This Couple From Oahu Got Married in the Middle of the Ocean at Sunrise

A beach wedding? Brilliant. A beach wedding in Hawai’i? Even better.

If you’re dreaming of hitting the sands of HI for your own Big Day there are SO many examples out there of beyond-beautiful weddings on Hawaiian beaches to look to for inspo. But if you’re anything like us, you’re dying to see examples of couples taking on wedding ideas we all know + love and doing them just a little bit differently.

And that’s exactly what happened when Leandra + Daniel planned their Oahu “I do’s.”

Leandra + Daniel both grew up on the island, so while a wedding in Hawai’i would be a destination celebration for most couples, for them tying the knot on Oahu meant keeping things meaningfully close to home. The newlyweds are both farmer florists and together they own + operate, Cocolani Gardens, a staple of the Oahu floral + event design world. So they came into their own planning process with plenty of wedding expertise under their belts, ready to reinvigorate all typical Hawaiian weddings they’re used to seeing.

So, instead of a ceremony on the shore, Leandra + Daniel said their vows IN the ocean. The sea swirled around them as they stood on a sandbar off the coast of Oahu, a spot that’s super significant for them both. The sunny yellow palm-filled florals they created were gorgeous, Leandra stunned in her custom wedding dress, and the shimmering waters of the South Pacific put on quite a show.

Also, we think this might be one of the first morning weddings we’ve gotten to share! You’ll read all about it below, but Leandra, Daniel, and the intimate list of about 30 guests that they invited to their ceremony all woke up at 2:30 in the morning and were out on the water by 4am so that the couple could say “I do” at dawn as the sun rose over the ocean. 

You’ll see what we mean, but there really is something unbelievably, cinematically romantic about everyone knee deep in the shallows while wearing their wedding day finest.

The dreamy day, planned with the help of Lifestyle Maven Events, continued with a boating excursion back to the island and a joyful reception at Open Palms Plantation (a gorgeous estate in the hills and sister company of the couple’s Cocolani Gardens). And the photos from Emily Turner? Unbelievable. 

Let’s dive in!

“My reception dress was gifted to me from Manana Gogochuri Bridal and I loved that it was not a traditional wedding dress,” Leandra says of this beaded, scalloped a line gown. “This was my chance to wear something a little more exciting so I loved that it was a champagne color with a vintage feel.”

Loving the swooping serif font and two-tone yellow look of these wedding invites from Opal + Helene.

Married in the Morning

“The location was very special to us,” bride Leandra shares. “Both of us spent a lot of time at this sandbar growing up. It was also near where my father, his grandfather and his brother were laid to rest. So it was important for us to feel like we were surrounded by those that could not be there with us physically.”

“We woke up at 2:30 am, left the dock at 4:00 am, and were out in the water for the ceremony start time of 5:45, right before the sun rose.”

“Daniel went on a boat with the boys and set up our ceremony florals and chairs in the dark to ensure he wouldn’t see me until walking down the aisle.”

“I had a reallyyyyy hard time finding the wedding dress that I wanted…so I had it made!” Leandra says of her slinky ceremony look. “My aunty is an extremely talented seamstress, has done lots of work for Ms Hawaii pageant girls and people all over the island. So we found a template to start with that fit my body, I found the fabric and the lace and she made it 100% custom for me.”

“We also wanted something totally private and to not include everyone for the ceremony.” Leandra adds. “Since we work in the wedding industry, I’ve seen so many brides first hand just fly through their day. My sole priority was to be present on my day, particularly during the ceremony and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do that if there was too big a crowd. I wanted something really intimate, so we only included 27 of our closest family and friends.”

We’ve got a whole collection of intimate wedding planning ideas for couples like Leandra + Daniel who want to keep the ceremony crowd small.

Kelehua Kawai of Marry You In Hawaii was there in the early morning surf with the couple to officiate.

Leandra + Daniel’s beautiful leis for the ceremony were created by Lei By Wehi.

“One of the most important elements to me was to make it feel like a real elevated wedding,” Leandra shares. “Many people get married on a beach, in shorts and aloha shirts, and we absolutely did not want that. So it was vital to have a full ceremony set up with florals and chairs and everyone dressed in full attire.”

How often do you come across a couple who are their own wedding florists! This golden, orchid and palm filled arrangements from Cocolani Gardens were glorious!

Our Favorite Memory
The ceremony. It was so surreal, so intimate, so passionate. The sun was rising a bright golden orange and I didn’t even notice it. I was so wrapped up in him, and him in me that it was like nothing else existed. The moment on our boat ride in post-ceremony when everyone jumped in the water to honor my late father was also an absolute highlight of the day!

Our Musical Choices
Processional
Instrumental version of "Wicked Games" by Chris Issac played by Jeremy Hirokawa. The first song Danny ever sent to me to tell me, in his own way, that he was falling for me.
Recessional
"Signed Sealed Delivered" by Stevie Wonder. We wanted something upbeat and fun!
First Dance
"Beyond" by Leon Bridges, sung live by Island Kings Band. This was the second song Danny sent me where he was trying to tell me he was really falling for me without having to say it himself.

So in love with Leandra’s sun kissed natural glam by Reveal Hair + Makeup…

… who we also have to thank for this gorgeously twisty, effortless low bun wedding hairstyle.

You need to take a peek at the Besa Edin V-Neck Chiffon A-Line Wedding Gown from Anthro if you’re into Leandra’s low back look. SO perfect with that 3 strand lei!

Leandra shares the romantic meant-to-be tale of how she and Daniel found each other: “We both were born and raised on the windward side of Oahu…”

“We were acquaintances for 13 years, often seeing each other at parties and having a small flirtation.”

“We had a class across from each other in our first year of community college and would often see each other waiting outside, and that is when we both first truly met.”

“I left the island for college and then traveled internationally for some years, eventually returning to Hawaii and finding ourselves both back in the right place at the right time. 13 years after our first flirtation, he finally spoke a full sentence to me.”

“I had just bought a small farm and was slowly restoring it and managing it on my own, and I knew he had a love for plants, so kept enticing him to come over and check it out. I quickly gave him some jobs of trees to cut down and pretty soon, he never left.”

“We have now turned this farm into a business growing and arranging flowers for the entire island.”

Newlyweds Set Sail

“After the ceremony we stopped by where my father was laid to rest and paid tribute to him, and everyone jumped in the water,” Leandra remembers. “It was absolutely so magical and memorable.”

“We were home by 10 am, had time for a nap and then started getting ready for the reception at 3 pm.”

A Celebration in Paradise

“The reception was intended to be just a fun cocktail party,” Leandra says. “There were no formalities, no sit down dinner, no cake cutting, just a great party with food flowing from 5 different vendors (The Pig and the Lady, Oysters Hawaii, Roti-Si, Sushi On Wheels, and Eastside Kitchen), 3 bar set ups serving great drinks (including wedding cocktail by Gazoz and beers on tap by Pour Decisions), and live music (from Island Kings Band) all night long.”

“For Danny’s wedding suit, we easily found a nice linen suit for the ceremony,” Leandra says, “and when we were at Men’s Warehouse shopping for his reception attire, we told the sales person: ‘We already have something very traditional for our ceremony, so looking for something a little more fun and flashy for the reception. I’m thinking something with a splash of color, the color of our wedding are mustard yellows with accents of teal.’ She said ‘Hold on a second….I might have something in the back for you!'”

“She came back with this metallic teal suit and said ‘I know this might be a little bit too bold, but I’ve had this in the back forever and we only have one and it’s exactly your size. And the bonus….the jacket is $30 and the pants are $1.99!’ We both were a little taken back but once he put it on…it was absolutely meant to be! How could we say no?! We ended up pairing the coat with a nice pair of black slacks to elevate the look because the matching set was a little over the top, haha. But it was perfect.”

And how stunning is that reception lei by Lei Papahi?!!

“We wanted the reception to feel FUN, not stagnant, with lots of character and overall just a great vibe,” says Leandra. “The reception included all the rest of our family and friends, bringing the guest count up to 175. Many of them told us it was the best wedding they have ever been to…so I think we accomplished our goal.”

Ho’omaika’i ‘ana, Leandra + Daniel! Your Oahu “I do’s” in the ocean were absolutely unforgettable. GWS wishes you both nothing but the best!