A Vibrant, Tropical Wedding Overlooking the Ocean in Kapalua, Hawaii
A typical Saturday surf session became an especially memorable one when Feng Wang (30 and a finance professional) turned it into a proposal to Anna Vu (35 and works in investor relations). After paddling up to Anna, Feng pulled a ring from his wetsuit and asked her to marry him. “I screamed in delight, causing confused bystanders to check for sharks,” Anna says. “Afterward, I asked if the ring was insured.” Given that it was not, the couple paddled in to avoid souring the moment with a slippery mishap. After getting engaged on the California coast, the couple celebrated their wedding 2,500 miles away in Maui overlooking the same ocean. For the getaway, Anna and Feng planned multiple special events, from a welcome cocktail party to a waterfront day-after brunch.
The couple’s vision for their wedding aesthetic was “tropical meets modern with a Balinese-inspired atmosphere.” The duo describes their pink, green and yellow color scheme as “Sunset in the Jungle.” “A dark base of deep green tropical foliage with pink, coral, peach and orange orchid and anthurium blooms punctuated the designs.” For the wedding, Anna wore a sheath wedding dress with a freesia-accented lace bodice, while Feng chose a white suit.To thank guests for making the trip, the couple “shared the ‘aloha spirit’ by gifting everyone totes containing Korean face masks and Hawaiian snacks.”
To start the ceremony, Anna’s mom led a short meditation as a nod to a childhood ritual: She used to meditate in her daughter’s room to help Anna sleep. As part of the ceremony, the officiant, a close friend, orchestrated a haiku battle between the couple’s eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen. The DJ even added custom sound effects.
Anna and Feng both love surfing. “Every year we go to Maui to catch waves and enjoy warm water since San Francisco, our home, is so cold.” Our planner sourced a koa wood surfboard etched with the same monstera leaf pattern from our invitation suite for guests to sign upon entrance to the cocktail-hour location. In addition to their wood surfboard “guest book,” the duo celebrated the aquatic hobby by registering for his-and-hers surfboards. “We couldn’t think of a better way to remember our wedding than catching sweet waves,” says Anna.
At the reception, “instead of a cake, we served Taiyaki ice cream cones, which were a hit.” Since Anna and Feng skipped a wedding cake, they chose to ceremonially crack a coconut during the reception instead. The duo left the decision of where to honeymoon up to their guests. “We planned a dance-off to determine the location. Our DJ enlisted two guests from each table to participate. From swing to break-dancing, we saw it all.” The result was Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.