We often write about the wonderful options we have for hosting your wedding on the grounds of the Holualoa Inn Estate. But it is one thing to imagine the possibilities, and another to see them come to life. To give you a better idea of what an amazing experience a Holualoa Inn Estate wedding can be, we would like to share the experience of Setareh and Jon, who were recently married on the Great Lawn at the Holualoa Inn.
The Hawaiian Islands have always been special for Setareh and Jon, a place where they felt a sense of peace and belonging. For their wedding they wanted to share their experience with friends and family, so they rented the whole Holualoa Inn Estate for a week and treated everyone to an unforgettable vacation. They traveled across the entire Big Island, visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, stargazing along Saddle Road, and hiking down to the Captain Cook Monument. But they also took plenty of time to relax around the pool and enjoy the tranquility of the Inn. One evening they even set up an inflatable projection screen on the poolside lawn and had a family move night and barbecue. According to Setareh: “even though we were thrilled to see it all, Holualoa Inn and its surrounding nature was our favorite spot on the island.”
The day of Setareh and Jon’s Wedding was warm and just slightly overcast, with perfect lighting for their photographer Mark Hinwood to capture their special moments. Setareh said that having their wedding in Hawaii made everything less stressful because they felt like they could just go with the flow. “We experienced a gorgeous morning on our wedding day, but as the ceremony started it started to pour rain. Regardless, it was such a beautiful rain that it didn’t matter.” Their ceremony was small, just 25 people, and was held in the shade of a sprawling monkey pod tree on the Great Lawn, with expansive views of the Kona Coast and the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop. The couple decided on a Hawaiian-inspired ceremony because it “includes elements of the natural world and asks us to consider it in harmony with human life, [and] we knew that is the message with which we wanted to begin our joint life.” The couple were adorned with traditional wedding leis provided by Grace Flowers; maile for the groom, tuberose and a crown of tropical flowers (haku lei) for the bride. They were also able to honor their parents by presenting them with leis of their own. Their parents in turn presented leis to the wedding guests, symbolically welcoming them into the start of Setareh and Jon’s new life together.
After the wedding the guests played lawn games before sharing a beautiful, intimate reception and dinner at the Malulani Pavilion provided by Queen’s Table Catering. Setareh and Jon hired local musicians Island Kings to play live music during the reception, and everyone enjoyed an evening of dancing, laughter and fun.
While their wedding was the highlight of the week, for Setareh and Jon the experience was more about sharing a memorable vacation with their ohana. They and their families took full advantage of their Whole Estate Rental to spend quality time together both before and after the day of the wedding. According to Setareh, “The Holualoa Inn became the ideal setting for such an experience with its family-style home and plentiful gathering places and extremely warm staff.“