Jordan + Kai by Joy & Everette - Together Journal

I always knew my dream wedding would have whimsical florals, lots of little details, and colour!

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Jordan (bride): I grew up in Seattle and moved to Kauai when I was 9, and then to the Big Island for high school. I went to USC in LA for college and now work remote from Hawaii in marketing at a big tech company. I love reading, horseback riding and traveling.

Kai (groom): I was born and raised on the North Shore of Kauai. My favourite thing to do is surf, but I also love travelling and hunting. I went to USD in San Diego for college and now do real estate management and development in Hawaii.

We love cooking and eating together, binge watching TV shows (our latest reruns are Hawaii 5-0, The Vampire Diaries and currently Desperate Housewives), and hanging with our two pups Cleo (the Great Dane) and Moose (the German shorthaired pointer). We live across the street from Dani & Hunter (Jordan’s sister and brother-in-law) and are very happy to be starting this next chapter together.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We actually met through my sister, Dani and her now husband, Hunter, who was and is best friends with Kai. Although we both grew up in the small community of the North Shore of Kauai, we didn’t actually know each other there, but I did go to middle school and was good friends with Kai’s brother before I moved to the Big Island.

The first time Kai remembers meeting Jordan— I came down to visit my sister for Dani’s 21st birthday at USD. We went to a birthday brunch at Crushed in Pacific Beach. I thought she was beautiful. (Fall 2016).

The first time I remember meeting Kai – I went to a cabin in the mountains on Kauai, and Kai happened to be there through mutual friends. We stayed up talking all night, but Kai never made a move, so nothing came of it (NYE 2016). We would see each other whenever I visited Dani at USD. Everyone knew we had crushes on each other. Kai would opt to stay in the bars to hang out with us (I couldn’t go to bars because I was 18 or 19), and he would pretend that he just wanted to spend extra time with Hunter. Our friends could always tell that we were flirting, and he and I denied it (2017-2018). Finally, in May of 2018, Kai built up the courage to make a move and told me I was beautiful at his graduation brunch. Luckily, he was living in LA that summer, finishing up his final Spanish credits, and I was working in LA for the summer between my sophomore and junior years, so the rest was history!

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Kai and I are very opposite people. He’s very logical, organized and pragmatic. I’m driven by my emotions, a bit disorganized & a dreamer. But at our core, our values and goals are so aligned that while we may bicker over the small things, the big picture has always stayed the same. I don’t know if there was an exact moment that made us realise this was my forever person, but a series of little moments together made it clear that a life with each other would be a life well lived.

If I had to choose one moment: In 2018, my mom was hospitalized with life-threatening sepsis. This was two months after Kai and I had begun our relationship. I remember telling him, “Look, I can’t deal with heartbreak AND this, so if you have any doubts, you need to leave now.” He looked at me like I was crazy and stood by my and my family’s side through the whole experience. He was the rock that kept me grounded through one of the hardest times in my life and has been that steadying force ever since. He spent that Thanksgiving in Seattle with my family while my mom was recovering, and that’s when they all fell in love with him, too.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Kai proposed on a moody November afternoon on my family’s dock on Lake Washington under the guise of taking Dani and Hunter’s Christmas photos before heading to a family dinner. The family dinner was a ruse, and just Kai and I went to one of our favourite restaurants in Kirkland, then spent a night at the Woodmark Hotel, just the two of us. It was absolutely perfect and so sweet. It was expected; we shopped for rings together because I had a pair of diamond earrings from my late grandma that I wanted to use as side stones, but the timing was a complete surprise. It was the perfect conclusion to our chapter living together in Seattle before moving back to Hawaii a month later.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

I always knew my dream wedding would have whimsical florals, lots of little details, and colour! After we got engaged, I fell in love with the venue, Captain Whidbey Inn, and October 5 was one of the few 2024 dates they had left. Luckily, the early fall in the PNW is one of my favourite times of the year, but I think that really shifted my vision to more of a moody vibe, heavy on the candlelight in case it was a dark, overcast PNW day while maintaining the maximalist, colourful, whimsical florals and details that I always wanted. Because we were spending the whole weekend at Captain Whidbey, and a lot of the guests were staying there as well, I tasked Bixby + Pine with really transforming the hotel on the wedding day so it stood out from the rest of the weekend, but still aligned to the iconic look and feel of CW. They absolutely nailed it!

What was one element you were happy to splurge on? 

It’s a close tie between planners, florals, and photo/video, but I think if I had to choose one, it would be photo/video! It’s the only piece of our wedding that we’ll have forever & be able to share with our loved ones that couldn’t be at the wedding. Amber and Tyler from Joy + Everette were absolutely phenomenal. Not only did they produce the most beautiful content from the weekend, but they brought the best energy. You end up spending so much time with the photographers throughout the weekend— it’s important that both bride (and maybe more importantly) groom feel comfortable with them. We enjoyed hanging out with them, and I think it comes through in how natural and authentic our photos feel!! It was a huge bonus that they’re a husband and wife duo, so they had this flow that made every photo/video moment so efficient.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Honestly it was such a smooth day (thank you Bixby + Pine team!!!) The silliest moment from the day was when I was walking down to my first look. We decided to do our first look on the CW dock, which is also where the guests can take out kayaks. As I was headed down there, a little nervous, in full glam and the dress, I ran into my friend’s 6’7” husband, who was trying to go kayaking in board shorts and a life vest that was at least one size too small for him. I wish we had a photo of this moment because the juxtaposition of the two of us is burned into my memory.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

My wedding dress surprised me the most — I always thought I would have a big ballgown or lots of lace or fun over-the-top detailing. I knew Kai preferred a simple gown and had that in the back of my mind, too, though. I went to LOHO BRIDE while in LA on our way to a friend’s wedding. I brought two of my best friends, my sister and my mom. The second I tried on the Nova Cocotte in heavy silk satin by Vivienne Westwood, we all knew it was the one. It had just enough details with the corset boning and beautifully draped silk to satisfy me while still being a simple, classic gown I knew my groom would love. It didn’t hurt that it was the most flattering thing I’d ever tried on. We went to one other boutique after that, but no gown I tried on lived up to the magic of my dress. It was an easy decision! I paired the gown with a custom lace trim veil from Esty, white silk heels from Badgley Mishka, and pearl drop earrings from Quince. I completed the look with a gold 5-stone diamond necklace—something borrowed from my mom, who inherited it from my late grandma.

For welcome cocktails on night one, I wore a dress from BHLDN and a pair of white ostrich leather cowboy boots from Tecovas that my mom and sister got me on my glamping cowgirl bachelorette in Montana. For the rehearsal dinner, I changed into the Capulet dress from V. Chapman and a pair of satin kitten heels from Jimmy Choo. With both of these outfits, I wore a mother-of-pearl earring and necklace set that my mom also inherited from my grandma.

Although my maternal grandma couldn’t be with us for the wedding, her presence was felt through her beautiful collection of jewellery that she passed down to my mom, her only daughter. When I was growing up, grandma always had the best collection of makeup, hair products, perfumes and obviously jewelry. I remember her teaching me about the value of a Mason Pearson hairbrush and Chanel lipstick, so it felt right that she inspired the little glam details through the weekend!