Stunning Multi Day Kauai Elopement
Introduction
If you were to ask me where my favorite place in Hawaii is, I’d tell you without hesitation, Kauai. There is something so magical about The Garden Isle that makes it absolutely perfect for a multi day Kauai Elopement. When Sylvia and Azii first inquired about their Hawaii elopement, they weren’t sure where they would want to elope, but they knew epic views and privacy were their top priorities. And their trust in me to help them make their vision come to life totally paid off.
An Overview of the Day + Timeline
What I love most about intimate, adventurous Kauai elopements like Sylvia & Azii’s is how we were able to plan a timeline that felt perfect for the two of them.
Getting ready
Sylvia and Azii decided to stay in a central area of Kauai because they extended their trip beyond their multi day elopement and wanted to be within an easy drive of all the activities they had planned for their trip. And because privacy during their vows was important to them, we decided to head to their first location quite early in the morning.
They decided to get 95% ready together at their AirBnB in Kapa’a before driving about an hour and a half to Koke’e State Park for the first stop of their elopement day. When they arrived at the park, they took turns changing into their wedding clothes in the pop up changing tent I brought for them.
First look
And because they were so excited to start their hike and to say their vows, they skipped the staged first look and instead helped each other in and out of the changing tent. Azii also helped button Sylvia’s dress and get her hiking shoes on before we started our hike.
Ceremony
Like I said, these two were so excited to just be married that we decided to start their day with their ceremony and vows at the lookout. We walked a short way down a steep, somewhat slippery first portion of the trail to the three options I had chosen for their ceremony site. I knew that the three options I chose for them would work perfect for Sylvia and Azii because during our planning calls, it was clear they wanted a ceremony location that felt as epic and powerful as their love.
The trailhead where they chose to have their ceremony was somewhere Sylvia & Azii had never been before but that they both knew they wanted to visit together. And it was truly the perfect location for them. Our total hike was about one mile with a fair amount of elevation change. Because they terrain is steep and can be quite slippery, I recommended they bring their hiking shoes to get to their ceremony site and then they changed into their wedding shoes once they settled into their ceremony site.
As I mentioned previously, privacy for their ceremony and vows was a top priority for this couple (they didn’t invite any guests for their elopement but are planning a celebration with their families and friends later this year). So because their elopement was during the summer, we decided to get to Koke’e State Park quite early in the morning to avoid crowds. And it worked perfectly! We only saw a handful of people on the trail until we were leaving. The other benefit to an early start at this Kauai elopement location is that the skies were quite clear for the first hour or so that we were at the lookout. In our second hour at the lookout, fog was drifting in and out, but it made for some epic looking photos and video clips!
Portraits
After Sylvia & Azii’s very intimate ceremony, we explored the trail a bit to take some epic portraits on the cliffs overlooking Kalalau.The light was so beautiful in the morning – not that golden hour light we see at sunrise, but not the super harsh mid day light either. The light was absolutely perfect for portraits at the overlook just after their ceremony.
After some time spent at the lookout for portraits, we got in the car and drove to an overlook in the adjacent Waimea Canyon State Park. Sylvia and Azii stayed dressed in their wedding clothes because the drive between locations was less than 30 minutes.
By the time we arrived at the overlooks for Waimea Canyon State Park, it was nearly mid day, so there were definitely more crowds, but Sylvia and Azii didn’t mind too much because they got the private ceremony and vows they really wanted at Kalalau overlook. We stopped at a few scenic spots in Waimea Canyon State Park for portraits. Their portraits were in mid-day light, which looked so cool because they wore stylish sunglasses and the canyon and waterfall were in the background.
After portraits at Waimea Canyon State Park, Sylvia and Azii had their poke lunch that I brought for them at the park and then chose to spend the rest of the day resting before they had a beautiful celebratory dinner at Oasis on the Beach in Kapa’a.
The next morning, we got up really early again for an adventure session on the beach at sunrise. Luckily, the beach was only 15 minutes from their AirBnB and the vibe was much more casual, so they didn’t have to get up super early to do hair and makeup. But the early morning start was well worth it as we had the entire, white sandy beach to ourselves the entire time we were down there.
Their beach adventure session started with some play and movement on the sand and rocks, but what Sylvia was really eager for was to play in the waves in their second wedding outfits. The waves were quite large, so we stayed on the shoreline, but got some really beautiful, playful shots of them snuggled up in the waves.
After their sunrise adventure session, Sylvia and Azii went back to their AirBnB to shower and change before they went to get a very casual breakfast. They then rolled right into their honeymoon in Kauai while I prepared sneak peek photos for them.
Reception
Sylvia and Azii are planning a big celebration with their family and friends later this year. On their elopement day, they shared a beautiful, locally caught/grown meal at Oasis on the Beach, followed by an early night at their AirBnB.
Timeline
Sylvia and Azii booked me for two days of coverage for their multiday Kauai elopement. While I helped them to plan the entire two days, their priorities for photo and video coverage were on their ceremony & vows and then portraits in three epic locations: Kalalau lookout, Waimea Canyon, and sunrise on the beach.
Cell phone service was spotty in all three locations, so we made sure to have maps and music downloaded prior to driving to the locations.
An Adventurous Kauai Elopement
What I absolutely love about Sylvia & Azii’s vision for their Kauai elopement is that they wanted nature to be the main theme and decor for their multi day elopement. And wow did mama earth show off for these two! Because nature was the star of their elopement, they put most of their budget towards photo/video coverage and experiences while they were in Kauai after their elopement.
Sylvia did want a bouquet, which I coordinated for her from Blue Orchid Kauai Florist. They were so easy to work with and created a beautiful bouquet that fit Sylvia’s vision perfectly.
Sylvia’s dress, cape and veil were custom made by a local seamstress she met while living and working in Costa Rica. Azii chose a green suit to compliment the backdrops of their ceremony and portraits
Highlighting the Couple’s Outfits
Sylvia’s dress, cape and veil were custom made by a local seamstress she met while living and working in Costa Rica. She chose a form fitting dress without a train because of the red clay on the trail in Koke’e State Park. Azii chose a green suit to compliment the backdrops of their ceremony and portraits
Because we didn’t have a super long hike to their first location, Sylvia and Azii changed into their wedding clothes in a pop-up changing tent that I brought for them to use in the parking lot of the trailhead. Once in their wedding clothes, they put on hiking shoes and packed in their dressier wedding shoes to wear during their ceremony and portraits. They both did a great job of keeping their wedding clothes out of the red clay on the trail!
All About Koke’e State Park & Waimea Canyon State Park
- Why they chose this location
- Sylvia and Azii love how epic Kalalau is and knew they wanted a location that felt as epic and beautiful as their love. They were up for a short hike, but didn’t want to be too hot and sweaty before their ceremony from a longer hike. In our planning process, they decided to trust my judgement for a second location in the day for portraits. Knowing their personalities and preferences, I chose a beautiful overlook of Waimea Canyon.
- How to get to the location:
- Sylvia & Azii’s dream Kauai elopement took place in Koke’e State Park, followed by portraits in Waimea Canyon the same day and a sunrise adventure session on Donkey Beach the next morning. To get to Kauai, they flew into Lihue airport and rented an AirBnB in Kapa’a. I highly recommended they rent a car to be able to easily get around the island. The drive from the Lihue airport to Koke’e state park is about one and a half hours.
- Cell service is limited as you enter the state parks area, so we downloaded offline maps and a playlist.
- Hike/route info
- We did minimal hiking for Sylvia & Azii’s adventure elopement. However, some hiking was involved. For their ceremony location, we hiked about one mile round trip. The hike was an easy elevation gain over a slick clay trail. Because of the trail, Sylvia and Azii wore their hiking books to get to their ceremony location and packed in their nicer wedding shoes. We were extra cautious with Sylvia’s dress, cape & veil at the first location because of the red clay on the trail.
- I brought my pop up changing tent for Sylvia and Azii to be able to change into their wedding clothes in the parking lot so they wouldn’t have to wear them on the long drive from their AirBnB in Kapa’a. There is a restroom at a nearby parking area, but it’s a very minimally maintained restroom, so I wanted them to have a more comfortable place to change their clothes.
- At Waimea Canyon State Park, we opted for a scenic overlook as opposed to a hike in the park, which worked perfectly for Sylvia & Azii.
- Weather info + best time of year to elope here
- The beautiful thing about Kauai, is that the weather is generally quite mild year round. In Koke’e State Park and Waimea Canyon State Park, you can feel more fluctuations in seasonal temperatures because of the higher elevation. But even in the winter time, temperatures are quite mild. However, the winter months tend to be much rainier than the summer months. The spring and fall are somewhere right in between, but are generally quite pleasant weather.
- One other thing to note about the weather in these two parks is that fog and clouds are quite common. For clearer skies, it’s recommended to get an earlier start in the day. However, even later in the day, if you are patient, the sky does generally clear up occasionally throughout the day.
- Potential roadblocks that you made backup plans for
- Cloudy skies and crowded trails were our biggest concern for Sylvia & Azii’s elopement, especially because their priorities were epic views and privacy. To mitigate that issue, we had flexibility baked into their travel plans in case of rain and we planned a very early start to avoid clouds and crowds. Both cooperated beautifully!
Section: permits, passes, & legalities
The permit process for Koke’e State Park & Waimea Canyon State Park is not for the faint of heart. I started working on permits over three months in advance and am glad I did. After months of communication with the DLNR and county film offices, the permits were issued just one week prior to their elopement day. Permits for their sunrise beach session the next morning were easily obtained through Wiki Permits.
- Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Parks
- Permits for these locations were a bit complicated and required quite a bit of intense back and forth communication with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the County of Kauai Film Office.
- These permits required an active business in the state of Hawaii and I applied for them over 3 months in advance.
- Permits included parking fees at both locations as well as the fees for DLNR and the Film Office.
- State marriage laws/license info
- Apply for the license & pay the $65 license fee https://health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-licenses/
- Schedule an appointment with a licensing agent ASAP. This is a requirement and there are only a few agents on the Big Island. As soon as you know your travel dates & your elopement date, you need to get this appointment booked
- You can read a thorough blog post of how to obtain your marriage license in the state of Hawaii here: https://lunasoulphoto.com/legal-requirements-for-eloping-in-hawaii/
Section: Kauai Elopement Photographer
I love love.
As a Hawaiʻi based wedding photographer and videographer, I help couples document their most important days through photo and video. Documenting couples on the day they commit their lives to one another is truly the honor of my life. I often have “pinch me” moments while I’m working with couples because I get to help them plan & document their most important day in my absolute favorite place in the world.
I specialize in working with couples who have prioritized choosing what feels right for their wedding celebration, even if that means bucking tradition. Whether you’re planning an intimate celebration with just a few guests at an epic location like Koke’e State Park or you’re planning a more traditional celebration with your whole family and friend group, I’m here to make sure you don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to your photos and video.
My couples often tell me they are “awkward in front of the camera”. My approach to photographing Kauai elopements is rooted in documenting genuine connection while helping couples feel comfortable and fully present throughout the day. Of course, we’ll capture some really epic photos, but I’ll also prioritize documenting you, your partner and your people enjoying the moments of your wedding day.
I’m still relatively new to living in Hawai’i. However, I am captivated by the Hawaiian Islands – the people, the culture, the land – all of it. I’ll share with you everything I know about the island and when there is something I don’t know, we’ll Google it together.
