Anastasiia and Alston | Hawaii Elopement
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Savannah Chandler Photography | Kauai Elopement Photographer
Anastasiia and Alston had been looking at a wedding in Wyoming when we originally started planning for their intimate wedding. Earlier in the year, I received a message asking how I felt about a big pivot in plans and heading to the island of Kauai instead. If you’ve ever been to this magical little island in the middle of the Pacific, you know the answer is always YES to Kauai.
After looking at multiple places to host their 25 person intimate Hawaii wedding, they finally landed on the Grand Hyatt hotel. When my husband and I vacationed on Kauai back in 2021, we stayed a few nights at this spectacular hotel and fell in love. The views from the entryway are some of the best I’ve seen at a hotel in all my travels. The property sits on the stunning Poipu shoreline, with direct beach access. Anastasiia and Alston had their ceremony on the wedding deck, which sits right on the beach and is just steps away from the cocktail and reception area.
To kick off their wedding day, Anastasiia and Alston decided to have private vows with one another before meeting with family and close friends to celebrate. For couples who are wanting some privacy during those emotional moments, taking a few minutes at your first is the perfect opportunity to sneak some alone time.
Everyone in attendance had flown from afar. Many of Anastasiia and Alston’s friends came from here in Colorado, Alston’s family from different areas including Wyoming and South Carolina, and Anastasiia’s brother (and family) came all the way from the Ukraine. Due to travel restrictions, her parents were unable to leave Russia and attend, making her brother’s ability to attend that much more special. He was able to walk Anastasiia down the aisle for their oceanside ceremony.
Looking back on Anastasiia and Alston’s day, the one thing that really sticks in my memory is the way they incorporated her son into every aspect of the day. During the ceremony, he was not only the ring bearer but also participated in the tradition of exchanging Leis. He helped me with all the family photos, and had a list of people he’d also like photos with. At the reception, he let all the guests know the order of events as well as helped with all the toasts. What a great young gentleman he was the entire day. I know he was so excited to celebrate with everyone, and to be a part of Alston’s family now as well. You raised a great kiddo, Anastasiia.
As the sun was starting to set, we headed out onto the beachfront for those amazing Kauai sunset photos. There’s a nice little rocky outcropping that was the perfect, and not to hard to access, area. Though we didn’t get that “ball of fire” in the sky that happens some nights in Hawaii, we did get stunning pink skies that are everything photography dreams are made of.
Congratulations again on your stunning Hawaii elopement, Anastasiia and Alston. It was such an honor to celebrate with you and your families.
Cheers-
Savannah Chandler Photography | Kauai Elopement Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide
A little photo of me on a sunrise hike while out in Kauai ❤️
