The Wedding
Our bride Ashley was born and raised in Hawaii and moved to California to attend college. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Finance and has lived in California ever since.
Bucky, her groom, was also born and raised in Hawaii. Two years after they started dating, Bucky made the move to California, where the couple still resides today with their dog Lucy and cat Lola. Bucky currently works at a BMW dealership, but has recently completed his certification for HVAC.
ASIANCE: Where did you meet?
Ashley: Bucky and I had friends in common — he sent me a message through a social networking site and that is how we initially started talking. At the time, I was in college and living in California and he was living in Hawaii. During a trip back home to Hawaii for Christmas break, we saw each other at the mall, he asked me out on a date and the rest is history :).
ASIANCE: Tell us about the proposal!
Ashley: The proposal came after dating for 7 years! We went to Vegas to celebrate a late valentines day. It was just the two of us — very quiet and private and he proposed at the hotel. Nothing big, but very “us”.
The Wedding
Our ceremony incorporated many Hawaiian elements. A Kahu performed our ceremony and it started with a Hawaiian chant. The Hawaiian and English language was used throughout the ceremony, including the translation of the meaning of aloha. We did a traditional Hawaiian lei ceremony where we honored our parents.
During the reception, we did 2 traditional banzais — “Shinro shimpu, banzai” was done by the best man and “raihin shokun, banzai” was done by Bucky’s uncle.
Our main flower was peonies, but our florist, Rhapsody in Bloom were also able to get us beautiful cherry blossoms!
ASIANCE: Do you have a theme and tell us about the inspiration for the wedding?
Ashley: Our theme was simple and classy. The wedding was during the day and in Hawaii, so we wanted to keep it fairly casual for the most part. We went with a damask/swirl theme and our colors were pink, grey and black.
ASIANCE: Who designed your dress?
Ashley: Casablanca. Purchased from a bridal shop in San Jose, CA.
ASIANCE: Who was your cake designer?
Ashley: Kristin at A Cake Life. We decided to do a beautiful cupcake tower with a top tier cake and a fresh flower topper.
ASIANCE: Who was your Florist and Photographer/Videographer?
Ashley: Alvarado Photography and Video 21 Productions. Both husband and wife teams and both absolutely amazing!
ASIANCE: Where did you go on your Honeymoon?
Ashley: Still tbd! We didn’t have time for a honeymoon right after the wedding, because Bucky had to come back to California for school. However, being in Hawaii and spending a few days at the beautiful Ihilani hotel felt like a honeymoon in itself. We plan to go on our real honeymoon next year, hopefully to some place tropical where we can just kick back and relax!
Photos taken by Jason Arakaki