Before going further, it's helpful to read what went into preparing for Astrid & Charlie's wedding day, in order to give you some perspective into what was done to ensure a successful celebration. This post will be more about the results, and Astrid & Charlie's "return on investment".
As I wrote in my last post, I had gotten up on Saturday, May 31, actually around 8:30am. I had breakfast, spent some time with my nieces, and hung out with family. Around 2:30pm, we left home for the beautiful drive to Ko Olina. Arriving at 3:00pm at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort, the weather was gorgeous and sunny--a perfect day for a wedding! After quickly unloading the sound equipment and moving the van to the parking structure, we began setup around 3:30pm. By then, DIANNA with Hawaii Weddings and Events was putting the final touches on the decor and working well with the banquet staff at the Ihilani to ensure a stunning and chic atmosphere.
RICK & SASHA from Cakelava were there too, setting up the beautiful wedding cake.
I quickly set up the sound equipment, ran through the soundcheck, and changed into my tuxedo--ready for Astrid & Charlie to arrive.
By 5:30pm, most of the guests had arrived, and they were enjoying pupu (appetizers), drinks, and beautiful weather on the lanai outside of the Lurline Room. After quickly sitting the guests, lining up the wedding party, and warming up the audience, it was showtime!
"On behalf of the Flores & Ruiz families, it is my pleasure to introduce to you...your wedding party!"
With that, the presentation was underway! The Grand Entrance was a fun and exciting affair, with the party dancing their way in to the music of Pink's Get This Party Started. Not to be outdone, the newlyweds came in with arms above their heads to a standing ovation. The atmosphere was electric! And it remained that way throughout the evening. A fun trivia game kept the guests guessing, laughing, and running to the podium in between courses. The ladies had a fun time with the Circle Dance, a bouquet presentation activity. The highlight for many was the garter game Last Man Sitting, an activity that involved not only the unmarried men, but the audience as well. Because it was a small intimate group (around 65 guests), the action was fast & furious as the men worked with the audience to stay in competition. When we were down to the final two, the game became even more crazy, since the winner would be the first man to text message Charlie with Astrid's married name! The game even went outside to the lanai because the groom and final two contestants lost cellular signal halfway through the texting!
The rest of the night was fun and full of energy. The centerpiece game kept the momentum going. Guests enjoyed the slideshow produced by the newlyweds. And after an original and choreographed First Dance by Astrid & Charlie, the guests took to the dancefloor and danced to almost every song, even doing the Electric Slide to Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music!
All in all, from start to finish, it was an energetic and exciting affair--and most definitely memorable. After the reception, many guests told Astrid that their wedding certainly stands out as being one of the most memorable ones. Behind the five hours of superb celebrating, the 40-60 hours of preparation and rehearsals really made a difference in the success of the party. In the end, it's not about the time spent preparing for the wedding, nor the five hours of the party...it's about the memories that last a LIFETIME.
Special thanks also to JAMES, JOHN, & MARTY from Crane Media Productions, as well as PAUL HAYASHI and his assistant JENNY for documenting this event. Mahalo kakou (Thank you) to RENEE, KEITH (awesome banquet captain), GIDGET, KALAI, DEAN, and the rest of the Ihilani staff for taking care of the newlyweds and guests, and for the ono (delicious) food. Thank you to LESLEY (my assistant), not only for being a super-fantastic assistant and for hitting all the music cues perfectly, but also for taking the great photos you see in this post. Along with DIANNA from Hawaii Weddings and Events, they were all fabulous to work with and made my job as the emcee/entertainer so much easier. If you are looking for a great team to make your wedding day as stress-free as possible, consider these vendors (with me, of course!).
Here is the final timeline for Astrid & Charlie's celebration:
| Sequence | Time | Event |
| 0 | 2:00pm | Convalidation Ceremony at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace |
| 1 | 4:30pm | Cocktail Hour outside on the lanai; Doors to the Lurline Room open only after ASTRID & CHARLIE have seen the untouched room; ASTRID & CHARLIE to take photos around property |
| 2 | 6:00pm | Welcoming of Guests, Grand Entrance |
| 3 | | Greetings, Welcome, & Acknowledgements by the Newlyweds |
| 4 | | Announcements (e.g., parking validations, restrooms, etc.) |
| 5 | | Invocation/Prayer Before The Meal by Charlie’s niece JESSICA |
| 6 | | First course (soup) (Trivia Game to determine first table to be served; Song Serenade to include & entertain the guests; both activities repeat throughout the evening during and between all courses) |
| 7 | | Recognition of Family & special guests |
| 8 | | Second course (salad) (see special note below) |
| 9 | | Main course (entrée) |
| 10 | | Toasts & speeches by Astrid’s sister AYESA; Best Man DANIEL |
| 11 | | Dance Performance by Charlie’s family |
| 12 | | Cake Cutting |
| 13 | | Dessert course |
| 14 | | Video/slide Show |
| 15 | | Bouquet & Garter Activities (Circle Dance, Last Man Sitting) |
| 16 | | Centerpiece Giveaway (Hot Centerpiece Time) |
| 17 | | Father/Daughter Dance |
| 18 | | Mother/Son Dance |
| 19 | | First Dance (choreographed) (no money dance) |
| 20 | | Open Dancing |
| 21 | | Grand Finale |
| | | |
| | | * Special note: ASTRID & CHARLIE to take sunset photos with PAUL around 6:40pm; sunset @ 7:18pm |
Here is their soundtrack:
- Pink - Get the Party Started (Wedding Party Grand Entrance Extended Instrumental) (6:17)
- Ventures - Hawaii 5-0 (Bride & Groom Entrance) (1:54)
- Alisha's Attic - Alisha Rules The World (Bridesmaid toast intro edit) (1:30)
- Duran Duran - Wild Boys (Best Man toast intro edit) (1:52)
- James Taylor - How Sweet it is (cake cutting) (3:39)
- Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (instrumental) (unmarried women to the dancefloor)(4:08)
- Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (circle dance edit) (0:18)
- Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out (instrumental) (single men to dancefloor) (3:16)
- U2 - Mission Impossible Theme (Last Man Sitting Edit) (3:14)
- Vengaboys - We Like To Party (Centerpiece Game edit) (3:14)
- Natalie & Nat King Cole - Unforgettable (Father/Daughter dance edit) (1:58)
- Israel Kamakawiwoole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow What A Wonderful World (Mother/Daughter Dance edit) (2:06)
- Julia Fordham ft the Foundations - Hope Prayer and Time (Buttercup edit) (First Dance) (3:53)
- Kool & The Gang - Celebration (First song to open dancefloor)(5:00)
- Patti Austin - If I Believe (Special dedication to VIVIENNE & ADEL) (3:28)
- Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze (3:25)
- Joshua Kadison - Beautiful in my Eyes (4:09)
- Maureen Mcgovern - Very Special Love (4:13)
- Simply Red - Stars (4:08)
- Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl (3:05)
- KT Tunstall - Big Black Horse and the Cherry Tree (4:56)
- Santana ft Rob Thomas - Smooth (4:58)
- Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time of My Life (Last Dance/Grand Finale) (4:45)
Music for cocktail hour and dinner was a mix of Hawaiian music and Broadway love songs. For dancing, a wide mix of music was requested, and we played everything from some oldies all the way to Rihanna and Justin Timberlake. My favorite part during the open dancing was the cool mix of 80s music that was requested and played, including some classic Michael Jackson, Madonna, ABBA, and Bee Gees. When the guests started doing the whole "Stayin' Alive" thing, there was no turning back...
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