The Elopement of Your Dreams in Hualalai
Considering eloping? While there are inherent differences from traditional weddings, the possibilities for creating a memorable event are limitless.
Eloping once meant star-crossed young lovers stealing away to the justice of the peace. But today all kinds of couples are choosing elopement—and they’re no longer sacrificing tradition to do so. “About 35 percent to 40 percent of our weddings are elopements,” says Jenna Gillis, wedding manager at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka‘upulehu. The resort offers a special elopement package that includes the ceremony, that includes the ceremony, a bride’s bouquet, dinner, wedding cake, a couple’s massage and more; an enhanced package is coming this fall for couples who want an extended experience that includes the honeymoon.
Gillis began noting the trend for smaller weddings and shorter-term bookings in 2008. Elopements at Hualalai, in particular, got a boost when celebrities Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green eloped there in 2010. Some couples elope to avoid the spotlight or to escape complicated wedding plans. Others make the choice for budgetary reasons—if not their own, then out of concern that not all their guests or attendants might not be able to take part in their dream ceremony in a faraway place.
Whether your “I dos” involve just you two or a couple of your closest friends or relatives, an elopement can be just as memorable as the larger event. Here are just a few of the ways Four Seasons makes it special.
You Pick the Place
Without the space considerations of seating a crowd, your choices are wide open for where to say your vows. Couples who elope to Hualalai often opt for a ceremony beneath the Wedding Tree, an intimate site atop a black lava bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Tradition With a Twist
Whether before an audience of one or a hundred, most brides want to walk down the aisle to meet their groom. “Eloping couples are still looking for quite a bit of tradition,” Gillis says. If you’ve always dreamed of a white dress, cascading bouquet and petal-strewn path to the altar, you can make them all part of your wedding, even if it’s just the two of you.
Party of Two
After the ceremony, the bride and groom (and up to four guests) are treated to a romantic three-course sunset dinner on Waiakauhi Beach. The smaller event is no less festive; during dinner the music of a solo guitarist or ukulele player fills the air—the perfect island accompaniment for a first dance.
Short and Sweet
As in any wedding, you’ll seal the deal by cutting the cake. Four Seasons pastry chefs are able to deliver your preferred design and flavours in a one-tier cake fit for two or a few. Indeed, many brides send pictures of grand confections and ask the resort to recreate just the top, Gillis says.
For more information about the Pili a Hualalai elopement package, visit Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka’upulehu.
