There has been much speculation and concern over a newly enforced Hawaii Sate Rule requiring that a beach wedding conducted anywhere in the state must have a permit. It’s true that a “Right of Entry” permit must be obtained from the State Department of Land and Natural Resources for any commercial activity to be conducted on State lands. State lands include all beaches “below the high water mark.” The purpose of this blog entry is to tell you that although it may seem like a daunting task for you to have to deal with this permit thing, it’s really no big deal.
For one thing, many brides and grooms don’t care whether their ceremony is in the sand or just above or next to it on the lawn or bluff, so long as beach pictures could be taken after the ceremony. If you are one of these, then you will not need to worry about a permit at all, as these areas are above the high water mark. Picture taking on the beach does not require a DLNR permit.
If you do wish to have your ceremony in the sand, then you will need a permit. The permit is not easy for an individual to obtain, because it requires that whoever is applying for the permit to carry insurance for over $300,000.00 and have the State of Hawaii named as an insurer. Most individuals do not meet this requirement.
We have heard from people who were worried, because they did not know how to get a permit and were concerned that it would be expensive. The good news is that it’s not expensive and your wedding company should be able to obtain the permit for you, at a nominal cost. You can compare how much the wedding companies you are considering are charging to process the permit. If you are paying over $60 for your permit, then you are probably being charged too much for the processing.
At Merry Maui Weddings, your permit will never cost over $60 for a group of 20 our under, because we want to do everything we can to make your wedding not only beautiful, but also as affordable as possible, while never comprimising quality. For instance, you can receive a complete, quality beach photo wedding from Merry Maui Weddings for under $400 plus tax.
Greg and Sarah were married Oct 9th, 2008, in a lovely ceremony, on a beautiful bluff overlooking Wailea Beach. I really enjoyed these lovebirds who fully employed the Hawaiian custom of kissing throughout the wedding ceremony.
When I asked the couple how they met, they both chimed in, enthusiastically, “Craigslist!” I said, “tell me more.” And, this is their story…
Greg needed a roommate for his home and put an ad in Craigslist. Sarah rented the room. They got to know each other as roommates. When the sparks began to fly, they decided it was best that Sarah have her own home. (They didn’t tell me why, but I would guess that dating would be a little awkward when you’d both return to the same house!)
The dating went well and Greg and Sarah decided to spend the rest of their lives together. So, the order of their courtship was unusual – first, they lived together, then they dated, then they married and lived together again, as man and wife. The situation seemed to have worked well for them, as they are as happy as can be.
At the beginning of Craig & Sarah’s ceremony, unusual dark clouds covered the sky, but they didn’t seem to notice. However, just when they began to recite their vows, the sun broke through the clouds and bathed them in golden light. They did notice that. Later, they had lots of fun, frolicking on the beach, while their photographer captured wonderful images.
“You never know”
———————-
Where will love find you?
A party, church, school or work?
Could be your kitchen!
I love happy, excited brides. After all, most women have dreamed of their weddings and planned them since childhood. Then, a woman finds the man she wants to spend her life with, and perhaps have children with. She plans her dream wedding for months and often years. Shouldn’t she enjoy it? “Yes, of course,” you say. But, sadly, this is not always the case.
Some brides are sabotaged by nervousness, self-doubt or even their desire for “perfection.” Their extreme concern that every detail be perfect, ruins their appreciation of the true joy of marriage – the wondrous fact that two people are promising to join their hearts and lives in a lifelong commitment.
Happily, some brides are so appreciative of this miracle, that they perceive the world through rose-colored glasses and see perfection in everything about their wedding. Madaleine was this kind of bride. She is a beautiful, successful career woman who has been an item with her handsome, older groom, Stephano, for ten years. Though Stephano is a charming, well-to-do lawyer, with elegant old world courtliness, she had known him long enough to see through his attractive surface. She must like what’s underneath, because she was head-over-heels, giggling, kissing, him every few seconds, in love. She didn’t seem to see the unusual clouds, hiding the sun, at their Maui beach wedding. Their love was the sun.
Dark clouds hide sunlight
But cannot dim the radiance
Cast by their Love-Light
Amy & David were wed on Sugar Beach in Maui, employing our Summer Romance package. It’s a great wedding for a young couple, on a budget, who want something beautiful and sweet with great wedding photos.
Amy & David met 7-1/2 years ago when Amy was still in high school and David had just graduated. They were working at the same fast food restaurant. At first, they had to date secretly because of company policy. David quit his job so he could openly date her and they have been a couple, ever since.
They decided to delay marriage until they had their careers and finances in order. So, they focused on their schooling, Amy her nursing and David as an engineer. They graduated, obtained good jobs, and decided that they were ready for marriage. They saved money and planned for a Maui wedding and honeymoon, which they fully enjoyed. They picked a lovely color scheme - cobalt, white and lavender, which the sunset that day cooperated with.
Amy & David are planning to finalize the purchase of their own home when they return from their honeymoon on Maui. My mother tells me that their judicious planning and dicipline were very common with couples in previous generations. Sounds very sensible to me.
I enjoyed officiating at the wedding of Michelle and Brooks, which took place on aloha beach bluff, under the towering coconut trees, as the setting sun set the puffy white clouds ablaze with fiery colors. It was a simple and lovely ceremony and the two of them seemed remarkably at ease, and really enjoying their wedding and Maui.
When I asked them how they met, they told me they had met at the age of thirteen and began dating. Unfortunately, when parents moved, they were seperated and lost contact with each other. After a number of years, Michelle decided to find Brooks and succeded. They had been through many experiences and other relationships that had not worked. Meeting each other again, everything clicked immediately and they have been together ever since. They achieved their dream of celebrating their wedding and honey moon on maui and I don’t believe they will let themselves be separated again.
I watched this peaceful, happy couple walking away, hand in hand and I thought they looked like two peas in a pod. It was if they had always been together.
When two hearts unite
Separation does not break
The bond created
Bob and Donna celebrated their 16th anniverserary, of their meeting by uniting in marriage in a gorgeous sunset ceremony on Aloha Beach Bluff. They chose our siimple but elegant Pua Mele wedding, with sacred hula and the lovely Hawaiian music of Dain Kane, serenading them with beautiful voice and traditional tenor ukelele.
Over 16 years ago, Donna decided to be bold and ask for what she wanted in a newspaper ad. She asked for fun, companionship and romance. Bob soon responded and their correspondence was so pleasing, they decided to go on a real date, meeting in person for the first time. This date was so successful, the couple told me, that it never ended, and subsequently they planned to marry on their 16th anniverserary. A long engagement can be very romantic.
So true to their spirit of fun, they planned a festive wedding, hawaiian style. After, the touching and sweet ceremony and music and hula, Bob and Donna enjoyed a wedding toast and haupia coconut cake, as the Maui sky celebrated their union with a spectacular display of golds oranges and pinks.
As the day ended, Bob and Donna set off, hand in hand , laughing and kissing to join friends for a celebratory seaside dinner.
Meke Aloha, Bob and Donna
Today’s was Jeffrey & Sarah’s Kula Botanical, Maui, White Gazebo package wedding. They met two and one half years ago at one of Jeffrey’s gigs as a drummer with “Stripped.”
Now, rain is a possibility that many brides and grooms are concerned about, but actually happens quite rarely. It did begin to rain about one and one half hours before Jeffrey & Sarah’s wedding at the beautiful Kula Gardens on the slopes of Mount Haleakala. They were great sports about it, gracefully used a large umbrella provided by the gardens. They looked quite enchanting and romantic strolling under the umbrella, which Jeffrey gallantly held over his bride, in the soft, misty rain. Jeffrey did mention that it was ironic to have a rainy wedding, when they came here from Washington State – the land of rain. But, they appreciated that here the rain is light, warm and passes quickly.
The beautiful, white gazebo they had selected for their wedding kept them warm and dry during their sweet, romantic Maui wedding.Afterwards, they strolled the gardens, again under the umbrella, stopping at many beautiful sites to be photographed amid the fantastic arena of flowers and trees that grow in Hawaii, where rain, during your wedding, is considered a “blessing by Lehua,” the goddess of lovers.
Some days, I easily feel blessed. Others, I am just trying to manage the stress. A wedding planner’s life is not just smiles and roses – even on Maui!
We had a large Maui beach wedding scheduled. Any outdoor wedding with a number of guests holds many possibilities for things to go wrong. So, our staff had prepared all the details as carefully as possible.
Still, things went wrong. The weather was misbehaving: Strong gusts of wind scattered the flower circle and blew the toasting flutes and table into the sand. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, blocking the Maui sun and threatened no sunset and early darkness. Members of the wedding party were missing. Finally, ten minutes after the wedding was supposed to start, all the guests and wedding party were located and in place.
The photographer, videographer and musicians were poised for the processional. There was one BIG problem – no bride!! We were told by the limo driver via cellphone that she did not want to come out of the limousine, although her father and bridal party were standing outside, waiting for her. Neither did she wish to speak with anyone. The stress of the moment was, apparently, overwhelming. Family members went to check. The minister and various guests began to look anxious and everyone began to ask what’s wrong. No news came and more and more people wandered away, though urged to stay. I tried to appear calm and confident, but, inside, I was wondering if we were even going to have a wedding. As I tried to reassemble the guests, my walkie-talkie squawked the welcome words, “The bride is coming!” Everyone slipped back into place. The sweet flowergirl and beautiful bridesmaids began the processional. Finally, the bride appeared at the top of the hill. All of a sudden, the winds stopped and the clouds parted. Golden shimmering light cast its beams on the young bride dressed in white satin and rhinestones that were set ablaze by the sun’s rays.
Everyone stood to gaze upon this beautiful apparition. The smiling, radiant bride was led to her beaming groom. The wedding proceeded flawlessly, and the light held out, beautifully.
I performed my sacred hula to the Hawaiian Wedding Song, played by my handsome sons, as the Maui sky turned pink and green and orange. The wedding toast, in front of the awesome Maui sunset looked like the happy ending of a fairytale. Everyone was radiant with happiness. I felt very lucky and amazingly blessed.
Darkness disappears
When the Light of Peace and Love
Overcomes our fears
Well, I’m back. Back from where? From about one hundred Merry Maui Weddings and, though I jorunalled, not a word has been shared beyond my scribbles on paper. Most often, I write about a wedding right after it’s over. Some weddings are like epic adventures that I find my self transcribing long before the wedding day.
During the one hundred plus weddings, I was also moving my home and office. Somehow, I managed to never show up at a wedding in overalls, toting packing tape and carrying boxes. But, I didn’t manage to get my wedding adventures out on the World Wide Web.
Today, I would like to talk about people who find their true loves through matchmaking services, usually on the internet. It’s been a revelation. When I started Merry Maui Weddings, early in the millennium, no one would admit that they met through a matchmaking service. I know, because I usually ask couples how they met. I always find their answers fascinating, not just the stories themselves, but the expressions on their faces as they recount their experiences.
A few years ago, the occasional couple, with shy, downcast looks and red faces, would admit that they had met on the internet. They would exchange embarrassed expressions, as they looked at me to read my response. I always congratulated them, wholeheartedly.
When I was a child, infused with romantic fantasies (as in unrealities), I had thought matchmaking unromantic. But, now, having experienced the painful inadequacy of surface attraction to sustain many marriages, I have become an advocate, and so have many others.
Matchmaking, I have learned, is as old as marriage, itself. It used to be the dominion of wise elders, who knew everyone in the village. Or perhaps, seers with special psychic abilities to perceive who would be right for whom, would take on the job. (For an example of that type, see the entertaining movie, “The Matchmaker.”)
Nowadays, most people use services, such as eHarmony.com or match.com. They fill out extensive profiles of their selves, and the computer, assisted by professionals, does the matching. It seems to me they do a great job. For now, about 1 in 4 couples proudly proclaim that this is how they met. Internet matchmaking seems to have become extremely acceptable in just two to three years.
What I notice is that these couples are nearly always really happy, comfortable and confident in their relationship. They don’t seem to be as prone to last minute doubts or hysteria as couples who met conventionally. I will not even attempt to understand how this is true.
I am not knocking love at first sight (that’s how I met my husband and it has worked out, wonderfully). I do see now that taking the time to decide what you want in love, putting it out there consciously and expecting to receive it leads to another kind of miracle. I see that matchmaking makes people radiantly happy and brings us lots of wedding business. Until next time, Ayesha.
Where does love come from?
Not the heart or mind,
But the indwelling divine.
Yoki & Jeremy’s March 2006 Maui wedding was a true multicultural celebration. It was also a real challenge for us, as wedding planners, and ended with a shocking, unplanned (by us, anyway) finale.
Yoki and Jeremy met while he was attending school in Japan. Their relationship had the opportunity to grow, when he procured a job as an English instructor. Despite many cultural differences, this young Japanese woman and California student fell deeply in love.
Jeremy was expected, by Japanese tradition, to ask her family for permission to seriously date her. He complied, but mixed up his idioms and ended up asking permission to: (a rude word for intimate relations). Somehow, he received permission anyway, after the misunderstanding was cleared up.
After three years of serious courtship, sometimes interrupted by Jeremy’s trips back home to the U.S., the couple realized that they were made for each other. They selected Maui for their wedding because it is nearly equidistant from California and Japan. Also, they love Maui and, finally, Jeremy’s family includes us – the owners of Merry Maui Weddings.
This wedding was our biggest challenge to date for two reasons. Yoki’s traditional Japanese family and Jeremy’s casual, eclectic California/Hawaiian families were very, very different. And, this was our first wedding for our own family.
As you might know, pleasing family can be a lot more difficult than pleasing unrelated clients. Blessedly, the wedding was beautiful and close to perfect as such an event could be. It was held on a beautiful coconut palm studded lawn next to a South Maui beach, and in front of a condo complex in Kihei, where many of the off-island guests stayed.
The flowers, arch and wedding attire were traditionally western in style. The bride wore a dazzling neo-Victorian dress and veil and the groom a handsome white tuxedo. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were also beautiful, attired in the wedding colors, pink and white. The grooms’ family was dressed in their “Sunday best,” or dress Aloha wear. The bride’s family were easy to identify as they wore a matching Japanese print.
The wedding ceremony, performed by myself, was customized by the bride and groom to reflect their own beliefs. It was touching and often hilarious (as they are). I have never witnessed so much laughter at a wedding before! After the wedding kiss, in true Hawaiian style, my sons performed the Hawaiian Wedding Song and I danced the hula.
The pink and white reception featuring Hawaiian luau-style food was appreciated by all. Everyone was pleased and commenting at how smoothly and beautifully the wedding/reception had gone when something unexpected happened. Suddenly, Yoki’s father and uncle picked Yoki up and threw her, fully attired in veil, gown and heels, over a tall fence and into the swimming pool! Family and friends were aghast and there is still speculation as to the meaning of this act.
Fortunately, Yoki cleared the cement and survived this wedding surprise with grace and humor and everyone enjoyed the rest of the evening. I do wish the bride’s family had chosen a less shocking way to show their love, such as the father dancing with his daughter or the uncle tying some cans to the groom’s car. But, I suppose we must respect cultural differences. All in all, it was a Merry Maui Wedding.
