Jasmine & Zi
A lawn under the plumeria, an ocean that takes the whole sunset, and torchlight after. Sound on.
All the way to dark.
Jasmine and Zi were married at Ocean Gardens, the lawn at Paradise Cove, in August. Their whole party wore lavender, which against all that green and the pale coral of the plumeria made the group portraits look like they had been colour graded before we ever touched them. Every place setting carried a small red and gold favour, the one deliberate warm note in a day that was otherwise ocean and soft purple.
The best of it came late. We walked the two of them down onto the black rock while the sun was still over open water, and they spent most of it laughing at each other rather than at us. Then the torches went up along the grass, the speeches ran warm and long, and the day finished in firelight with the surf still audible under everything.
West facing.
The thing that makes Paradise Cove worth the flight is the direction it points. It sits on the leeward side of Oahu looking straight out at open water, so the sun sets into the ocean rather than dropping behind a ridge, and that gives you a long, even, warm hour instead of the sudden cut you get at a venue with mountains to the west. The lawn is edged with mature plumeria and palms that throw real shade, which matters more than people expect, because midday sun on a Hawaii lawn is directly overhead and unforgiving. We shoot portraits in that shade while the sun is high, then move down onto the volcanic shelf at the water's edge as it drops. After dark the property lights torches along the grass, and a film that has been bright and green all afternoon suddenly has firelight and a black ocean to work with. Planning the day around that turn is most of the job here. More on the venue in our notes on filming at Ocean Gardens.
Do you film weddings at Paradise Cove on Oahu?
Yes. Jasmine and Zi's film was made at Ocean Gardens, the lawn at Paradise Cove, and we have also filmed at Paliku Gardens on the windward side at Kualoa Ranch. We travel to Hawaii regularly from our home base in Southern California, and we plan an island day around the west-facing sunset rather than around the schedule we would use at home.
Do you travel to Hawaii for weddings?
Often. Rayne Wedding Films is based in Southern California and Hawaii is one of the places we film most outside it. Travel is quoted plainly as part of your collection rather than buried in fine print, and we arrive early enough to scout the light at your venue before the day.
How much does a Hawaii wedding videographer cost?
Our collections run from $6,000 for The Moment to $10,000 for The Legacy, our most complete collection, plus travel. Each one is a full cinematic wedding film of your day and a custom wedding website. Everything is set out on our Collections page.
What is the light like for an oceanfront wedding on Oahu?
On a west-facing shore the sun sets over open water, which gives you a long warm hour rather than the abrupt drop you get behind a ridgeline. The trade is that midday sun on a Hawaii lawn is hard and directly overhead, so we shoot portraits under the plumeria and palms while the sun is high and move to the water as it drops.
Will we notice you during the day?
Barely. We film the day as it happens instead of staging it, and on a small island wedding where everyone knows everyone, staying out of the way matters more than usual. Most couples tell us afterwards that they forgot we were there.