Part 2: Kauai, pre-wedding

(Wondering why this is Part 2? Maybe you should check out Part 1 first if you haven't already!)

Returning together, to start forever

Our flight didn't leave until 8 am on Tuesday, but by 3:30 I couldn't sleep any more. I was too excited. Travel time from door to door is never less than 12 hours, but because we couldn't sleep we ended up leaving around 5 am and didn't get in to Lihue until 6 pm and after eating supper and getting Erin and Sarah to their B&B (Strawberry Guava--I highly recommend it, my family stayed there as well and all loved it), didn't rest our heads until nearly 10. And the time difference in the winter is 4 hours (Hawaii doesn't observe daylight savings time, so in the summer the difference is 5 hours--sounds crazy until you live it and then you wonder why anyone would want to change their clocks twice a year).

As we approached Kauai to land just before sunset, I saw the island again for the first time. Although both Rick and I revisited the island within the past 6 months, we hadn't been there together since we left. As we got closer and closer to the island, I knew this is where I wanted to get married, where I wanted to start my life as Mrs. Burns. I knew we made the right decision and I was so happy and so excited for the next few days.

Who needs a camera

when you have two professional photographers travelling with you? I honestly did not take a picture until the day after the wedding. Partially because we had been to all of the places that we were showing Erin and Sarah, but because they were taking pictures. And pictures of us. In the two days prior to the wedding, we took pictures at Wiamea Canyon (in the rain, nonetheless), on red dirt by a waterfall, at a lava beach, at the Kilauea lighthouse, in the dry cave, at some crazy vines, in front of taro fields.... all places we had been before (as evidenced by the photo links) and all places we and the photographers found interesting. Again, can't wait to see the photos. I really learned how to capture the light on my face in these photo shoots and they helped us to be comfortable by the wedding with the photographers (and the process).

It was fun to tour the island again for the first time with people who had never experienced it. There was a sense of pride I could see in both Rick and myself in what we knew about the island and also that we had lived here. We had experienced it. We had a history here and this island, though years and miles from where we are now, is very much a part of us. A part of our story. A part of our past and our future.

I loved these two days and how I felt towards the three others in the car with me and the island I used to call home.

Last minute wedding planning

It was great to have the photographers ("the girls", as I kept calling them) with us for those last minute wedding details as well. For starters, I hadn't gotten flowers ordered yet. To be fair, my sister made me call the week before to ensure that I could pick out my bouquet last minute and the florist assured me it wouldn't be a problem. I knew I wanted something bright and tropical, but I was clueless from there. I'm not exactly what I would call a girly-girl or good at design, etc, but Erin and Sarah were very helpful in helping me pick out what flowers I wanted in my bouquet. Aside from accidentally sitting on and breaking their tv tray (I swear it was a stool!), we made it out pretty unscathed. Flowers were the big task for Wednesday.

Thursday, after the hair consultation at Regis at the mall, we headed to get the marriage license. The first wedding planning lady I talked to suggested we go to the Pono fish market. She said we'd get a bumper sticker and it was more fun than the courthouse. We decided we'd bite. I called to make my appointment there before we left, and when I called it was very loud and the man was difficult to hear. I think I expected the Pono market to be steps away from the beach with fresh caught fish laying out under a little awning, people walking away from the stand with fish wrapped in newspaper.

I was pleasantly surprised. The market reminded me of a deli with glass cases with fish and another with ice cream on the far side. Very clean, and everyone was very friendly. Soon we had hooked up with Ken, the official there, and we sat at this little table by the window and turned over our paperwork, we signed it, and we had officially gotten the license! He took our picture against the wall (I saw many other couples hung up on the opposite wall), they gave me a beautiful (and wonderfully-smelling) lei, and we got a bumper sticker! Yes! We had the girls with us (when didn't we?) so we got pictures of the whole process and I think they liked the quaint little shop as much as we did. It was a really great experience, much better than going to the courthouse!

Lastly was making sure Baby Beach was the right beach for us. The first full day we were there, I took Rick and the photographers down to the beach. I was somewhat disappointed to see at least 20 people out on the beach--when I came in October, there were never more than 4 others. There was a woman out on her lawn who looked like she had been there continuously for the past 20 years--we lovingly referred to her as leather lady. I wasn't sure I wanted leather lady at my wedding. Our wedding officiant suggested another beach, but on inspection of both beaches on day 2 closer to sunset (leather lady was still out), Rick and I and the photographers agreed that Baby Beach was for us. Shipwrecks was nice, but it was much more crowded and the hike to the bluff where our wedding officiant suggested seemed a little excessive for someone who just had their hip replaced (Rick's mom). Baby Beach was for us. It was beautiful and since I had fallen in love with it months before, I was so glad everyone else thought it was perfect.

The family arrives

Both my parents and Rick's parents arrived on the same flight from Honolulu the day after the photographers and Rick and I arrived. We met them at the airport to help and make sure they were situated (and to help my folks find the B&B--it's what you could call "tucked back" from things) and to have a meal together. My sister and her husband flew in later that evening.

Aside from seeing them that evening and first thing in the morning when we picked up the girls, we didn't see them until the "rehearsal dinner" (though what was there to rehearse?). Thursday evening, before dinner, we met up with Allyson and Chad and let the photographers go with them for a sunset photo shoot at Shipwrecks beach (the one our officiant had suggested that we passed on). The photographers wanted to get as many couple shoots as possible so they did a shoot with my sister and her husband, as well as my old roommate and her husband (who Rick and I stayed with before we got married) and a co-worker of hers. As much as I enjoyed showing Erin and Sarah around, it was really nice to pass them off for an hour to decompress and get ready for the next day. It was also nice to know they were having a sunset photo shoot on a beach--great practice for our wedding the next day!


The last night as a single woman

The rehearsal dinner was great. We at at Keoki's Paradise, one of our favorite places to take visitors when we lived there. Great atmosphere, great mai tais, great ribs, and great fish (so I hear). It was a wonderful meal and it was great to get reactions from the families on their first impressions of the island and to recap everyone's day. Rick's parents ordered champagne and both had nice words to say as they toasted us. The restaurant provided Hula pie (macadamia nut ice cream on an oreo crust drizzled with chocolate--yum!!) to celebrate.

It was a great night. The photographers were buzzing around capturing everything (seriously, traveling with professional photographers is the way to go!) and at the end of the night, I said goodbye to Rick (he stayed with his parents that night), took the girls and my family back to the B&B, and headed back to my roommate's place. It was so late they were both already asleep, but there was a gift on my bed, a picture frame, with a sweet card. I went to bed so happy and excited for the wedding.