A Sunset-Hued Oceanfront Celebration Filled with Lush Florals at The Kahala Hotel & Resort

By Kevin Harson14 January 2026

Sunset Colors – bright pink, orange, yellow, soft pink

Romantic, floral, intimate

After speaking to each of our 5 children and getting their blessings, Darin took me to San Clemente Beach for the weekend. He surprised me with a proposal on the beach at sunset at the spot where we had one of our first dates and took our first picture together. It was a beautiful proposal.

I knew I wanted something that looked bridal without having an overly formal or traditional wedding dress. I was looking for a romantic dress – simple but elegant. The dress was a V. Chapman Studio bridal dress. It was the very first dress I picked, and as soon as I tried it on, I knew it was “the” dress. I didn’t look any further or try any other dresses on – it was exactly what I wanted.

Setarah’s (daughter) dress was a Lover’s and Friends dress that we found on Revolve. The color perfectly matched the colors of the wedding flowers. As soon as she put it on, we both knew it was perfect. She looked so beautiful in it.

The food and drinks were catered by the Kahala Hotel and were delicious. My father liked the appetizers so much that he was already full by the time we sat down to dinner! The kids loved the “mocktails” that were tropical mocktail creations by the Kahala.

Belle De Jour Floral provided the florals, and they did an AMAZING job! The flowers were definitely the highlight of the wedding – they went over and beyond my expectations. The colors, style, and types of florals were gorgeous, especially against the background of the ocean. I could not have been happier with them. I just wish I could have brought that arch home! Cindy Tang from Dear Blanc Events was my wedding coordinator, and she was the absolute best. She took care of all other décor and ambiance, and it was beautiful. She knew exactly what I was looking for and went above and beyond it.

The cake was delicious!!!! It was provided by the Kahala Resort, and it was my favorite part of the meal It was simple – white cake with fresh strawberries and buttercream frosting – and so good. We enjoyed an extra slice of it as a midnight snack back at our hotel later that night.

All of the music was handpicked by us, and each song had either a special meaning to us or was one of our favorite worship songs. I wanted the music to be meaningful more than traditional. When we were dating, Darin would always play “Sun to Me” by Zach Bryan whenever I would get into his car, so I wanted to include that in our ceremony as a surprise for him. He said it was a really touching part of the ceremony for him.

We are a blended family with 5 children, 4 dogs, and two business so we are busy! But we make a point to spend quality time together as a couple and as a family because maintaining love and support for each other and our family is our priority. 2. We planned this wedding in 3 months! With the help of Cindy Tang at Dear Blanc Event,s everything came together beautifully. We had the best coordinator(@dear.blanc.events), a beautiful location (@kahala_resort), an amazing florist (@belledejour_floral), a super talented hair and makeup team (@makeupbymariahmelanie), and an incredible photographer/videographer (@theelweddingproductions)– they all truly came together to make the day perfect for us in a matter of months. Besides their talent and professionalism, they were all kind and so easy to work with, which made the process so much less stressful and so much more fun for me. I could not recommend all of them more. The wedding had the same feel as if we had been planning it for a year. It was perfect, and I’m really grateful to each of them. 3. We used the wedding as an opportunity to do a family trip with both sets of parents, our children,n and Darin’s siblings, which felt like a once-in-a-lifetime family trip. Getting married during a family trip seemed like the perfect way to share our love with our immediate families while also getting the chance to travel all together and create memories as a new family.