Gosh, folks, I’ve been meaning to post this for days and days, but I arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday for a photography convention (more about that soon) and this is the first little patch of downtime I’ve had! I’ve also been surviving pretty much without internet access, so huge apologies to all of you who are waiting on responses to your emails – I should be able to get back to you over the next few days.

Anyway, almost two weeks ago I had the enormous privilege of being able to photograph my first destination wedding in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, for Kari and Chris. Kari and Chris were planning to book me for their wedding in Seattle in August 2008, but when they decided to change dates and locations, they asked if I’d join them, and of course I couldn’t resist!

I spent the morning photographing the girls getting ready at the condo they’d rented for their vacation. The girls had been up late the night before baking and decorating the adorable Hawaiian-themed cupcakes you’ll see below, and I couldn’t help but sneak one out of the fridge for a cool ring shot! There were lots of great Hawaiian touches throughout the wedding: funky bright pink and white guest bags full of tasty treats and a CD of their favorite music; beautiful lei for the mums and guys (I love how cool the guys’ lei look); flip flops and sea-themed necklaces for the girls … it was all super cute and fun.

Once everyone was ready, we headed over to Waialae Beach Park for the first look and ceremony. What a location! It is one of my favorite beaches in Oahu – fine white-gold sand, bright blue waters, huge shady palm trees, and even a miniature island in the water just behind the ceremony spot. Perfect! I almost fainted when I first saw it, it is that beautiful!

The ceremony started a little later than planned, which was actually great for me as I was able to spend longer with Chris and Kari after their first look taking a few couple portraits and tons of candids. The ceremony was short and sweet, but really beautiful – and I was running around like crazy trying to capture each and every picture-perfect angle.

Afterwards, I jumped into a red Mustang convertible with Kari and Chris (too cool!) and we all headed back to Waikiki for lunch at Tiki’s Grill & Bar. They did a great job with the buffet – I couldn’t get enough of the guava glazed pork ribs! It was also nice having some cool shade to relax in after the insane sunshine at the beach!

Around 4pm, we gathered up the bridal party and families for some group photos in a park next to Waikiki beach, and finally we drove back to Waialae for some final couple portraits with Kari and Chris. We had such amazing light – it was almost dusk by this point – what we photographers call ‘The Golden Hour’. I love the last photo where Chris and Kari are kissing, with the sun streaming through from behind them. Ah, bliss!

I’ll have some more photos from Hawaii up soon (including photos from their post-wedding trash the dress session) but for now I must head back to my convention in Vegas …