Cookie Jiaravanon and Clement Hsu went to the same grade school together, but she was in the year below him, and they were not close friends. “We didn’t have any communication after high school, and funnily, it was almost like we forgot the other person even existed!” Cookie laughs. Then one winter, the two connected on a dating app while both home in Hong Kong for the holidays. At the time, he was living in Brooklyn, and she was based in Jakarta. After a year of long-distance, they agreed to move back to Hong Kong for each other.
After three years together, Clement proposed at his childhood home—visibly across the bay from Cookie’s childhood home. By the water, he pulled out a ring and asked her to marry him, as she shed happy tears. “He told me he wanted to propose to me where ‘I was right under his nose all along,'” the bride gushes.
Since Cookie studied at the University of Hawaii, Oahu became her favorite place on the planet, and she converted Clement to love the locale too while on vacation at Turtle Bay Resort. It was an easy venue to say yes to for their wedding. “Our aesthetic had a strong focus on florals,” Cookie shares. “For the ceremony, Renko created a bucolic meadow. The florals were loosely inspired by Monet’s garden in Giverny, a juxtaposition between European varieties and local tropical varieties, a harmony between wildflower meadow and manicured garden. I knew Kuilima Point would be windy, since it is located right at the tip of the island. Instead of seeing it as a problem, we used the wind to our advantage, and the meadow was brought to life.”
Sandra Williams of Finishing Touch Hawaii brought the couple’s vision to life, while KT Merry was behind the lens and The First Second captured video.
A welcome luau in Waimea Valley kicked off the celebration. To this, the bride looked beautiful in a Giambattista Valli floral dress and Aquazurra wedges. Clement, on the other hand, sourced his Kahala aloha shirt from the hotel boutique at the last minute. “Common Kings performed on stage after dinner, and we danced in the rain!” Cookie exclaims.
To walk down the aisle, Cookie chose to wear a chiffon corseted Giambattista Valli Paris Haute Couture dress with a hooded cape. “I knew it would be windy at the venue, so I wanted a dress that would catch the wind beautifully,” the bride says. “The interaction between the cape and the wind was heavenly.” On the day-of, she got ready with Mai Tokioka, who gave her a natural beauty look, and completed her ensemble with Jimmy Choo Saeda satin heels.
Clement looked handsome in a black Christian Dior tuxedo. “He liked the slim-cut jacket and narrow trouser piping,” Cookie chimes in.
After dinner, the bride changed into a custom black Zuhair Murad haute couture dress, complete with a beaded romper and sheer tulle skirt. “I opted for black because I usually wear a lot of black, and I also live in jumpsuits,” she explains.
On October 26, 2022, Cookie emotionally walked down the aisle, as Kai Quartet played romantic music. “The moment everyone stood up and turned back to look at me, I felt overwhelmed with love because I saw all of the smiling faces of my favorite people in the world, including Clement’s,” the bride recalls. “Some of my friends started to clap, and that made everyone clap, which confused me at first but it lightened the mood.”
During the ceremony, Cookie felt an intense feeling of focus—that might’ve been distracting at times too. “I was nervous when exchanging rings; I didn’t even notice I put the ring on his wrong hand,” she smiles. “Clement also probably forgot too, and that’s probably why it wouldn’t fit at first!”
After being declared officially wed, the tented reception began. Post-surf and turf seated dinner, the couple cut their chocolate and guava wedding cake with coconut buttercream frosting. Then, they took to the dance floor for their first dance to Ed Sheeran’s “Tenerife Sea,” one of the bride’s favorite tunes.
Cookie’s favorite part of the reception was when their teenage flower girl, Emma, surprised her and Clement with a choreographed hula dance. “I used to babysit Emma when I went to college in Hawaii, and she holds a special place in my heart,” the bride shares. “That was just extra touching and special seeing her grown up and doing what she loves, dancing.”
The dance floor lit up afterward. Cookie says it best, “The drinks became doubles, the DJ turned techno, everyone got out of their seats, and we danced the night away.”
