I was invited to join in a fabulous wedding weekend. At my age, I don’t receive too many wedding invitations and so this one to Kayla and Lou’s wedding felt very special. We checked in at the Fairmont Orchid on a Friday afternoon where I found an awesome Ku’ia chocolate welcome surprise from Deaner waiting for me in the room! We quickly got ready and headed to Naomi’s suite where we caught up with friends with day-before-the-wedding pre-party champagne. After enjoying some bubbles, we were picked up in chartered buses from which we saw a beautiful rainbow on our way to the beautiful Kohanaiki property.

The rainbow continued to display its beauty at the event long enough for it to be in our photos at the party. The setting was magical–an unrepeatable ichigo-ichie moment. We enjoyed eating local foods including Any Kine wontons, sliders, Spam musubi, ice shave, and my favorite–a ramen bar! The music by Beyond Paradise helped us dance off all the food and drink all evening long.

I had planned to relax at the beach or pool the following morning but a toothache derailed me. I had a root canal scheduled in a few days and thought I would have been okay over the weekend. My tooth had other plans so I called the dentist’s office to see if I could get some antibiotics to help relieve the pressure from the infection, and luckily with the help of a few friends, got the prescription delivered to me from Hilo since the pharmacies in the area were closed that day! After taking my first dose, we headed to the wedding ceremony where we were again blessed with amazing views and beautiful golden light. The bride, the bridal party, and the bride’s mother were so beautiful and everyone there glowed with love and happiness during these moments. We had fun at the photo booth while enjoying music from Pomai & Loeka from Hilo during the reception. If you have an event, you should check out Oh Snap Hawaii. I just posted a couple of photos here but we actually took lots and lots of pictures! You get the pictures sent straight to your phone right after you take them and can take as many as you want! So fun! Plus–Katie is so nice and will customize the frame/filter for your event and make sure everything is awesome. You can find them on Instagram at @ohsnaphawaii or contact them via email at ohsnaphawaiipb@gmail.com. You’ll love it!

I love weddings because they allow us time to reflect on what is most important in life. Finding happiness with someone you love, feeling supported by family and friends, and enjoying moments that we hope to never forget. The speeches by the wedding party members, the fathers, were so touching and heartfelt. The three photos above taken by Aria Studios perfectly capture the overflow of happiness and love. I have happy tears each time I look at these pictures.

Unfortunately, our weekend had to come to an end but we did make our way to Mai Grille for some breakfast and to walk the final victorious-for-Honolulu game of the Little League World Series before we stopped at Costco on our way home. A few days later, I continued to celebrate the newlyweds with a taste of their cute favor–a custom lager! Cool, clean, crisp, and refreshing. Living Hilo Style with Love.