This Oahu bride made three wedding cakes herself (in a bohemian wedding gown made by her mom!)

Playful and Intimate North Shore Oahu Beach Wedding – Chelsea Stratso Photography 10

Oh how we’ve been swooning over Hawaiian weddings lately. From our dear friend Zoe’s Maui day to this barefoot elopement. Could it be our attempt to warm up everyone in the chilling hemisphere? Maybe. But we feel any season is as good as any to share this joyful, playful, oh-so-delightful Oahu beach wedding photographed by Chelsea Stratso.

Both hailing from Ecuador & meeting on the beach in Hawaii it’s no surprise Paulette & Hector’s North Shore wedding seemed as natural as could be. When planning their day, Paulette kept things natural with sprigs of baby’s breath and the natural flora and fauna taking care of the rest.

Keeping things intimate and low-key, the couple was able to add a number of special touches to their day. Paulette made three (THREE!) wedding cakes herself from her grandmother’s recipes, the family brought plenty of Ecuadorian sweets for the dessert table & Paulette’s mother even made her stunning, carefree boho wedding dress (bravo!)

Our Love Story

He was a young teenage boy from a small beach town in Ecuador. The ocean was his passion as he lived close to it his whole life and traveled to many places searching for the best waves to surf. He was a free soul. She was a wild city girl. She loved to party and have fun with her friends. However, from time to time, she needed to escape from the big city life, and on March 10, 2012, she got away to the beach. It was a summer day when they met.

The first time he saw her; he thought, “If there ever was something called, love at first sight, this must be it.” He couldn’t explain his emotions. He was in shock and couldn’t really say much to her.
Meanwhile, he and the way he looked at her intrigued her. Suddenly he approached her and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk, she said yes, without knowing that she was about to fall in love with him.

It’s been more than five years since that day and we are still together. It wasn’t easy and we had to overcome the many challenges that life threw at us. We even had to be separated for more than a year, but we always knew that we wanted to be together. The love we have for each other gave us our first son, Noah. We were filled with joy and happiness when he came to the world. He is proof of how much we love each other and how strong our relationship has been. For this and many more reasons, we have now decided to make a lifetime vow and a lasting commitment.

-Hector O.

The Proposal

After having our baby boy, Noah, we experienced the purest love as a couple, as parents and as best friends and we knew we wanted to spend our lives together. I always knew that someday we would get engaged but never suspected how and when because Hector had the most magical idea to surprise me.

He told me one morning to dress up and that we were going around the island to have a special day. We stopped in my favorite places, Ehukai Beach and Kahuku to have a refreshing coconut. Later that day, we crossed the street to a beach called Kawela Bay, he covered my eyes and took my hand and guided me to the beach. At some point, he removed the piece of cloth covering my eyes and there he was on his knee, I was shocked and very emotional. I was not expecting it to happen at all. He arranged torches, candles, wine and an unforgettable sunset. Our baby was there with us and I remember thinking that those two are all I want and love. Throughout this year we learned from each other’s kindness, love and respect and that’s something that we have chosen to base our relationship with.

Playful and Intimate North Shore Oahu Beach Wedding – Chelsea Stratso Photography 1

The Wedding Vibes

I always dreamed about my wedding. I pictured lots of open green areas and the ocean. I tried to style everything as natural as it could be – a very simple white, navy blue, green wedding.

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Favorite Moments

The most special moment for me was walking down aisle with my dad to Hector. Watching him wait for me with happy tears and excitement and love and his eyes was amazing.

In our ceremony, we did a palm tree tradition where we poured water and soil and expressed our love and commitment to each other.

Later that day, our grandmas, mothers, aunties, and cousins planned an amazing Hawaiian dance, it was so beautiful and special for us.

The Dress & Flowers

My dress was made by my mom in Ecuador. I choose a simple, backless, and floral dress.

For the flowers, I choose all baby’s breath. I absolutely adore how delicate and natural it looks.

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The Desserts

I’m from Ecuador and for us, the cake table is very important – where you must have different types of desserts. So my mom and auntie traveled from Ecuador with all the good sweets for our special moment. They were delicious!

The wedding cake was made by me. I choose three of my favorite grandma’s recipes – apple caramel cake, coconut almond, and ginger cake. I wanted to do something that looked natural so I made them as naked cakes to which I only added frosting between the layer leaving the cakes exposed. Then, I decorated them with baby’s breath at the top and the base of the platter.