Hey there! So you found the most interesting page on my site. This is my recent Oahu wedding, Hawaii wedding, and...well..lets be honest, it's a blog. The story behind this blog, well, it started out purely about Hawaii weddings, then it evolved into everything and all of the above. Basically, ITS MY BLOG!! So I write about anything on here. I updated this blog "alomost" on a daily basis. You can learn more about me, my quirks, my style, and of course, you'll get wedding tips here.
Call me if you want to make me richer..I mean, book my services!
After getting supplies in preparation for the worse at 3am on Saturday morning, I went to bed and woke up 10am to watch the latest news on the tsunami. The minutes leading up to the Tsunami were....BORING. I'm not sure if you've ever watched the news during a state of emergency, but they just repeat the same thing over and over.
And then..."the idiot" marched out in the ocean, and suddenly, the entire island of Oahu had a reason to cheer for a tsunami. Well, at least just one that would be big enough to rid us of one extra idiot in the world. Of course, God did not grant us the wish of evolution when we truly wanted it. Where's "survival of the fittest" when you need it, right? Just check out the video, you'll know what I'm talking about. Also in the video, you'll see some shots of Waikiki like a ghost town as well.
So I bet you heard by now, nothing happened. There was a little flooding on Maui, but no damage was reported throughout the states, and the idiot lived to see another day.
With that said, I'm back in business, back in wedding mode, and back to serve you... I'll be answering all your emails right now as I don't to have to worry about a wave washing away my computer...hahaha
It's 2am in the morning at Saturday and according to the news a Tsunami wave will arrive today at 11:19am. Yes, this is not a drill, a Tsunami is on its way. Everyone is sleeping now, so the civil defense is deciding to wake everyone up at 6am to tell them to get to higher ground. I ask, why not tell everyone to evacuate asap.
A wave hit is definite. They don't know how large it is, or how much damage it will cause. It may be 6 inches or 20 to 30 feet high. But it is coming.
My big question is whether or not our power plants can handle the flooding. I have a sick feeling that the island will be out of power so I am running to the gas station to fill up my generator just in case.
Don't worry about me. I am really far inland, so I'm a.o.k. Because of the Tsunami Warning, I will most likely not get back to any of my email inquiries that I receive today. I'll updated you as soon as I hear more news.
My friend Joey navigating his way though a narrow metal bridge. I'm right behind on bike, taking a photo and trying not to crash!
THE QUEST FOR THE BLACK PEARL Burning some time
So here's what I like to do when I don't have a wedding. I bike...more so, adventure bike. What the hell is adventure biking? I really don't know, I just made up the term. But it usually consist of myself and a friend, riding mischievously around in an attempt to recreate the movie "Stand By Me."
I really enjoyed my adventure this past Tuesday. We started in town and hit a lot back roads and paths that took us to parts of Oahu that I had never seen before. If you think Hawaii is all palm trees and sand, I can tell you that you're dead wrong. There are parts of Oahu that look like a 3rd world country.
Our goal for this trip? To make it Campbell Industrial Park, to see the Black Pearl. The Black Pearl is the ghostly pirate ship in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. It arrived in Hawaii early this week to being preparations for filming of the 4th installment of the movie.
The route. 27 miles is not that bad if you're road biking, but half of this trail was on a mountain bike trail. So it was tough.
It started at Kakaka'o. My blue truck in the midst of tons of limos and tour buses. That my bike on the lamp post with Joey on his bike on the right.
Still at Kaka'ako. Everyone in the limos were dressed to impress. At first I thought they were there for a wedding, but the party was too big. There were over 300 people here. They were all part of a Japanese corporation that was on vacation with their boss.
At the halfway mark.
The trail...it was awesome to say the least
Riding through an area of Oahu that is poverty stricken.
Sun drying clothes
If there's one thing I don't understand about some poor people is how dirty they are. On certain parts of the trail, the smell was so bad we couldn't take a breath. The poor had made it a habit to throw their trash in the rarely used back roads of their houses, instead of the trash. Everything from old clothes, used diapers, to rotten food littered the trail. Now I can understand that they may not have great paying jobs. But there is no reason for them to litter like this....
Paved roads were a welcomed treat
Riding next to the train tracks
Okay, so here's me crossing a damaged bridge...the hard way. Not using my brain.
And here is Joey using his brain. His bike is in front of him on the back tire. What a difference college makes! Joey went to a few years of college, I went to 1/2 a semester
Abandoned train near the trail
This doesn't look like Hawaii does it?
Finally we made it! Here is the Black Pearl in all of it's construction glory!
And that's me in front of the Black Pearl...and a sign that says "Wash Down 15 minutes" Apparently you can only wash your pirate ship for 15 minutes here....
I have to say, this entire bike adventure was a lot of fun. Once we got to the Black Pearl, I beeped my father to pick us up. We could have rode back but our legs were gone. Like I said, it was only 27 miles, but that dirt road kills your legs.
As you can see, Oahu has a lot of looks. If you ever watched the television show, Lost, you could probably tell how many looks it has. Most scenes in Lost are shot in Hawaii. Including the shots that look as though they were filmed in Africa. Just as a note, Oahu is not poverty stricken. In fact, most of Oahu is clean, very modern, and safe. The areas you saw here are areas that most locals don't even know exists.
Alright then, I'm outta here. Time for me to get back to work...which means sleep. Hope you enjoyed the adventure blog.
Jacob and Emily, starting it off on the right foot
MR. UNROMANTIC GETS ROMANTIC The Surprise Hawaii Wedding of Jacob and Emily
If you ask me, the "former"Jacob is like most men out there, including myself....practical. We're also caring, thoughtful, and always accused of being unromantic. I wanna speak to the men here for a second. Did you know that the word romantic can be defined as being impractical, unrealistic, or even imaginary or fictitious? Does this mean I can describe my woman as getting romantic with my wallet every weekend? But we men know that women define the term "romantic" by an entirely different set of rules. To them, "romantic" means doing things to and for them, that would make their heart flutter. Am I right?
Now a woman can view a man as being romantic when he least knows it. It can range anywhere from running in the pouring rain to get her car, to showing up to her work with flowers for lunch, to a private sunset dinner on the beach, to...a surprise wedding?
That's what Jacob had in mind when he called me.
"Steve", he told me. "I wanna surprise my girlfriend... with a wedding!"
At this point, Emily thought she was just on a photo shoot
When I heard this, the bad sirens were already going off in my head. Out of all the ways to get on the bad side of a woman, surprising her with a wedding was one of them.
Jacob clarified, "She thinks I want to get married in a courthouse, but I want to surprise her with a wedding on the beach."
"I see...", I said like a mad scientist
I quickly thought up of a clever plan to pull this surprise off. Predicting that all women would not want to attend their own wedding unless they were dressed for the occasion, we had to think of a great cover so Emily would show up in wedding attire. The photo shoot, that was the perfect cover.
So the trap was set, and the surprise wedding was on. Emily was the only one who didn't know what was happening. And she also didn't know that Jacob's mother and her mother, would also be there to witness. To her, Jacob was just being his normal, practical, unromantic self, who was trying his best. At this point, Emily thought Jacob had booked a photographer to take pictures at a beach, and then they were off to get married at the courthouse without her parents. Pure unromantic Jacob...as always....
Looking out to the ocean, a great shot, but also a setup for the surprise
As planned, Jacob and Emily arrived (a little late though) and I quickly took them to different portions of the beach for photos. I did this not only to take great photos, but to also conceal Pastor Stan's and the mothers hiding spot that was behind a tree not very far away. I slowly inched my way down the shoreline while snapping photos, making sure Emily would not look towards the trees. Then, when my unknowing bride was close enough to her mothers-in-hiding, I had Jacob and Emily face the ocean for a "looking out to the ocean" shot.
I told Emily, that whatever she did, it was important that she did not look around or else she would ruin the shot.
Of course, that was all a lie.
On my signal, Pastor Stan Ponz walked up from behind me and whispered a new plan into my ear. He had a great way to introduce the mothers. I agreed. He then snuck himself around Jacob and Emily, and broke the news to her.
"Hi, I'm Pastor Stan Ponz and I am a minister here in the State of Hawaii. I realize that you thought you were going to get married in a courthouse, but Jacob here, wanted to surprise you with a wedding on the beach...", Stan said with confidence.
Emily, began to cry.
He continued. "Now I just want you two to keep looking at each other because this is truly your moment. But before I begin, I would like to ask...who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
"WE DO!" yelled Emily and Jacob's mothers!
Emily, already in tears, swung her head around, saw her mother. She could not believe it.
"We do!", Jacob and Emily's mothers yelled out as Emily swung her head around
Emily, her mother, and her father on the cell phone. Nothing but happy tears
The hug that followed
The wedding service on the beach, not the courtroom
The two moms watching their kids tie the knot.
The awesome kiss
The wedding service, as you could imagined, went perfect. Stan performed a perfect Christian ceremony for this couple. This happily married couple met while on a mission trip, and soon after, fell in love for each other.
A great shot
A sweet shot
And a colorful shot
This was truly a special wedding. It was a cheaper wedding for me as Jacob only bought the patriot package, but that didn't stop me from doing my best. I just wish he had purchased the ceremony package because I wish there were a video to document all of this. It was really cool.
So I just want to know now if Emily still considers Jacob, Mr. Unromantic. I think this wedding right here, earns him an all-time Mr. Romantic lifetime title. What do you think? In not a lifetime pass, at least let him off the hook for a couple of decades.
Chris' failed attempt to pick up his wife, Andrea. Still makes for a great snapshot don't you think? SO HOW'S THAT SUNSET BEACH PLACE FOR A WEDDING? ANSWER: VERY GOOD
In most cases, I get an inquiry from a curious bride about my services. They want to know what I do, what I can and cannot do, and what to expect for their wedding. And every once in a big blue moon, I get a call from a curious groom. In this case, that curious groom was Chris.
Chris did the initial planning for his wedding. He wanted things to be simple, sweet, and of course, wanted to come home with great pictures. Andrea on the other hand, just wanted to show up for the wedding. Hey, so their roles are a bit reversed here, but maybe that's why they get along extremely well together!
You may not know this, but Chris is deathly afraid of the ocean.
The plan was simple for Chris and Andrea's wedding. I would meet them at Turtle Bay, and they would follow me to Sunset Beach, get married, and then we'd all snap photos till sunset. Needless to say, the plan was executed flawlessly...BECAUSE I'M AWESOME! (Sorry, just had to brag there for a bit. But am I that awesome of a wedding guy? Hmm... many think so.)
Upon meeting Chris at Turtle Bay, I realized one thing about him. He was huge. We're talking NFL Lineman, towering over you, muscle everywhere...huge. Now me, I'm a kinda big guy too. At 6 feet, 220 pounds, I'm not your usual scrawny Chinese. But Chris made me look as though I was your usual scrawny Chinese-man. Luckily his then fiance, Andrea, was also tall. Let me just say this. It's very difficult to shoot couples that have huge differences in height. Not impossible, just difficult.
And you may kiss the bride
A semi-silhouette shot at Sunset Beach
Another silhouette shot
I don't shoot many silhouette shots for my couples, unless they truly meet specific standards. How do I put this politely. In order for silhouette shots to come out nice, couples have to look a certain way. They need to have curves in the right places. Too skinny isn't good, too big isn't good either. You just have to have the right stuff. Shooting shots like this isn't that hard. It's just a matter of turning off the flash, or shooting it on very very low power.
The massage your shoulder pose
Chris and Andrea truly do make for a great couple because they know how to have a good time. Their wedding day was filled with a lot of laughter, which is a good thing. In my personal opinion, I think laughter is the key to any great relationship. Could you imagine being married to someone who you can't laugh with...or maybe at? haha.
Hi there my fellow brides! Sorry I haven't blogged in the past few days. I had a busy weekend. Not with wedding per say, but more so, Valentines Day and Chinese New Years. A lot of party planning stuff, not to mention, cleaning up stuff that took place after the party stuff.
I've also been watching the Olympics a lot lately. I hate to say it, that's the reason why I haven't been blogging or the past few days! I'll promise to blog about some weddings later on today. I had a SURPRISE wedding the other week that we pulled off perfectly. I need to blog about their wedding because it was pretty cool. I take that back, very cool.
AWFUL WEDDING MOMENTS FOUND ON THE NET Scared that something might go wrong at your wedding? Watch these videos
A wedding is a once in a lifetime moment. Every once in a blue moon, disaster strikes for one reason or another. The reason? I dunno. But are they preventable? You bet. Here are a few videos that I found on youtube of wedding disasters. Some are funny and some may actually address a few important topics. My added commentary-slash-advice will follow each video.
I just have to ask this couple... What were you thinking? You are having your wedding above a pool. Really? I almost feel this is a set up shot for a comedy sketch, but from my research so far, it seems to be real. The obvious solution would be to change wedding venues. There is too much that could go wrong here. The bride could trip and fall over her train. The rings could drop into the pool. A photographer may accidentally fall into the pool. I mean...really? A wedding above a pool? You can't even see it in the shot anyway unless you're from a helicopter.
This is actually the fault of the tenting company. Those poles should be anchored on the ground rather solidly. I have personally climbed tenting poles to hang lights without any fear that the entire tent would collapse on me. This tent was not anchored well and any strong gust of wind could have knocked it down. The solution to stopping people from breaking loose on the poll? Decorate it heavily so they can't swing on it.
A very serious topic so I'll spend some time on here. This is a couple who is obviously displeased with their wedding video. The videographer who is interviewed in this news clip is right. About 60% of the wedding videographers out there are crap. I would put that figure closer to 80%, especially the way trends are going now. The current trend is to setup almost every shot like a movie, then edit it together like a 3 minute music video, and well...that's what you get for your wedding video. The wedding videographers now call themselves "cinematographers" which is actually demeaning to true cinematographers. True cinematographers have a degree in film, work in the movie industry, understand the use of film, lighting, but most of all, the elements of story telling and why certain angles and effects are used. "Wedding cinematographers" take little digital SLR cameras, point and shoot, and use special effects to spice up their shots, without truly knowing why they are shooting the way they are. Their 3 minute wedding clips may look spectacular, but take in mind, they are all setup shots, and only 3 minutes. When you view their long edited wedding footage, these fake cinematographers start to really show their weakness.
So how do you spot a great wedding videographer?
If possible, make sure he uses real video cameras and not a digital SLR, that are only capable of shooting 12 minutes a time. The new trend is to shoot wedding videos using digital SLRS, which goes to show you how amateur the industry has gotten. These digital SLRS are incredible in video qualtiy, and they are perfect for shooting movies where a director can yell cut every 3 minutes. But these cameras are useless for live motion documentaries. It's basically useless. Can you imagine shooting a live football game 12 minutes at a time? How about a reality TV show? Nope...it can't happen because eventually, you're going to miss something. This is why productions in the news, reality tv, and documentaries use cameras that can tape for at least 90 minutes. A videographer who uses digital SLRS exclusively will only capture moments of your wedding so he can spice up his 3 minute video.
Ask to look at his COMPLETE edited footage of a ceremony from beginning to end....not his 3 minute commercial tape, then go to step 3.
Always remember when looking at wedding videos, know what is documented footage, and what is setup footage. A wedding video should document what your wedding day was from beginning to end, and setup shots should be left to a minimum. Hey, if there's chaos, let there be chaos. In fact, it'll make for a good laugh down the road. Here are the current list of videographer setup shots that I saw in many wedding videos
Bride putting on earring, then focusing on her reflection in the mirror
Bride slipping on garter belt as camera pans across the entrance
Bride grabbing bouquet and leaving room
Someone zipping up Bride's dress
Bride looking at dress
Groomsmen drinking and toasting, slapping each other on the back
Best man helping groom with his coat then hugging him.
Slipping on of rings, close up
Brides reaction, laugh
Grooms reaction, laugh
Bride and Father walking down isle
Groom getting nervous
These shots are all SETUP shots, meaning the moment captured on video is fake. In many cases, ring shots may be shot after your wedding ceremony. Reactions on video are not the true reactions that you had during the ceremony. Zipping up of your dress could be done in the lobby of the hotel...and so on. My point, these videographers have gotten lazy and are no longer documenting your wedding but creating a fictional reenactment of your wedding.
These shots are easy to spot because well...they look too perfect. Too commercial.
Back to the wedding video. It's pretty hard to seriously give my two cents on whether or not the wedding video that was given to this couple was bad or not without actually seeing the footage. But from what the couples describes, it sounds horrible. But they have a few things wrong here. Just because an editor doesn't use transitions with every cut, it does not mean he is not professional. In fact, it's entirely opposite. An editor how can cut without transitions, is extremely good. Do you know that all movies are edited without transitions? Transitions usually signify "a passage of time" when used properly.
The bottom line when looking at reels of wedding videographers. Know that no two weddings are the same, therefore, not two wedding videos should be the same. They may follow the same format, but moments, should not look EXACTLY the same and fall exactly in the same order.
This was just to make you folks laugh.
I have to admit, if something goes wrong at my weddings, most of the time it includes the flower girls or the ring bearers. Kids will be kids. What can I say? But I wouldn't say it's something that goes wrong. It just makes for a great laugh.
And this isn't a wedding disaster at all, it's just cool.
Sometimes throwing tradition out the window in the name of fun does wonders. In fact, it creates new traditions for an entire generation. Bravo to this one.
Hey everyone. So really funny story. My computer has been acting up lately. Not in a bad way, but in a weird way. It starts talking to me, offering me to win prizes, and it starts playing music automatically on me. I have a feeling my computer is developing a mind of its own. Too bad it won't edit all these wedding videos for me! It's evolving into a lazy bum with an attitude.
Anyway, I was watching Hulu tonight, and this song pops up. Now, I thought it was part of the show, but then it started to keep playing and playing. Little did I realize that it wasn't part of the show...even though it matched. Well, I thought it was kinda catchy, so I tried to find it. But I couldn't! So I took my video camera, recorded it off my speakers, and thought someone out there could point in me in the right direction...
Can anyone help me?
Oh yeah.....Happy Valentines Day everyone. And...Happy New Year! (It's lunar new years today!)
VALENTINES 411 A little history lesson on this holiday, and my opinion on love and marriage
As the rumor goes, Valentines Day was a holiday created by Hallmark to save itself. This rumor, from my research, is actually false. Valentines Day was actually a pagan celebration day to honor Juno, the queen of the Gods. A celebration would ensue the days after where young boys and girls would draw by lottery names of the opposite sex. They would then be paired with the partner they drew, and would spend their time together during the festival. Many of them courted each other after the conclusion of the festival and some would eventually marry. Pretty neat huh.
Fast-forward to around 270 AD, Emperor Claudius II of Rome was having problems enlisting men to join the service. Convinced that men across his country were wimps because they wanted to stay home with their wives, Claudius banned people from getting married. St. Valentine, a Christian priest, didn't abide and secretly married couples. He was caught and executed on February 14th.
The Roman Catholic Church eventually merged the two celebrations together. Since they wanted to get rid of the celebration of Juno, a pagan worship day, they basically took Juno's day and called it St. Valentine's day, to celebrate Christian Martyrs, and love.
Where does the naked fat angel with the bow-n-arrow come into play? That I have no idea...
Geez, that cupid needs to lift some weights or something
Now lets jump to the topic of love and marriage. So what does it take to create a great marriage? There is a cliche out there that says "All you need is love..." and to a certain extent, I believe that to be somewhat accurate. But I was always believed that you needed more than just love to get married.
See, to me, love is defined purely as a commitment, and nothing more. It's not an emotion, or a feeling, as those things come and go. Commitments though, last forever...or should last forever. Therefore, I believe love should by synonymous with the word commitment in my eyes. Lets just say it's a very deep level of commitment. So is that enough to create a great marriage? Probably not. Many times it takes love PLUS similar values, senses of humor, goals, even sometimes the same political or religious views to make a great marriage. Take for example...me. I'm single, and even if I love someone, if they are an Obama loving person who worships Satan and doesn't laugh at my jokes, it probably won't work out...
Do we all agree with me or not? If you don't, well...oh well. I can't do anything about it. Maybe I'll charge you more for your wedding! hahaha.
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Well, I bet you are all wondering what is Steve doing for Valentines Day this year? Lets begin by me yelling, "I'm happy to say that I don't have any weddings to do on Valentines Day!" I always tell all of my brides that Valentines Day is the worse day to get married. All the restaurants are usually booked up early for this day, flowers are more expensive, plane trips, hotels, you name it. Let me just say this. If you get married on Valentines Day, you better have one responsible man who can plan ahead for anniversaries.
I'm going to be staying at home for Valentines Day and most likely will be talking on the phone for a bit (not with a 1-900 girl), then playing video games on my PS3. Wow, do I sound like a loser or what! Do I have someone special out here? I'll just steal a line from Top Gun here. The first time I crashed and burned, but the second time...it's looking good so far.
And of course, if it doesn't work out, I'm sure one of my customers out there can set me up with their beautiful republican god-fearing supermodel....hahah.
Jim and Ann make it official at Lanikai KEEPING IT SIMPLE, YET ROMANTIC The Hawaii Wedding of Jim and Ann
Okay, so here's the story. I have to go a bit from memory here because I seem to have misplaced my notes on Jim and Ann's love story. So that means there will probably be an amendment of some sorts to this blog once Jim or Ann reads it.
Now I don't remember much about how Jim and Ann met, but I do know why Jim fell in love with her. She is a great conversationalist, funny, intelligent, and not to mention...smoking. Jim is your prototypical masculine athletic provider than any sane woman would fall for. Is Ann sane...yes, from what I can tell...haha. Just kidding Ann.
One thing which I do recall is that Jim worked in for the Superferry here in Hawaii, when it was still in operation. Just for most of you who don't know, the Superferry is not Elton John on steroids, but a sleek, ultra-fast, ultra-maneuverable, high-speed ferry. It connected the islands to each other through boat, and it was a dream come true for many locals. With the Superferry, locals could drive their car onto this boat, and take a fun trip to the outer islands. But unfortunately, a strong environmentalism lobby shut it down claiming the ferry was an endangerment to dolphins and the environment. The truth, the anti-capitalist lobby, was made up of nothing more than rich mainland transplants who moved to Hawaii, who wanted to keep Hawaii free of development, and to it's poverish pot-smoking roots. They used the environmentalists movement to stop the Superferry, to stop capitalism from spreading to the outer-islands from Oahu. Unfortunately, they succeeded.
But enough of me getting off track! On to the wedding!
Jim and Ann tied the knot on the beaches of Lanikai. They stayed in a house not too far from the beach, and walked to their secluded spot on foot. The ceremony was conducted by non other Reverend Elias Parker. The ceremony was sweet, and included many Hawaiian traditions. The one addition to the ceremony was a ring ceremony for Ann's daughter, given by Jim. This is a very cool way to include a child into a new family. It starts everything on the right foot.
Jim giving a ring to his new daughter during the ceremony.
The sharing of breaths, a Hawaiian tradition
Taken on the G10, Ann in all her glory
They do make a good looking couple don't they. Taken on G10
I really like this shot. Taken on G10
I remember telling Jim and Ann that I really don't like doing weddings at Lanikai beach for a couple of reasons. One, being that it's a rather plain looking beach, and if it was overcast, the colors in each photo would go pretty quickly. As you can see in the photos, as the clouds rolled in, the color of the beach and the ocean disappeared rather quickly. Lucky thing Jim and Ann look great, so they actually made these shots look a lot better than they should have.
My main reason why I don't like to do weddings on Lanikai Beach is because there is this crazy rich woman who actually goes around breaking up weddings, and causing a scene. This has never happened to me before, but I've seen it happen. She walks straight up to the couple during the ceremony, and starts yelling at the couple. She is not local, but one of those rich people who transplanted themselves to Oahu, who wants the beach for herself. Oh yes, she was against the Superferry as well...not surprising huh...I saw her on the news.
The great thing, this crazy woman, was nowhere to be found on that day. I had told Jim about about my concerns, and he said he would just take a chance. Lanikai Beach held a rather important significance to him, so he needed to get married there. If she had showed up, I think I would have practiced my Ray Lewis NFL linebacker moves on her anyway...haha.
So I leave you with this. The sparkle you see in Jim and Ann's eyes throughout every picture was not coached. That's 100% them....natural, un-posed. You really can't fake that type of magic.
Matt and Margarita, shortly after sealing the deal. YES, MARGARITA IS MY REAL NAME They've got something in common
Matt and Margarita met in the sixth grade and first started dating from their freshmen year in high school. Now I'm sure Matt and Margarita had all the usual things in common to make a great relationship, such as a common sense of humor, or beliefs to start. But strangely enough, these two share even more in common. No it's not their blood line! What were you thinking?! They share the same initials, and...the same birthday! How's that for a conversation starter! And now, apparently, the same wedding date. Wow, that makes remembering important dates really easy doesn't it?
Is that a garter belt I see?
My young couple didn't elope like my usual clients, as they had forty guests who came to celebrate their new chapter in life. Because of the number of people attending, I recommended that they book Paradise Cove as the location for their ceremony. Paradise Cove is rather affordable, great for outdoor weddings, and right next door to Ko'olina Secret Cove (Lanikuhonua),which is perfect for pictures.
I like this shot.
Great dress
...and two great smiles...
This shot always works better when there's water in the cove like this
As you can see, Matt and Margarita met young, and married young. Now I ask you, do you believe that there is anything wrong with marrying young? In my personal opinion, I don't think there is. In fact, I wish I could ever be so lucky as these two.
What irks me more is when I see a young couple, say in their 20's, dating, just to date. They invest all their time into each other, learning about each other, making up after big fights just to break up down the road. I mean really...isn't that just a waste of time? When I see young couples, date for a reason, I do nothing but applaud them, and say "wow."
While were on this subject, I'd like to say that I think age has anything to do with the success of marriage. And I also don't believe statistics have anything to do with marriage either. They say that over 50% of all marriages end in divorce, does that mean we should give up on love? Are statistics that accurate all the time anyway? No. The Saints were not favored to win the Superbowl, and they won. 90% of all businesses go out of business, and look, I'm still here...thriving. I sometimes feel that stats are there just to discourage us from taking risk that could greatly benefit us in the future.
Is envy a sin? Because I do actually envy Matt and Margarita right at this moment. I personally think it would have been cool to marry the high school crush I had. I also envy these two because they are young. Man, what I would give to be young again with two good knees. I wonder...hmm....should I have stayed in college and played football? Maybe I be in the NFL...Things that run through my twisted mind.....
To Matt and Margarita. Keep on at it. You two I believe are perfect for each other. Always remember that love is a commitment, and not much more. Happiness, sadness, joy, even jealousy, and envy, are all emotions that come and go, but love, a commitment, will always be there through the good times and bad.
First off, I'd like to thank all the brides out there for emailing me their inquiries on Superbowl Sunday rather than calling. I believe I got a total of five inquiries on Superbowl Sunday! You know, that's the most inquiries I ever got on a Sunday... Really. Your men must have left you at the computer while the game was going on! haha. Hey, I'm laughing because I'm one of those men who do that. I'm of those men who say, "Here hun, here's couple hundred dollars, knock yourself out at the mall...I'm watching football with the guys."
I was cheering for the Colts to win. I realize they were favored by 5 points to win, but I truly didn't think they were the better team going into the game. New Orleans was 100% healthy, and their offense was much faster than Colts. Only a very physical defense could hold New Orleans' high powered offense, and the Colts were more of a speed type of defense. But in the end, what do you know, it was the defense that actually won the game for New Orleans.
Superbowl food, all meat, no veggies, the way it should be
Food at my party this year was a little scaled back to what it was in the previous years. A couple years ago, I deep fried a couple of turkeys, and the years before we had bbq chicken. This year, we made it fairly simple as we didn't have that many people...I say around 12 or 14.
Superbowl viewing area...after everyone left.
You know, the quality of the commercials were all over the place this year. I think the Doritos and Budweiser commercials were good, but nothing to over the top. After halftime, the quality of the commercials really went downhill. I think one of the best commercials was from TruTV (featured below).
What I really want to know though was what was the really big deal with the Tim Tebow pro-life ad. So what that he endorses pro-life? Is that really such a bad thing? And the commercial wasn't even close to being over the top at all either. It was in fact...funny. Let the man have his opinion...geez.
Here is Tebow's commercial.
And now, Monday starts, and it's back to reality. All those inquiries I got in yesterday, I'll be answering them today. Talk to you all soon.
IF YOU'RE READING THIS, YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING THE SUPERBOWL
Today is the only true day that I don't work. I will work on New Years Day, Eve, even Christmas Day and Eve. But I avoid work as though it were the black plague on Superbowl Sunday. Yes, I'm weird like that....or am I? I think I'm like the rest of the 100's of millions of people out there. To be completely honest, almost all of my vendors are like me. I can't get one of my guys or gals vendors to work today. What is it with the Superbowl....
If you need to contact me today, you can call me...AFTER the Superbowl. Before the game, I'll be bbq'ing.
So who am I going for? THE COLTS BABY! Yeah, I like Drew Brees too, but since the Saints embarrassed the Eagles, I'm going for the Colts! There's nothing worse than losing the Superbowl, I should know. I'm an Eagles fan!
I'll be posting pictures from my party later tonight as well.... Have fun and don't call me today..haha.
KUNG HEE FAT CHOY! That's how you say "Happy New Years" in Chinese
For those of you who don't know, I'm full Chinese. Yes, I'm 100% Chinese, except I don't resemble any of that my true ancestors. To start, I'm taller than most Chinese, as I'm 6 feet. And weight wise, I come in at a husky 220 pounds (not all fat...yet!) I'm also a capitalist, but you know, it seems as though my red socialist brothers are actually more capitalistic than America don't you think?
Anyway, I spent Friday night cruising the streets of Chinatown watching the lions chase the evil anti-money demons from the stores. No, that is not sarcasm there. This is what the purpose of the lion dance is. Every year, Chinese will pop fire works in front of their retail store to scare away demons that may chase away business. The lion then walks into the store, chasing away the remaining demons that are in the corners, backrooms, etc...etc....then exits to dance in front of fire crackers. In return, the store owner blesses the lion with money, which goes to the local Kung Fu or lion dance association. Yes, it may sound a little silly, but hey, it may just work. Those businesses have not been hurt by this recession!
The lion dancers really get close to these fireworks.
The lion dancers are pretty daring. They come within inches, millimeters, to HUGE exploding fireworks. Take note here that these lion heads are made out of paper, and are highly flammable.
Here's some video of some lion dancing I took on my Canon G10.
So what does this have to do with weddings? Well, believe it or not, you can actually get something rather similar done at your wedding. The lions show up, and dance for your wedding, traditionally chasing all the demons away so you'll have a prosperous marriage. I've seen these dances performed at weddings with and without fireworks. Hmm...I think Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie could have used a couple of these lion dances...haha.
That is a full sized lion on that pole, with one guy performing 15 feet above the ground, with no safety harness.
Close up of that guy on the pole
In Hawaii, the City and County closes down almost every street in Chinatown, so tourist and locals can roam. Aside from the lion dancing, there's food booths, fortune booths, and this year....New York style fashion shows? Yes, fashion shows. What in the world do fashion shows have to do with Chinese New Year, especially when their clothing line doesn't reflect anything oriental. Just my opinion....
Well, I'm outta here. Gotta hit the hay. I have a wedding tomorrow...I mean today.
This was one of my favorite beaches, Keiki Beach. Now it's....gone! Take note of these guard rails.
MOTHER NATURE CAN BE A B@#TCH!!! Where o where did one of my favorite beaches go?!!!
About a couple months ago, huge waves rolled in and literally swallowed one of my favorite beaches, Keiki Beach. This beach was great because its sand that stretched close to 200 yards in width at times.
Okay, those guard rails are right by the graffiti wall in the background. Now you can see how far the water washed up!
How does it look like now? Well, definitely not as cool. I can't get those shots where the beach stretches all the way back to the horizon. And there are rocks everywhere. The place is still cool to shoot though. I just have to learn how to shoot there again...which, takes a little time.
The big question is whether or not the beach will return. I dunno. Elias said it will, and I think he's right. But will it return in time for your wedding? Is this place still a great place for weddings? The answer to that is definitely yes. A few angles just got taken away, but it's still secluded, and there are photo ops. Just...arghh.....
Keola and Nicole, a perfect match HAPPY BEGINNINGS A great love story
Okay, I have to admit it, I enjoy great love stories. I like movies where the guy gets the girl in the end, or vice-versa. In fact, I really enjoy it when the geeky guy gets the really hot looking chick. Why? Because it's the story of my life. But what I really don't like are movies that end in tragedy, or a movie when a couple breaks up and they just decide to walk in separate directions forever. It's just sad. We've been all though those break ups, and it's just a horrible feeling that I don't wish it upon anyone. It's even worse when you go pay ten dollars to see a movie that depresses you. But, it happens...all the time.
Once in a long while, I get a couple who unfortunately doesn't follow through with their wedding plans for one reason or another. Cancellations have happened anywhere from minutes before their wedding, to weeks, months, even years. It's never a happy occasion when I learn about one of my bride's breaking up. But, the way I see it, it's better that they break up now, than later.
Enter Nicole. An awesome woman. Funny, smart, talented, great conversationalist, a great catch for any man. She had booked my services, and like every bride, she was looking forward to her wedding. Several months from her wedding I received a phone call from her. It wasn't a good one. She informed me that her wedding plans were off. Bad news....or was it?
As it turns out, it was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Keola, Nicole's knight in shining armor.
Few years went by and an email from Nicole popped into my inbox. She had found someone! And this man, Keola, was an extraordinary guy. I'll Nicole take the floor from here:
"It was our friends' wedding, Aug 4th, 2007 in Sonoma, CA, where I lived at the time. My friend and I pulled up to the rehearsal site and were sitting in the car as the groom pulled up. Suddenly the back doors of my car open and 2 guys get in and Keola introduced himself. My friend and I thought "what the hell? Is this guy crazy?" I guess they had dared him to do it or something.
I was working at San Quentin at the time, so over the rehearsal dinner I grilled him with my prison psych evaluation (we jokingly were giving him a hard time). I thought he was a player, he was just too smooth. After the wedding we hung out and I started to realize he wasn't the player I had thought he was. Keola went back home to San Diego and he kept calling me. I ended up going down to San Diego a few weeks later and we started to really like each other. We dated long distance for 8 months until I moved to San Diego.
Now we're married! Thanks again for the amazing pictures and video! I created a website for the wedding, with lots of your pictures, complete with my hula for him (which, by the way, I was supposed to dance on the beach, but I forgot my music). Yes, I took hula lessons in secret to surprise him. So I ended up dancing at our second party in Papakolea. He actually cried. We had a reception at the Hale Koa on the wedding day too. You know those Hawaiians like to party.
-Nicole
Keola showed his sensitive side during the wedding.
Nicole, saying her vows
Now that's how you do a first kiss
So this is their wedding from behind the camera lens. Isn't it funny how a different camera angle can change the entire look and feel of a wedding.
So I wanted to make a comment on Keola. I'd like to call him Captain Awesome. He reminds me of every tough guy that I knew in my life. They look tough, act tough, because they are tough. But at the same time, they are also extremely sensitive, and they are not afraid to reveal their true emotions. It takes a real tough guy to cry in public.. Lets just make that clear.
Wedding dresses were made to go into the water. Didn't know that?
Nicole looked great.
A romantic walk on the beach...with the photographer (that's me!)
Looking out to the future...maybe they are thinking what movie is playing?
A fun pose.
Another great kiss brought to you by Mr. and Mrs. Awesome.
What can I say? I'm extremely happy for Nicole and Keola. Extremely....Sometimes, destiny works in strange ways. But it's important to realize that destiny never works alone as it can only get you so far. The rest of the journey is up to you, or your friend who dares you to jump in the back seat of a car to pick up a woman...haha.
IT ALL STARTED, WITH A DOUGHNUT. The Hawaii Wedding of Bill and Liz
It all started with a doughnut for Bill and Liz. They both met at work under working environments, and you know how the story goes. Man sees woman, woman likes man, and woman says, "Yes, lets meet at Dunkin' Donuts," then two years later they tie the knot in Hawaii. That's, well, the abbreviated version of their love story. But it's the truth!
Liz told me, "We had great chemistry from the very start."
And it was apparent that their great chemistry was still there on their wedding day. They both couldn't stop laughing and having a ball. I always knew that great doughnuts would lead to great things, even a great marriage. And my friends called me crazy...THE NERVE.
Liz decided on a brown dress for her wedding day. I think it rocked!
Their chemistry and sense of humor would come in handy when it came to their wedding day. Just days before they were ready to fly down to Oahu to get married, Liz got a call from work. It wasn't a good call. They needed her there, and there were no exceptions. Liz was devastated and not a happy camper.
Now to all my brides out there, I just want to let you know that these things can happen, although it's rare. If it does happen, the obvious solution is to move your wedding date forward. The problem is not your wedding date, because I'm extremely flexible, but it's your travel plans. MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE TRAVEL INSURANCE, so you will not lose a dollar of the investment you put into your honeymoon. Without insurance, hotels, airlines, rental cars, will sometimes be extremely reluctant to reschedule or refund your money. In the case they don't refund your money, the insurance company will reimburse you for every penny.
The always happy couple
Liz had waited weeks from her original wedding date. Unfortunately, she should have to wait again. On her wedding day, the skies opened up and it rained HARD. It rained cats, dogs, elephants, and possibly raccoons. I called Liz and told her, I didn't have a wedding the next day, so if she wanted to wait one more day for great weather, we could. She agreed...reluctantly. But she wanted great pictures, so another postponement was the only option. The way I see it, Liz must be used to waiting though since she worked for the government. That's what government does best right? Stall...
Finally, the next day rolled around, and everything was perfect. The skies were blue, the sun was out, and the temperature was a perfect 85 degrees.
Well worth the wait.
These shots are always great for the wall.
Everything on Bill and Liz's wedding day also went along perfectly. The only small challenge I had was with getting Bill to smile for the photos. I don't expect guys to know how to smile for pictures. Most men are not smiley type of people. They're not models...they're men. You ever think Spartan's smile for photos? I usually tell guys who don't smile to laugh. Well, Bill did just that. He chuckled for every shot that we did. It even made me smile because it was one of those low horror movie mad scientist chuckles.
I'm still laughing right now..
Bill, Liz, I wish you my best. And Bill...keep laughing!
Karen's family portraits and son's engagement shots!
Karen, with her husband Caesar, and three sons
THE RESULT OF A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE What may lay in your future!
I'd like to introduce to you Karen,Caesar, and their three sons. And like the title says, this is what a successful marriage may look like for you. I didn't do any vow renewal for Karen and Caesar, just "an all-in-one" photo package for them (more info on this later!) How did I get her business? Well, Karen just so happened to be a classmate of my mothers, and she had stopped by my mother's house while I was there. My mom, being the mom she is, told Karen what I did and really played me up. I didn't have any prints to show her, but I did show Karen a wedding which I had shot on my Canon G10 snapshot camera (which is a camera you should get). Well, lets just say that she loved it, was impressed on how I could get great shots with a snapshot, and she then hired me out for family pictures a week later.
So guess where I took them? To Lanikuhonua (Ko'olina Secret Cove), my favorite beach. Why? Because it rocks!
Andrew and his fiance Jackie
Karen purchased 1 roll of film, which is 36 shots, and 2 hours of coverage (my photography minimum). I don't limit what I shoot during this time. It can be anything from engagement shots to commercial food shots to real estate shots to.....well you get my drift anything. And guess what? The price stays the same no matter what I shoot :) Yes, I'm one of those "darn" honest photographers out there who don't break you at the bank. Anyway, Karen wanted to combine family shots, engagement shots for her son, and senior portraits for her other son, all in one photo shoot. That was not a problem at all. And the price all stayed the same, as long as I could do it on 1 roll of film in 2 hours. Which I did.
I shot a tough guy shot for this tough dude. There were smiling shots taken, but you know, when you're young...you wanna be tough.
So everything ran very very smooth, a little too smooth in fact. Sometimes I wonder if I should just stick to photography and scrap doing the entire wedding planning thing. Taking pictures to me is the easy part...haha. But hey, wedding planning isn't too hard either. I guess I'm just used to doing everything, so when I do less, it feels weird. Know what I mean? But I'm not scrapping anything. Truthfully, the money is great.
If memory serves me correctly, both of these two love birds are pharmacists.
This is probably the most-perfect-awesome-to-the-max-jumping picture in the world
Note to brides...this is how you put your legs when you jump in the air.
Karen and Caesar own a pizza shop in Ward Center. It's pretty good. If you're in the area, be sure to drop in and to tell them Steve Young from Dream Weddings Hawaii sent you. Mention me, and they'll give you a 200% mark-up...
Their awesome shop!
So the million dollar question is, what is the trick to having a successful marriage, one like Karen and Caesars? I once asked who renewed their vows with me after 60 plus years of being together. The husband said, "Steve, year-one was heaven for me. Year-two, I went deaf. That's the secret."
All joking aside, we all know the answer. Marriage is extremely tough. My parents who have been married for over 30 years, told me that it's hard work, and it's something you really can't take for granted. The bible tells me that love is a commitment and not an emotion. In a marriage, you're going to experience a lot of fun, hate, anger, joy, fear, jealousy, regret...you name the emotion, you'll experience it. But emotions come and go, turn off and on, love always stays. So maybe, just maybe, the Bible was right when it said love was a commitment. Just something to ponder.
I'm outta here my brides. It's 4:20am in the morning, and I better get to sleep!
