Sweet Hawaii Wedding + A Tale of True Love And Commitment: Hanniel + Chris

hawaii wedding

Hanniel and Chris have been together for almost 9 years. They have very literally grown up together. When life brought changes, they chose to change together, which always brought them closer.

After dating for 6 years, Chris asked Hanniel’s parents for her hand in marriage. He was ready, she was ready, but life presented a test for them both. Hanniel became very ill and spent 3 years mostly in bed and in and out of the hospital. She was diagnosed with an illness that the doctors said she’d never recover from. Still, Chris’ love never wavered, he stayed by her side through it all. And knowing her prognosis, proposed anyway on March 30th. When she argued with him that he didn’t want to sign up for a life of illness he would only say “What we lack in luck, we make up for in love.

From Hanniel on their vision, “My husband and I knew we wanted our wedding to have a Hawaiian 1960’s feel. So all of the aesthetics were inspired by that. Chris is a graphic designer, so he did all of our print design. It had a 60’s feel, but also paid homage to the island of Maui. We wanted to celebrate those people who had stood by us as well as celebrate, the miracle that we had made it to our wedding day!”

Thanks so much to Delbarr Moradi Photography for the photos and congrats to Hanniel + Chris!

hawaii wedding invitation

wedding rings

favor bags


First, the ceremony took place in Iao valley – a jungle paradise.

Hanniel: For the ceremony we wanted to go somewhere that felt enchanted, somewhere that represented the miracle of this day. Rebekah found and took us to Iao Valley and it felt as though we were on sacred land, it was beyond what we could’ve ever dreamed of.

babys breath crown

babys breath crown

tropical bouquet

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Coming around the bend in the jungle next to the river with my dad on my arm and seeing Chris and all my loved ones. It felt like the dream i had envisioned to get me through the really hard moments of my illness. It felt surreal that I had actually made it.

hawaii ceremony

hawaii ceremony

hawaii ceremony

hawaii ceremony

hawaii ceremony

Our Musical Choices

Processional:

Recessional: Blackbird – the Beatles played by the best man on the ukulele

First Dance: Take Care – Beach House

flowers

wedding party

bridesmaids

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom

bride and groom


From Iao valley Hanniel + Chris headed to the beautiful sugar cane fields for some sweet one on one time.

bride and groom

hawaii wedding

hawaii wedding


After that they changed into their beach gear and met up with guests for a personalized hand packed lunch complete with a slice of pie at Po’olenalena beach.

hawaii wedding

party favor box


After, everyone all went back to their rentals and got changed for the reception at Three’s Bar & Grill in Kihea for food + drinks. How fun!

mixed drink

orange tablescape

confetti exit

just married scooter


The day after it felt as though we had had a wonderful, beautiful dream. Our guests kept saying the same thing, that it felt like they had been a part of a magical and sacred day. Maui had touched us all so deeply, we would never forget the incredible gift it had given us all. What we lacked in luck, Maui helped us make up for in love.

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

I think the best thing we did was surround ourselves with amazing people. Everyone from my dear old friend Delbarr who did the photography, our new amazing friends Rebekah & Alex of A&B Creative, our supportive wedding party and our loving family and friends made the day extraordinary. Having a small wedding leaves only the people who have loved us so dearly through everything. We felt such an abundance of love and support from everyone. Because of my health, we had to choose what aspects of the wedding were most important to us and let everything else go. I think that ended up being a blessing. As far as the details, Chris and I made a cut off day a few days before the wedding and whatever details were done by that point were it. It was hard not to want to do more, but it forced us to let go and enjoy our family and friends that weekend. It also helped that we trusted Rebekah and Alex to execute everything on the big day for us. We made some great memories that weekend that we otherwise would have spent inside on menial tasks that looking back are not missed at all. By the time it was our wedding day we were both so relaxed and re-energized.

Finally, a friend and fellow introvert gave us (both introverts) some great advice. Give yourself at least a couple hours in a room alone. Then you can recharge your battery for the biggest social day of your life. It worked!

photography: Delbarr Moradi of Delbarr Moradi Photography // venue name: (ceremony) Iao Valley, Maui, Hawaii // event design: Rebekah Carey McNall, A & B Creative // planning: Rebekah Carey McNall, A & B Creative // wedding dress: J. Crew // hairpiece: floral wreath made by mother of the groom // bride's shoes: J. Crew // bridesmaid dresses: Anthropologie // hair stylist: sister of the bride // groom attire: Groom's shirt and pants Banana Republic and tie from Penguin // paper goods: Chris Andrew John // catering: Three's Bar & Grill // cake: Maui Specialty Bakery // music: DJ: Thaddeus Cortez // floral design: mother of the groom // groomsman shirts: Penguin // cinematography: Matt // invitations: Chris Andrew John

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