Where did Toni and Tom get married for their full day Hawaii elopement and what made it the best Big Island wedding venue in our opinion? We got to adventure all throughout the Big Island for their full day Hawaii elopement, and I always consider nature the best venue for anyone’s big day. When you’re getting married or eloping in Hawai’i, it’s hard to go wrong when choosing a venue, to be honest. There are so many incredible venues that we’ve worked at on the Big Island and all throughout the Hawaii Island, and if you’d rather take the wedding venue route, we are totally on board with you! Trust us, the venues in Hawaii are so incredible! However, if you are a lover of nature and want to spend your day adventuring and outside in the elements, I literally can’t wait to explain how passionate we are about finding all the best spots that are perfect for you and your loved one. What I love about elopements is that you can choose multiple Hawaii landscapes as your wedding venue location! You don’t have to choose just one! Check out the rest of Toni and Tom’s day to see where they chose to adventure on the Big Island.
Getting Ready in a Tiny Home Airbnb
Toni and Tom decided to stay in a unique location for their time on the Big Island. They booked an Airbnb on the lava flow in Kalapana. They stayed in a tiny home Airbnb that was perfect for them. It was multiple rooms so that Toni and Tom could get ready separately for their elopement. We had planned a first look, so it was important that Tom didn’t see Toni before that moment. Another Airbnb that Ryan and I have stayed at and absolutely loved is this Airbnb. We loved our time here, and highly recommend this Airbnb for an awesome and unique place to stay during your time if you plan to stay in this particular area of the island.
We arrived at Toni and Tom’s Airbnb location before the sun rose and captured them getting ready for elopement. Toni got ready in the bathroom while Tom got ready in the room they were staying in. It was special to be able to connect with Toni and Tom far before we even started adventuring. I really love being there with our couples super early in the morning when they’re getting ready. It always adds so much to the experience, as well as the galleries to be able to tell the entire story of our couple’s day. One of my favorite details we captured from their getting ready photos was the sign that Toni had hand-stitched. I thought it was so unique and special to always have this beautiful reminder of their elopement day.
First Look Photos on Lava Cliffs
Ryan and I scouted out the perfect spot not far from Toni and Tom’s Airbnb to capture the first look. This particular spot was on the cliff’s edge where the crashing waves met the lava cliffs. It started sprinkling just as we got out to the cliffs, but Toni and Tom were still up for capturing their first look here.
Toni rode with us in our car to the cliffside location so Tom wouldn’t be able to see her. Then, Ryan took Tom the cliffs to wait for Toni. Toni and I walked down the path a few minutes later so that she could surprise Tom with her wedding day look. I loved this moment even with the rain gently sprinkling down on all of us. Since it was starting to rain a bit more once we completed the first look, we made our way to a dryer part of the east side where the rain wasn’t coming down as hard.
Exploring Black Sand Beaches, Tropical Rainforests, and Lava Fields
What I love more than anything is how unique the landscapes are of the Big Island. There are 11 of the 13 different ecosystems all on Big Island! How cool is that?! This is why we always suggest Big Island if you want the most diverse landscapes for your photos. The coolest part about this side of the island is that it has a little bit of everything — black sand beaches, tropical rainforests, and lava fields. This is actually the area of the island where there was just an active volcano flowing one year ago. The lava fields that Toni and Tom were walking came from an old lava flow dating back to the 90s.
After exploring the lava fields, we made it to the black sand beach in the area that creates such a beautiful backdrop for wedding attire. It was such a beautiful morning with fishermen casting their poles from the lava rocks on the other side of the beach. After capturing Toni and Tom at the black sand beach, we went to find more tropical rainforests in the area. I love how dense the jungle was here! We even took them to where the most recent lava flowed just a year ago. On our way back from this lava, we found a rainbow right in the middle of the lava field and had to capture a photo, of course!
Finding Hidden Waterfalls and Jungle Hikes on the Big Island
We took a mid-day break so that Toni and Tom could check out of their Airbnb and adventure with us to the other side of the island. Mid-breaks are awesome, and honestly, we always suggest them for our couples! Firstly, it gives everyone a chance to take a nap after waking up before sunrise. Secondly, it also allows for better afternoon lighting for the second half of the day. For Toni and Tom’s second part of their elopement day, we went adventuring to find a hidden waterfall. The one thing Ryan and I are super passionate about is scouting new locations all around the different islands. We love finding new hidden gems to take our couples! We hiked to where we could get to the very top of this waterfall, and it was raging! Seeing Toni and Tom in their element of hiking, adventuring, and soaking up this incredible scene is what we truly love to capture. We absolutely loved crafting Toni and Tom’s because we knew how much they loved hiking and adventure. We were able to really include locations that we knew they would enjoy so that we could capture these exact memories for them.
Black Sand Beach Sunset Ceremony
Our last destination of the day was a black sand beach for Toni and Tom’s ceremony. We drove down in a 4×4 and arrived at the ceremony location with enough time for Toni and Tom to change back into their wedding attire after crossing the river. We had such an incredible sunset for their ceremony. They shared their beautiful handwritten vows with one another and made their union official with just the two of them, an officiant, and Ryan and me by their side. They celebrated by popping champagne as the last of the sun of the day lingered for the final hour of their day.
