On a surprise birthday weekend in Big Sur, Douglas Dillon Bryan (who goes by his middle name) asked Taylor Gardner to be his wife just as the sun was setting over Pfeiffer Beach. “When we got engaged, I immediately knew I wanted a destination wedding. I wanted the entire week to feel like adult summer camp, relaxed and fun, with the wedding being the climax of an amazing trip,” says Taylor, who grew up in L.A. “And Hanalei Bay in Kauai was really the only location I considered. I grew up going there every summer with my family. It is my favorite place on Earth.”

Dillon, an investor and financial consultant from New York, had never been to Hawaii, so Taylor took him last January to win him over and venue-scout. “When we found the Kauikeolani Estate, we knew right away that it was the right place. It’s this incredible historical landmark,” says Taylor, who works for NBA player Blake Griffin and in interior design. Dillon and Taylor rented the house for a week, stayed there with friends and got married on the property.

The Santa Monica-based couple joined in many local activities such as hiking the Na Pali coast, helicopter tours, ATV tours, tennis and golf. They hired local chef Jessica Lindan to prepare meals throughout the week. “We had people at our house almost every night,” says Taylor.

For the wedding itself, they hired Deanna Schafer of “I Do” Weddings. “I worried about working with someone on Kauai, that she wouldn’t be able to execute my vision just through emails and phone calls. I really wanted the decor to be super simple and clean and not feel overly ‘weddingish,’ and she perfectly executed my vision.”

Dillon recalls his favorite moments: “my stunning soon-to-be wife walking down the field/aisle in a beautiful dress with no shoes on and when she got up with the band and sang me ‘I’ll Stand by You.’” 

PHOTOS: Logan Cole.
Written and edited by Jenny Murray.