Brielle & Orion
“It was more vacation than wedding.”
That’s how Brielle and Orion described their Hawaii micro wedding week, and I haven’t stopped thinking about that sentence since.
These two love Hawaii. They love surfing together. So when they decided to get married, they didn’t want their wedding to feel separate from the rest of the trip. They wanted to bring their family along, slow down, spend time surfing together, and make the wedding part of all the other moments they already loved about being in Hawaii. For them, their wedding was simply one part of their experience.
And then, of course, it rained.
Not just once. Or twice. But three separate times before they finally made it down the aisle.
But instead of letting the weather take over the day, Brielle, Orion, and all of their loved ones embraced it. And somehow, that made their Hawaii micro wedding even more memorable.
The Couple and Their Decision to Plan an Intimate Hawaii Airbnb Wedding
Brielle and Orion came to me knowing they wanted to get married in Hawaii, but they weren’t sure exactly where or how to make the logistics work with their family.
One of the biggest decisions was finding a place where they could have an intimate ceremony with their loved ones while still feeling connected to the ocean.
In Hawaii, all beaches are public, and holding a wedding ceremony on the beach requires a permit. That means you can’t simply set up chairs, flowers, and a ceremony space on the beach just because it happens to be right behind the Airbnb where you’re staying.
So instead of trying to make the beach work, we started thinking a little differently.
Brielle and Orion sent me several Airbnb options they were considering, and I helped them think through which properties would not only look beautiful, but would also work for the kind of wedding they wanted to have. They ultimately chose a home with a beautiful ocean view and enough private space to have their ceremony on the property, while still having the beach and ocean as the backdrop.
That gave them the best of both worlds: a private space where they could gather with their family and create a ceremony setup, with Hawaii’s coastline still right there in the background.
Brielle & Orion’s Micro Wedding in Hawaii
The morning of their wedding, it was raining here and there.
One thing about Hawaii, especially during the wetter months, is that tropical rain can arrive quickly. One minute you can have a beautiful stretch of sunshine, and the next you’re watching the clouds roll in and wind whip through the palm trees. But just as quickly as the rain can arrive, it can disappear again.
So we kept going.
Brielle and Orion shared a first look while the kids ran around the property, and throughout the day, everyone found little things to enjoy between the rain showers. The Airbnb had coconuts growing on the property, and the host had told them they were welcome to cut them down. The kids also found a little gecko and spent part of the day hanging out with it.
Of course, I photographed it all, because years from now, those might be the details that bring them right back to this particular week in Hawaii.
A Hawaii Airbnb Wedding Ceremony That Almost Got Rained Out
Then it was time for their Hawaii Airbnb wedding ceremony. Everything was set up on the lawn, and all their loved ones were ready to go sit down.
Then it started raining. And not just any rain, but tropical, microclimate rain. So everyone went inside to wait it out.
When the rain stopped, we went back outside, wiped down the chairs, and got ready again.
Then it started raining a second time. So, back inside we went.
The third time, we looked at the sky and decided, “Okay. Let’s try this.” And this time, it worked.
Brielle and Orion’s son officiated the ceremony, surrounded by the people closest to them. Even with all the crazy weather they had already navigated together that morning, nobody complained that the day wasn’t going according to plan. They simply adjusted together. And let the rain become part of the story.
An Intimate Micro Wedding Reception Dinner
After the ceremony, everyone helped move things around for the reception. Guests carried chairs and tables and prepared the space for dinner outside.
But, the rain wasn’t finished with them yet.
It rolled back in during the middle of dinner, so everyone stood up, moved the tables and chairs under the covered back porch, and kept going.
Sunset Vows on the Coast
Later, Brielle and Orion wanted a little time alone together.
We headed out to the coast for private vows as the day began to wind down. After spending so much of the day surrounded by family, this adventure portion of the day gave them a quiet moment to come back to each other and take in everything that had happened.
And somehow, after a day filled with rain, the sky opened up for sunset. The clouds caught the last light, and instead of washing out the colors, the storm seemed to make them even more dramatic.
It felt like Hawaii showing off one last time.
Letting Your Hawaii Micro Wedding Be Your Own
What I love most about Brielle and Orion’s Hawaii microwedding is that it never felt like they were trying to recreate someone else’s idea of what a wedding should be. They built the trip around what they already loved: surfing, being together, spending time with family, and enjoying Hawaii. Their wedding just so happened to be in the middle of all of that.
And when the rain interrupted their timeline, they didn’t spend the day trying to force perfection. They adapted together.
That’s one of the things I love most about photographing intimate weddings. With fewer people and fewer expectations, there is often more room to let the day become what it wants to be.
You can have the beautiful ceremony. You can have the ocean views and the sunset portraits. But you can also have the unexpected little moments that nobody planned for.
The coconut that you cut down that morning.
The gecko that makes appearances throughout the day.
The people you love moving chairs together so the celebration can continue.
The rain that never gives up but somehow turns into the most beautiful sunset.
Those are the things that make a wedding feel like yours. And to me, that’s what makes the photographs matter. Because when you look back years from now, I don’t want you to only remember what your wedding looked like. I want you to remember what it felt like to be there.
More Hawaii micro wedding photos from Brielle and Orion’s Day
Meet The Best Hawaii Micro Wedding Vendors:
Photographer: Henry Tieu Photography
Florals: Isle Flowers
Hair and Makeup: Bridal Kauai
Catering: Finca Makaleha Kauai
Ready to plan your own Hawaii micro wedding?
If you’re dreaming about an intimate wedding in Hawaii but aren’t sure where to start, that’s what I am here for. From finding an Airbnb that works for your plans to thinking through permits, locations, logistics, and what to do when the weather changes, these are all the details I work through together with my couples.
If you are looking for more inspiration on what a micro wedding can actually look like, see what some of my past couples have planned here. Or, if you’re ready to start planning your own day, get in touch with me below!
More Hawaii Micro Wedding and Elopement Inspiration
Meet Your Wedding & Elopement Photographer
I’m Henry Tieu, a dad and the photographer behind these honest, meaningful, and artful images of weddings and elopements across Washington and around the world. Since 2018, I’ve documented more than 200 celebrations across six continents. My work has been featured by Junebug Weddings, Brides, The New York Times, Green Wedding Shoes, Dancing With Her, and Sony, and recognized with international awards. But more than anything, I care about creating photographs that help people feel their memories both now and years from now.
