Our Big Day is Approaching!!! Hurray!!!!!
 

I hope nobody minds, but I’m getting so excited that I just had to share this with everyone. Three weeks from today I am going to marry my best friend, who also happens to be the world’s most beautiful and amazing woman.

Woo hoo!!!!

We got engaged on Christmas Eve, 2003. I caught her completely by surprise as we walked with our dearest friends down a lighted Christmas lane. I had secretly picked out the perfect ring and everything. We decided on August 20th, 2005 in order to give ourselves plenty of time to plan and save as we’re paying for this shindig completely by ourselves, and now, amazingly, it’s almost here!

I’m totally stoked, and I think this will definitely be a wedding to remember. We are having an authentic Hawai’ian luau (as much as we can anyway) on the sand in Cannon Beach, OR. She’ll be wearing this dress, and her bridesmaids are wearing these. I’m going to be in this, and these are what my groomsmen will dress in. The bridesmaids and groomsmen all have different colors. If anyone ever wants a quality Hawai’ian shirt, I highly recommend this lady. She has been wonderful to us and made this whole process so much better. And, it’s kind of cool to know that we’re wearing hand sewn Aloha clothing made in Honolulu!

Our food and entertainment (hula and fire dancers!!!) are being provided by Patrick’s Hawai’ian Cafe here in Vancouver, also highly recommended. Patrick has been integral in our planning and hooked us up with leis, the dancers, advice, and much support. Without him we wouldn’t be having half as much fun. And the best part is his real kalua pork. He has people actually in Honolulu roasting it in genuine in-ground ovens, called imus, wrapped in banana leaves and seasoned with sea salt. Then it’s shipped here. No artificial smoke flavoring, this is the real deal! Oh so gooood!!! :D

Our ceremony is going to be very simple and much in the spirit of Aloha. Everything takes place at the luau, with our guests sitting on straw mats on the sand. We’ll exchange our vows and rings, then everyone will get their food and sit and eat while the hula dancers perform. Then we’ll do the cake cutting and toasts, then dessert while the Polynesian fire knife dancer goes on. Then finally, to end our night, we’ll each take a tiki torch (from the twenty five ringing our luau) and light, not a unity candle like other couples, but a unity bonfire! Then whatever guests remain will stay and we’ll mingle and enjoy a star lit coastal evening before retiring to our beach front room here, where we stay whenever we visit the beach.

I’m so excited I can’t contain myself. From the kalua pork to the programs wrapped in banana leaves to the wedding party in leis and all of our loved ones wearing Aloha outfits and joining in the spirit of Ohana. It’s going to be amazing!!!

Yipppeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Jazzman, that really sounds awesome.

A few years ago two of my old college roommates got married quasi-Hawaiian style. It was on the beach, but the bride wore a regular wedding dress, the groom & groomsmen all wore tuxs, the bridesmaids all wore Hawaiian dresses & everyone in the wedding party wore flip flops & lei's. They asked the guests to wear Hawaiian clothes. It was an amazing wedding, but yours sounds like it's going to be even more awesome!

:tiki:
Fan-tiki-tasitc! You know you'll have to share some of your wedding pics here? It sounds like quite a party. Congratualtions and best wishes all around.
:cheers:

Best wishes to the both of you, Jazzman. :) Sounds like a wonderful event you have planned.

Yeah!!! Congrats!!!!

How fun!

A Tiki wedding!!! Are you gonna serve Dole Whips to your guests?;)

Cannon Beach is one of my favorite areas along the Oregon coast. Just beautiful, and a great place for a wedding. I shall keep my fingers and toes crossed in the hopes that the weather is perfect for you two!

Congratulations - sounds like you're doing this the right way - - - YOUR way!

Here's to you, your future wife, and wishes for fantastic weather :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
(I've always held the belief that the only time you should plan an outdoor wedding in the Pacific Northwest is August!)

Sounds absolutely wonderful! Congratulations and definitely... pictures!! :D

Well, congratulations, but I could have sworn it my big day.

GREAT plans! I absolutely adore her dress. And you get to wear comfy clothes, how cool is that?

Congrats, and best wishes!

:tiki: :cheers:

That Sounds Awesome Jazz...........congrats :cheers:

Jazz, I'm so happy for you! Sounds like your wedding is going to be a blast, and best wishes to you and your soon-to-be bride!

:cheers:

Thanks everyone for the kind wishes of luck and congratulations. Throughout planning our day one of the funnest things for us has been seeing the excitement in our friends and families whenever we’ve talked about it. Everyone really seems to genuinely be excited about it, and that’s making it so much more special to us.

I’ll be sure to post pics for everyone. I’m so excited!!!! This is going to be the best day of my life! :)

It sounds like a great time! I heartily applaud the food arrangements. Too bad you can't send us all samples. ;)

But however amazing it is, I hope that it is not the best day of your life. Rather, I hope that each day after surpasses all that have come before in a series of best days to last your whole existence on this plane or any other.

Oh, and a few of these: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Thanks Prudence! I really appreciate that. I guess it would have been more to the point to say that it will be the best day of my life so far.

Cheers!!

WOW! It's almost here already! I can't believe it!

I'm am so happy for the two of you. I remember when you first started talking about this and some of the questions you were having. But, voila! Here you are about to have a joyous occasion in incredible style. I wish you both the happiest of days and a wonderful future together. You deserve it.

Lisa