We hadn’t originally planned to get married. I wanted to do something special for Rod’s 50th birthday. He was hoping to get out of the cold in our home state of Ohio, and I immediately thought of Hawaii, one of the few states (at the time) where we could both celebrate his birthday and exchange legal vows. It was the perfect way to make our vacation extra special and memorable.
I started looking at villas through Luxury Retreats, and when I came across Bali Hale on Maui, I fell in love. We booked the frst date available and started planning for our March 25, 2016, wedding. Tim Ellis, Luxury Retreat’s Maui concierge, helped with all the details. We hadn’t been to Maui before, so he was instrumental in selecting vendors. We invited only our fve closest friends, and we all stayed together at Bali Hale. We rode bikes around the island, hit the beach and visited the beautiful Iao State Park.
The night before our nuptials, we held a rehearsal dinner at the Sea House Restaurant in Kapalua and feasted on fre-grilled opakapaka fsh and sweet-potato ravioli. On our wedding day, all we had to do was step outside our villa for the poolside ceremony and reception. The most meaningful part was our exchange of vows; we each wrote them in secret. Following the ceremony, we partied it up with a luau, complete with a hula dancer, guitarist, drummer and fre dancer from Musical Options for a taste of Hawaii’s fun and wonder. Our big day, and all our time in Hawaii, was perfect. We wouldn’t have changed a thing!
Weddings of Hawaii Photo Gallery
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