A wedding in Hawaii usually conjures images of sandy white beaches and clear blue waters. But Alexa Wilhelm and Ikaika Sarme opted to marry at Kahua Ranch, a working cattle ranch on the Big Island, instead.
“We wanted something that felt more like the Hawaii Ikaika knew growing up, ” Ms. Wilhelm said. “We wanted a place that showed the Big Island countryside, a place that most of the guests are likely to never see, ” Mr. Sarme said.
Ms. Wilhelm, 28, grew up in Newport Beach, Calif., where the couple now lives. Mr. Sarme was born on the Big Island in Hawaii, though moved to Newport Beach when he was 6.
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She received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Governors University. She is an aesthetic nurse at MySkin, a medical spa, and also works at NRC Research Institute, a clinical research and development facility.
Mr. Sarme received an associate degree in aviation sciences at Orange Coast College and is employed as a certified flight instructor out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County. “Once I have reached 1500 flight hours, my goal is to work for a major airline and eventually fly internationally, ” Mr. Sarme said.
After meeting through mutual friends at a Halloween party in Newport Beach in 2016, Ms. Wilhelm said she “friend requested him on Facebook, after figuring out how to spell his name.”
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Two weeks later, they went on their first date at an In-N-Out Burger in Costa Mesa. “We ordered it to-go and ate back at the house. I like to eat my Double-Double in private so I don’t look like a monster in public, ” Mr. Sarme said. (Ms. Wilhelm described him as someone who “had no cares” and “long surfer boy hair.”)
After 11 months together, he moved into her parents’ Newport Beach home with her and they lived there for about three years. “It’s a very supportive environment, ” Mr. Sarme said of the household. “We were both in school — nursing and pilot — and just could not afford to live in Orange County without taking a huge loan out, ” Ms. Wilhelm said.
In 2019, they were in Paris for the New Year’s holiday. “One day we rented a tiny little car and drove out to the countryside. After champagne tasting and eating sandwiches in our little car, Ikaika asked me to walk up this little hill, ” Ms. Wilhelm said.
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“I had a hard time convincing Alexa to walk further because we were running late and she didn’t want to get charged extra on the rental car, ” Mr. Sarme said. But follow she did and that’s when he proposed. “I don’t remember a single word I said, but I was crying.”
118 guests joined them for their Kahua Ranch wedding on Aug. 27. Local regulations required anyone flying in to Hawaii to be vaccinated or get tested for Covid.
“Just before I walked down the aisle with my dad, Tom gave a Hawaiian blessing and blew the conch shell, ” Ms. Wilhelm said. “The Big Island has a lot of mana, and if you have a ceremony of any kind, it’s good to set the intent with some positive Hawaiian prayer, ” Mr. Sarme said.
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The ceremony was on the lawn, with the reception on the lanai and dancing in the barn. “You see tractors and other farming machines as you drive up and then nothing but rolling hills, animals, and rustic buildings, ” Ms. Wilhelm said.
The sit-down dinner featured a fresh Hawaiian menu, including pitaya caprese skewers, seared ahi on ‘uala and kalo chips, Kalbi ribs and assorted malasadas, “with ingredients sourced directly from the island, ” Mr. Sarme said. The “guest book” was one of Mr. Sarme’s surfboards, and the caterer made a special hot sauce as wedding favors.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section ST, Page 16 of the New York edition with the headline: For Starters, an In-N-Out Burger to Go. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | SubscribePlanning a Hawaiian Wedding? Oahu is one of the most popular destinations for tropical weddings. There are some great venues for Oahu weddings to explore, so take the time to review your best options. You could easily go with some of the Oahu wedding packages that are readily available, customize the different components to your special day, or find the right combination that works for you.
Plan Your Hawaii Wedding: Kauai Edition
Planning a Hawaii wedding can be a big undertaking, but here at Best of Oahu we hope to break down some of the different components and identify some of the best choices on the island.
Some of the different components of your Oahu wedding venues that you might want to think about include are tropical wedding flowers, best island locations to take photos, fun bachelor & bachelor party choices, wedding party outings and dinners, best Oahu hotels and honey moon sweets, and of course the wedding itself!
Catch all the latest trends, styles, and ideas for your upcoming wedding. These Wedding Expos offer a large array of vendors who specialize in different sectors of the industry, from stunning wedding dresses to beautiful flower creations that help create the magic to your special day, you will find it all at these types of events!
The Best Hawaii Wedding
A big part of the memories are the pictures taken during the trip, not just on the wedding day. Oahu is a picture perfect island, so you won’t have to wonder far to capture some great Hawaiian wedding photos.
Waikiki Skyline - Start with the grand skyline view of Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background. There are a couple spots that will frame this view better than any others.
Perfect Oahu Beaches - Waikiki Beach is a bit crowded for taking wedding pictures, but most other Oahu beaches are not. And then there are a few beaches that are exceptional for taking good beach wedding photos including Waimanalo Bay, secluded Yokohama Bay, and even many sections of Diamond Head Beach.
True Hawaiian Traditions
Hire a professional photographer for a 1 hour beach photo section. Take advantage and capture some memorable beach photos and some surrounding icon backgrounds... Learn more details
Iconic Places - Also consider taking some pictures in front of some of the stunning monuments and iconic places around the island, including the Iolani Palace , the Waikiki War Memorial, and Pali Lookout. These bold dramatic backgrounds will frame your picture backgrounds nicely.
Getting married on Oahu is not only an experience for the bride and groom, but for family and friends who chose to join you on this celebratory vacation.
Hawaii Wedding Photo Gallery
Take time and plan a couple events that lead up to the big day, and create some fun vacation memories along with your Hawaiian wedding. Choose activities that are both fun and conducive to keep your group together.
Plan a group day at the beach. Set up camp at Kailua Beach on the Windward side, or stay in town and head to Ala Moana Beach Park , where there are lots of picnic tables, expansive green lawns to run around and play games, and friendly ocean waters to jump into.
Consider bringing the party to a party…on a sunset boat cruise! There are some fun catamaran cruises that can host up to a two hundred party goers. Most of the popular cruises sail out of Ala Moana Kewalo Basin that is located just outside of Waikiki.
Steps To Creating A Dream Hawaii Wedding
Taking your party to a luau is an easy fun-filled evening that creates great memories for sure. Live Hawaiian music, hula performances, lighting of the tiki torches, Kalua Pork, eating poi, flowing Mai Tai’s, and much more takes place as you dine outdoors under the stars.
Germaine’s Luau and Paradise Cove are the two most popular and long running luaus that are located in Ewa Beach. Also consider attending a well run luau hosted by Polynesian Cultural Center . And if that not enough…there is also a night show that takes place after the luau called Ha, “Breath of Life.” Some say it is not to be missed…!
You’re here for a Hawaiian wedding, so consider going with the theme and use the islands natural resources…tropical flowers. There are some special made leis for the bride and her bridesmaids.
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Hawaiian Wedding flowers should be easy to find since you’re on a fertile island with a good variety to choose from! The tough decision lies ahead on just what to choose!
Let’s start with the groom, because he’s the easiest to take care of! Whether he chooses to wear a tuxedo with a boutonniere or a nice Hawaiian aloha shirt, the groom should consider wearing a green Maile ti leaf lei.
Kukui Nut Lei’s are these dark round hard nut shells that are stranded together. They can make a good choice for the groomsmen.
Beach Wedding Wear Hawaii
Flowers for the bride – The bride has some decisions to make for her bouquet and possible haku lei (head lei). Some of the local flowers used have sweet aromas such as Hawaiian ginger, plumeria, pikake, and tuberose, rose buds and pukinikini.
Others are just aesthetically beautiful including many types of orchids, He’e Berries,
