Lisa & Ken

12.5.08


... With children living from Rhode Island to Arizona to Seattle and the conflicting schedules of family and friends, planning a “traditional” second wedding was next to impossible. If not for their tongue-in-cheek decision to “elope,” Ken and Lisa may well be stuck in day - planner purgatory even today. Pragmatism ultimately prevailed — that, and a sense of humor and “second time around” adventure.


The obvious choice for Lisa was Maui, Hawaii. As a young teenager, she grew up vacationing each year with her family in historic Lahaina. To her Maui was a special place — one for families, old and newly-blended, and for making memories of a lifetime. Emotionally and symbolically, Maui was the perfect fit. The “consultation” with Ken was short, predictable, and ended with “yes, dear” and a hug and a laugh.


Making the arrangements for an out-of-state wedding was fun and relatively easy. Once Lisa started surfing Maui - style on the internet, she quickly learned that their options ranged from a full service wedding company, to utilizing a hotel event staff and their facility, to small private weddings. Quiet intimacy was a top priority at Ken and Lisa’s stage in life. With only the two of them, they wanted seclusion, preferably at sunset.


The two selected Hawaiiwedding.com after researching MANY websites and reading testimonials from couples who enjoyed their experience with similar weddings. The Company came highly recommended and offered a variety of wedding locations from beautiful hotels to secluded beaches. You could even choose the time of day on relatively short notice. In fact, Ken and Lisa were able to reserve Poolenalena Beach in Wailea in December on only four weeks advance notice. Once the site, time and ambiance were chosen, the rest of their wedding decisions flowed naturally from there. Their options included a pre-designed package or ala-carte options and type of ceremony — a religious Traditional Maui Ceremony, a Spiritual Non-Religious Maui Ceremony or Hawaiian Wedding ceremony. Ken and Lisa decided on a Spiritual Non-Religious Maui Ceremony as part of a package deal that included a Hawaiian wedding bouquet and limousine service.


Upon arriving on Maui, they checked in at the Hyatt Regency Maui on Kaanapali Beach, which is just an hour’s ride from the airport. The drive is as relaxing as it is beautiful — be careful to keep your eyes safely on the road. Beaches, mountains, and pineapple fields can be distractions. Ken and Lisa reserved a five day hotel package, but longer or shorter packages are available at reasonable rates. The hotel staff was friendly, courteous and always sporting an “aloha” attitude and a smile. The “talking” parrots in the atrium are a fun attraction. Ken tried, but was unable to train any of the beautiful birds to say “Marriott is better” during their short stay.


The day before the ceremony, Ken and Lisa had a pre-arranged appointment with the Hawaiian State Marriage License Agent in Lahaina, which is a must if you are getting married on the islands. The day of the wedding was a day of sunning, beach walking and a little shopping at nearby Whaler’s Village for the perfect wedding necklace and earrings. As the evening ceremony grew closer, Ken and Lisa laughed at the remembrance of their first weddings and how different this experience was. Remember when you couldn’t see your soon-to-be spouse until the ceremony? Ken and Lisa put convention aside and shared the bathroom while drinking champagne and helping each other get dressed.


A short limousine ride later and they were at the beach just before sunset. “It was a perfect day for a wedding, not too warm and there were even a few clouds to enhance the sunset,” Lisa says. Kevin, their wedding officiate, and Sarah, the wedding photographer, were there to greet them with warm aloha’s and traditional floral wedding leis. Casual elegance, a private beach, the setting sun, all in bare feet — what could be better? The ceremony was beautiful and uniquely Hawaii. Kevin was particularly earnest about explaining the importance and symbolism of Hawaii wedding customs.


The surprise of the evening was a couple of unexpected “spectators” on the beach — local fisherman who were beach-crashing to take advantage of a special tide. But Ken and Lisa took it all in stride. After the ceremony and wedding photograph session, when they passed the fishermen on the way to the limousine, Ken couldn’t resist joking with them by saying, “Hey, guys, I’m the lucky one. Look what I caught.”