Hawaii Blog #1

Our family took the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii. The purpose of the trip was to attend the wedding of a dear friend, Katrina, and her husband Aaron. Since this was the whole point of the trip, I guess I’ll start here.

Aaron and Katrina were married on the beach, in a city park called Ewa (eva) Beach on the island of Oahu. The ceremony was right on the sand, just feet from the mighty Pacific Ocean. Along with my family (the only non-family members in attendance), Aaron’s parents and sister were there. Katrina’s mom, dad, bio-dad, maternal grandparents, sister and her family, aunt Daintry (the gracious hostess of the whole event), aunt Sarah & cousin Parker, uncle Rick & his family, plus Aaron & Katrina’s children Kaden and Raven were all there.

Katrina is Baha’i (a non-Christian religion formed in the middle east in the 1800’s) and Aaron is Christian. Much of Katrina’s family is Baha’i but her bio dad (who was in attendance) is Christian. In the Baha’i faith, parental consent from all living parents is a required element. In Hawaii, specifically, written permission is required. Katrina’s dad, Randy, was not thrilled with the idea of giving written permission to a non-Christian religious organization. It seems to me that his concerns were based in fear and ignorance. I think he simply did not want to admonish his own beliefs and give credence to an “invalid” religion. He made these reservations known a few days prior to Katrina’s departure and she was in a panic about the whole thing. Randy finally agreed. He not only provided his written consent, he also attended and participated in the ceremony. The two faiths were beautifully incorporated into the wedding. Each parent shared a little from his/her faith. Aaron and Katrina wrote their own vows and were able to choke them out to one another without too much crying. I was crying the whole time, holding the hand of my own betrothed, watching our children play in the sand during the ceremony. It was a wonderful moment in my life. I always enjoy celebrating someone’s marriage with the love of my own family around me.

Many coworkers and students have asked how the wedding was… the most common question being: Was Katrina beautiful? I find this to be a ridiculously silly question. Katrina IS beautiful. She could wake up in an alleyway, covered in filth and still be beautiful. So, of course, with a formal wedding gown, her hair and make-up done just so and the glow of a new bride—she was gorgeous. But in my eyes, and hopefully Aaron’s, she didn’t look any more or less stunning than she always is…

Now, on to the funny part of the ceremony… Katrina has yelled at me several times about my rendition of the tale! Katrina planned to come into the ceremony on an outrigger, but the surf was rough and the boat guys discouraged her from doing this, so Katrina just walked down the beach toward Aaron, with all of us lining the walkway. After the ceremony, Aaron and Katrina took a ride out on the canoe and Aaron got a Splash Mountain wave right in the face. His beige, linen suit was wet in the front and a little awkward for photos… Then Katrina took the boat out by herself (with the large Hawaiian rowers, too, of course). The plan was to edit the wedding video that will be played at the reception such that it appears Katrina came into the ceremony on the outrigger and the newlywed couple went out together after the ceremony. BUT (this is the part I got yelled at for sharing) … the boat sank! A wave hit the canoe just right and it filled with water. Katrina was standing in the Pacific Ocean, in a formal wedding gown, up to her neck in the surf. I thought it was a splendid ending to an otherwise perfect wedding day! And it makes a great story to tell, whether the bride agrees with me or not!…