Imagine waking up at the break of dawn on the morning of your wedding, a day that you have hoped and dreamed for all your life, that you have spent the better part of the past year planning, to the sound of air raid sirens and tsunami warnings! This is the story of Michele and Sal. I got a call around 7:30am from Michele who was of course, fairly upset. The wedding, which was meant to take place at 2pm on the Big Island of Hawaii, would not be taking place today as roads were closed, evacuations were being organized, and we didn’t know what sort of destruction awaited us. All of Hawaii moved to higher ground for the morning, with our ears to the emergency news reports, our bottles of water, canned food, beloved possessions and household pets in tow.
The tsunami story ended happily for Hawaii. The massive wave that we were all fearing never appeared. While all the excitement made for an anti-climatic morning, no one could be anything but relieved that we didn’t end up facing a real disaster. Thankfully, Michele and Sal’s story has a happy ending as well! The all clear was called at around 2pm, just as Michele should have been walking down the aisle. A quick phone call to the would be bride and I learned that the big day was to happen the NEXT day – and can I PLEASE still be there to photograph it? As luck would have it, not only me, but all of Michele’s carefully chosen vendors were able to reschedule!
Just one day late, Michele and Sal were able to join as husband and wife in the presence of family and friends on the shores of Holoholokai Beach, followed by a fantastic party at Keauhou Beach Resort. It was almost as if nothing had happened, but for a special feeling that we all shared that day of relief and absolute appreciation for the fact that we could all be together, sharing the love of this happy couple. And no where was that joy and relief more apparent then on Michele’s ecstatic face! This is a wedding that no one will ever forget. But which day will they count as their anniversary?
And they lived happily ever after…
Ceremony location: Holoholokai Beach Park, Waikoloa, Hawaii
Reception location: Keauhou Beach Resort
