melvelshml's blog

Last week Mike and I took a few days to be tourists before we have to switch gears into "wedding mode".  Here's a rundown of our week.

First on our list was to get our marriage license.  Nowhere else but in Hawaii can you get your marriage license and a plate lunch in the same place.  Which is exactly what we did at Pono Market.  Ken, the guy behind the ice cream counter is apparantly a marriage licensor and took a break from his scooping to process our license.  A few signatures and an oath later, we had our marriage license, a congratulatory lei, and a commemorative bumper sticker.   Then, we wandered over to the other side of the store and picked up a huge and yummy plate lunch. 

On Wednesday we took a photo tour of the island, and trekked through some hidden trails to find some prime photo spots.  I think we found most of the hidden beaches between Kapaa and Lumahai.

The next day we got up SUPER early to make the morning drive down to Port Allen where we boarded one of Captain Andy's catamarans for a tour of the Na Pali coast.  The views were amazing and the crew was one of the nicest groups of tour guides we've ever come across.  Here's a picture of us before Mike started to feel a little queasy. 

Since Mike's broken toe prevented him from joining me on the snorkeling part of the outing, I had to take this picture for him to see what he was missing out on.

On Friday we decided to stay on land and let some horses do the trekking for us.  Rhonda at the Princeville Ranch Stables was so sweet and such a great guide for our hour and a half ride on the bluffs overlooking the ocean.  My horse was named Lilo (no Stitch to be found), and Mike was on Blue, a slow ornery horse who trodded along at his own pace despite all of Mike's attempts to get him to go faster.

On Saturday we didn't have any plans, but decided to get in our rental car and take a leisurely drive around the island.  We ended up in Waimea Canyon, which we had seen by helicopter last time we were in Kauai.  But seeing it up close was breathtaking.  On the way back we stopped in to JoJo's Shave Ice (mac nut ice cream is so good!) and Kauai Coffee.  I think we were sugared and caffeined up for the rest of the afternoon. 

So we headed back to the hotel pool to work off a bit of energy. 

Now, it's Monday and our visitors are beginning to arrive.  Time to gear up for the big day!

Mike and I are now both officially on vacation, counting down the hours until we get on a plane Monday morning. Two suitcases packed, one more to go. I think Mike has checked everything off of his packing spreadsheet already. Being less organized and more of a procrastinator, I do not have a spreadsheet so I have a bit more haphazard packing to do.

To celebrate our last few days in LA as an engaged couple, Mike and I have decided to re-create our first date. This afternoon we're heading to Griffith Observatory to watch the planetarium show and then take in the amazing view. We'll probably visit the lookout where Mike proposed, and take some silly pictures for posterity. Then, we'll head down to our new favorite restaurant, Osteria Mamma, so Mike can have his pizza and pasta fix before we leave town.

Luckily, we've done enough pre-planning so that we can leave town feeling pretty good about the next few weeks. I spoke to both my day-of coordinator and banquet manager a few days ago, and talked through the timeline of the day. All of pieces are finally coming together! Now all we have to do is get ourselves to the island and unwind a bit before all of the wedding activities begin.

Less than 72 hours to go...

We’ve got a little more than two months until we hop on a plane and head off to Hawaii. Time really does fly. We sent out the invites for Torrance this week, and we’ve already received our first RSVP!

Things are slowly coming together. Work has kept me in a constant state of stress for the last few months, so Mike has been a tremendous help in pulling together some of the vendors. I should have given him these tasks months ago! While we have now pretty much secured all of the vendors for the ceremony in Hawaii, I decided to treat myself to a day-of wedding coordinator. I’m hoping that her presence will help keep me stress-free and calm on the big day.

So from now until May I’m concentrating on all of the little things, and there seem to be an endless list of them. Boutonnieres, ties, hair clips, earrings, thank you notes, registries, favors, rentals, tracking RSVPs, seating arrangements, etc. The list goes on and on. But while it has started to get stressful, it’s also started to get really exciting. Tomorrow is our 28 month anniversary – which sounds totally silly -- but it always makes me smile to think about when Mike and I first started dating those two years and four months ago.

If you’ve read the story of how we met, you know that we technically met online before we met in person. While that’s not the most traditional way to meet someone, I get a kick out of the fact that I can go back to read the first messages we ever sent each other. And of course, I was the one who messaged him first!

We've had this blog feature on our site for awhile, but much like the entire wedding process thus far, I always figured I'd get around to it sometime.

It's 100 and some-odd days before the wedding, and I'm finally logging my first post. It's about time, right?

We sent wedding invitations for Kauai last week and are looking forward to receiving our first set of responses soon. The invitations were one of the first things I got around to after we got engaged, so it was nice to finally break them out of storage and get them in the mail. After months and months of talking about, thinking about, and planning for this wedding, mailing our invites finally made it seem real.

Since the invites have gone out, we've received a few questions about the wedding in Kauai. We thought this space would be the perfect place to address them. Our most common questions so far:

What time does the ceremony in Kauai start?

Technically, we have reserved the site at the resort beginning at 6pm. We have yet to contact an officiant, so we don't know exactly what time the ceremony will begin, but we won't start until at least 6pm. We anticipate that the ceremony will last no longer than a half hour. The dinner reception will follow immediately afterwards.

Where are the ceremony and reception being held?

The ceremony is being held on the grounds of the Kauai Coast Beach Resort in Kapaa. The ceremony is being held on grass and not on the sand. The reception is being held in the banquet room at the Hukilau Lanai restaurant, which is also on the grounds of the resort.

Where should we stay?

Mike and I will be staying at the Outrigger Waipouli Resort, which is about a half mile north of the ceremony site. There are many other hotels on Kauai within miles of the ceremony site. Princeville and Hanalei are about 30 minutes north of Kapaa. The city of Lihue (also where the airport is located) is about 15 miles to the south.

What should we wear?

While Mike and I will be in wedding attire, we invite all of our guest to dress resort casual. Sundresses, khakis, flip flops are all welcome.

Do you have a dress already?

Yes. After procrastinating for many months, I finally purchased a wedding dress and some fabulous shoes. Mike has also found his wedding outfit (including shoes). And sorry to ruin it for you all, but yes, Mike has already seen the dress.

As we receive more questions, we'll be sure to post the answers here. Check back often, as we'll be updating the site more frequently as the date draws near.

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions about the wedding, activities in Kauai, or anything else you think we can answer.

:) Mel