Megan and Mark’s Marvelous Maui Wedding

One day, Megan called and said, “I think we might like you to be our wedding photographers.”

And Breanna (me) replied “sounds great! When and where is the wedding?”

Then Megan said, “Maui”. And Breanna said nothing because she was already home packing her bags for Hawaii.

OK, maybe that’s not exactly how it went down, but it was pretty close!  Whether you’re a guest, a vendor, a parent, or a bridesmaid… when someone tells you that you’re invited to their wedding on Maui, you only have one option for how you react. You don’t hesitate, check your calendar, or ask your girlfriend… you just nod yes immediately and ask them to fork over the RSVP card where you can check “attending” to seal the deal.

OK, again, maybe that’s not exactly what we did, but it was pretty close! We actually decided to do the responsible thing and sit down with Megan and Mark to find out more about their wedding and see if we’d be a good fit for it!

(Like our Facebook page to tag yourselves in some of the photos!).

As soon as we realized that Megan and Mark were such awesome people and that it looked like we were going to be a good addition to their wedding, both Scottie and I let out our breaths that we were surprised to find we’d been holding during the entire meeting.

So to put it mildly, yes, we were excited to go to Hawaii. But not just because the coconuts and luaus were calling our names, but because Hawaii is one of the most gorgeous places for a wedding, which means it’s an absolute dream for wedding photographers!

When Megan and Mark told us they were having their reception at The Four Seasons Resort there, our excitement only grew because we couldn’t wait to see what kind of pictures we’d be able to get out of a place that gorgeous with a couple this stunning!

When we arrived on the wedding day and took in the scenery around us, we immediately knew there was no chance we’d be disappointed!

And when we saw the couple themselves, slow, wide smiles spread across our faces. Megan looked GORGEOUS with her blonde hair pinned perfectly in a way that effortlessly resisted the inevitable Maui afternoon winds…

…and Mark was fully caught up into the day from early on as his groomsmen gave tear jerking speech after tear jerking speech.

(I love this picture with all Mark’s groomsmen having a good time around him while he’s just off in his own little world as he eagerly awaits his bride’s entrance into the ceremony!).

Megan and Mark had a beautiful, traditional Catholic Mass for their ceremony.

And from there they moved on for a little bit of photo opp time with yours truly.

Before I dive head first into the super fantastic party details, I need to point out something. One of the things that impressed me most about this wedding, besides the incredible speeches, super supportive family and friends, and the undeniable loving relationship between the couple themselves, was the fantastic planning that Megan did.

As many of the heartfelt speeches I’ve referred to mentioned, Megan opted to go wedding planner free for this and did everything on her own.

If any of you out there have ever had a destination wedding where you have actual ocean between you and the place you’re getting married at, you know this is quite an impressive feat!

( I LOVED the adorable little “Puggle Pops” and “Purr-fect Pops” made to represent their beloved cat and dog who couldn’t be at the wedding with them! Not to mention the elegant, all white candy bar shown below that was all kinds of stunning!)

 

One of my favorite parts of the day (out of many) was the reaction Megan had when she saw the final product of all her months and months of hard work.

She walked into the empty ballroom to check it out before the guests entered, and you could just tell by how her eyes widened, her hands glided along the backs of the chairs, and her smile grew bigger and bigger, that this was EXACTLY the way she had always dreamed her wedding day would be!

She talked about it multiple times throughout the night because she just couldn’t believe how incredibly perfect all her plans had turned out! She was floating on her perfect wedding high as she stood next to her perfect man who was such a perfect match for her.

It was… perfect.

Oh yeah, and it didn’t take long for the party to go into full swing awesomeness!

(Why yes, that IS the Thriller dance!)

(Why yes, that IS Mark impressing us all with his incredible moves that probably caused him a lot of pain in the morning!).

Megan and Mark, I can’t tell you how much I loved hearing all the stories about you two and your love for each other throughout the many elaborate and tear inducing speeches I heard the weekend of your wedding.

Yes, we’re glad we had the opportunity to go to Hawaii, but even more than that, we really are so glad we got to be a part of a wedding where the couple is as loved and supported as much as you two are…

…and who are even more in love than two people could ask to be on their wedding day.

My favorite speech of the night was your best man, Jay’s, speech. I’m pretty sure it will go down in history as one of the best of all time.

(Jay is one left of Mark in this photo).

I loved it because of the way that he described Mark’s ridiculously high expectations for the girl he was going to marry. Everyone thought he was crazy for maintaining these expectations as the years went by and that girl remained nowhere to be found. Then Jay proceeded to explain how Megan perfectly fulfilled all those expectations to a T in a way that completely astounded everyone and made them eat their words for ever thinking that Mark was asking for too much.

He’d definitely found “the one” and everyone knew it.

You guys are such a wonderful couple and Scottie and I couldn’t be happier for you two. It really was such an honor to be a part of such a beautiful wedding that I know will translate into a beautiful marriage. Congratulations!

Oh but wait! You thought that was all didn’t you?! No way, there’s much more!  That’s right, there’s a whole other photo session that we did with Megan and Mark around the island the day after their wedding… and yes, I’m going to make you wait for it! So be excited, be very excited because there’s nothing better than a day after session with a fantastic couple in the extraordinary world of Maui! Here’s a taste of the session…

… check back later this week for the rest!

Click to see more photos from Megan and Mark’s Marvelous Maui Wedding here.