If you are looking for an adorable intimate venue, Daylight Mind is the perfect place for your wedding!
My husband and I visit the Big Island every year with my family and wanted something that was intimate and memorable, not something generi...c that can be done at a big resort. In fact, he proposed to me the Summer of 2017 on the Big Island and before we headed home to California we toured the various wedding locations at a very well-known resort in Waikoloa. The wedding planner on-site showed us about five possible locations on the property that we could use for the ceremony and/or reception site. We fell in love with one of the five and even reserved it for our planned August 2018 wedding. A few days after returning home we were required to put down our deposit with the resort, but yet something didn't quite feel right. Of course it was a beautiful, popular venue and everything would go off without a hitch, but that was also its inherent problem - it was popular and it functioned like a machine because so many weddings occurred there day in and day out. Additionally, at a resort it is easy for your wedding to be watched by resort guests, thus making it more of a spectacle for uninvited guests to watch, than a private intimate experience for your own friends and family. The special 'unique' factor was missing for us. We wanted it to feel like our own memory that we could remember for years to come, not a wedding that is 'cookie-cutter'.
My mother actually discovered Daylight Mind's wedding venue through Wedding Wire and other wedding sites. We had always visited the Daylight Mind restaurant location when we stayed in Waikoloa for breakfast, yet never saw the Kailua-Kona location in-person. Although it bothered me a bit to consider a venue that we hadn't even set foot in, the reviews on WeddingWire and elsewhere about Daylight were unforgettable. If you are skeptical of booking sight unseen, trust the reviews and experiences of others who have been in your same position.
We worked with Alycia, who was phenomenal! She was so sweet, accommodating, quick to respond to emails, and extremely helpful on the big day and throughout the months before. The oceanfront views are spectacular. The bistro lighting was affordable and really added a special wow factor to the patio for the reception. We brought a great deal of our own items - lanterns, flatware, decor, napkins, runners, etc. - for the space at the reception, which Alycia allowed us to store at Daylight a few days before the wedding. My mom and I designed everything ourselves and had a vision in mind for the reception that Alycia and her team delivered perfectly. The food was absolutely delicious and abundant - we had boxes and boxes of leftovers. For appetizers, we went with the 'passed pupus' of the kalua pork sliders, bacon wrapped scallops, caprese skewers, and the avocado fries (yum!). For salad, we went with the caesar salad and paid extra for the tropical fruit platter. Our entrees consisted of the furikake crusted fish with the wasabi cream, braised short ribs, and teriyaki chicken. The sides that we selected were the local style macaroni salad, green beans with mac nuts, and the seasonal vegetable risotto. For our cake we went with a coconut cake with vanilla bean buttercream and liliko'i (passion fruit) curd. In terms of the bar, we did an open bar with a max price point. Also, we selected a hibiscus mule (stunning drink in both flavor and visually with an actual preserved hibiscus flower in the glass!) and a lava flow (had a little fun with the active volcano) as our two signature cocktails.
Overall, we had an intimate wedding that we will never forget and we have the talents of Alycia and the beauty and magic Daylight Mind to thank for that!