So you are wondering what to do with your time?

One of our goals when we decided to get married in Hawaii was to make sure our guests also were going on vacation for themselves. But instead of making you do the research and plan out your non-wedding activities we have also taken the time to compile things to do.

One of the number one things to do in Hawaii is surfing, duh! Uncle Bryan’s has come highly recommended. For our guests that are interested in doing this, let me know and we can set up a group time.

As many of you know Lars was in the Navy and Pearl Harbor is something that we are very much looking forward to.  As the wedding is right before Memorial weekend it would be safe to assume there is going to be an influx of crowds, so plan ahead. There are multiple tour packages to choose from. There is even one that includes a tour of the Dole Plantation, which I remember doing as a kid and it was super interesting.

• Arizona Memorial: This is free and opens at 7:30 am, it is recommended to get there early the lines can get long and you could end up spending 1 to 2 hours in line. You can book your tickets ahead of time for a $1.50 fee here ,other than that it is free.
• The Battleship USS Missouri and Submarine USS Bowfin are in the same location and are $15 each. I will check for coupons in brochures and online for those that are interested. Pictures  can be taken from Arizona Visitors Center and the Arizona tour ferry if you don’t want to visit them directly. Some sites that I have visited recommend to go on the lawn behind the Visitor’s Center (Circle of Remembrance) for great pictures. You can also walk around the Bowfin Memorial area for free without taking the tour.

Polynesian Cultural Center:

• General Admission is $50  or if you choose to do the show and dinner it is $79.95. There also have an optional buffet (no entertainment) for $15. The evening ‘Horizons’ show is said to be the best Polynesian show in all of Hawaii and  comes with all ticket price options. This would be considered an all day event. Get there before 1 pm. The recommended schedule is to do the IMAX  at 1:30 pm, Canoe Pageant at 2:30 pm, Samoa at 3:00 pm, Tonga at 4:00 pm, Canoe Ride around 4:30 pm and the regular buffet or Ali’i luau buffet around 5:00 pm and the ‘Horizons’ show at 7:30 pm.  It is closed on Sundays and the nice thing is you can go back for free for two days. It is best to check with the PCC employees before leaving the Center if you want the extra days.

Diamond Head Summit: Oh let me tell you how much this is going to happen!!

• Directions: Drive right into the crater and hike to the top. It is $5 per carload or $1 each if you walk into the crater. There is an amazing 360 degree view from the summit. After looking at several sites it appears that the best time is around 8am or around 4pm. Plan for an hour to an hour and a half round trip.

Hanauma Bay: For those staying with us in Waimanalo this is right down the road! Snorkeling!!  There is snorkeling equipment rental there or bring your own. It is recommend to get there as early as possible. If you drive, the parking lot gets filled up by 9:00 or 10:00. ($1 for parking, $5 for each person). You can reserve snorkel tours with several companies, if you want to know more I will research specific companies, I just did a general google search on that. But they do provide equipment, transportation, etc.

Punchbowl (National Cemetery of the Pacific): (free) While you are there, drive to the overlook area. Short walk to the summit that overlooks the entire city. If you have time, take the Mt. Tantalus/Round Top drive through a rain forest. Stop at the Puu Ualakaa State Wayside about 2/3 of the way to the top of the mountain. It has an awesome view of the city from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor. Punchbowl is near the bottom of Mt. Tantalus.

For those that love to hike here are several resources:

http://www.hawaiitrails.org/ (good for all islands)

http://www.backyardoahu.com/

home.hawaii.rr.com/oahuhikingtrails/home.html

http://oahuhiking.com/

Dole Pineapple Plantation: It is just past Wahiawa on H-2 (my map skills are questionable, who took a trip with me around ASU’s A mountain due to my lovely sense of direction??) but that is what it looks like to me on the map :). So you can plan your visit on your way to or from the North Shore. Behind the center there are pineapple exhibits, gardens and carp feeding pond. This is one of my most favorite memories of visiting Hawaii when I was younger.

North Shore Beaches: Haleiwa, Banzai Pipeline (Ehukai Beach), Waimea Beach, Sunset Beach, Shark’s Cove (Pupukea) and Laniakea Beach (AKA Turtle Beach), where you can see the famous sea turtles. It looks like there is good snorkeling at Shark’s Cove in the summer. Laniakea Beach is located is about half way between Waimea Bay and Haleiwa. Again take a grain of salt when I am giving estimates of direction.

Sea Life Park : Swimming with dolphins, need I say more.

Ok so this is a small start of tourist type stuff. I am working on non-tourist list as well. Let me know if there is something specific you would like to see and I will add it on.

Oh and if you are interested over on the main blog I am getting ready to start featuring makeup ideas for the island. Shopping my collection!

Venue, Check!

So it is official we have venue to get married at! It is pretty freaking fabulous and is exactly what I had envisioned when we decided that we wanted to get married in Hawaii.

So my lovely cousin, who just relocated to Hawaii, was kind enough to go check out Waimānalo which was the one beach area that I kept coming back to and let me just say I am not disappointed!  In fact I was slightly breathless and a little teary when it arrived on my mobile.

So now that the final big piece is all settled, I am down to the details like planning.  I am planning on making fabulous OOT bags for all of those who are going, making a loose itinerary of events (i.e. hanging out on a beach with friends) you know the things that will make our stay in Hawaii amazing. I also am starting to plan out such things as makeup looks and hair style.

There is only 132 days left! Aloha!

Wedding Unplugged….

So we recently booked our photographer, Jenna of Creatrix Photography, which was a huge deal for us for several reasons. One it made this seem even more real than me buying my dress. Since it finalized the step that we will be getting married in Hawaii. Secondly, it is not lost on me why wedding photography costs so much, you are paying them for their skill, a skill that not many people possess, Jenna was able to work with our limited budget so that we can benefit from her immense experience and get amazing photos. Seriously, a HUGE THANK YOU TO JENNA!! ❤

So what is with the whole unplugged thing…well basically we will be asking people to enjoy the experience and not to take on the role of also being photographers and leave their cell phones put away. Jenna wrote a fabulous piece on this idea, here. This post really struck a cord with me. While we have chosen to not do a full day package, we are are paying Jenna and I want all the shots I can possibly get with the time that we have and not have to choose between what have been an amazing shot if it wasn’t for someone’s cell phone in the way and an okay shot that doesn’t have a cell in the shot.

I think the message overall is a good one for any formal event. I know that I am guilty of busting out my cell phone (which takes horrid pictures to be honest) at events and this has made me much more cognizant of my actions as well

We think we are close to finalizing our location, yay! With location will come the time…and we promise we will not be horrible and schedule a sunrise wedding..well maybe. 🙂 Stay tuned, details are coming!