Tips and Advice: veil length for an outdoor wedding

Photo by Eugene Kam Photography

When it comes to veils, I love the drama and elegance of a cathedral length veil, but for outdoor weddings, I always suggest fingertip length or shorter. The elements can wreak havoc on a long veil, causing it to get dirty while walking down a grassy aisle, and more importantly, the beauty of the long veil gets lost when wind picks it up and tugs ungracefully at a beautiful hair style. At a dear friend's oceanfront wedding, the wind blew so strongly that her veil actually flew off before she had a chance to reach her groom at the "altar" area of the ceremony.

Note to grooms: if heading to windy locales with your bride on your wedding day, help to prevent the flying veil situation from occurring by placing your arm around her back, gently holding the veil in place, particularly while walking around, or even while taking pictures in windy areas. Be careful not to pull on the veil, as it could potentially undo a pretty hair style. A veil in place is a good veil indeed!

elbow-length veil illuminated by light from the window
Photo by Visionari

Boutonniere or lei?

Photo by L'amour Photography

I frequently get asked whether it would make sense to wear a boutonniere or a lei. Remember that a boutonniere requires a lapel, so if going for a more casual affair with perhaps an aloha shirt or sans jacket, a lei would be appropriate. Assuming a suit or tuxedo, then either would work well for a formal event in Hawaii.

Photo by Visionari

Photo by Visionari

I like to suggest a boutonniere for the ceremony and formal picture taking. Because videographers typically pin a lavaliere (pin-on) microphone, a lei could potentially pick up any rustling noise from the lei, so a boutonniere presents an easy solution there. Following the ceremony, and for a subtle change of look, a lei could then be worn for the reception.

Photo by Eugene Kam Photography

A bit of advice: with all the hugging that takes place, a poor boutonniere could take a beating. Consider ordering a second boutonniere to switch to should the first one start looking a little shabby.

Featured Wedding #10: Charisse and Keone

Photos by L'amour Photography

Charisse, a professional hair and make-up artist, and Keone, a talented videographer with Kai Media who also works primarily as an insurance agent, exchanged vows at Waterfront at Aloha Tower, a relatively new and hip venue for weddings.

What made their wedding unique was a distinctive sense of style and panache. With both of them a part of Hawaii's wedding industry, their wedding was a much anticipated affair, replete with all the details and trimmings of a fabulous event.

For starters, Charisse selected a chic hair piece of delicate feathers, with hair and make-up styling by none other than Christine Gardner, a highly sought after artist for weddings and other special events.

A pretty bird cage veil topped off her look and added a hint of "sass" to the elegant ensemble, which included a gorgeous, v-neck gown from the Bridal Boutique and sleek black Gucci sandals to match the black satin sash at her waist.

After carefully getting ready and much anticipation, the couple saw each other for the first time on their wedding day at the ceremony site, where they would exchange vows in just a few hours.

For this "first encounter," Keone's groomsmen and Charisse's bridesmaids patiently looked on, happy for the bride and groom on their special day.

Prior to the wedding, Charisse and Keone stole away for a photo session through downtown Honolulu, capturing some spectacular images. Upon their return to Waterfront, they then "tied the knot," which then led into a fun-filled reception. For more images and the rest of Charisse and Keone's story, visit our blog, where I'll soon be posting more about their wedding.

Congratulations, Charisse and Keone!!!