Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy
A Kauai micro wedding with thirty of your favorite people, locally-sourced food, a private sail along the Na Pali Coast, and rain-soaked kisses on the beach? Say less. Carson and Gabbie’s 3-day wedding weekend had all this and more! Their celebration was definitely one for the books, and we can’t wait to share all the highlights from this Kauai wedding weekend, plus a few of our top tips for planning a wedding on this magical island.
Meet Carson & Gabbie: The Couple of This Kauai Micro Wedding
Carson and Gabbie’s love story took place on the lush North Shore of Kauai (which just so happens to be one of our absolute favorite spots on the island). The couple reached out to us after hitting some roadblocks during the planning process. As we were wrapping up our first call together, Gabbie started crying and sharing how happy she was to finally feel like she’d found someone who understood their Kauai wedding vision (ok, now we’re crying!).
Day One: Private Catamaran Sunset Tour on the Na Pali Coast
Carson and Gabbie’s 3-day wedding weekend in Kauai kicked off with a private sunset sail on a catamaran with their family. We can’t begin to describe how incredible this experience was (but if it helps, we even saw dolphins!). The views of the coast were even more stunning from the water, and the captain was kind enough to let Gabbie and Carson go up to the front of the boat for an even closer look.
Day Two: Their Kauai Island Wedding Ceremony
Day two of their Kauai wedding experience was their official wedding day. The couple kept their preparation a little more traditional, with Gabbie getting ready at an oceanfront Airbnb and Carson getting ready at a separate place nearby.
Once they were both ready, they met at their micro wedding venue, Common Ground, where their first look took place as Gabbie walked down the aisle. Their ceremony was set in a beautiful grove of eucalyptus trees surrounded by mountains, and the weather was classic Kauai: light rain, a burst of sun, then a sprinkle again. It cleared just in time for their vows (praise be!).
After their beautiful wedding ceremony with family, everyone gathered for the celebratory meal under a string-lit tent right on the property. One of the coolest things about Common Ground (and truly, there are so many) is that the food they serve is all from the island! Everything from the spices to the drinks to the meats is sourced from the island. Celebratory meals here are so much more than just a meal, it’s a whole experience!
Day Three: Coffee, Shave Ice, and a Rainy Beach Sunset
Day three was all about the couple and their time together! We met at their Airbnb the day after their ceremony and headed into Hanalei, making a quick pit stop at Wishing Well (the cutest little roadside stand serving coffee and shave ice).
After enjoying a snack break, we headed off to the jungle, before ending the night with sunset photos at Ha’ena State Park (and yes, in case you’re wondering, we DID get a rainbow!). While enjoying the beautiful sunset, the clouds started to move in, and it began dumping rain! I asked the couple if they wanted to dance in the rain, to which they happily agreed, and we ended the night with them running barefoot through the rain, with the beach all to themselves. It was the most epic sendoff to their three-day Kauai micro wedding.
Dreaming of a similar Kauai wedding experience? Check out our guide on How to Elope in Kauai for all the insider tips and planning resources!
Three Things to Consider When Planning Your Kauai Micro Wedding
Make it a Wedding Weekend
If you are traveling to Kauai for your micro wedding, why not make it a three-day experience? Spreading out your celebration over multiple days, like Carson and Gabbie did, allows you more space to be fully present for every moment! Whether you want to make the most out of your time with loved ones or spend quality time with just each other, you don’t have to sacrifice one or the other. You’ll have time for adventure, connection, and slow, intentional moments.
Choose Vendors Who Know the Island
Planning this three-day Kauai wedding with Gabbie and Carson was such a collaborative experience. Weddings in Hawaii often come with their own unique set of requirements, and it can be tricky navigating them all. This is where working with vendors who know the island can come in really handy. From knowing the secret spots to local connections that can make for an even more customized experience, working with an experienced vendor team makes such a difference in your overall experience!
Stay Flexible
The weather on the island can be unpredictable. Hawaii is filled with microclimates, so the weather on one side of the island may look completely different than the weather on the other side of the island. Having a photographer (hello, that’s us) who is used to rolling with the punches and staying flexible with whatever the day brings can help you relax and focus on what matters most (you, your love, and your favorite people!).
What You Need to Know About Your Kauai Wedding Packages
When choosing to have a Kauai micro wedding, we highly recommend either our full-day or multi-day elopement packages to our couples.
Our full-day Kauai Hawaii wedding package includes first look photos at your cabin in the early afternoon. We will then head out to two unique locations for you and your partner to explore. After, we will head to your ceremony location, where you will elope in the mountains (or the beach or jungle) with the most stunning backdrop at sunset!
If you want to see all that this beautiful island has to offer, then we recommend our multi-day Kauai wedding package. This will allow you the chance to get to experience multiple locations and is also a great option if you plan on inviting guests. Click here to learn more about our packages for your Kauai micro wedding.
Meet Your Kauai Wedding Photographers
We feel most at home in the outdoors, so it’s no surprise that it’s where we gravitate towards as your Kauai wedding photographers. Between the Pine was founded by Mollie in 2018, and she has hiked hundreds of miles all over the Pacific Northwest and Kauai to capture couples during their best day ever. Since 2018, we’ve grown our team and continue to hire even more incredible photographers!
Our team at Between the Pine is passionate about our jobs and adventuring to the most beautiful locations to document your best day ever. We know Kauai like the back of our hands and are dying for a reason to head back to the mountains, forests, and everything in between! Click here to learn more about the Between the Pine team, your Kauai micro wedding photographers!
Meet the Other Incredible Vendors From This Kauai Micro Wedding
Photographer: Between the Pine
Venue: Common Ground
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