Hawaii Military Weddings

Here at Tradewind Weddings, we love working with military couples and know first hand what it means to be "married to the military." The wedding dreams that you had always imagined can sometimes be overshadowed by time constraints and other issues that come along with the military lifestyle.  But, this doesn't have to be the case.  Hawaii boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and is a perfect backdrop for the wedding that you have always hoped for.  Many Hawaii wedding planning companies, not only offer military discounts, but also offer wedding packages that make planning your wedding easy and fast.  Check out some of our favorite military weddings on the island of Oahu.




From white, sandy beaches surrounded by turquoise water to lush gardens with tropical flowers, Hawaii has a setting that you and your guests will love!

Laura & Cameron's Waimanalo Beach Wedding

Our featured couple on this Male 'Ana Monday, Laura and Cameron, were married at the scenic Waimanalo Bay Beach Park. Many of their family and friends came along to take part in this special day, as well as spend some much needed beach time far from the cold, winter weather in their home state.

 
 

 

After their ceremony, Laura, Cameron and their guests headed to Kewalo Basin in Waikiki to board E Sea Rider, a 65' custom vessel, for their reception at sea.  They enjoyed drinking, dancing and a beautiful Hawaiian sunset as an end to their special day.

Hawaiian Inspired Signature Wedding Cocktails

Looking for a fun and unique way to add some personality and island flavor to your Hawaii Wedding? A Hawaiian inspired signature drink may be the answer. Not only can these drinks be coordinated to match your color scheme, but they can also infuse tropical, Hawaiian flavors that you and your guests will adore.

Yellow

Mai Tai

1/2oz creme de almond

1 oz light rum

1/21/2 oz triple sec

Sweet and sour mix

Pineapple juice

1/2 oz dark rum

Pour light rum, creme de almond and triple sec, in order, into a collins glass. Almost fill with equal parts of sweet and sour mix and pineapple juice. Add dark rum, a large straw, and serve unstirred.

Honolulu Cocktail

2 oz gin

1/2 oz pineapple juice

1/2 ozfresh orange juice

1/4 oz lemon juice

1/4 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel, and serve.

Tropical Vacation Cocktail

1/3 cup pineapple juice

2 ounces Malibu Rum

1 ounce Triple Sec

In a blender, blend together all ingredients. Pour into a chilled glass, top with an orange or pineapple slice, and enjoy.

Red

Hawaiian Lava Flow

1oz light rum

1oz Malibu coconut rum2oz strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1 medium banana (fresh or frozen)

2oz unsweetened pineapple juice

2oz coconut cream

ice (preferably crushed)

In blender, puree the strawberries and both rums. Pour the strawberry puree into the bottom of a hurricane glass or another tall glass. Rinse the blender with water to remove any strawberry residue. Blend the remaining ingredients until smooth. Slowly pour the mixture into the glass over the strawberry puree. Watch the strawberry bubble up like flowing lava. Serve with a thick straw and garnish with a wedge of pineapple or a fresh strawberry.

Island Breeze

4.5 cl light rum
2 dashes Argostura bitter
3 cl cranberry juice
12 cl pineapple juice

Pour all ingredients over the ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.

Prickly Pear Margarita

Salt

Lime wedges

1/4 cup tequila

1/4 cup fresh prickly pear water

2T fresh lime juice

1/8 cup Cointreau

On a small plate spread salt. With lime wedges moisten rim of 6 ounce glass. Dip glasses into salt. In a pitcher combine tequila, fresh prickly pear water, lime juice and Cointreau. Serve margarita mixture over ice or blended. Garnish with lime slices.

Pink

Rum Punch

2 ounces dark rum

Equal parts:

Guava

Orange

Pineapple juice

The juice of 1/2 lime

A touch of grenadine.

Finish the drink with nutmeg on top, and a fresh fruit garnish. Pour the lot over the rocks for a gentle, refreshing drink.

Tropical Shirley Temple

2 ounces pomegranate-pineapple simple syrup

2 ounces pineapple juice

Lemon-lime soda

Maraschino cherries

In a tall glass, stir together the syrup and juice. Fill the glass with ice, then top with soda and garnish with cherries.

Blue

Blue Hawaiian

1 oz. of a Light Rum
1 oz. Blue Curacao
1 oz. of Creme de Coconut
1 slice of Pineapple
1 Cherry

Blend the light rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut with one cup ice in an electric cocktail blender at high speed. Then pour the contents into a highball glass. Garnish the cocktail with the slice of pineapple and a cherry.

 

Hawaii Five-O

2 oz light rum

2 oz Blue Curacao liqueur

1 oz sweet and sour mix

3 oz pineapple juice

Add all ingredients on top of ice in a highball glass.

Purple

Purple Rain

2 1/2 oz pomegranate-infused sake (see below for instruction)

2 1/2 oz pineapple juice

1/2 oz Chambord

To make pomegranate-infused sake, combine 1 liter of sake with the seeds of 2 pomegranates. Let infuse for 1 week. (if pressed for time, combine 2 1/2 ounces sake and 1/2 ounce pomegranate juice.)

Combine the infused sake, pineapple juice, and Chambord in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Orange

Hawaiian Hammer

1 ounce banana schnapps

1 ounce coconut rum

1 ounce 151 proof rum

1 dash grenadine syrup

3 ounces orange juice

3 ounces pineapple juice

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in all the ingredients, and shake them until cold. Pour or strain the mixture into a highball glass.

 

Sex on the Beach

2/3 oz. Schnapps, peach

1 1/3 oz. Vodka

1 1/3 oz. Cranberry Juice

1 1/3 oz. Orange Juice

Mix all ingredients and pour over ice.

Tangerini

2 cup tangerine juice

2 to 3 tablespoons dry or sweet vermouth

Sparkling water

1/2-inch lemon peel

                                            

Put 3 or 4 ice cubes in an 8-ounce glass. Pour in 1/2 cup tangerine, tangelo, or blood orange juice and 2 to 3 tablespoons dry or sweet vermouth; fill with sparkling water. Add a 2-inch lemon peel twist, and stir.

Clear

Mango Mojito

4 parts Absolut Mango Vodka

2 parts Lime Juice

1 part Soda Water

1 leaf Mint

1 slice Mango

1 tsp. Superfine Sugar

Stir lime juice and superfine sugar in a chilled highball glass. Add mint leaf. Muddle. Fill with crushed ice. Add Absolut Mango. Stir. Fill with crushed ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with a mint leaf and a slice of mango.

Mahalo for visiting!  Have a great weekend.

Jason & Kaitlin's Waimanalo Beach Wedding

It's another Male 'Ana Monday here at Tradewind Weddings on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and today's couple, Jason and Kaitlin, were married at my favorite wedding ceremony location, Waimanalo Bay Beach Park.  This beach boasts pristine turquoise water and backs up to a lucious, green, ironwood forest.  Waimanalo is often called "Oahu's best kept secret," because it is much less crowded than many of the popular tourist beaches.

The fresh rose petals scattered down the aisle add a unique touch to the ceremony decor.

Jason and Kaitlin's family sent the bride and groom off with a shower of thier love, best wishes and fresh flower petals!

Have a great weekend, Aloha!

Why Choose a Destination Wedding?

With destination weddings increasing in popularity among couples, you may be asking yourself why these couples are opting out of a large, home-town wedding and choosing to hop a plane and exchange their vows somewhere more exotic. 

Cost

Many people have the misconception that a destination wedding will be much more expensive that staying at home and having a traditional wedding ceremony and reception.  This is simply not the case.  In fact, destination weddings (including all travel expenses) save an average of $10,000 from the average cost of over $20,000 for a traditional wedding.   This savings has to do with the size of the wedding and the style.  An average destination wedding has around 50 guests, much less than the average 150-200 at home. 

Most destination weddings take place in a very picturesque environment that needs little to no decoration.  Saving the bride and groom from the average budget of $2,250 that is usually spent on decorations.

Either, Or

Choosing a wedding location can be difficult when the bride and groom are from two different hometowns.  Whichever you choose, one side of the family will have to travel to be in attendance at the wedding.  Choosing an alternate destination keeps the bride and groom from having to pick one hometown or the other and allows them to share their special day in a place that means something to both of them.

Year-Round

Planning a destination wedding in a tropical location allows the bride and groom to plan their wedding any time of year.  A wedding taking place outside of the typical wedding months (June-August) means avoiding peak travel times and results in lower travel costs.  It can also mean a much needed vacation for friends and family during winter months.

Time-Saver

In today’s busy world, many brides and grooms lack the time it takes to plan all the details for a large, elaborate wedding.  Most of the resorts and wedding companies in popular destination wedding areas now offer wedding packages.  These packages group together commonly requested services and build these into an affordable, one-stop-shop experience for the time-crunched couple.

Fun!

One of the most important parts of the wedding experience is having fun.  All too often, the bride and groom are overcome with the stress of planning a big wedding and lose out on the joy that a wedding should bring!  With a destination wedding, there is more time to spend with the people that mean the most to you.  Along with the ceremony, the couple and the guests can plan excursions and activities that are, not only exciting, but also make once in a lifetime memories.

For more information and planning tips for  your destination wedding, please visit us at www.TradewindWeddings.com.

Jody & Wade Wedding At Sea

Aloha! Happy Male 'Ana Monday from Tradewind Weddings. Male 'ana means wedding in the Hawaiian language and every Monday, we will be featuring a wedding couple that has gotten hitched with us on the island of Oahu.

Today's couple, Jody and Wade, had their wedding ceremony at sea on our intimate, private yacht, Love Boat. With the majestic view of Diamond Head in the background and the tropical sunset casting its golden light upon our beautiful couple, Captain Ralph pronounced them husband and wife.

Jody and Wade saying "I do!" What a beautiful day for a wedding ceremony at sea.

 

Jody wanted to have a piece of her sister and her grandmother with her on her wedding day. She included an orange rose and a white daisy in her bouquet to represent the family that could not be at the wedding.

 

The dendrobium orchids in Jody's hair add a lovely, tropical touch to her wedding day attire.

 

The city lights of Honolulu and Waikiki are best viewed from sea and their evening was no exception.

Kewalo Basin, located just minutes from Waikiki, is the perfect, nautical backdrop for the start of an unforgettable evening.

Jody and Wade enjoying the stunning view from the boat.

See you next week, Aloha!