by Joel McDonald | Mar 14, 2015 | Kauai Weddings
Kauai wedding minister Joel McDonald during a lighthearted moment at a Kauai beach wedding ceremony. The bride tries hard to get the ring on the groom’s finger!
Is there a typical Kauai wedding minister?
We conducted an interview with Joel McDonald, Kauai wedding minister and co-owner of the popular Kauai wedding planning company Aloha Ever After. Joel works alongside Timory McDonald at many weddings; together they are a husband-wife minister-photographer team.
Question: Why did you become a Kauai wedding minister?
Answer: I have always had spiritual leanings, and in my youth enjoyed exploring different religions, philosophies and spiritual traditions. I attended a religious Catholic school; I studied yoga intensively in India and Thailand; I trained as a Zen buddhist monk in Japan; I practiced Sufism (the Path of the Open Heart) here in Hawaii. Being a Kauai wedding minister allows me to participate in a profound, spiritual moment in people’s lives, which I cherish.
Question: What’s so unique about performing weddings on Kauai?
Answer: Well, for starters, you’re normally standing outside – in the sun, in the rain, in the wind, whatever the weather may bring (actually very few of my weddings have ever been postponed due to the elements). I have performed entire ceremonies in light rain! The Hawaiians used to consider rain a blessing on your wedding day. But it’s certainly very different to standing inside a Church, chapel or other building.
As a result, people are generally more carefree, casual and relaxed when they choose to get married on Kauai. There’s less stress and pressure. Destination weddings are weddings and honeymoon all rolled into one.
There is something magical and sublime about having Nature as your witness. Many couples whom I marry are lucky enough to have a rainbow or pink-and-orange sunset as their backdrop when declaring their vows. It is breathtaking and unforgettable. You really can’t compare it to getting married inside of 4 walls.
Question: Is there a stereotypical Kauai wedding minister?
Answer: In short, no. The State of Hawaii allows many ordained ministers of different faiths to perform weddings here. There are some male Christian ministers with local or Hawaiian ancestry here, but there are also some wonderful female Kauai wedding ministers, and people of all faiths and ethnicities. I think the ratio reflects the general ratio of different people on the island.
Question: What is your favorite part of being a Kauai wedding minister?
Answer: I like many aspects of it – getting to know the couple, working in such a beautiful environment and being part of someone’s special day. However, my favorite part is leading people into their hearts during the ceremony, helping them remember Who They Are and why they are doing this. I like to bring out the raw emotion of the moment in people. It’s a big thing to declare a life commitment to another person in public. It’s a real buzz to feel the energy, depth and sacredness of it, and to assist people by guiding them through that.
by Joel McDonald | Jan 31, 2015 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography in Hawaii
Both wreck-the-dress photos and getting ready shots can be fun!
Getting ready photos, and wreck-the-dress photos,
can be a whole lot of fun. When you look at a couple or more hundred photos after your wedding, it’s really important to have diversity in them. Getting ready photos, as well as wreck-the-dress photos, are two possibilities to create a more well rounded series of photos to document your special day. Besides, it’s nice to look back on the whole day and remember it, even those nervous moments getting dressed up beforehand!
Getting Ready Photos
What are getting ready photos, and why have them?
People tend to forget about allotting some of their photo time for getting ready shots. Remember, the wedding photos are supposed to be telling a story of your day … which is a whole lot more than just the 15 minute ceremony! Getting ready photos display the bride and the things/people that are important to her. Getting ready photos set the stage for anticipation and how important it was to the bride to be, at her best, for the love of her life. If she’s lucky enough to have friends or family there in the room to help her get ready, it’s also a chance to visually tell a story of how important that friendship/person helping her get ready is to her. Some of the best father/daughter, mother/daughter or best friend shots we’ve seen have been taken before the bride even got to the ceremony.
What is the timing for getting ready shots?
Getting ready shots can mean anything from Timory getting there for an hour before your wedding (or more) to just arriving in your room 10 min before you walk out the door to your ceremony and doing (or just reenacting if you’re trying to cut costs on photography time) a few of the more key getting ready shots. There are a lot of examples on my site of getting ready shots here:
https://weddingphotoskauai.com/project/getting-ready/
A good example of a wreck-the-dress photo where the bride only goes in the water a little.
Wreck-the-Dress Photos
What do you have to do, and why bother with wreck-the-dress photos?
As you can see from the link below, wreck-the-dress photos also add a depth of diversity to the entire photo shoot. They can be as simple as you walking at the water’s edge of a pool or the ocean. You don’t need to get more than the bottom of your legs wet. They can also be more adventurous, going half way in or further. They are the shots that show you as a fun couple (remember, we are showing through images who you are as a couple together) being relaxed, spontaneous, adventurous or playful. Trust us, people stuck in the box never do these … so they set you apart from the rest as adventurous!
What is the timing for wreck-the-dress photos?
The timing for wreck-the-dress photos can be very short, or longer if you prefer. They can be as simple as 5 minutes at the end of the wedding photo shoot getting only your legs wet, or longer playing in the water and getting fairly wet. You do NOT need to go all the way in to get great shots. Going up to your waist is about as far as most people go in. You can forget about your photographer; these are mostly candid shots. Just look at each other, play around for a few minutes, and before you know it you’re done (these are normally the guy’s favorite part of the shoot!). Then, you just go change your clothes and go off to eat (or whatever you have planned next) … and your dress will dry and be cleaned perfectly fine. Your hair/makeup does not need to be touched and it does not stain the dress nor need extra clean up beyond changing your clothes.
https://weddingphotoskauai.com/project/candids-trash-the-dress/
Changing Locations
When making plans for either getting ready shots or a change of background shots, people often want to know how the timing works for changing locations in terms of what they are paying for. Generally speaking, the getting ready photos are done next to or closet to their wedding location. If this is the case, then we do not charge for a change of fee location. As long as the change of location is not too lengthy, Timory is very generous with her time and is happy to stop the “photography clock” to help make these very special shots work better for people’s budget. If the change of locations is further away, just give us a ring and check … we are very fair, and we will make it work for you.
Final Wedding Photo Tips
Finally, here are a few final tips to help your photos turn out amazingly.
Many brides are concerned about looking good on their wedding day. Some are worried about looking heavier than they’d like to in their wedding photos. There, we said it! Although Timory has no special trick to take 20 pounds off of you when editing the photos, she does have some tricks up her sleeve. She knows some good slimming poses as well as how to hide things that bug us about ourselves. Just let Caitlin or Timory know what your sensitivities are, and she can help you out with how she takes the photos, what she crops out, hides or accentuates. Timory can really help if you give her a heads up on what you want, or don’t want. As a woman, she understands well that us women have a tendency to be overly critical of our bodies, and Timory is great at working with this to make sure that the photos don’t just look great to other people, but that you look great to you!
Consider whether you want to have your guests holding phones/cameras during the ceremony. It’s fine with us what you choose, but do be aware that small crowd of people taking photos of your special moment is not necessary (you’ll have all the photos you need from us!) and also looks distracting in an otherwise romantic and beautiful photo. Consider asking your guests to wait until after they are in the photographs too to take out their cameras and assure them that you can share your photos with them later.
by Joel McDonald | Jan 31, 2015 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography in Hawaii
Kauai wedding hair can be a tricky thing. It will blow in your face if you’re not careful!
Kauai wedding hair and makeup
is different to wedding day hair and makeup in other locations. We do many outdoor wedding photo shoots which introduces a lot of elements like wind, mist, moisture and rain. When you are styling your hair here on Kauai, you need to take into account these different factors.
Why Is It Important to Have a Professional Do Your Kauai Wedding Hair and Makeup?
We think it’s very important to have a professional do your hair and make up for your Kauai wedding. Here’s why:
- Kauai has unique whether which affects your hair differently than at home. The humidity here is a mix of moisture in the air and salt spray, which can affect your normally manageable hair and can make even the most perfect skin types oily. Having a professional the day of your wedding is a must-have. They come prepared with the tools and products that of been tested against Kauai elements. Also, if you’ve never done your hair and make up for a photo session it’s nice to have someone who knows where to accentuate your natural features, something that really comes with practice.
- Wedding days come with their own set of emotions and feelings. Having a professional do your Kauai wedding hair and make up not only gives you a more perfected look in the photos you’ll be keeping forever, but also takes away from the stress and anxiety of having to do your own.
- When choosing a hair and make up artist it’s important to find someone who’s experienced with brides here in Kauai, who’s easy to talk to you and who has your best interest at heart. You can be confident that Caitlin will ensure you have the best artist (if she’s not available) on your big day! Caitlin is not only here to help you book your photos/wedding, but she is also a licensed cosmetologist. She has years of experience with brides here on Kauai and would be a valuable member of your wedding team helping you get ready the day of. Caitlin has the knowledge and experience to deal with the elements specifically here on Kauai. The hair products and makeup she uses in her kit have passed the humidity, wind and sun test. Taking the stress off yourself on your wedding day to get ready for your gorgeous wedding photos is well worth the extra money.
A Few More Important Tips
- Always bring your lip color to retouch after kissing shots and some blotting paper to get rid of any oil or sweat.
- Hair: pull some or all of medium/long hair back neatly before you come to the photo shoot. This applies to all people whose hair is not really short! One of the most common things people forget is that they chose to have their photos taken at the beach, which is always windy, and then forget to do anything about pulling their hair back. Most people find hair down very attractive, myself included. However I have a LOT of experience with this, and I can assure you that medium/long hair down never looks good on a windy beach … and all beaches have the potential to be windy here on Kauai. If your hair is not at least partially back, it will blow in your face (as in the photo above), and we will have to take up your photo time moving the group around in circles trying to find an angle where it’s manageable, or we will have to have someone in the group hold your hair down!
For more info, see this article on how to wear your hair:
https://weddingphotoskauai.com/kauai-beach-weddings-wear-your-hair/
by Joel McDonald | Jan 31, 2015 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography
Kauai wedding photography time – how much do you need?
Do not assume that the package you picked out has the appropriate amount of photo time for your needs. Many people come to Kauai and get married with no guests. Some packages do not always allow enough time for the number of guests you have. The amount of time you’ll need for your wedding photos depends mostly on 4 things:
- How many guests are in the photo shoot?
- Are there any young kids in the photo shoot?
- How many types of photos do you want from the photo shoot?
- Do you have a videographer?
So how much Kauai wedding photography time do you need? Here are the bare bones: the ceremony normally takes around 15 minutes (unless you have a lot of extras or your own minister). That means you need about 25+ minutes of your photo time to go towards the ceremony, congratulations and signing of the official documents. Then, each couple will need a good 30 minutes alone with their photographer to really capture their love and the best shots of the day. That only leaves about 5 minutes extra if you are considering having your photos done in an hour. If you have no guests, kids or videographer, this is enough time; but if so, you’ll need more time – read below.
1. How many guests are in the photo shoot?
Obviously, the more people you have at your wedding, the more photography time you need. If there are less than 4-5 people, and it’s a simple straightforward photo shoot with no multiple purposes for the photos nor clothing changes, then 75 minutes is often enough. If there are 5 or more people, we highly recommend considering the 90+ minute option.
A good rule of thumb is to count on it taking 3 minutes per pose, assuming there are no kids.
Here’s an example of how long the “bare bones/no fluff” photos take with only 2 guests and no kids: let’s say you are a small group of 4 people total (bride and groom plus 1 couple), and you don’t think you need much of any photos with your guests. Then let’s say you want at least 2 poses of the whole group. This would mean 2 poses x 3 minutes, which equals 6 minutes. Then let’s say you want a photo with each of your 2 guests with the bride/groom, that would mean 2 poses x 3 minutes, or an additional 6 minutes. That would still be a total of 12 minutes of photos.
You can imagine if you have more than 2 guests, that the combinations of what photos you want would add up fairly quickly. We recommend making a list of what photos you might want, multiplying that list by 3, and you’ll have a good estimate of how many minutes you’ll need for guest photos.
General estimates if you don’t want to do the math:
- No guests 60 min photo time
- 2-5 guests 75 min photo time
- 6-10 guests 90 min photo time
- 10+ guests more than 90 min photo time
2. Are there any young kids in the photo shoot?
Obviously, the younger the kids are, or the more kids there are, the more time you need. Kids do not do well being rushed! Kids will likely become cranky if they feel they have to perform under pressure – we know from personal experience! (That is, unless you are lucky enough to have a photo loving little girl who just loves to smile for the camera every time!)
3. How many types of photos do you want from the photo shoot?
People often say they only need a few photos, and that’s totally fine. However, before you throw away a chance to get a lot of bang for just a little extra buck, consider this: the most expensive part of hiring a professional photographer is the first 30 minutes. After that it’s fairly inexpensive to add on more time. Since most people do not have professional photo shoots very often, we recommend doing everything you can in a few minutes at the end if there is time. The most important aim of the photo shoot is normally to get some GREAT couple shots and a couple of good group shots too if there are guests. However, once that is achieved, in the same photo shoot for little or no additional cost Timory would also like to help you get Individual Shots, Couple Shots and the same group/individual/couple shots with a Different Background nearby (often just a few feet away facing a different direction) with no lei on so the photos have a unique feel to them.
4. Do you have a videographer?
If you have a videographer, you will simply need an additional 15-30 minutes of still photography time. The reason is simple: if you have 2 people trying to take the same shot of you and your love, you need to do most of the same things twice, once looking at the still camera, then again looking at the video camera. The little bit of extra time is WELL worth the priceless value of having a video to cherish and watch together each year on your anniversary!
by Joel McDonald | Jan 30, 2015 | Kauai Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography in Hawaii
In this Kauai sunset wedding, which produced magical tones of blue and pink, the sun went down 180° opposite to the background you see in this photo.
A Kauai sunset wedding
is the dream of many brides who come to visit us here on Kauai, Hawaii. If you choose a sunset wedding as many couples do, you still need make another decision about your wedding photography: having photos with the sun directly behind you, or facing you from another direction.
Kauai Sunset Wedding Options: Sky Full of Color vs. Sun Going Down Behind You
On Kauai there are times of the year where the sun sets into the water in areas besides the west side, such as the north or south shore. For information about these unique to Kauai sunset times try asking your hotel or give us a ring. In general, we find that most people do not end up liking the west side as a wedding destination due to the lower beach quality, the beaches not being close to where people tend to stay, nor having good places to eat afterwards … so we do not recommend the west side for most couples.
There are times of the year that Shipwrecks Beach in Poipu has a sunset that reaches not quite to the water, but almost into it … certainly close enough for a great shot in front of the setting sun. Shipwrecks Beach however generally has too may people in our opinion to make it an ideal place to get married. Depending on where you are on the beach it is more likely that the angle at which most shots would be taken to capture the setting sun has a beach behind it … which means space for people wearing bright colored bathing suits to stand-not great for photos.
There are times of the year where the sun sets almost into the water at Hanalei Bay, as well as most beaches north of there. Although Hanalei Bay is also a pretty crowded beach, it is better for sunset photos than Shipwrecks in our opinion because the angle at which we can take a picture of you in front of the setting sun is nearly unobstructed by where people can stand, so it’s just you with the ocean, mountains and sun setting behind you.
Ke’e is a very (year round) consistent beach for the sun setting directly all the way into the water. Because of this, lots of tourists go there each day all year to watch the sun set. The main negative point about Ke’e is that it’s a long drive away from Hanalei (about 30 min going over several one lane bridges) … but possibly for some people this may be a plus. This means it not only takes longer to get to, but some vendors may charge a travel fee to get out there. Once you are there it also means longer to get back to where you will have dinner, with everyone hungry and thirsty.
How to Get Sunset Colors in your Photos on Kauai
This is easy: get married between Lihue and Kilauea. Basically anywhere on the east side, southeast or north east sides, at any time of the year, will do (our favorite spots for this area are Nukoli’i or Lydgate.)
Untruth: Many people think they need to stand in front of the sunset going down into the water to get fantastic sunset photos. This is just not true. There are lots of great sunset shots on the east side of Kauai, where you can never actually see the sun go down into the water at anytime of the year. How is this possible? Because 180 degrees opposite of the sunset are some of the best colors! (Next time you are watching the sunset, turn around and look the other way and you’ll see what I’m talking about.)
The sun going into the water is undeniably beautiful, but it is a very specific shot. Once you have it you don’t need a whole photo shoot of the same thing. To many people a more interesting background for the majority of the photos are all the gorgeous colors 180 degrees away from the sunset (I personally agree given that here on Kauai some of the most secluded and best beach wedding locations are on the east side).
If you have any questions about any aspect of a Kauai sunset wedding, please contact us.
