I have a necklace and bracelet set I got from a farmers’ market in (Kona? Hilo?) Hawaii (Big Island) on my trip in 2007. It is made of seeds from the mgambo tree (latin: Majidea zanqueborica, orig. east Africa). I love the quality of the seed cover – organic, yet lush. Nature’s velvet. It’s apparently weather proof and will not lose it’s velvety touch. I wore it on our wedding day in 2008.

Other names for the Mgambo product/seed:

• Maambo
• Black Pearl
• African Velvet Seed
• Hawaiian Velvet Seed
• Weleweka (Hawaiian transliteration of ‘velvet’)

Here’s the vendor who sold me the jewelry: Kristof Baugher of “the Velvet Echo” (808-937-2081, thevelvetecho@yahoo.com, 143 Punahele St, Hilo HI 96720)

Here’s an etsy seller who has items made with mgambo seeds [ here ]

I finally had a chance to finish editing photos from my session on the Kona side of the Big Island Hawaii with beautiful Sonja (remember her?). We shot near a black sand beach.  A beautiful person, Sonja and I had some fun doing “J Crew style” headshots (yes, she wore a sweater in Hawaii!) and then she wanted to do some sexy shots with a couple of sporty outfits. Fun!

[ view selected images here ]

I made my first trek out to Honolulu in December 2007. I was ready to take the next step in my photography career, and wanted to get images that would enable me to connect with clients getting married in exotic destinations. In preparation for the trip, I googled my little heart out in an attempt to connect with other vendors, photographers, and planners in the wedding industry who might help introduce me to the island or help me plan some photo shoots. I spent lots of time emailing to reach out to locals, and for the most part got very little response.

When I arrived in Hawaii, I stopped in at a place called The Wedding Café. It was a new concept – basically a marketplace for couples to come and review promotional materials from all sorts of vendors. The marketing for the Wedding Café seemed perfect – simple, elegant, and able to stand the line between classic and hip – and I loved their directory, WHITE, printed on heavy stock with a clean design.

In “WHITE” I found a profile about Elizabeth Uehara. In her self-description, Elizabeth talked about her multicultural heritage and how she loves to be a part of weddings. I remember emailing her from my room, and being delighted at a very prompt, very helpful, and very sincere response. The next thing I knew, Elizabeth had arranged a day full of photo shoots for me and provided the hair, makeup, and styling for everyone pro bono – in addition to using her connections with a florist and dress shops to get everyone outfitted. I was impressed by the effortlessness of her arrangements, as well as her enthusiasm for the project. She wasn’t overly concerned with compensation, but rather turned the event into a fun and lighthearted adventure.

I fell in love with Elizabeth that day, and asked her to fly out to San Francisco to do my hair and makeup for our wedding (admittedly also to save me from the onslaught of Persian aunties who work in salons!).

If you’re getting married in Hawaii and looking for a dependable, professional, fun, and talented local hair and makeup artist for your wedding, give Elizabeth a call. She will hook you up. (Elizabeth Uehara, beautigoddess@gmail.com, 808-203-7398)