1469. “This is the best sunset” – Bill and Pat from Naperville, IL  – 12/30/11 – Hilton Waikoloa Village the Point

1468. “Thank you” – Tristen and Sarah from Warsaw, MO  – 12/27/11 – 7 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn

1467. “Awesome, you really spoke to my heart” – Eric and Renee from West Convina, CA. – 12/5/11 – 50 guests at Waiakauhi Beach at the Four Seasons Hualalai (Heidi, who is the florist for the Four Seasons always does such an amazing job. The arch and two sprays on stands were done in wedding white arrangements – beautiful)

1467. “Beautiful” – Oscar and Lisa from Burbank, CA – 11/26/11 – Four Seasons Hualalai (the wind picked up so we moved the ceremony to the Makaloa Villa. It really made for a special location)

1466. “That was perfect, just what we had envisioned” – Tony and Kristin from Laguna Beach, CA. – 11/25/11 – 3 guests for a sunset wedding on Kukio Beach (Some days in my life are just so perfect I can’t believe it. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the church with about 40 people on Thursday. Then on Friday a crew decorated the church for Christmas. It is always an exciting part of my calendar. Then to ice the cake by enjoying a sunset beach wedding with this family was amazing. Thank you for your generosity)

1465. “Thank you” – Gregg and Lisa from Antelope, CA – 11/19/11 – Their 5 children at Wailea Beach, Puako for a 13th anniversary surprise renewal of vows. (Thanks Lisa for letting us pull a fast one on you. This was my first time to work with Jessica. What a great family, what great fun!)

1464. “My favorite part was when you blew the conch shell” – Brett and Sandy from Rancho Margarita, CA – 11/18/11 – 18 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel

1463. “Aregato gozai masu” – Hideo and Yukie from Japan – 11/15/11 – 5 guests at the the Orchid Gazebo (Thank you for your generosity)

11/11/11 was a lot of fun. I am so glad I get to do these weddings and that I get to work with such great couples and such wonderful crews of professionals.

1462. “”Thank you so much for a beautiful job done at our wedding ceremony. We received so many compliments on how beautiful and touching the ceremony was. Our ceremony was gorgeous and personalized perfectly! You made our big day so special, loving and personal. We are so blessed to have you service our wedding. Please keep in touch!” – Jason and Katherine from San Jose, CA – 11/11/11 – 75 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn (Jason and Katherine stopped in at the church so I could meet them. I really enjoyed hearing their story. Every couple is so unique.)

1461. “Thank you so much” – Alec and Kayla from Soldotna, AK – 11/11/11 – 50 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn (As the bridesmaids were walking, I asked Alec where he was from. We have friends who pastor in Soldotna. Turns out he works with their son. Another 6 degrees of separation thing!)

1460. “Your ceremony, the wedding coordinator, the hotel and everything exceeded our expectations. Thank you” – Steve and Elisa from Tacoma, WA – 11 guests on 11/11/11 at 11:00 AM on the point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (Thanks for your generosity and thanks for inviting me to the reception – I had a blast)

1459. “Thank you” – Brian and Teresa from Dallas, TX – 11/6/11 – Their son joined them for their 10 year renewal of vows ceremony at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel

1458. “Thank you, that was so beautiful” – Brett and Katie from Long Beach, CA 11/5/11 – 19 guests at The Four Seasons Hualalai Wedding Beach (Stargazer lilies and white orchids adorned the ohia post arch for this beach wedding. Katie’s dress had orange in it to pick up on her bouquet which also had stargazer lilies. The autumnal seasonal colors were perfect for this sunset ceremony. I also want to thank you for your generosity to me)

1457. “Thank you” – Gavin and Dulce from Phoenix, AZ- 10/25/11 – 2 guests on the Point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

1456. “Thank you” – Greg and Laura from Las Vegas, NV – 10/25/11 – the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (I love riding mountain bikes, Greg and Laura met while riding mountain bikes – how cool is that!)

1455. “We loved every word you said, it moved us a lot” – Tom and Lido from Seminole, FL- 10/24/11 – 11th anniversary renewal of vows and romantic dinner on the Point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

1454. “Aregato gozai masu” – Takumi and Akiko from Japan – 10/24/11 – the Orchid Gazebo

1453. “Thank you” – Evan and Stephanie from Honolulu, HI – 10/23/11 – 30 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn (Stephanie’s cousin did one of the most effective things I’ve seen at a wedding. She had a collage made of things that define the couple. She had the collage turned into a jigsaw puzzle. She put the entire thing in a shadow box. Right before the couple said their vows, she came up and explained about the couple and then had the couple put in the last 2 missing pieces of the puzzle. Steph put in the piece of Evan’s photo and Evan put in the piece of Steph’s photo. Everyone was crying and we all had chicken skin)

1452. “Aregato” -Toshihiko and Miho from Japan- 10/23/11 – 7 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (Thank you for your generosity)

1451. “That was a lovely ceremony – I was hanging on every word – Thank you so much” – Frank and Leta from Australia – 10/22/11 – 30 guests at the Point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (Thank you for coming to the church, thank you for your thoughtfulness, and thank you for your generosity)

1450. “Thank you” – Phillip and Jenniffer from Salt Lake City, Utah – 10/21/11 – 5 guests at the Point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village (Phillip and Jenniffer took a whale watching cruise and their captain let everyone know that the first whale siting had been seen!)

1449. “Aregato” – Masahiro and Rie from Japan – 10/19/11 – the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel

1448. “Aregato” – Teruhiko and Kuniko from Japan – 10/17/11 – 5 guests at the Orchid Gazebo (Thank you for your generosity)

1447. “Thank you” – Jun and Naomi from Japan – 10/13/11 – the Orchid Gazebo

1446. “Aregato” – Satoshi and Nami from Japan – 10/11/11 – 5 guests at the Orchid Gazebo

1445. “Aregato” – Hiroshi and Yuriko from Japan – 10/10/11 – the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel

1444. “Thank you” – Chip and Jessica from Indianapolis, IN – 10/9/11 – 30 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Grand Staircase (The Grand Staircase makes such a dramatic location for a wedding. Chip and Jessica looked great. What a beautiful evening.)

1443. “Thank you for the wonderful ceremony” – Brian and Diane from McKenna, WA – 10/7/11 – 4 guests at Kukio (Win and Cindy are friends of ours. I had done their wedding here in 2005. It was great to be back on the beach with them and do something special for their friends.)

Just as a side note, while I was standing on the shore waiting for the wedding to begin, my mind wandered back to a year ago. Every October the Iron Man Triathlon comes to Kona. For some reason I started thinking about John and Ann who were married a year ago – 10/12/10 – at the Four Seasons. John had come to do the race and then he and Ann were married in a beautiful ceremony. It was a wonderful memory and I could picture all of us at the reception. While I was day dreaming, a couple were walking in the distance. I thought they waved at me. It caught me off guard. I looked around to make certain they were waving at me. I realized that it was John and Ann! I was having difficulty separating my day dream from my reality. I was so elated to see them. They came back for their anniversary. John didn’t do the Iron Man this year. He just came to enjoy. Happy Anniversary to a great couple!

1442. “Thank you so much” – Mario and Robin from Burnaby, B.C. – 10/5/11 – on the rocks at The Four Seasons Hualalai (I had never done a wedding at this particular spot. It fronts the restaurant, so when the ceremony ended, the Hawaiian duo playing on the lawn went into the Hawaiian Wedding Song. It was so perfect. This was a fun couple. We laughed a lot in this ceremony)

1441. “That was awesome” – Damon and Jamie from Aiea, HI – 9/30/11 -21 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn

1440. “Aregato” – Ko and Aki from Japan – 9/26/11 – 5 guests at the Mauna Lani Milo Tree (This beautiful bride never stopped smiling. She had a romantic buffet reception on the lawn with tiki torches and candles)

1439. “Thanks a lot” – Jason and Jamie from Traverse City, MI – 9/22/11 – 5 guests at the Point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

1438. “Thank you” – Scott and Maureen from Huntington Beach, CA – 9/16/11 – 25 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Chapel (Scott and Maureen said their own vows to each other. It was very effective)

1437. “Perfect ceremony, thank you so much” – Daniel and Lisa from Waikoloa, HI – 9/10/11 – 70 guests at The Four Seasons Hualalai Palm Grove (Some of us manage to forget our anniversary date, I hope that won’t happen for all the couples who were married on this special calendar date)

1436. “Aregato” – Satoshi and Yoko from Japan – 9/10/11 – 7 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Chapel

1435. “Thank you for being a part of our wedding. We really, really enjoyed your message and have referred to it numerous times already. We’re glad we captured it on video. Aloha and Mahalo” – Del and Yve from Milbrae, CA. -9/9/11 – 4 guests at The Four Seasons Hualalai Wedding Beach (Yve designed and made her wedding gown. She also did the decorating at the wedding site. Her creativity and attention to detail made this special. Del is an island boy. It does my heart good to see someone who grew up here get to come home for their wedding)

1434. “When you book online, you don’t know what to expect. This was much better than our expectations. We had so much fun. We are so thankful for all that you did and will always remember your kindness to us. ” – Wayne and Betty from Oklahoma City, OK – 9/8/11 – Holoholokai (What a terrific couple, we had a blast doing your photography. Another wonderful aloha kiss ceremony)

1433. “We’ve been wanting to send you a letter to thank you for the wonderful service you administered at our wedding. Your presence and how you conducted the ceremony definitely made the ceremony very special and very unique; thank you so much!!!” – Jeff and Jennifer from San Diego, CA – 9/4/11 – 2 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn (we all cried and laughed a lot at this ceremony)

1432. “Thank you” – Brian and Ada from Synnyvale, CA – 9/2/11 – 30 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn

1431. “That was so much fun!” – Tim and Amy from Poway, CA – 8/10/11 – 30 guests at Keahu O Lu Beach (What a photogenic and fun couple! Barbie and Kim helped us with our daughter’s wedding. They coordinated this event and we really enjoyed getting to work with them)

1430. “Domo Aregato” – Takafumi and Yuko from Japan – 8/6/11 – Sheraton Keauhou Chapel (This was special for me. My first hotel wedding was done in this chapel during the month of August back in the early 80’s. I felt like the good Lord was reminding me of all the couples and ceremonies that I have enjoyed through the years. Special thanks to Takafumi and Yuko for their thoughtfulness and generosity)

1429. “You and Susan are so good at this” – Drew and Dawn from Irvine, CA – 7/24/11 – Holoholokai (We had a great time with Drew and Dawn. There are some photos that I have wanted to try for awhile. Drew and Dawn were great sports! What a photogenic and fun couple! During the ceremony, there were lots of tears and smiles.)

1428. “This whole trip was so perfect” – Greg and Colleen from Los Angeles, CA – 7/23/11 – Kauna’oa Beach (Every wedding is unique and every wedding has a story. Greg and Colleen were putting a lot of energy into planning a big wedding in the mainland. For a lot of different reasons, they decided to come to Hawaii. They had the perfect wedding and photo shoot. Susan and I were so excited. The couple were very fun and photogenic and the sunset was phenomenal)

1427. “That was a beautiful ceremony. Thank you so much” – Jules and Debbie from Cupertino, CA – 7/14/11 – 9 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (Thank you for your generosity)

1426. “Thank you” – Andrew and Olivia from NJ – 7/11/11 – The Four Seasons Hualalai Wedding Beach

1425. “Pastor Keith and Susan, Hal and I want to express our gratitude to both of you for taking such good care of us during our wedding last week! You both seemed to be best man, maid of honor, friends and family all at once! We really appreciate all the time and effort you put into our special day! Thank you! Love and hugs,” – Hal and Bridget from Deltona, FL – 7/7/11 – Holoholokai (what a photogenic and fun couple!)

1424. “Thank you – Daniel and Millie from Shreveport, LA – 7/2/11 – 2 guests at The Four Seasons Hualalai Wedding Beach

1423. “Domo Aregato” – Seiji and Maki from Japan – 6/17/11 – the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel

1422. “Aregato” – Makoto and Kasumi from Japan – 6/17/11 – 4 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (thank you for your generosity)

1421. “That was so perfect, thank you” – Don and Hillary from Nashville, TN – 7 guests at The Four Seasons Hualalai Wedding Tree (Don and Hillary are in the wedding business. It meant a lot to be able to do for them what they have done for so many other couples)

1420. “Thank you so much for being a part of our wedding ceremony and making it such a beautiful day that we’ll never forget. Thank you for your beautiful words and for really making it personal and meaningful for us. We’re off to a wonderful start!” – Ray and Nancy from Martinez, CA – 6/9/11 – outside the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (Ray and Nancy had a great style)

1419. “Thank you” – Lonnie and Pat from Corry, PA – 6/8/11 – 25th anniversary renewal of vows at Keahu o Lu Beach

1418. “Aregato” – Ryo and Etsuko from Yokohama, Japan – 6/8/11 – 10 guests at the Orchid Gazebo

1417. “Aregato” – Kazuya and Yumi from Japan – 6/7/11 – 10 guests at Saint Peters by the sea (The bride’s mother danced the hula for her daughter’s wedding)

1416. “Aregato” – Shigenobu and Tayoko from Japan – 6/6/11 – 5 guests at the Orchid Gazebo

1415. “Thank you” – Pat and Kathleen from Winter Garden, FL – 6/4/11 – 4 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel for a suprise 30 anniversary renewal of vows ceremony (Pat set up the suprise with the emcee of the luau show the night before the renewal of vows. He asked Kathleen if she would marry him again during the show – way to go Pat!)

1414. “Thank you very much” – Tony and Megan from San Jose, CA – 6/3/11 – 30 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Palace Lawn (This wedding made a real impression on me for several reasons. At one point, the maid of honor, Maria, shared that her great grandfather had written a prayer that has been prayed at every wedding in their family for 3 generations. I don’t remember ever seeing that at another wedding. I’m going to go to work on a prayer like that for our family)

1413. “Thanks again for the wonderful ceremony and pictures! All the best,” – Mark and Jessica from Vacaville, CA – 5/15/11 – Anaeho’omalu (I have wanted to do a wedding at this particular spot for many years. It is a bit of a hike into this beach, but we had the entire area to ourselves. We had a beautiful sunset and we had a lot of fun)

1412. “Brilliant” – Seamus and Monica from FL – 5/2/11 – 20 year renewal of vows at The Four Seasons Hualalai Wedding Beach (The Four Seasons has been closed due to damage caused by the tsunami, I was so happy to be here tonight. They have just reopened. Everything looks great and the staff are excited to up and running)

1411. “Thank you” – Adam and Holly from Lincoln, NE – 4/27/11 – 5 year renewal of vows in the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (Holly was here writing an article for a wedding magazine. During the ceremony I was very excited for her getting the opportunity to write a story about weddings on the Big Island. As I reflected I couldn’t help but think about all the love stories that the chapel could tell if it could talk.)

1410. “There are so many memories and feelings in this chapel. It is like we got married here yesterday. We’ll be back” – Clive and Samantha from Sussex England – 4/22/11 sixteenth anniversary renewal of vows in the Hilton Waikoloa Village Wedding Chapel (They were married in the chapel the year before I began at the Hilton. What a fun couple.)

1409. “Thank you” – Scott and Kelly from Bakersfield, CA – 4/21/11 – 15 guests at Palace Gardens at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

1408. “This was the wedding ceremony that I dreamed of having as a little girl, your words were perfect” – Chris & Angela from San Jose, CA – 4/16/11 – 13th anniversary renewal of vows on the Point at the Hilton Waikoloa Village

1407. “Aregato” – Norio and Noriko from Japan – 4/11/11 – 6 guests at the Orchid Gazebo (This is the first Japanese ceremony I have performed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami. I was apprehensive about how the couple would be after their nation had suffered so much. The bride never stopped smiling throughout the entire event. I was really inspired by her joyous spirit.)

1406. “Wonderful job” – Fernando and Lana from Burlington, NJ – 3/21/11 – 25 anniversary renewal of vows at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Chapel

1405. “Aregato” – Shun and Aiko from Japan – 3/3/11 – Eva Parker Cottage at the Mauna Lani Bay (Pinky who is the wedding coordinator for Mauna Lani got us all to dance hula to the classic tune Huki lau, then she circled us up and we sang Aloha oi. There are still many true ambassadors of aloha here)

 1404. “Thank you” – Andy and Kriste from Portland, OR – 2/20/11 – 15 guests at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Chapel (What a great bride – lots of smiles and emotion. Several guests approached me after the ceremony with some very positive comments which always mean the world to me)

1403. “Thank you for everything” – Dubin and Gina from Kailua-Kona, HI – 2/19/11 – 40 guests at Kona Church of God (Dubin is a local DJ who sets up sound at many wedding receptions. All the local musicians, florists and caterers all pitched in to turn the events pavillion at the Old A’s into a wedding extraveganza. This was way cool and we were all so happy for them. It was a huge party that went very late. We all had a great time.)

1402. “Aregato” – Akihiko and Jun from Japan – 2/19/11 – St Peters by the Sea (Akihiko played “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” while we all sang along)