Charleston wedding photographers Ben Chrisman and Ryan Zhang fly to Hawaii to photograph Ashley and Conner’s multi-day destination wedding.Â
In high school, Conner always had Ashley’s phone number. But it took his sister to finally make the first move. One night at a bar in Texas, Conner’s sister Macy met Ashley. After just a few minutes of talking, Macy rushed over to her brother, who was also there, and said, “You need to marry this girl.”
And within a month of dating, Ashley knew she had found her husband. “He’s everything to me that everyone else is not,” Ashley told me during one of our first phone calls.
Conner was living in Hawaii at the time. He had always lived in Texas, and thought the Big Island would be a good place to explore and learn about himself. But he came back to Texas for Ashley, where they were surrounded by friends and family. When it came time to pick a place for their wedding though, Hawaii was the special place for both of them. They chose the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Kailua-Kona, a resort that is world-class in every way. Even Lebron James was there hanging out at the kids pool most of the time we were there.
Their four-day event was filled with non-stop activities, surprises, and Snapchats, from an underwater photo booth, to a mermaid at the rehearsal dinner, to traditional fire-dancers, to sea turtles all over the beach and a Hawaii history lesson at the rehearsal dinner. There was champagne exploding everywhere, flowers flown in from other countries, and even a shout-out on the celebrity gossip site TMZ. Their wedding was the perfect, all-in situation that we thrive on. And Ashley’s father got to walk her down the aisle, which was one of the most important parts of the entire wedding for both of them.
Ashley’s vision for everything was brought together by the hardworking, but also easy-going, staff of India, Billinda, Matthew and Garrett with Wilkinson Rhodes. Weddings this complex can feel stressful, but not this one. I wish we got to work with their team all the time.
Thanks to Chrisman Studios photographer Ryan Zhang for coming along with me, and for getting that ceremony exit photo. That’s one of many I wish I had taken.
Ashley and Conner, what an experience you gave everyone. We’re coming to visit you at the ranch as soon as we can.
Check out our other Hawaii weddings!