our Love Story

We met in Paris eight years ago. We were both studying abroad at the same business school, Ziad is from Lebanon and I am from Canada. We have had quite an adventurous life since then, living together in Paris for three years and then moving to Dubai, where we became engaged. Then over to Los Angeles (where we live currently) but Ziad went back to Dubai for a year and a half and I moved to New York City. I then travelled between Canada and the Middle East during that time. We love to travel and share new life experiences and I think this really keeps our relationship strong.

Ziad proposed on Railay Beach in Thailand. It was my dream trip to go to Thailand and he made it that much more special.

The Dress & Attire

My dress was from Grace Loves Lace. I had seen a few of their dresses on Instagram and luckily, they have a showroom in Venice Beach. I took the appointment with one month until the wedding, knowing I would have to buy a sample or something on such short notice. But as fate would have it, Grace Loves Lace has a RTW (ready to wear) line. I found my dress that day and was able to order it to be sent to my home with a 10-day delivery – no alterations necessary.

For the groom, Ziad and his groomsmen got their suits from Zara and my sisters’ white bridesmaids dresses were from Nordstrom. I wanted them to have modern dresses they could actually wear again!

Photo by The Ferns Photography via Bridal Musings

The Wedding Vibes & Planning

Our wedding was an intimate destination wedding. We had twenty-six guests attend the wedding in Maui – only close family and friends. We planned the entire thing in under two months. We decided to have this wedding on a bit of a whim as Ziad’s family was travelling to Maui for vacation and we had been engaged for three years, with no exact wedding date or plan in sight. I knew I wanted a destination wedding and we also knew we wanted something small with just our close family and friends, so we decided right there on the spot this was the perfect option for us.

With only two months to plan a destination wedding, we had to call a lot of venues and gather package details quite quickly. We chose a mid-week date, so we would have more options to choose from. I first started looking at photographers on Instagram and quickly found The Ferns Photography. Jessica was amazing and recommended so many vendors and venues to work with on the island. This was actually how I found my florist, make-up artist and videography team.

For the décor I wanted it to be very minimal, with lots of white and greens giving that elegant tropical feeling.

The Venue

The venue, Sugar Beach Event, was a great option for us as they offered complete packages with DJ, catering, cake, everything you need for the ceremony and the reception. It made my short planning time so much easier. The ceremony was outdoors and very private right on the beach and the dancing and dinner took place in doors where there was AC. It was honestly the ideal scenario.

The Photography & Videography

I really loved both of their styles. The Ferns Photography has a beautful light and airy feel to her photos and Areca Film Co are just so talented. They really captured the feeling of the wedding on video.

Advice for Other Couples

I think Instagram is a big help for finding inspiration, vendors, venues etc. Pinterest is another good one to check out for florals and dress inspo. I think If you are planning a destination wedding and don’t have the budget to pay for a planner, it is really important to ask local vendors for their recommendations. Even if you are just in the beginning stages of speaking with them, ask them what venues they would recommend, hair & makeup artists etc. People will share their tips and this is super helpful when you are not familiar with the area.

Favorite Moment

I think my favorite moment of the wedding was the first dance. Being surrounded by our friends and family and really feeling their love. It was an unforgettable moment.