Our 5th Wedding Anniversary Photos (and Surprise Vow Renewal!) at Hapuna Beach in Waikoloa, Hawaii
Long before Arturo and I had booked our trip to the Big Island, Hawaii for our 5th wedding anniversary, I’d stumbled across Wilde Sparrow Photography Co. and KNEW that we needed to book a session with them the next time we visited our favorite island! I would ooh and ahh over their work on Instagram, just dreaming of some romantic portraits of us in front of those beautiful Hawaiian sunsets. Well, wouldn’t you know that last summer Arturo received an email from Hawaiian Airlines with a fantastic vacation offer that we couldn’t refuse, so we purchased our plane tickets to celebrate our anniversary in Hawaii about a month late at the end of October! Just minutes later, I reached out to Aislinn of Wilde Sparrow and booked our photo session with her. I was so excited that Arturo and I were finally going to have some beautiful, professional portraits of us at one of our favorite places on the planet! If you ever find yourself on Hawaii Island, do yourself a favor and book a session with Wilde Sparrow Photography Co!
OUR HAPUNA BEACH ANNIVERSARY SESSION
Aislinn and Matt, the husband and wife team behind Wilde Sparrow, are two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet, which made our anniversary session with them that much more fun and enjoyable! I had chosen Hapuna Beach for a few reasons, but mostly because Aislinn had mentioned that the light there leads to lighter and brighter images (and you know my light-and-airy-photography-loving heart couldn’t pass that up!). It was also the first place I’d ever been snorkeling with my stepsister, who lives on the Big Island. I had such fond memories of visiting Hapuna with family when I was in high school, and I’d never taken Arturo there in our multiple trips to Hawaii, so a really wanted to have some photos of us taken there! I’d looked at Aislinn and Matt’s blog to check out other portrait sessions they’d photographed there, and I immediately knew it was the perfect spot!
Hapuna Beach is located on the western side of Hawaii Island, which means we had a west coast sunset, something these east coasters don’t ever get to experience!! It was truly magical and one I’ll never forget. After a few months of planning our session, which mostly consisted of me searching for the perfect flowy dress, we were so excited to meet Aislinn and Matt! It was certainly a treat for Arturo and me to be in front of the camera instead of behind it. The light was so, so dreamy and Aislinn worked her magic to make Arturo and I feel at so ease in front of her camera within seconds!
A SURPRISE VOW RENEWAL
I’m easy to surprise, and Arturo knows it! He’s pulled off some big surprises for me, one of my favorites being his flash mob wedding proposal in Central Park back in 2013! As our portrait session was moving along, I was in such a dreamy state of being on one of my favorite Hawaiian beaches with the love of my life and having our photos taken by a photographer whose work we absolutely adore! Aislinn paused and noticed one of her friends, Ranae, standing on the beach and decided to introduce Arturo and I to her. The community in Hawaii is so strong, so I thought nothing of it!
We walked over to Ranae who was holding a flower lei and haku. When I saw the florals, I thought Arturo decided to surprise me with them and that Ranae was the florist making a delivery! While I was partially correct, she was actually going to be our officiant for the surprise vow renewal that Arturo had planned with Aislinn’s help! I was beside myself with shock and even more joy than I was already feeling that day. Arturo had surprised me big time, once again!
Ranae led a beautiful Hawaiian ceremony as the sun continued to set. In the past, Arturo and I had talked about doing some sort of vow renewal for our 5th wedding anniversary if we ever happened to be in Hawaii around that time, but with a busy summer and fall wedding season in 2019, I totally forgot about it. I’m so thankful for Arturo’s incredibly romantic and generous heart!
When our ceremony finished, we continued with portraits until the sun actually set, and even for a few minutes after it fell below the horizon! We dipped our feet in the warm water of the Pacific Ocean as its waves curled up and down the length of the beach. Aislinn’s energy was absolutely contagious, which kept us smiling and laughing throughout our session!
Enjoy some of our favorite portraits from our session with Aislinn and Matt! Be sure to see more of their work on their website (www.wildesparrow.com). Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram at @wildesparrowhawaii and Facebook at Wilde Sparrow Photography Co.!
I’m so in love with this man!
Arturo had just told me that he’d planned a vow renewal for us! What a beautiful surprise it was!
Our officiant, Ranae, led a wonderful Hawaiian ceremony!
Look at that beautiful golden sunshine!
I hope you enjoyed seeing more of our anniversary session and vow renewal at Hapuna Beach! Thank you, Aislinn, for these beautiful images that we’ll cherish forever!
