We are fine art/documentary wedding photographers. When people think fine art, what usually comes to mind is Paris in the springtime, with captures that are elegant and sweet. Our style is better described as a warm Tuscany night, with heels across cobblestone coated in crisp upscale tones. Coming from an editorial background, we incorporate those techniques and methods as destination wedding photographers, finding the lighting and angles that look magazine worthy.

After moving to Hawaii a few years ago, we poured our hearts into the weddings, truly elevating our brand and creating a start to finish experience that embodies our mission statement as destination wedding photographers.

"It is our resolute goal to provide services that cater to each client individually, accompanying couples on their journey while providing respect, appreciation, friendship and accessibility each step of the way."

Having been married in December of 2019, we understand how difficult it is to find the perfect destination wedding photographer. The person that will not only capture images that your great great grandchildren may know you by, but to create a lasting memory of happiness. While interviewing photographers, we came across so many wonderfully talented people that we just didn't fully click with. Our personalities are a mixture of silly and spontaneous, and professional and well mannered. We wanted photos that showed our shameless happiness and allowed us to be ourselves, while still making us feel like we walked out of Vogue.

It's hard to find the perfect match! But if you're anything like us, and teeter somewhere in the middle of being adventurous and poised, this may be what we've both been searching for.

Living in Hawaii has been a beautiful opportunity, and we're so lucky to let our passion take us to different islands for wedding photography, but we have an itch for travel! If your wedding is outside of the United States, let us know right away. We offer incredible discounts for as destination wedding photographers, especially for locations we're dying to see. And the list is quite long. We also have a smaller list of United States venues that we'd love to shoot at and if yours falls on that list, you may be receiving an unexpected discount as well! We're not saying we'll turn full on cheap wedding photographers on you, but let's just say we will make it worth your while in appreciation for letting us capture our bucket list weddings.

Diversifying our portfolio is so important, and we appreciate every single culture. Currently, I (Ari) am learning Japanese and we plan to travel there once this Covid madness ends! We would love to show a more diversified portfolio, but we made a decision not to force anything for the sake of appearances. In other words, we aren't staging any culturally diverse weddings in order to appease an image. We'd love to earn your trust in adding to unrepresented parts of our portfolio. We are a household of love, and are in full support of every ethnicity, gender and orientation. 

We can't wait to meet you and talk weddings! Being in this industry, and a destination wedding photographer, we know so many romantic locations, incredible vendors and wedding tips and tricks. Let's talk! Use the contact form and introduce yourself so we can check one of the most stressful parts of wedding planning off your list and you can gain some new friends to help you navigate planning the party of a lifetime.

destination weddings

Destination wedding photographers

Hawaii Wedding Photographer

Destination Wedding Photographer

Retouching and Body Altering

Oahu Wedding Inspiration

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welcome

My name is Ari Theel, and I’m a Hawaii Wedding Photographer based out of Oahu, HI. My husband and I specialize in edgy, editorial styling with an artistic, high-end approach to capturing genuine moments.

The first wedding I ever shot was for one of my good friends in a backyard in Tustin, California, and I think that made all the difference in my approach to wedding photography. I was not only a photographer, but also a guest, and realized how much love was being poured into my work through capturing two of my friends completely in love, head over heels happy. You could see the genuine expressions on their faces, because they were completely comfortable with me. We were able to take relaxed, silly, happy, passionate, romantic photos that reflected their love and personalities fully. But I wasn’t a destination wedding photographer! I was signed with a modeling agency as a commercial photographer in Los Angeles, and my aspiration was to one day photograph Victoria’s Secret models. Being an Orange County wedding photographer didn’t seem like it was in the cards and I rarely took on weddings except for close friends and family.

Then, fate intervened. I met my husband and made the decision to move to Hawaii where the commercial photography scene was entirely different. And it just happened! I began building my business from the ground up, accepting this new opportunity to become a destination wedding photographer. I dedicated myself to the experience couples have when they book with me, wanting to make every person feel as comfortable around me as my friends did at that first wedding in California.

I found a perfect balance between effortless and editorial, wanting to enhance natural beauty to make everyone feel as stunning as they are. The experience was truly meant to be, and as I began exploring the island and finding venues that I absolutely fell in love with, I got to know the Hawaii wedding vendors that have made me appreciate this industry even more. I have a suggestion list a mile long when it comes to the incredible people who make weddings possible on these tropical islands. From Hawaii wedding dress tailors to large and unique vintage or modern wedding rentals, I’ve been blessed to build friendships and share their talents with couples who inquire.

I’ve worked with incredible commercial brands such as Jerusalem Sandals, The Better Skin Co., Simply Gum, and Ducky, but what truly makes me happy is people. I love capturing love, meeting couples, seeing them plan and grow, and seeing them finally live the happiest day with friends and family surrounding them. What I do as a destination wedding photographer is so rewarding and it would not be possible without you.

As destination wedding photographers, Serving locations far beyond Hawaii, we offer different rates, packages, and details depending on where the wedding is located. Our main wedding locations are Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Orange County and San Diego, but we are not limited to those locations! We love traveling and seeing new incredible locations. Next year, we plan to visit Japan and would love to capture a wedding while we’re there. If you’re getting married in Japan, send us a message and we can work something out.

If you’re looking for the best destination wedding photographer, then we’ve got you covered. Our style is unique in that we focus on crushed blacks and romanticized browns, while maintaining complimentary skin tones. We don’t follow “fads” or fast trends, we prefer to display a timeless iconic style that will stand for the ages. Whether it's The Olana in Hickory Creek, Texas or Villa Pizza in Lake Como, we'll accompany you across the world documenting the entire trip.

One of our signature packages, no matter the destination, is our 3-day destination wedding photography, that covers everything from breakfast in bed, coffee on the terrace, boat rides with the family, sight seeing, exploring, trying foreign foods, walking the streets, shopping, skydiving, snorkeling. You do it, we capture it. For destinations outside of Hawaii this package is heavily discounted because we love tagging along as the invisible third wheels to experience this as well. If you're interested in discussing hiring us as your destination wedding photographer, contact us now and let's get started building your all-inclusive dream wedding package.

Just to name a few of our dream locations we'd love to be your destination wedding photographer in:

You may be wondering if we do skin retouching or body alterations. The answer is a mixture of yes and no. With no additional add-ons to wedding packages, our retouching is minimal. If there are a few small pimples on close up shots, we remove them and edit skin so pores appear smaller. If makeup is smudged minimally, we may clean that up even though it’s not included. I like to deliver photos that I know couples will love, and so I view every image putting myself in your shoes, thinking if I received this photo of me, would I love it?

Our style is a mixture of candid, documentary, posed, and placed. By placed, we mean we love planning ahead and finding the best lighting to compliment body angles, skin texture, and facial expressions. We love the whimsy of adventure photography on Oahu, but when you laugh so hard you force an overexaggerated double chin, that’s when we know the majority of people may not like the result. We prefer “pretty” ugly. Finding those imperfect, silly, unposed moments and pushing a version of it that causes people to remember the moment just as they experienced it. This could be as simple as raising our camera to a new angle, pushing in for a tighter shot, or recreating it.

The only instance in which we alter bodies without request, is if the angle was uncomplimentary and not what the scene looked like to the natural eye. For instance, if a bride is sitting down leaning against their arm, and the result is unflattering to the camera lens (in person it was probably beautiful but the camera tends to freeze moments in a more unforgiving way than the viewing it in person) then we may tuck the arm the smallest amount. It’s not noticeable to anyone viewing the image because this would be done to show that bride how she naturally looks.

We fully believe humans are beautiful and “flaws” are what make us unique. The camera often picks up temporary flaws that the human eye doesn’t see and we prefer to correct those so our couples can focus on the beauty of the day rather than small eye-catching aspects of the photo. If you have any questions regarding our viewpoint on retouching and body altering, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Being not only wedding photographers, but also an Oahu engagement photographer and couples photographer, we’ve had the honor of shooting at so many lavish and stunning locations on the Island. We’ll be releasing a blog post revealing our picks for top 20 Oahu wedding venues, but for now we’d love to list some honorable mentions for favorite locations and venues!

Our top pick for the venue on Oahu that is most beautiful is the Royal Hawaiian Country Club. Seeing it in person is a must. It’s breathtaking and it’s rare that we say photos don’t do it justice. The best part about this nestled spot is that after the ceremony there is a guided golf cart tour, where we drive to the best locations to take photos. If these mountain views aren’t enough, there’s even a small pond and we got major Jane Austen vibes last time we were there. It may have been the bride’s ball gown wedding dress overskirt that added to that feeling though!

An all time favorite Oahu venue of ours is the Four Seasons Ko Olina. We've had the pleasure of photographing there and could not get past the stunning architecture, views, and aesthetic. Here are a few of our favorite shots and hopefully some Hawaii wedding inspiration as well! We'd love to add to this gallery collage and if you're getting married at Four Seasons Ko Olina, we'd be happy to work out a special pricing photography package!

53 By the Sea Oahu Hawaii

Cielo Farms Malibu California

West Side Oahu Elopement

Destination wedding Photographer in hawaii

We've worked with couples from Canada, Australia, Italy and Japan, just to name a few. We've fallen in love with learning about new cultures and ceremonies, and have such a deep respect for the many different people who congregate to the Hawaiian Islands to get married. From  photographing people from across the United States and around the world, we understanding that it's stressful to plan a wedding let alone plan it from a distance. We want to be your eyes and ears on Island, giving you the inside scoop of the best wedding vendors in Hawaii and helping you put out any fires. You're not alone in this journey! 

Being a destination wedding photographer has been a dream come true, and we'd love to share our island with you or go explore new lands together. Use the contact form below so we can start becoming friends!

Budapest, Hungary
The Olana, Texas
Pelican Hill, California
Udaipur, India
Uluwatu, Bali

Lake Como, Italy
Mallorca, Spain
Amalfi Coast
French Riviera
Japan