Tanja & Josef

It took six years for this blog post to come together – but we have not forgotten a single moment of that day. On 27 October 2019, we, Tanja and Josef, got married on the island of Kauai. Just our closest people, on a beach no guidebook recommends, with flowers from Austria in our luggage and rings from goldsmith Sommer on our fingers.

The road there was anything but straightforward. Wedding planners who did not understand our vision. A location team in Tulum who missed a Skype call. Florals lost in transit, remade overnight in a last-minute effort. Thank you, Isabella. In the end, photographer Meg Bradyhouse led us to the right officiant, musicians and locations on Kauai – and suddenly everything felt possible again.

We set out in the dark. Meg and videographer Kevin Kühnl, who had flown in specially from Austria, walked with us to this seven-kilometre stretch of beach – not a single tourist, just the sound of the waves and the first morning light. The gown by Doren Design moved in the breeze, and Isabella's bouquet glowed in orange, magenta and pink.

Shortly after sunrise, friends arrived. Josef quickly told David, our musician, exactly where to stand. Then Tanja stepped onto the sand, the guitar began, and everything she had planned – catching Josef wiping away a tear – became entirely unnecessary.

Tanja's flower crown and the full bridal bouquet arrived fresh from Carinthia: orchids, ranunculus, peonies and tropical foliage. Isabella's second, overnight creation survived the long journey without a single petal out of place. The rings from goldsmith Sommer rested on the invitation card in the sand – simple, golden, exactly right.

Rene and Christian made sure Tanja's favourite drink from the Gig Bar was waiting right there on the beach. That is how you begin a wedding day in Hawaii.

David's guitar carried across the sand. Tanja walked in accompanied by a friend, both wearing flower crowns. The officiant waited in the middle, the sun sitting low and painting everything in warm gold.

Josef held Tanja's hands, looked at her – and actually wiped away a tear. Exactly the photograph Tanja had wanted. They exchanged handwritten vows, and the rings from goldsmith Sommer moved to their rightful fingers. When the music started again, everyone cheered, and one friend simply threw her arms around Tanja.

After the ceremony the group gathered on the beach one last time before moving on. Before the catamaran set sail, there was an open-doors helicopter flight over Kauai on the agenda. Our Italian ex-Air Force pilot took us over Waimea Canyon, along the Nā Pali Coast and close to a waterfall. The doors stayed open, the wind ran through Tanja's hair.

Then the catamaran departed along the Nā Pali Coast. On board: surf and turf from the grill, giant prawns, and for dessert Tanja's favourite thing in the world, key lime pie. A little dancing, a lot of laughing, the evening sun on the water. Tanja stood at the bow of the catamaran, the horizon burning orange behind her.

The catamaran left the pier. On board were our closest friends, the light was low, and at some point the captain fired up the grill. Surf and turf, juicy steak, giant prawns – and to finish, key lime pie for Tanja. The water along the Nā Pali Coast glowed a shade of blue that no photograph quite captures. As evening came, Tanja stood as a silhouette at the bow, her dress in the wind, the Pacific burning orange and violet behind her. That is how this day ended.

A wedding day on Kauai does not end after the ceremony. In the days around our wedding we explored the island in RZR buggys through red mud, swam at a waterfall in the jungle and wrote KAUAI in the sand. Kevin Kühnl captured everything Meg did not see. These images are not an afterthought – they are part of the story.