Surrounded by lush rolling hills and groves of eucalyptus and cypress trees, Tiffany Woodard and Brady Bergin were married in a traditional Hawaiian ceremony at the Waiki‘i Ranch. The island couple was drawn to the incredible scenery and sentimental value attached to the pristine Big Island ranch reminiscent of the old paniolo (cowboy) country. “As we drove under the canopy of trees leading up to the hillside, we just knew it was the ideal location for what turned out to be a huge gathering!” says Tiffany. “Holding the wedding on the Big Island was returning home for us.”

When it came time to plan the wedding from her home in Oregon, Tiffany turned to Beth Harbottle of Social Butterfly to handle all of the unique details of the alfresco event. It was important that the decor capture and accentuate the natural ambience of the country setting, so Tiffany chose an organic color palette of ivory and chocolate brown. The underlying theme of the lau‘au fern vitalized every element of the event, from the hand drawn invitations by the bride, to the intricate white-on-white cake by Kay Cabrera. “I had a replica lau‘au stencil made from a cake that I found in Pacific Rim WEDDINGS and Kay added unique touches with bamboo, ” says Tiffany.

The bride was simply elegant in a custom-made ivory silk organza gown by Lazaro with fresh flowers in her hair as the finishing touch to her romantic look. “My mom and I stumbled upon a Lazaro trunk show in San Francisco and as I was trying on a gown, the designer himself walked into the dressing room!” she says. An unexpected private gown fitting with Lazaro followed, resulting in a modified a-line skirt with a champagne lace underlay and a French bustle. Tiffany carried a bouquet of white asiatic lilies, while her bridesmaids held bouquets of pink and white stargazer lilies against their chocolate brown satin dresses. Michael was handsome in a Kenneth Cole suit and fragrant pikake and maile lei.

A conch shell sounded as Tiffany walked hand in hand with her father toward nearly 300 awaiting guests during the hillside ceremony. “When I turned to my dad, he took a deep breath as if to say ‘Look at all of these people!’ It was incredible how many of our loved ones arrived!” she says. Convention was pushed aside as a procession of adorable flower children walked down the aisle wearing aloha shirts and carrying koa wooden bowls and lauhala baskets full of rose petals. A light mist rolled over the sloping pasture and a hint of sunlight radiated through the clouds creating a spiritual and emotional atmosphere. “The most meaningful moment of the day was when Brady and I whispered our commitments to each other during the lei exchange. It was an amazing moment for only us to share,” she says.

The celebration continued as guests mingled between pupu stations offering fresh assortments of sushi and sashimi catered by Amy Ota-Ferguson and traditional Hawaiian dishes such as mini lau lau with smoked meat prepared by a dear family friend Uncle Yaku Kotaki. Centerpieces utilized such natural elements as red torch ginger, grape vines and white calla lilies, arranged by the bride and her party. An evening of continuous dancing followed with three live bands taking the stage throughout the night. “Brady’s mom really captured my heart with an impromptu hula dance that her daughters secretly arranged with one of the bands. She was so strikingly beautiful and strong as she danced, she completely took me by surprise!” Tiffany recalls. In keeping with the Pacific Rim theme, the couple offered their guests wooden chopsticks engraved with the Confucius saying ‘Where so ever you go, go with all your heart’. The newlyweds plan to move back to the Big Island to live on the Parker Ranch where they will always be reminded of their wonderful wedding day.

Photos by Reve