This Barefoot Surfer Wedding in Hawaii Was a Celebration of the Couple’s Community

For her attire, Chandler wanted to wear something “beautiful yet simple and suited my style,” she explains. “I wanted my look to be in line with how I normally express myself, so I opted for minimal everything.” The bride found herself drawn to Australian brand KYHA and ordered a strapless gown she saw online. “Luckily, it fit perfectly!” She would later change into a lace Fleur Du Mal dress to dance into the night. As for the rest of her look, the bride decided to do her makeup herself, wear earrings she wore every day, and have her friend Jonah Cruz style her hair. The groom kept his look relaxed yet elevated in a tan suit, white button-down shirt, and, of course, no shoes. As a final touch, both the bride and groom wore leis created by their friend, Ivana Burbage.

The morning of the wedding began with family and friends, who all came out to help set up tables and décor for the reception. “It was so special,” recalls the bride. The event began as guests, the wedding party, and the groom took a boat out to the Secret Island. Chandler would take another boat after with her parents for a grand entrance. “The ceremony was beyond our wildest dreams. It was raining a bit as my parents and I walked down the aisle and as I got to face Travis the rain disappeared and the sun came shining down on us,” shares the bride. “It was truly magical.” Travis’s brother, surfer Koa Smith, officiated the ceremony. “He’s probably spent the most time with us as a couple and knows us so well that we were so happy when he agreed to do it,” says Chandler. “Koa’s speech was the perfect mix of sentimental and humorous.”

After the ceremony, the newlyweds and all their guests boarded a boat back for the reception all together. “There’s nothing like having everyone who’s been a part of both of your lives all together. It’s a really surreal feeling,” remembers Chandler of the ride. While guests took a bus to Kualoa Ranch for cocktail hour, the bride and groom rode a custom e-bike gifted to them by Super73 adorned with a “just married” sign and Juneshine cans: “Travis’s drink of choice!”

The reception took place beneath string lights in the breathtaking valley. The couple ensured the party would have a casual feel with an open bar and buffet so guests could spend most of their time on the dance floor. “One of the most special moments of the reception was our friend Louis Solywoda surprising us with a song he wrote just for us called ‘Dream Girl,’” remembers Chandler. “He wrote it with a little help from our friend, musician Ziggy Alberts. Everyone circled around us as Louis sang to us the most special song and gift we could have ever imagined. I think we were all crying.”

Looking back on the day is definitely “bittersweet” for the bride. “Part of me was happy I don’t have to plan another wedding ever again, but it was also the best day of our lives and it all happened so fast,” she says. “I do wish we could do it all over again.”