Waiale‘e

The plan for today was to meet Nancy at the wedding venue on the North Shore and she was going to take us to the Turtle Bay condo that the bridal party was staying at. Dani had offered us the bedroom that she had occupied and wouldn’t need on her wedding night as they had a bridal suite at the resort. We were to be there around 1 pm. Without any discussion JS decided that he wanted to take the East coast route as it was a nice drive. Well we got lost getting out of the city, ran into construction with delays, got lost again, and encountered heavy rainfall. We didn’t arrive at the venue until 3:30! The wedding started at 4 so it was too late to go to the condo. I had to change into my dress in the port-a-potty!!! I was unable to fix my wind-blown hairstyle or apply any makeup. I was not impressed. End of rant.

It had rained heavily on the way to the North Shore and I was feeling so concerned for Dani and Chris after all the effort they had put into planning this day. When we arrived the rain had slowed to a drizzle and just as the guests were arriving the black clouds broke and the sun came through. It was a blessing for sure.

The wedding was even more than I had imagined. Dani was beautiful and Chris glowed. Dani’s dress was custom made by a Honolulu seamstress and she wore diamond jewelry that had been given to her by her Grandmother. The ceremony was a blend of traditional with vows of “till death do us part” and Hawaiian cultural practices. The venue was beyond beautiful. The delicious meal was served family style with bowls and platters of food placed on each table. No expense was spared.....a conch blower, a singer, hula dancers with lessons, a fresh flower table to make your own arrangement, a photo booth, and fire dancers. I felt I was at a personal luau! There was a wedding planner with 3 assistants, 2 videographers, 2 photographers, and 1 drone camera operator. Chris had about 25-30 family members present while Dani had 4, so I was very happy that we made the effort to attend. It was one of the most memorable experiences I have had.Read more