The Globe Trotting Lehenga

Tell us about your love story

James and I met our first day of graduate school in Miami, Florida. We started dating our last year in our program. We connected over our love for ice cream and outdoor adventures. Two years later, we both moved to Maui and continued to explore the great outdoors. We had an extremely romantic proposal. James took me on a surprise trip to Oahu and booked a stay for us in one of the villas at the Turtle Bay Resort.

What was your and your partner’s vision for your big day?

Our wedding vision changed multiple times due to COVID. Initially, we were going to have our wedding in New Zealand, but we ended up moving back to Hawaii. Then when COVID restrictions were put into place, we were extremely limited in how we could celebrate. Ultimately, we did not want to postpone our wedding any longer, and we decided that we just needed the people that mean the most to us with us on our big day.

How did you decide on your venue?

We definitely knew that we wanted an outdoor wedding. James and I both love all the outdoor offerings of Hawaii and we wanted to bring our sense of adventure into our wedding. We immediately knew that we wanted Kualoa Ranch on Oahu to be our wedding venue. They offer so many venue sites, that we were not sure which was the best fit for us. After touring their property, we fell in love with their Jumanji location. The Jumanji venue is actually where quite a bit of the latest Jumanji movies were filmed! Jurassic Park, Kong: Skull Island, and Lost are some films and shows that have been shot on the property. The venue was set back in the Kualoa valley so we were surrounded by the Ko’olau mountain range and had a view of the ocean. It truly is a magical place.

Tell us about the vision you had for your wedding - theme, overall feel, food, décor etc.

Our wedding took place while COVID restrictions were still in place in Hawaii, and there were very strict rules on people gathering. To keep everyone’s safety in mind and to abide by the state’s laws, we only invited our immediate family to attend our wedding. With such a small wedding, we wanted to make sure that it was a memorable experience for everyone and we wanted to convey a sense of intimacy.

Mehendi night: We had a really beautiful mehendi night at the home we rented for our family. We had Hawaiian style food and a local mehendi artist during the entire evening. The house is located in Diamond Head so we were able to watch the evening surfing crew catch waves while we dined and enjoyed the evening. Our family shared special stories of James and I. It was so heartwarming to hear about how our loved ones viewed the love that James and I share. I wore a mango colored dress since we were in mango season and our favorite Hawaiian song is about mangoes.

Wedding day: Our wedding was set at Jumanji at Kualoa Ranch. Our family was picked up at the Low Camp location and was transported via Kualoa trolley to the Jumanji location. The trolley ride passed through several past movie set locations, so it was like our family was getting a movie tour while they were traveling to the venue. The entire Low Camp area was filled with hundreds of cows, one of my favorite animals. The florals of the altar were made up of dried palm leaves, pink roses, and ti leaves. I walked down a hillside as my processional to the altar. Since we were not able to find a Hindu priest to perform our ceremony, we had a family friend who officiated our wedding and served as the muscian. He performed a traditional Hawaiian ceremony with some Hindu aspects. James and I exchanged lei Maile, made out of ti leaves, instead of our traditional Indian garlands. As soon as our ceremony ended, we were blessed by a short sun shower.

Wedding reception: We opted to have our wedding reception at Goen Dining, a restaurant in Kailua. While our family enjoyed appetizers, I had a quick outfit change into a white midi wedding dress with pearl straps and pearl earrings. The food was asian-inspired Hawaiian fare. Our cake was a lilikoi, passionfruit, cake decorated by anthuriums, one of my favorite flowers.

Boat Day: The following day, we surprised our family with a private boat charter from the Ala Moana Harbor. We spent the entire morning out on the water. We stopped to snorkel and hang out with the turtles. We even spotted a few dolphins swimming close by. I wore a white swimsuit and a haku lei.

What was your bridal look vision? And how did it all turn out the day of?

I wanted to feel like the best version of myself and not look like someone that I did not recognize on my wedding day. I opted for my hair to be down in soft curls. My makeup artist encouraged me to try a bold lip that matched my lehanga, and I ended up really loving that look. Overall, I felt really happy and like myself on my wedding day.

Tell us about the experience of finding your dream dress at Khajana Boutique?

I really appreciated and enjoyed the experience that I had at Khajana Boutique. I went dress shopping with my mother-in-law and it was a really fun experience. Shaina was extremely helpful and spent a lot of one-on-one time with us. She was knowledgeable and took the time to educate us on fabrics, styles of lehengas, and current trends. She gave us some ideas on possible jewelry pairings with each lehenga that I tried on. The first lehenga that I tried on was the dress that I ended up buying. My mother-in-law cried when she saw me in that lehenga so it felt like a sign that it was the right one for me. The shopping day was an incredible bonding experience for us both.

I also feel like the quality of the lehenga was exceptional. I took the lehenga back with me to my parent’s home in Florida after purchasing it at Khajana. Over the next two years, we travelled , moved to New Zeland, then Maui, and finally Oahu. The lehenga was able to maintain its shape and size throughout all of those moves with almost a year in my suitcase.

Planning/Design: @styledelopements @forthegoodevents

Venue: @kualoaranchweddings
Photo: @seekingfilms
Rentals: @alohaartisans
Florals: @jeffalencastre
MUA: @revealhairandmakeup
Officiant/Musician: Hawaiian-Way Entertainment

Mehendi: @henna_hawaii