For generations, my family has vacationed at the Mauna Kea Resort on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii island, and I always dreamed of getting married there. It was one of the first places Jon and I visited after meeting at a fitness center near Moraga, California. He was my personal trainer, and I had to push him to ask me out. He finally did, and four years later, he proposed!
I found our planner, Morgan Childs of Moana Events, online, and she made our vision of a laid-back, Balinese-Bohemianstyle wedding a reality. Most of our 63 guests rented villas at the resort or stayed at the onsite Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. We hosted a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding at Merriman’s Restaurant in nearby Kamuela. At 4:30 p.m. on August 6, 2015, guests gathered at the oceanside third tee of the hotel golf course, where we wed under hanging floral garlands by Bliss in Bloom.
My brother married us in a ceremony that included a Hawaiian lei exchange. After, guests were escorted to the North Pointe Lawn for mai tais, followed by a dinner of barbecue pork ribs and mahimahi. DJ Maka Gallinger of Hawaii Sound & Vision kept everyone dancing, and many of us gathered in the clubhouse for an after-party. It was amazing to spend a week with family and friends in a place where we share so much history, and we can’t wait to make new memories at the Mauna Kea as husband and wife.
Kohala Coast of Hawaii island Photo Gallery
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