Aulani to WDW: The Lurkyloos' Anniversary Vow Renewal: THRILLING CONCLUSION 8/5!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your vow renewal ceremony looks gorgeous!!! What an awesome experience that must have been!

 

[eandesmom]

Just spectacular, all of it. And you do look fierce! Funny about the "grooming" so very true, I kind of like the forgotten flip flops actually. A bit of a drag that he forgot you custom ceremony but it sounds like Patrick more than made up for it with his vows!

Gorgeous.

 

[blabbermouth]

Aww, you guys both look great! Awesome that Patrick surprised/impressed you with his vows, my DH would probably be the same and I'd do something stilted and generic I'm sure he liked yours anyway. Congrats on your first five years!

Looking forward to hearing about your renewal dinner.

 

[Mel*Pie]

At least the flip flops match your colors!

I'm sure I've said this before, but you looked stunning. I love how the makeup turned out and I think the lashes look lovely. Before I read your comments on it, I thought they were your own lashes.

I love Patrick's outfit! From the gray vest, to the gingham cufflinks and tie, to the argyle socks in your EXACT wedding colors!

Can't wait to read about cake! Your trip reports always result in me wanting to run to Publix to buy cake, lol.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Wow! You look absolutely stunning in these pics! I'm glad everything turned out so well - even the morning sun cooperated! Too bad about Rev Taylor forgetting your ceremony - but as Cynthia said, it seems Patrick made you forget all about that!

 

[lurkyloo]

Beautiful pictures!! Although, have to be honest that my fav was the one with the two of you right after the conch was blown. Congrats again!

I just couldn't resist hamming it up there...

Gorgeous! You both look wonderful...sorry the good Rev didn't have his stuff straight but it looked like a beautiful ceremony.

Yeah, I was very proud of myself for not pitching a hissyfit over the ceremony... I must have matured!

So Lovely.......

Hey, thanks!

Loving all the gorgeous Root photos! Your bouquet was so pretty!

I love how the colors really pop in their photos, kind like how our wedding cake looked so much better thanks to the Roots too!

Carrie, I've been a lurker on all of your threads. Never posted anything, cause I'm just not that cool and always sound like a dork. Your vow renewal made me want to take the chance and post. You look stunning, old Hollywood glamor, that might not have been the look you were going for, so then I'd be a dork!

Hey, thanks for de-lurking to comment—it's nice to "meet" you! And I will TOTALLY take "Old Hollywood Glamour" any day...

I love your writing style, so much information. Your trips always look fantastic, but I have to say I was very disappointed in your people mover track view. That is not what I would expect a view in Hawaii to look like.

Yeah, definitely not the view in the photo on the brochure!

So very beautiful!

Gorgeous simply gorgeous!!

On behalf of the Roots, I thank you!

Your vow renewal ceremony looks gorgeous!!! What an awesome experience that must have been!

Yes! The full meaning of it all kinda sneaked up on me, which is maybe why I was so surprised to be crying.

Just spectacular, all of it. And you do look fierce! Funny about the "grooming" so very true, I kind of like the forgotten flip flops actually. A bit of a drag that he forgot you custom ceremony but it sounds like Patrick more than made up for it with his vows!

Seriously! And the flip-flops I think are adorable... I just had to laugh that it was exactly the kind of thing I'd pictured when they initially said "Jacuzzi."

Aww, you guys both look great! Awesome that Patrick surprised/impressed you with his vows, my DH would probably be the same and I'd do something stilted and generic I'm sure he liked yours anyway. Congrats on your first five years!

Looking forward to hearing about your renewal dinner.

Thank you! You never think it's gonna be the husband who busts out with the really sentimental stuff... well, unless you write about weddings for a living, and then you see it all the time!

I love how the makeup turned out and I think the lashes look lovely. Before I read your comments on it, I thought they were your own lashes.

AWESOME!

I love Patrick's outfit! From the gray vest, to the gingham cufflinks and tie, to the argyle socks in your EXACT wedding colors!

Can't wait to read about cake! Your trip reports always result in me wanting to run to Publix to buy cake, lol.

Sorry about that! It happens to me, too (fortunately, the nearest Publix is a bit of a jog from California)!

Wow! You look absolutely stunning in these pics! I'm glad everything turned out so well - even the morning sun cooperated! Too bad about Rev Taylor forgetting your ceremony - but as Cynthia said, it seems Patrick made you forget all about that!

Yeah, that's what counts! He's always saving the day, that guy...

 

[Linda67]

Well I think everyone's already said this but the whole ceremony looks gorgeous!!

You both look so happy and relaxed

Your dress, accessories and bouquet are all stunning and for some strange reason I have totally fallen in love with Patrick's cuff links !!

Thanks so much for sharing this special day with us

 

[KathyRN137]

Your Vow Renewal ceremony was absolutely beautiful and sooo romantic!

Congratulations!


Kathy

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Looks like it was a beautiful ceremony. Sorry the priest completely blew the custom event! Ugh. But I'm glad you made the best of it and still were able to personalize things and re-affirm your marriage.

 

[lurkyloo]

After the ceremony, we about 90 minutes before our brunch reservation at ‘AMA ‘AMA to shoot photos with the Roots. I’m going to apologize in advance for crazy-insane number of photos I’m about to post due to my crippling inability to photo edit—even between almost identical images—because I can always see merit in nearly all of them. And trying to whittle down the number when they’re Root photos practically paralyzes me because they’re ALL good!

Our first stop was the lava rocks out beyond the JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina Resort, which is on the right if you’re standing at Aulani and looking out toward the bay. We didn’t last long here cuz the sun was at squinty-blinky-eye level, which is never a great look in photos. We did get to go back later, though, cuz the backdrop is pretty dang amazing...

Caption THIS!

Ah... that’s better...

Naturally, when we came across a cute little birdie we immediately began miming for it to come perch upon our hands like Snow White...

Oh goody... more rock climbing...

...And another critter to look at!

Sorry! We’re easily distracted!

VERY easily distracted...

Then it was back to squinty-blinky-eye sunshine to see if we could get a shot with waves crashing in the background. This is not as easy as the brochures make it look, which meant lots of time to nuzzle and smooch—you may need to scroll through these ones quickly!

“Enough with the nuzzling and smooching already!”

And then I went in the drink!

I don’t even want to know how much of Patrick is in the water for this shot...

 

[lurkyloo]

Patrick: “So.... you come here often?”

Me: “Oh-ho-ho.... HIGH-larious...”

Let’s see that one again, shall we?

What we were standing in...

We finally found a spot where the waves were at least lapping the shore, if not crashing against it. More nuzzling and smooching, dead ahead!

“All right, enough of that. Somebody get me a SmartWater... and Patrick a Red Bull!”

“Aaaaaaand.... we’re BACK!”

Now I’m not saying that Nate Root encouraged this kind of reckless behavior, but he does seem to wind up in a tree at some point during every photo shoot, so it’s no mystery where Patrick got the idea...

Patrick writing “I love you” in the sand... Too bad there was no nearby tree for Nate to scale so you could see it!

 

[lurkyloo]

One of the things on my list was to get Root-erific shots of all the wedding venues at Aulani, so we went and stood in some of them to give you an idea where the “altar” would be. Of course, Disney would clear out all the gear and rope the area off, but it’s kinda hard to visualize with all the junk strewn around normally.


Wishes Collection Beach Location

“Disney went all-out with this altar arrangement! It totally reflects our sporty lifestyle!”

Memories Collection Beach Location

The cones add a certain je ne sais quoi...

“Yeah.... not feelin’ it...

And then, I had hair...

So, all the way out on the left side of the lagoon from Aulani is this pretty knoll with palm trees and a nifty view back toward the resort. We went out there to see if it’d make a good photo spot.

What Nate was shooting

Gotta love a beach wedding...

Nate and Jensey needed to do a few test shots for lighting. Thank goodness there was a professional MODEL around to help out!

At this point a woman in a security polo shirt drove up to us in a golf cart and officiously told us we weren’t allowed to be taking pictures there. I wish Nathensey had a pic, but they were too polite to sneak one. I informed her that we were allowed to shoot there because we’d just paid $$$ for a vow renewal at Aulani, but she said, “They’re the ones who called to report you.” Sigh... I guess even at this remote outpost, Disney’s right hand never knows what its left hand is doing, as usual. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of the Roots, so we just moved on, but I really wish I’d told her we weren’t going anywhere til she called my planner. Because, sure enough, when we later mentioned it to Elena, she was dumbfounded, telling us that there are absolutely no rules prohibiting Disney couples from shooting out there.


As we headed back toward the resort, the Roots shot the wedding chapel next door for me. Apparently the owners have been hassling Disney about its beach ceremony locations because their brides don’t want to see Disney brides out the window. Come to think of it, I wonder if THEY’RE the ones who ratted us out...

Meanwhile, back at Alohi Point...

”Thank the maker, they’re finally gone! Timmy... let’s ROLL!!!!”

We went around to the back of the resort to shoot the Halawai Lawn ceremony site next.

Halawai Lawn

“We came all the way to Hawaii for our wedding and NO ocean view???”

Here’s the other spot:

 

[lurkyloo]

Patrick got very into Aulani’s “find the Menehune” game while we were there. I thought it was kinda lame cuz we’d easily spotted dozens, til I got home and learned that there are more than 200 of them scattered around the resort!

Our next stop was the terrace off the lobby that overlooks the entire pool area and the ocean—Aulani’s Kodak Photo Spot, if you will. Except that it really IS a photo spot, with a PhotoPass photographer and everything, so we had to wait our turn. Ahead of us was a large family smiling wide for a classic Christmas card shot—all except one little boy, who’d decided he was going to be different by pouting. Patrick immediately set about remedying this situation...

Our turn!!!

Our planner, Elena, happened to be passing through the lobby so we excitedly ran up to her for a photo like she was a Disney princess. Heck, she pretty much IS a Disney princess—she got an award in the Miss Oahu/Waikiki/Diamond Head pageant the day before!

Bird: “Thanks—now can you take one with MY camera?”

Apparently the light out front was really good for photos at that hour, so we went out to get some headshots.


A nice touch at the valet stand

This is one of the beautiful atriums (wait—atria?) in the lobby. Some have waterfalls or pools in them.

OK, I’m gonna stop here for today so I don’t break the DIS with all these photos! I promise to post the rest tomorrow!

Up Next: "Reception" at 'AMA 'AMA—with CAKE!

 

[lurkyloo]

Well I think everyone's already said this but the whole ceremony looks gorgeous!!

You both look so happy and relaxed

Your dress, accessories and bouquet are all stunning and for some strange reason I have totally fallen in love with Patrick's cuff links !!

Thanks so much for sharing this special day with us

I adore his cufflinks too! I didn't end up getting them at this website, but it was poking around there that got me absolutely obsessed by the idea of a gingham tie with matching cufflinks.

Your Vow Renewal ceremony was absolutely beautiful and sooo romantic!

Congratulations!


Kathy

Thank you so much, Kathy!

Looks like it was a beautiful ceremony. Sorry the priest completely blew the custom event! Ugh. But I'm glad you made the best of it and still were able to personalize things and re-affirm your marriage.

Hey, thanks! Yeah, the vows were really the part that mattered...

 

[MEK]

Awww - that's so cute! I just love Patrick's tie and cuff links and you look stunning, just like the first time. Your jewelry is awesome!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about your vow renewal and seeing your wonderful pictures.

Congratulations!

 

[MEK]

Just finished the rest of the pictures and they, like the first ones, are stunning. Your makeup is perfect and how annoying to be chased away from your photo spot.

That beautiful spot in the lobby with the gorgeous scenery - OMG! Now I want to go to Aulani just for that.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Love all the pictures! I'm very much like you when it comes to photos. Have a very difficult time weaning. On top of that I tend to hoard them on my hard drives and memory cards - can never delete them because you never know when a blurry picture of a termite mound on the Safari at AK will come in handy.

...And another critter to look at!

This one could easily be a Magic Shot! Just insert Tink on Patrick's palm!

 

[lovegrumpy]

Love all the photos. Really like the helo photo. My hubby and brother-in-law are in the Coast Guard.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Lovely vow renewal Carrie! I loved the necklace and your pictures were gorgeous. Glad you weathered the officiant issue. He probably figured no tip after what he did.

 

[rileyroosmom]

Beautiful pictures Carrie! Sorry you got chased by the Disney police! That is ridiculous that you were treated like that.Disney needs to get their act together!