Uilani and Mansan's Maui Wedding - Reception

The Setting

This beautiful reception was held in Maui at Kalama Beach Park Pavilion, alongside the picturesque beach where Uilani and Mansan exchanged vows.  It was a small close-knit, family-driven reception.  Uilani planned out all the details back in Washington, purchased it all, packed everything into totes and loaded them on the airplane with her for this destination wedding.  All the family members were involved in helping to set up and pull together this special ceremony and reception.

Her father served as bartender.

Large green leaves lined up to create a table runner that staged candles, flowers, pictures, and pineapple, a truly customized and tropical centerpiece that was both charming and memorable.

The Cake

I must take a moment to mention how impressed I was with the $40 cake from Safeway.  It was both beautiful and flavorful, and what a great price!

Now, a little back story on this cake... The top tier was never supposed to sit on the bottom tier.  The bottom tier was going to stand alone with fresh flowers topping it and the smaller cake was going to top the cupcake stand next to it.  However, the person who picked up the cake wasn't told that and so they had it put together like this before the bride arrived.  The bride thought it looked quite nice and I must say it turned out lovely as a stacked cake.  However, a cake never meant to be stacked is a dangerous thing.

As the night wore on, after the cake cutting ceremony, the top tier slid off the compromised bottom tier and made an impressive cake smash.  And the night ended with the cake being playfully smashed on the bride and her giving frosting-filled hugs to all her children and guests.

The Fun

The maid of honor and flower girl, both daughters of the bride racing along the beach

 The beats were bouncing and there was lots of dancing!

The bride and groom know how to groove!

It was an emotional scene as Uilani's father held her close for their dance together.  My favorite moment of the evening was seeing and feeling the love between this father and daughter.

There was dancing, dancing, and more dancing.  Money is traditionally tucked into the clothes of the bride and groom as they dance the night away.

The cake cutting turned into a bit of a frosting fest, much to the delight of the kids present.

Toasts were given and well-wishes for the newlyweds.

Lani, a hula dancer by profession and cousin to the bride, danced a beautiful hula dedicated to the couple.

A fun touch to the party was a few games guests could engage in.

The dancing was always going on in the background.

Another game was a giant Jenga.

One of the final photos we took of the reception was the view from afar.  Framed by the darkness as night set in, the pavilion glimmered and glowed with party lights.