The Paipaikou Hongwanji is a venue that has been transformed over the last year. The wood grain walls and pillars did a lot to improve the venue's appearance. This has got to be one of the nicest and best kept event spaces for a Hongwanji on the island. It was a perfect setting for this country themed wedding. This was the wedding of Jon and Shailyn.

Country themed weddings are a great idea for a themed wedding. It can be described as rustic with a casual elegance. A very organic ambiance with a natural feel. Country music also has some of the greatest love songs that are perfect for weddings. Songs from Edwin McCain, Blake Shelton, and Heartland are artist and groups that provide just a few country wedding classics.

I was surprised at how much work the groom put into making the decorations for this party. There were wooden fences, tables, chairs, signs, along with hay on the floor. It was obvious a lot of work went into creating this atmosphere and it showed. The ambiance was fantastic! For the lighting for this night we used amber lighting with light shadowing and touches of white. Lighting like this helps preserve the natural look.



In the picture of the head table above there was amber lighting with white lighting on the remembrance pictures on each side of the head table. It's always a great idea to bring loved ones that could not be present into a wedding. It really adds something special. String lighting also works very well for a country themed wedding. We did not use that technique at this wedding, but I wanted to throw that out because of how well it goes with a country themed event. I look forward to many more country themed weddings in the future. Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Menino!

To contact the Papaikou Hongwanji Hall call (808) 964-1640. For more info on Eclipse Effect Entertainment services, please call (808) 936-3552 or email bookings@eclipseeffect.com. Don’t forget to sign up for our bridal newsletter filled with useful wedding tips and downloads. Click on the link on the left of this page to sign up and for your bonus download.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: papaikouhongwanji, papaikou, Hawaiiwedding, Hilowedding, reception, Bigislandwedding, Country, Countrytheme, Countrywedding, Bigisland

Nani Mau Gardens is turning out to be a very busy venue on the East side of the island. It’s no wonder with it’s friendly staff, wonderful gardens, and excellent prime rib. You have everything you need for a great wedding all in one venue. Weddings have a great feeling there and the wedding Kaho’okele and Jaymee was one of those. It was a wedding of over 300 people. It was a huge wedding, but it’s nice have a choice to hold a bigger wedding there. Some of the party had to sit outside, but that is a good thing especially if you place the drinkers outside when putting together the seating because that’s where the bar is. Nani Mau does have one of the best prime rib on the island. Here’s a sample plate of what you may be ordering for dinner that night if you go with the prime rib.



It’s as good as it looks. There were also great fellow vendors we worked with this night. John Kunishige of 808 Cakes always does tasty and elegant cakes. We’ve worked with him for four events in a row. That’s one busy man for good reason. For the photographers we worked with Joe Febo of Hana Hou Photography and he did some very creative shots with the spot lights and the bride and groom. Lighting works very well and changes the mood in the reception room due to its low ceilings and white walls. Here is a lighting design we have been doing recently that works well for this venue.



In the top picture we have the head table set up with a classic uplighting design behind the table. We also did some star gobos on the wall to give the design an extra elegance. Purple was the wedding color and the bride really wanted stars in her wedding so it was a perfect design. The bottom picture is during the dancing part of the night. There was a wash of color that changed on the dance floor as well as the gobos on the back wall changing to the beat of the music. Another beautiful wedding in the books, but it’s really the bride and groom that stands out in our minds. Congrats to Kaho’okele and Jaymee and many happy years to this fun couple. For more info on our services here at Eclipse Effect Entertainment please call (808) 936-3552 or email jase@eclipseeffect.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Nanimaugardens, nanimau, Hilowedding, Hilo, Bigisland, Bigislandwedding, primerib