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Jennifer Behr Director of E-Commerce Megan Maquera’s Wedding at Haiku Mill on Maui’s North Shore

By Cathleen Freedman | Photography by 

Melia Lucida

|Planning by 

K.H. & Co

Before Megan Maquera became the director of e-commerce at Jennifer Behr and Nathan Day worked for Sony Music, they first met as seventh-graders at school in the Philippines. By the end of their freshman year, they began dating. 13 years later—long distance between New York City and Los Angeles included, Nate proposed on their first trip since the Covid-19 lockdown.

The cosmopolitan couple did not have any difficulty selecting the wedding destination. Megan’s mother grew up in Maui, Hawaii, and it’s where Megan’s parents met—in addition to where Megan’s maternal side of the family lives. While Megan and Nate never envisioned a large wedding for themselves, they were ready to host a big celebration that brought all of their shared friends together. Considering that guests were flying in from 22 different cities around the world, Hawaii proved to be a central locale as well. “Hawaii also happens to be midway between Manila and New York,” Megan adds. “It was symbolic in that sense.”

The venue, Haiku Mill, sits perched at the base of the Haleakala Volcano. “Growing up in the Philippines, we have access to some of the world’s best beaches that rival Hawaii’s, so we wanted to offer our guests something completely different from the typical beach wedding you first think of when picturing a wedding in Hawaii,” Megan explains. “I loved the venue for all of the natural flora it already had. The entire site is draped in gorgeous vines and orchids, so I wanted the flowers to be sculptural and free-forming as well.” Bella Bloom Maui designed the additional cascading floral arrangements.

The couple enlisted Kimiko Hosaki of K.H. & Co. to plan the nuptials and were confident in all of her abilities. Megan notes, “With Kimiko’s incredible taste and relationships on the island, I knew that she’d be able to translate my vision into reality, and it turned out I was right!”

International travel restrictions forced the couple to postpone the wedding a year out from their original October 7, 2021 date; however, they commemorated the occasion by officially marrying on the rooftop of their Brooklyn Heights home.

Megan was immediately overwhelmed by the dress-searching process, especially in New York City. After trips to Spina Bride and Bergdorf Goodman, her father suggested she visit the Monique Lhuillier atelier because the designer is also from the Philippines. She followed his advice and once she tried on a Lhuillier gown, she knew it was “the one.” As someone who loves the elevation of a platform heel, Megan ordered—and returned—quite a few pairs before ultimately deciding on shockingly comfortable white leather Gianvito Rossi five-inch platforms with crystal rhinestones.

Her jewelry trousseau naturally featured a hefty assortment of Jennifer Behr pieces. Because Megan loved her dress so much, she wanted to wear it the whole night through—no second outfit necessary. “At Jennifer Behr, we talk a lot about how accessories can be used to change up your look, so that’s exactly what I did,” she says.

Earlier in the wedding weekend, she wore a Johanna Ortiz dress with the hand-carved mother-of-pearl Jennifer Behr Zia Stud Earrings to the beachy welcome dinner. Guests opened gift bags with a postcard designed by Megan herself. There were QR codes on each that took guests to a playlist of the couple’s favorite Hawaiian songs.

For the beachside rehearsal cocktail hour, she donned a white Maygel Coronel swimsuit dress and a traditional Hawaiian “Haku,” a traditional celebratory flower crown. Lastly, she changed into a gold sequin slip dress by Retrofête, “which was absolutely cosmic in the moonlight,” she mentions about her after-party look.

Her groom had a more straightforward decision-making process when it came to his wedding ensemble and selected a Givenchy tuxedo, which was the first and only thing he tried on. He paired it with Saint Laurent shoes and a Tom Ford bow tie.

The entire wedding party consisted of their cherished friends—who they have known since they were fourteen years and some since they were even younger. “I think the last time we all got dressed up together like this was prom!” Megan remarks. She gave her bridesmaids a guava and green-colored mood board with tropical prints for dress inspiration. They came back with everything from Agua by Agua Bendita to custom couture creations. “I love the visual texture you get when everyone isn’t wearing the same thing,” the bride divulges. She brought a common motif to the different outfits with the Jennifer Behr Viniette Earrings in Antique Gold. “The earrings can also be worn for many other moments beyond the wedding…I just saw one of my bridesmaids at a cocktail party the other day wearing them,” she says.

The mother of the groom chose the best-selling Violet Dangle Earrings. “Her style is very classic, so this was the perfect touch of floral and statement to bring her into the theme,” Megan continues. “My mom is more of a maximalist, and she chose the Roselyn Earrings, which are newer to the collection but are quickly becoming a classic.”

On the one-year anniversary of their intimate Brooklyn rooftop ceremony, Megan and Nate gathered in front of their friends and family to say “I do.” A custom harp and cello arrangement of the song “Ljósið” by Ólafur Arnalds played as Nate, their godparents, and the wedding party walked down the aisle. Nate also worked with the musicians on a custom arrangement of “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for Megan’s processional. This special touch brought guests to tears.

The ceremony began with the Hawaiian tradition of blowing the “pū,” which is a conch shell trumpet, and the exchange of lei between the bride and groom. The officiant, Sean Keli’ipono Aquino, is also a friend of Megan’s cousin and a fire dancer in the first season of The White Lotus. He led a ceremony that blended Hawaiian tradition, Filipino culture, and modern taste.

Guests ventured into the courtyard for Hawaiian hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails, wine, and Moët. Megan’s father started the toasts, including a pun on the couple’s married name and public declaration for grandchildren—he wishes for “many more Days.” Melia Lucida photographed the many treasured moments of the Hawaiian nuptials, and Cutting Edge Catering created the delectable dinner menu.

The band began with The Killers’s “Mr. Brightside.” The guitar intro was a siren’s call, ushering everyone onto the dance floor to shout the lyrics verbatim. The momentum slowed down enough for the newlyweds to cut their Cake Fanatics confection and share their first dance to Elvis Presley’s romantic “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Guests were invited to Mr. and Mrs. Day’s oceanfront villa for an after-party that kept the buoyant revelry going all night long.