Romance Blooms at Kualoa Ranch: Carla + Matt's Dreamy Destination Wedding

Surrounded by the mesmerizing natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, Carla and Matt's wedding is not one you want to miss! From dramatic mountain ranges and lush greenery, this fairy-tale wedding was nothing short of magical.

Held at the picturesque Kualoa Ranch, every detail of this wedding was meticulously planned. Beautiful florals, decor, personalized drinks and a stunning bride dressed in Evelyn Bridal made for a breathtaking wedding day! We are so excited to share this one with you and we hope you enjoy reading Carla and Matt's sweet love story as much as we did!

How did you and Matt meet?

My husband, Matt, and I met at my boss and his wife's wedding. Matt works with my boss' wife, and she had been telling each of us about the other. We finally got a chance to meet at their wedding, on February 2, 2019. After the wedding, Matt decided to "slide into my DMs" on Instagram, and they got to talking. Matt asked Carla out. We went out for the first time in April 2019. We went to a bar called "Snug" for drinks and talked for hours. I actually made the first move in the Lyft ride home and quickly grabbed him for a kiss. We went out the second time to the "Cabin" where we talked for hours again. I’m not going to lie, after many failed and unsuccessful first dates over the years, I was a bit scared that Matt was too good to be true, so I ghosted him for a few months. Later on in September 2019, we started talking again and things moved quickly where I was madly in love with him.

How did he propose?

It was October 2021. We had been dating for almost two years, officially. We had actually designed and purchased the ring in April 2021 already. However, in October 2021, we went to Pebble Beach for Matt’s work conference, and I thought he was going to propose that week since we were in such a beautiful location. The conference was from Tuesday and Friday. He didn’t propose, so on Friday, we were packing up to go home, and I was a bit upset. Matt could tell something was wrong, but I didn’t tell him why I was upset. When we were leaving Pebble Beach, Matt said he wanted to take a drive, so we drove and stopped at a scenic viewpoint on the coast. We got out of the car and were looking at the ocean when I hugged him and said, “I thought you were going to propose this week.” (I couldn’t help myself!) Matt then said, “What’s that over there?” Naïve me, I looked over and saw a garbage can and told him I didn’t see anything. I turned back around, and Matt was on one knee. He asked me to marry him, and I responded with “Really?!”

What was your experience like wedding dress shopping?

Living in California but with my mom and dad in Pennsylvania, my middle sister in Iowa, and my youngest sister in New Jersey, I knew I needed to go with them at least once over the Thanksgiving holiday. I found Luxe Redux on the Knot’s list of vendors and made an appointment for “White Friday”! I had looked through a bunch of Luxe Redux’s options online beforehand. I hadn’t even picked out the Amethyst from Evelyn Bridal. I had actually picked out a lot of options that looked nothing like the Amethyst. However, my wonderful advisor had actually selected the Amethyst after meeting me, and it was the second dress I tried on. My mom, sisters, and I were all in love. After trying on several other dresses, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Amethyst, so I tried it on again and even put on my veil. I knew it was the one. What was even more wonderful was that I got to take it home that day and didn’t have much to get altered. My dad didn’t know what dress I picked because I had decided that I wanted to do a first look with my father on my wedding day.

What was your favorite thing about your dress? How did you feel in the dress?

I had never felt more beautiful than in my wedding dress on my wedding day. I hadn’t achieved the “body” that I wanted with being more in shape and fit, but I was so happy in my dress. It fit like a glove. It hugged my curves, accentuated the right places, and I loved that it wasn’t pure white. I wanted something a bit off-white to match with my skin tone. My favorite was the soft lace all over the dress. It was truly the most perfect wedding dress for me!