Oahu, Hawaii Engagement Photography

I met Kara and John in Ko Olina in Oahu to celebrate their engagement. We had a beautiful sunrise session on the beach with gentle waves crashing and palm trees blowing in the breeze.

Kara shares, “It all started on an ordinary night at a bar in Southern California. I had just walked in with my friends, when we ended up standing behind a rowdy group playing flip cup on a surfboard table. One of them turned around—at John’s request—and asked if we wanted to join their game. We did. And just like that, John and I were on opposing teams, flipping cups and talking trash. Now, depending on who you ask, the winner of that game is still up for debate. I remember thinking he was very handsome. Very military. A thick mustache, a full sleeve of tattoos I didn’t quite know how to feel about. After the game, we talked. For hours. We danced, sang along to the jukebox, wandered the beach acting like we’d known each other for years.

I gave him my number. Later that night, I got a single text: “John Stephens.” That was it. 

Our first date was a picnic on the beach, which almost didn’t end up happening because John was radio silent the whole day. I was annoyed, he was nervously blabbering, and immediately kicking sand into the tray of fruit he had brought from the store. John offered me wine, straight from the bottle, he’d forgotten glasses, and we listened to music and talked for a few hours before we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant down the road. I held his hand to let him know he hadn’t totally blown it, but he was on thin ice.”

Kara continues, “A month before proposing, John had made a trip to visit me and my family in California. Since December, he had been trying desperately to get my dad alone to ask for his permission since. By the end of January, one hour before leaving for his flight, John was able to get him alone. He had asked him to go to lunch about 5 times, and my wonderful dad, who is so oblivious, would tell me he had to cancel his lunch with John, that I had no idea about, because something came up. The suspicions had begun.

We had flown out to Maui for Valentine’s weekend, our first island hop since living on Oahu. I had asked him a million questions on what I should wear, getting my hair and nails done. He handled my curiosity annoyingly perfectly. I was suspicious but also did not want to be let down. The day after Valentine’s Day, we went for a walk on the beach, not knowing that was the beach we were going to later that night. We had a chill day at the pool of our Airbnb and played card games all afternoon. John was so relaxed I didn’t think anything was happening. He had told me he found a steakhouse he wanted to try that night, not out of the ordinary for a guy from Texas, and that we would go watch the sunset before because our reservation was so late.

After we had finished all the games in our Airbnb, there were still a few hours until sunset and I was getting antsy to do something. John started to get weird, in my opinion. He suggested we go have a few drinks at Tommy Bahamas right down the road and from there we would go watch the sunset. As I was getting ready, I was deciding between two dresses, a maxi black dress and a maxi orange floral dress my best friend had let me borrow. John was insistent that the black dress was the ugliest dress he had ever seen and I should wear the orange dress. Suspicions arose.

We had a great time at Tommy Bahamas, probably drinking a little too much, and then headed to watch the sunset. As we pulled up to the same beach we had accidentally walked that morning, I hopped out of the car to run to the bathroom, luckily giving John enough time to call the secret photographer he had booked telling her we arrived. She had set up a little ways down the beach so I wouldn’t spot her immediately. As we strolled down the beach, we passed a guy sitting with his friends who called out to us, “Were you guys just at Tommy Bahama? I was serving the table next to you.” I was tipsy and cracking up while John was pulling me down the beach with my head down, looking at the sand, being oblivious just like my dad.

I saw out of the corner of my eye, John randomly dropping his shoes in the sand. I looked up and saw a circle outlined in Dendrobiun Orchids. I immediately copied John and dropped my shoes, not knowing what else to do. He spun me around to face him and got down on one knee. To this day, neither of us have any clue what he said except it felt like it took him 20 minutes to finally ask the one thing I was waiting to hear. He was told to hold that pose for 30 seconds so the photographer could take photos. Immediately after, everyone on the beach was cheering for us. As John got up to hug and kiss me he turned to the beach and did a shaka to our little audience and it is one of our favorite photos.” 

 

John shares what he loves most about Kara, “Kara has an immensely sweet heart and takes care of me more than I ever deserve. She has endless patience with me and I cannot thank God enough that I get to marry my best friend and my true other half.”

Kara shares, “John and I spent a lot of our relationship doing long distance, but he has always made it a priority to provide me with reassurance whenever I needed it. We are constantly laughing with or at each other, trying not to take anything seriously. I always feel safe when I’m with him, both physically and emotionally. I know he will always have my back. “

 

Kara shares, “We are getting married on April 18, 2026, in Laguna Beach and could not be more excited. Our venue is encapsulated by lush coastal hills while still being right next to the ocean. We plan on doing our vows in the morning on the beach together and have our ceremony at sunset with a beautiful mountain behind us. To pay homage to my grandparents’ Italian heritage, we will have a few dedications to them through the night, singing “That’s Amore” before dinner and dancing to “Lazy Mary.” 

Congratulations to Kara and John!