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One Couple's Intimate Cliffside Wedding in Hawaii

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One Couple's Intimate Cliffside Wedding in Hawaii

By Melissa Milrad Goldstein

May 14, 2018

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Perry Vaile

The bride and groom wed on a bluff 750-feet above the Pacific Ocean and then celebrated with 30 loved ones.

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Perry Vaile

It may not be a traditional pickup line. But when Eryck Quesada asked Rebecca Arthurs, "What have you learned from God lately?" on a dating app in 2016, she knew she'd found someone as serious about faith as she was. Because she lived in Kona (on the Big Island), and Eryck on Maui, their courtship—including long, spiritual conversations—played out over many hours of FaceTime before they met in person, in Waikiki. "By the second time we met, I was thinking about marrying her," he says.

Eryck, now a part-time pastor as well as a web designer and photographer, proposed after just four months, on a trip to New Zealand. Strong winds derailed his plan to pop the question on a Valentine's Day sunrise hot-air-balloon ride. But two days later, just before a flight over Queenstown, all systems were go. Of course, she said yes.

Knowing sources were scarce back home, Rebecca began her wedding dress search on that very trip. But her job as a wedding photographer posed a unique challenge. "I'd photographed so many weddings that each dress I tried on reminded me of a particular bride." Amazingly, she found the one that would become her dream gown just a few days post-proposal, in Auckland. The boutique was able to remake the style to fit Rebecca's vision in three days, and she carried it home.

For the wedding itself, the couple pictured a small, intimate celebration and on Instagram found their ideal setting: Hale Kukui Orchard, with its stunning cliff views of the Waipi'o Valley, lush foliage, fruit trees, and black-sand beaches below. On May 16, 2017, Rebecca's pastor married the pair in front of just 30 guests, in a traditional Christian ceremony that included communion and friends singing, playing guitars, and leading the worship song "Build My Life." Traditional Hawaiian leis were presented to the couple's parents. A homey vibe permeated the whole day, with mismatched chairs and rugs (some loaned by pals), local fruit and flowers on the tables, and wedding cakes that were lovingly crafted by Rebecca's sister.

A sprinkle of rain fell on the ceremony, but no one minded. "Every time something significant has happened to me, it has rained," says Rebecca. "So that was perfect too."

Watch Rebecca and Eryck's wedding film by Andrew James Abajian.

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Beachy Invites

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The couple's friend Savannah Rose FitzGerald crafted the invitations with a wash of indigo ink, copper detail, and hand-lettering.

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Dressed in Style

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"Our trip to New Zealand started with a proposal and ended with a wedding dress," says Eryck of his bride's Rue de Seine gown. He wore a J.Crew summer blazer and pants.

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The First Look

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The couple's first glimpses of each other was to take place before the ceremony, on the black sand beach. To navigate the steep terrain, Eryck was blindfolded and driven down in a 4x4 truck by Rebecca's father.

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Best Foot Forward

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Because of the hilly, grassy terrain, Rebecca knew she wanted flats for the ceremony and reception—preferably colorful ones—and she found this Nine West pair on Amazon.

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Mixed Seating

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"We wanted the eclectic feeling of the mismatched furniture to feel homey underneath the sky," says Rebecca. Bliss in Bloom dressed up the seating with flowers.

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The Young Attendants

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Nephews and nieces were ring bearers and flower girls. The girls tossed white garden-rose petals.

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Tying the Knot

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At the ceremony, the couple wanted the cliff to feature prominently. So pampas grass and flowers were arranged to complement the setting.

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Love Through the Years

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Eryck stands with his parents who've been married for 47-years. "We didn't have a traditional bridal party, so asked family members to dress in blue—our wedding color," he says.

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Fruit and Flowers

Perry Vaile

Bundles of geraniums, roses, cymbidium, eucalyptus, and blue viburnum berries gave the arrangements a wild, unstructured look.

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Natural Beauty

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Guests' plates were adorned with fruit that Rebecca chose from the local farmers' market and the property's orchards, to represent the sweetness and goodness of life.