Holy Matrimony

In all honesty, our wedding yesterday (Feb. 6) was probably less holy and more Hawaiian. We married at sunset on Hanalei Bay, out on the beach in front of the very swanky St. Regis hotel, which is where we had dinner after the ceremony. The whole day was just beautiful. It started with yummy homemade pineapple banana smoothies (Ryan feeds me so well!), and snorkeling at Anini Beach (we saw some giant sea turtles!), before I got my hair done. I picked up some pretty orchids for a bouquet I pulled together. But the moment I put on my dress and walked out from the bedroom was when it became very real, and emotional, for us both!

                                           Anini Beach

We arrived at the hotel in style in our red hot sports car (the honeymooners free upgrade at the car rental place!). The St. Regis is so swanky; it's valet only. And while walking on clouds through the hotel making our way to the beach, we received a lot of congratulations and well wishes.

                                           Traveling in Style

The ceremony was majestically beautiful, with Hanalei Bay and the spiky cliffs of Bali Hai (famous from the movie South Pacific) as the backdrop. The ceremony had traditional components as well as Hawaiian ones. We exchanged leis (a symbol of love), as well as rings, and learned about the true meaning of aloha. We worked with a great photographer, Penny Dinn, (here's a sneak peak), and dinner at the hotel terrace overlooking the ocean was sublime (here's a quick sample- hamachi tartare, seared prawns, glazed sea bass, kampachi, maui gold pineapple clouds)

And thank God the weather was nice for our ceremony because it has since turned south. It rains, at least a little, most days in Hawaii; and especially on the North Shore of Kauai—one of the wettest places on earth. Makes for a lush tropical landscape and plentiful rainbows. Today our helicopter flight was cancelled and our hiking plans for the Napali Coast spoiled due to a storm. But I could think of worse places than a tropical paradise to be. We anticipate it will let up tomorrow and are gung ho to tackle the trek and flight before our plane leaves for Maui tomorrow evening. So now, we're enjoying some relaxation in our incredibly nice condo (courtesy of my parents!) and we picked up some fresh marlin and escolar, wine, and nibbles for a quiet night in. Ryan and I are both pretty eager adventure seekers, so we have to remind ourselves that relaxation is a necessary part of a vacation too.

Aloha,
Love, Ryan & Melissa Reardon!!!!!!!!