Wow, it really makes the little snafus that happened at our wedding look insignificant. So what if we didn't start on time because the coordinator was looking for the last 2 missing guests, and those guests didn't exist - he'd counted us, the bride and groom? Who cares that the photographer made us kiss so many times that the makeup rubbed off of my nose, and I had nothing to touch it up with? What does it matter that my brother-in-law took my joking comment about the ridiculously-expensive-per-person open bar seriously, and announced to the crowd that they'd better drink up? And that they did drink up, and were too drunk to dance? Or that the DJ misinterpreted our taste in music and started to play hardcore crunk? And, compared to falling in a lake, who cares if we had to wrap up at 10:00 on the dot, even though we were *hic* still having a good time?
Lake or no lake, everything else about the wedding was absolute bliss. Sure, it was hot, and there was a lot of "vog" (volcano ash mixed with fog - yup, you guessed it, Hawaii. Kauai, specifically.) But it didn't rain, and the scenery was just as beautiful as it could possibly be. The ceremony was wonderfully short but very sweet. We exchanged leis, and since it's traditional to do so with a kiss, I kissed Anthony, and then realized, OOPS! The minister hadn't said You May Kiss the Bride yet! There's also some video footage of Anthony and me laughing when the minister opened the box with the rings - because emblazoned on the inside in big letters was "SHANE CO." Nice advertising - too bad they didn't pay us for it!
The ceremony was under a gazebo, decked with flowers, overlooking the ocean. The reception was on a grassy area between the beach and a saltwater lagoon. (Nobody fell in the lagoon - I had my money on one of Anthony's friends, but alas, he didn't come through.) The sun went down as we ate dinner, and when it was dark enough, we had a fire dancer as entertainment! The food was amazing, and if the music was a little lacking, so what. Like I mentioned, everyone was pretty drunk by that time anyway!
Such bliss, to be in Hawaii with your closest friends. A big perk to having a destination wedding is that it trims your guest list by about 60%. We probably should have invited a lot more people, but it all worked out great. There were about 35, and really only a handful of people couldn't make it that we really wanted there. Plus, we had a little casual bbq reception on the mainland for anyone who missed the real thing. Anyway, it was so much fun having all of our friends in Hawaii. We went ziplining, ATV-ing (well, not me, I was in bridal-prep mode.) We hung out at the pool and went down the waterslide. We went inner-tubing in an old sugar plantation's irrigation ditches. We went snorkeling and parasailing. It was heaven!
Ahh, memories. Anyway, after watching that video today, I'm officially letting go of my chagrin over not renting the expensive chiavari chairs. (The coordinator assured us that plastic chairs would be better because they wouldn't sink into the grass as much, and we believed him, but UGH! plastic chairs?!? ugh ugh ugh.)
I would do it all over again in a nanosecond. ESPECIALLY the part about marrying my soul mate. And I'd do that absolutely anywhere. :)
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| Aloha! |
People falling off docks is always funny. Always.
ReplyDeleteYou and your man look beautiful! And what a great wedding story! It is always the unexpected stuff that we remember and that makes it extra special. That said, I am really glad that you didn't fall into the ocean that day. :)