your photographer & floral director,

but their mom and his wife

What do I call you?

My real name is Bryanna.

My family calls me “Princess.”

My nieces and nephews call me “Aunty P,” but

I go by Pwin (1 syllable) or Pwinny (2 syllables).

Sis or aunty is fine too.

photo taken by @kailakeyphoto

The Face, Engine, and Inspiration behind

Lei Palekana

My name is pwin, lei maker, photographer & ENTREPRENEUR.

Lei Palekana is operated by myself and with the help of my most elite employee, my caring husband, Matt

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photo taken by @kailakeyphoto

Lei is the ultimate expression of love…including grief

Lei Palekana was born from mostly love, but also immense grief.

The first flowers I used to arrange any type of lei or lei po’o came from my grandmother’s funeral in April 2025. I turned to lei making as a way to hold on to my grandma’s spirit a little longer than I was actually allowed.

I took the flowers that filled her absence and I began creating beautiful things. I found the most joy in making layered lei, recreating the lei I wore at my wedding (a 10-foot carnation lei), and learning the labor of love that goes into braiding a ti leaf lei.

Palekana St., La’ie, HI

Naming Lei Palekana after the street my mom grew up on in La’ie felt fitting, being that her dad was a lei maker.

After my grandparents immigrated to the United States from Samoa, they found a home in a small town on the north shore of Oahu. This is where they raised their family and children, including my mom.

My mom tells me stories of her dad using flowers from their backyard and shells from the beach to make lei. With the help of his daughters, he sold lei to tourists anywhere from $1-$5.

Aside from being one of Kahuku’s school bus drivers, my grandfather turned to entrepreneurship in lei making, which he has inspired generations after him to embark on as well—including me.