Sumptuous Maui Wedding by the Sea

On December 6, Shelley and Pat Manning hosted their truly delicious wedding at the Olowalu Plantation House in West Maui, Hawaii. A white vintage canoe filled with crushed ice and topped with just made sushi, featured king crab, giant shrimp, and poke, all served with a variety of yummy sauces to bring out the flavors. That was just the start as five different passed appetizers were paraded through the crowd, coconut shrimp with lychee dipping sauce, kalbe marinated beef sticks, summer rolls with Thai dipping sauce, chicken skewers with cilantro mint and crostine caprese. Still more to come with two salads, many entrees, including fresh fish and prime, prime rib, pasta, a mashed potato bar, and accompaniments. All the food expertly prepared by Carol Longhi Catering.

The lawn was filled with white flowers by Teresa Sena Designs. Shelley wanted white orchids, roses, peonies, accented with green and white lush flowers. Teresa delivered a gorgeous interpretation of Shelley’s vision.

Wedding Design: Blue Sky Weddings
Food: Carol Longhi
Flowers: Teresa Sena Designs
Photography: Barry Frankel

December Wedding at Olowalu Plantation House in Maui

Coming from Australia, Julie and Jarrod found a central meeting point to marry at the Olowalu Plantation in Maui. Their families flew out from Southern California and Australia to join the couple for their marriage ceremony in West Maui. The wedding and reception featured bright jewel toned flowers, a travel theme featuring the couple’s favorite cities and destinations and a clear top tent with pretty white lanterns. The music was provided by Ahumanu, a Hawaiian style duet, and DJ Boomshot. The food was provided by Carol Longhi Oleary Catering. For dessert there was an array of cake pops, French style macaroons made by Fabiani’s Bakery in three flavors and a pot of melted warm chocolate with fresh tropical fruit for dipping on each table.  After the family style dinner was served dancing lasted into the night.

Photography by Hula Girl Photography
Catering by Carol Longhi Oleary Catering
Planning and Design by Blue Sky Weddings Maui
Flowers by Sally of Blue Sky Weddings
Officiate: Reverend Kimo Kirkman
Venue: The Olowalu Plantation House in Maui
French Style Macaroons: Fabiani’s Bakery

Shave ice: A cool idea

Shave ice is a fun addition to a wedding reception and Maui has lots of options for shave ice vendors. The choices available range from classic neon syrups in bright colors to organic local fruit flavorings, expensive and fancy to home styled and simple. Another popular idea is to feature cocktail inspired flavors such as pina colada, lava flow, blue Hawaii, or whatever your fancy and  add a shot of rum or vodka to top it off for a lush cocktail. Shave ice is a cool idea for hot weather weddings.

Shave ice is a Hawaiian tradition brought to the islands by Japanese plantation workers in the late 1800’s. Fine ice is shaved off a block which makes the ice very fine and  allows it to mix completely with the flavor syrups.  It is typically served in a paper or plastic cup.  Often a scope of vanilla ice cream or azuki bean paste is added at the bottom of the cup. Some of the many flavors include, pineapple, guava, coconut, lilikoi, li hing mi, lychee, mango, Thai tea, kiwi, tiger’s blood, watermelon and local Kula strawberry, add a snow cap, homemade azuki beans, fresh mochi balls or a scope of Roselani vanilla ice cream and you have a local Maui sweet treat to impress your guests.

Positively Paia: A Maui Jewel

It’s rather a great challenge to find places in Maui that measure-up to the island’s splendid natural beauty in terms of man-made enticements, and the smoothly unpretentious and energetic town of Paia accomplishes this impressive feat. With only two main streets, Paia is filled with individual shops and restaurants that thankfully belie all too common trends for chains that dissolve geographical and personality distinctions.

Without having the opportunity to visit all Paia’s myriad establishments, here are several that have proven memorable during several initial visits to this colorful Maui town.

Cafe Des Amis

Café des Amis invariably charms and satisfies, with an ambience somewhere in-between a bohemian outpost and a family friendly cowboy salon, while maintaining a beneath-the-surface sophistication worthy of Paris. Theirs is a simple menu executed with flair and consistency. My personal favorites are the vegetable curry, with a recipe from India, and a Mediterranean platter, filled with absolutely fresh and enticing items. The specialty of the house are crepes, both savory and sweet, and they are truly memorable. Service is excellent, deliberately not too rushed, and one may dine inside or out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in total enjoyment, while a soft parade of denizens and visitors pass by, and into the café.

Paia Fish Market is a refreshingly simple and straightforward proposition, including seating at friendly picnic benches inside. Forgoing most extraneous inducements, customers place orders at the counter, and then wait for numbers to be called. Every day has a newly composed list of the fresh fish available in a variety of delicious presentations. Freshness and quality of the various fishes is superb, and one may enjoy first-rate seafood at a fraction of the cost found in upscale establishments. Additionally, there are Mexican delicacies available, not to mention hamburgers, salads, and terrific coleslaw. The ambience here is perfect for the menu, and one feels the ocean’s presence, with open windows and doors, even though you’re in the middle of town.

Mana Foods brims with the excitement of life, and recognition that this is the place to go for the finest fuel to keep us going. Every section of this joyfully complex epicurean marketplace brims with alluring temptations, and the people who work there are cheerfully helpful. Every imaginable product is available, from organic produce, freshly prepared foods, seafood, seeds and nuts, spices, breads, vitamins, bath products, etc. The selection at Mana Foods is staggering, and one may easily spend hours roaming the colorful aisles.

Mamas Fish House was initially entered with some skepticism due to their hefty prices and large lines. I was fearful this might turn out to be an underwhelming tourist trap. Nothing could be further from the truth, fortunately. A true aloha spirit among the hosts and servers prevails, moving things at a luxurious pace that vanquishes time and worries. Tables are well spaced, enhancing the royal ambience. The cuisine is exquisite, and carefully prepared, with a wide selection of seafood and other choices. Mama’s Fish House is located several miles past Paia, and its well worth the extra drive for an authentically Hawaiian culinary experience.

Biasa Rose is a lovely, charming shop with carefully selected clothing for women, men, and children. I especially enjoy their fine eye for captivating colors and designs.

Indigo has an astoundingly fine and varied collection of authentic rugs from the mountains of Afghanistan. Their jewelry selection is also extraordinary, including exquisite pieces from India, Ethiopia, Thailand, and Hawaii too. This is definitely a place to visit, almost like journeying to a foreign land beyond Maui.

Aloha Bead Company dazzles with its comprehensive inventory of semi-precious, stone, and glass beads for those who wish to create their own jewelry. Additionally, one may bring in jewelry for repair.

Again, I am certain there are myriad other restaurants and shops in Paia that are equally satisfying, so enjoy yourself while exploring more fully one of the jewels of Maui. Even if you don’t plan on entering any restaurants or shops, it’s a fine diversion walking on the storied sidewalks kissed by sunlight or moonlight, caressed by gentle breezes, while you drink in the pastel and prismatic painted town that time has given a pass.

  • Shopping Paia Maui
    North Shore shopping: Biasa Rose

– Eric Robinson, November 2013

© Blue Sky Weddings 2013 All rights reserved

Photography:  © Gabrielle Longhi

Maui Wedding by the Sea

Charlotte Prynn and Drew Hirst married at the  Olowalu Plantation House in Lahaina Maui in September. Charlotte choose one of my favorite color combinations focusing on orange orchids, tulips, lilies and tangerine accents throughout.

Photography: Stewart Pinsky of Hula Girl Photography
Food: Catering: Carol L Oleary
Wedding Cake: Maui Sweet Cakes
Flowers: Blue Sky Designs
Wedding Planner: Blue Sky Weddings Maui
Venue: Olowalu Plantation House
DJ: Sound Wave Maui

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Maui wedding with tropical theme

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Olowalu Maui wedding by Blue Sky Weddings

Wedding ceremony by Blue Sky Weddings

Wedding in Maui

Reception, cocktails, at wedding

Crostini passed appetizers

Shrimp appetizer

Chicken skewers at wedding

 

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Andrea & Christopher are Married New Years Eve in Lahaina Maui

New Years Eve Wedding at the Olowalu Plantation House Maui

Photography:  Hula Girl Photography Maui

Wedding design, decor and planning:  Blue Sky Weddings

Catering: Carol Longhi O’Leary

Andrea Fall and Christopher Zachary wed at the Olowalu Plantation House in Lahaina Maui, Hawaii on New Years Eve. The wedding was blessed with a perfect sunny day and  a perfectly clear gorgeous evening. Andrea and Christopher were joined by family and friends to celebrate their marriage and the beginning of the new year. White tropical flowers were used throughout the ceremony and reception.  Wedding bouquets were a cluster of white cymbidium orchids. Centerpieces of snow white anthurium and protea decorated the tables. The reception lasted through midnight when a show of fireworks was displayed off the south end of the island of Lanai, just across the channel. Stewart Pinsky of Hula Girl Photography was on site capturing gorgeous images of the day and evening.  The delicious wedding cake was done by Maui Sweet Cakes in Paia.  The very delicious dinner for the evening was prepared by caterer, Carol Oleary. DJ Billy Arbour of Sound Wave Maui provided the tunes for the evening. All of the tropical blooms were sourced on Maui with flower design by Sally Longhi.

    • Menu
    • Passed appetizers
    •  Ahi carpaccio on crostini
    • Hamakua mushrooms on gorgonzola crostini
    • Peking duck rolls with plum sauce
    • Upcountry Kula greens with caramelized macadamia nuts and ginger lime vinaigrette
    • Kalbe marinated New York steak
    • Opakapaka served with ginger lime buerre blanc and island salsa
    • Jasmine rice pilaf with caramelized macadamia nuts and pineapple
    • Sautéed asparagus
    • Kona coffee & Wedding Cake
    • Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting
    • Vanilla lilikoi cake with cream cheese frosting
    • Vanilla cake with toasted coconut

Hamakua mushrooms are grown at the Hamakua Heritage Farm on the Coast in Laupahoehoe, Hawaii. Hawaii’s Own Commercially Grown Gourmet Mushrooms.

Lilikoi: Hawaiian yellow passionfruit called lilikoi is sweet and very tart. The fruit is a wonderful addition and flavor added to cakes, tart and jams, or eaten fresh out of the large yellow pod.

Toasted Coconut: Fresh shredded from Maui’s own coconut palm trees.

Images by Hula Girl below:

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Hula Girl Photography Maui- Wedding Planner Blue Sky Weddings Maui

 

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Hula Girl Photography Maui- Wedding Planner Blue Sky Weddings Maui

Hula Girl Photography Maui- Wedding Planner Blue Sky Weddings Maui

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Hula Girl Photography Maui- Wedding Planner Blue Sky Weddings Maui

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