Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Finally... Mr. and Mrs. Kahalelehua

I will never forget the feeling that came over me as I cruised down the grassy aisle toward the man who had asked for my hand nearly three years prior. Complete calm. No nerves, no tears, no impurities - I was completely settled and secure in the moment. The butterflies had escaped my gut. The stresses of the days leading up melted like snow beneath a warm spring sun. Incredible. And here we were.

My sweet father surprised me mere moments before walking down the aisle with one of the most selfless gifts imaginable:
As we stood in the doorway waiting for the music to begin, daddy on my right arm and my beautiful bouquet of white stargazer lilies in the other, my step-father stepped up from behind us and took my left arm. Daddy smiled at me and said, "He's just as much your father as I am..."
I couldn't help but break down as I realized his gift was to have the both of them walk me down the aisle.

Our ceremony, performed by a life-long friend of the family, was short and sweet. I was sure I'd be terrified to repeat the vows in front of more than 100 of our friends and family, but when it came time to offer my words to my soon-to-be-husband, all I could do was beam sunshine and love. My smile was permanent. And everyone surrounding us? I was oblivious that anyone was there besides the two of us.

The evening progressed quickly, as so many brides before me promised it would, but we did our best to stay present and enjoy every sweet moment had between us.

The hit of the night? The Skip-n-Go-Nakeds. What's that, you ask? What's a Skip-n-Go-Naked? It's only the best drink ever and they were quite possibly more popular than me and my new groom.

Recipe:
Add one can of frozen lemonade concentrate to a pitcher. Fill the lemonade can with vodka and add. Finally, empty three to five cans of your favorite cheap beer. Mix, and there you have it!

We emptied 9 handles of vodka, a pony keg of beer and about 30 cans of concentrate trying to keep the crowd happy. We finally ran out, and I'm sure that's about the time the party dispersed. The pictures of our drunk guests are pretty fantastic.

At the end of the night, we headed off to our hotel room to reflect on the events of the day. We could do nothing but glow thinking about the most memorable party of our lives and all of the wonderful people who came out to celebrate with us. A marriage between two people is something so much more special than I thought it would be. But a marriage between two people and all of their friends and family is something so incredibly special, it's beyond words.

Thank you to everyone. We love to you truly.