ONE BRIDE'S DREAM. Carol & Iain's wedding 5/8/08 SBP, Chefs Domaine, wishes. COMPLETE

[jackdis]

Wow! What beautiful pictures and what an excellent trip report. Congratulations on your amazing wedding!!

 

[Maddiesmum03]

I love the shots on the Grand. Definitely a great ending to your day.

That's funny how you mentioned missing the fireworks. I totally missed Illuminations too at our DP, so I completely understand.

Which islands are you going to in Hawaii? DH and I went to Maui and Oahu in April on our honeymoon.

It was a great ending to a perfect day, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Missing the fireworks didn't really matter, I'll just have to go again but there will never be another chance of such great photos
I forgot that you did Hawaii for your Honeymmon, you'll have to PM me with any tips!
After a night in San Francisco, We are cruising on NCL's Pride of America for the first week hopping round Hawaii, Maui and Kauai, then the second week we are staying in Honolulu,Oahu. We are also spending a few days in Las Vegas at the end just to break up the very long journey home to the UK

 

[Maddiesmum03]

Thank you so much for posting the pix from the Grand 1! What a beautiful evening you all had. The pictures are so wonderful and you still looked gorgeous even after your long day!

Wow, The Grand I is amazing looking. Looks like you had an awesome time. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.

the Grand 1 Wishes cruise sounds so wonderful! What a perfect end to a beautiful wedding!!

What a wonderful day! Enjoying your TR!

Great pictures of the end to a truely Magical Day.

Wow! What beautiful pictures and what an excellent trip report. Congratulations on your amazing wedding!!

Thank you everyone, I'm so glad everyone is enjoying my TR as much as I enjoyed both our magical day and reliving it through this report. At the moment my computer room has over 150 wedding photos round the walls as I used it as the "quiet room" during our party last Saturday and I thought it would be a neat idea rather than just putting out Randy's album. The only problem is, I don't want to take them down

 

[MiaBella05]

congrats, i loved seeing the grand 1 pictures, i was always wondering if it was worth all that money and i can tell that it just might be!

 

[Maddiesmum03]

congrats, i loved seeing the grand 1 pictures, i was always wondering if it was worth all that money and i can tell that it just might be!

Definately worth the money as compared to the pontoon boats, if only for the toilet Seriously though, we thought our 19 month old neice may be fast asleep by the time wishes was on and the beds would have come in very handy, but she was just as wide awake as the rest of us!

 

[Maddiesmum03]

I really want to get this TR finished before we head off to Hawaii in 10 days time, so on with the show.....

What was I thinking? did I really think my hair would still look good the day after the wedding minus it's pins and after a night sleeping on it? Approx 15 minutes before we were due to meet our Disney photographer at the International gateway for our Honeymoon shoot, I decided I'd have to wash my hair, then realised I hadnt enough time, so I just wet it and brushed it and hoped for the best Then I started to panic because I rally wanted to wear my heart necklace that Iain had bought me and couldnt find it because I was in such a hurry. I took a deep breath and rechecked all the obvious places and hey presto! there it was!
We got to the gateway with about a minute to spare!
Now, this sounds really bad but neither of us can remember our photographers name, which is no help at all for all you future brides. He was really nice however and I think we got a very good session. First off he took a few shots in the UK, then we walked under the rope and had photos taken in France, Morroco, Japan and Italy. We had taken our bride and groom ears with us and chose to have just a few shots taken in these.It was a beautiful morning and it was great to see Epcot without any crowds. There was a segway tour going on, but other than that all we saw were CM's watering the flowers. It's the first time I've noticed just how pretty all the flower arrangements were and how many there were. Perhaps there were more than normal because the Flower and Garden festival was going on but I think it's more to do with the lack of people and the fact that we usually hit the world showcase in the evenings.
We ended up with a disk with 58 photos on from this session, and a display frame containing two photos. They weren't the photos we would have chosen, not that it matters as we have the disk!. These were delivered to our room 2 days later, which I think is really good. Here's a taster of the ones I like the most.

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[micandminforever]

Wonderful photos, my favorites are the ones with the ears.

 

[Mama of Indybride]

So exciting to be going on your honeymoon!

You are just a world traveler!!

Not sure if you are renting a car, but the island is not that large.

(Oahu, that is)

If you like quiet and lazing on a beautiful beach with white fine sand (Honolulu / Waikiki beaches are riddled with coral) get directions to
Pokai Bay.

It is where Val and Tori (DD's extraordinaire) first body surfed and used their first boogey board.

Of course, we moved to AZ with no beaches and practically no water, so their skill level has diminished since they were 10 and 8. BUT!!

It will always be our favorite beach, ever!!!

 

[DigitalLove]

Have loved reading your TR as it brought back so many happy memories from my own!! Isn't the Grand 1 just incredible?! I'm hoping to book it again next year. My Mum, Dad and Son are going back next July and i'm currently trying to convince hubby to go for the 2nd week there are there, and we'll then fly to Vegas for a week by ourselves. Seeing as how my parents pretty much paid for our whole lovely weddng and our complete holiday (The only things we paid for ourselves were the deposits for the chapel and photographer, and the Grand 1 cruise as a way of saying thanks to our guests... )I would really love to arrange something special for them when they are over there. So private dining on the Grand 1 is the way I am heading!

Everything looked perfect on your special day... You made a beautiful bride and your photos reflect what a lovely relaxed and special day it was!

You will LOVE Hawaii... I went twice in 2006 and had the time of my life there. Which hotel are you staying at in Waikiki? Feel free to ask me for any tips and nice places to eat and I know Figment Fan went recently for her honeymoon so she shoud come up with some suggestions. I'd suggest hiring a car... Its really easy to drive over there an I would strongly recommend a visit to Lanaki Beach..... proper 'Bounty Bar' advert scenery!!

 

[jackdis]

Another great installment. Have a great time in Hawaii. We were married there! It is beautiful. We've also gone again with our two girls. I hope you do a trip report of that, too!

We stayed in Waikiki both times. We rented a Jeep both times and drove around the island. What a great experience!

Where will you be staying? What do you have planned? Can I come with you?

 

[Maddiesmum03]

Have loved reading your TR as it brought back so many happy memories from my own!! Isn't the Grand 1 just incredible?! I'm hoping to book it again next year. My Mum, Dad and Son are going back next July and i'm currently trying to convince hubby to go for the 2nd week there are there, and we'll then fly to Vegas for a week by ourselves. Seeing as how my parents pretty much paid for our whole lovely weddng and our complete holiday (The only things we paid for ourselves were the deposits for the chapel and photographer, and the Grand 1 cruise as a way of saying thanks to our guests... )I would really love to arrange something special for them when they are over there. So private dining on the Grand 1 is the way I am heading!

Everything looked perfect on your special day... You made a beautiful bride and your photos reflect what a lovely relaxed and special day it was!

You will LOVE Hawaii... I went twice in 2006 and had the time of my life there. Which hotel are you staying at in Waikiki? Feel free to ask me for any tips and nice places to eat and I know Figment Fan went recently for her honeymoon so she shoud come up with some suggestions. I'd suggest hiring a car... Its really easy to drive over there an I would strongly recommend a visit to Lanaki Beach..... proper 'Bounty Bar' advert scenery!!

Both Chefs Domaine and the grand 1 were perfect choices, I'm glad you feel the same way, and you are right, it was a relaxing way to end the day - apart from the stress of booking them that is
Thats a wonderful idea to treat your parents. Lucky you having nearly everything paid for. With us it was just the opposite, we paid for EVERYTHING , but I don't really want to go there, our wedding day was perfect, and thats all that matters!
we are staying at the Ilikai, but in the condo section, not the regular hotel bit. any tips gratefully received I'll check out Lanki beach later!

So exciting to be going on your honeymoon!

You are just a world traveler!!

Not sure if you are renting a car, but the island is not that large.

(Oahu, that is)

If you like quiet and lazing on a beautiful beach with white fine sand (Honolulu / Waikiki beaches are riddled with coral) get directions to
Pokai Bay.

It is where Val and Tori (DD's extraordinaire) first body surfed and used their first boogey board.

Of course, we moved to AZ with no beaches and practically no water, so their skill level has diminished since they were 10 and 8. BUT!!

It will always be our favorite beach, ever!!!

We've just checked out Poka'i beach on the web, it looks wonderful we will definately check it out. We are island hopping for the first week on NCL's Pride of America, then staying at the Ala Mona end of Waikiki beach and we will be hiring a car to get around. We aim to see at least one beach on each side of the Island, climb Diamond Head, take DD to the Zoo and Dole plantation. Any tips would be gratefully received!

Wonderful photos, my favorites are the ones with the ears.

thank you. I like the ear one of us behind the lamp post the best I think!

Another great installment. Have a great time in Hawaii. We were married there! It is beautiful. We've also gone again with our two girls. I hope you do a trip report of that, too!

We stayed in Waikiki both times. We rented a Jeep both times and drove around the island. What a great experience!

Where will you be staying? What do you have planned? Can I come with you?

only if you weigh less than 23 kilos and fit into a suitcase!, but as Ive just said to Digitallove and mama of indybride, the more tips the better please! we want to see as much of the Island as possible. It's now one week today that we leave for the airport, so I'm starting to get really excited

 

[DigitalLove]

Ah, we stayed towards Diamond Head at The Outrigger on the Beach. Ala Moana shopping mall is fantastic!! You'll have a field day in there!!!

An expensive, but well worth it excursion is a helicopter ride. DS was 10 when he went and it was the highlight of the trip for him... The Dole Plantation from the air looks incredible... Its shaped like a big pineapple!!

Hanauma Bay, about 20-30 mins from Waikiki is well worth a visit, especially if you like to snorkel. Its a nature reserve, so there is a fee to get in... but its stunning.

The 'Swap-Meet' at the Aloha Stadium (just over the street from Pearl Harbour) on a Saturday and Sunday morning... Its like a HUGE open air market selling all kinds of tourist tat, but also some really nice bits and pieces. I'm not a big fan of shopping, but I could have spent hours and hours there!

Pearl Harbour... just because it just doesn't seem right to go all that way without going. Possibly the most moving place I have ever been

We went on a sunset cruise one night which was pretty nice. Meal and drinks included, hawaiian entertainment and the view from the boat back towards Waikiki beach was beautiful... I can't remember the name of the company now, but the boat left from the Ala Moana end of town.

Moose McGuillycuddies (sp) was a good place to eat for decent homecooked food and they served fantastic mai tais. The cheesecake factory had long waits but was, as always, heavenly... and cheeseburger in paradise does a great (funnily enough) cheeseburger. Its not far from the zoo and is a nice place for lunch!

and lastly...

You just can't go to Hawaii without a visit to a traditional Luau. Pretty cheesy really, but great fun, and i'm sure you're DD will love it!!!

You're going to have an excellent time... I'm excited just thinking about your trip!!

 

[Maddiesmum03]

Ah, we stayed towards Diamond Head at The Outrigger on the Beach. Ala Moana shopping mall is fantastic!! You'll have a field day in there!!!

An expensive, but well worth it excursion is a helicopter ride. DS was 10 when he went and it was the highlight of the trip for him... The Dole Plantation from the air looks incredible... Its shaped like a big pineapple!!

Hanauma Bay, about 20-30 mins from Waikiki is well worth a visit, especially if you like to snorkel. Its a nature reserve, so there is a fee to get in... but its stunning.

The 'Swap-Meet' at the Aloha Stadium (just over the street from Pearl Harbour) on a Saturday and Sunday morning... Its like a HUGE open air market selling all kinds of tourist tat, but also some really nice bits and pieces. I'm not a big fan of shopping, but I could have spent hours and hours there!

Pearl Harbour... just because it just doesn't seem right to go all that way without going. Possibly the most moving place I have ever been

We went on a sunset cruise one night which was pretty nice. Meal and drinks included, hawaiian entertainment and the view from the boat back towards Waikiki beach was beautiful... I can't remember the name of the company now, but the boat left from the Ala Moana end of town.

Moose McGuillycuddies (sp) was a good place to eat for decent homecooked food and they served fantastic mai tais. The cheesecake factory had long waits but was, as always, heavenly... and cheeseburger in paradise does a great (funnily enough) cheeseburger. Its not far from the zoo and is a nice place for lunch!

and lastly...

You just can't go to Hawaii without a visit to a traditional Luau. Pretty cheesy really, but great fun, and i'm sure you're DD will love it!!!

You're going to have an excellent time... I'm excited just thinking about your trip!!

You're excited about the trip? I'm mega hyped up now. But why does most of our planning time get spent looking at menus? Iain has a list of places he wants to eat and both Moose Mc.... and the cheesecake factory are amongst them along with Dukes ( a tiki bar? ) We will have a full kitchen, but it IS a holiday and I don't have much intention of spending much time in it!
Iain Dives, and I love to snorkel. I think even Maddie MAY snorkel this holiday( at least put her masked face under the water!) we bought her a junior snorkel set last year and she practiced in one of the ship pools to get her used to salty water, but she wasnt quite brave enough to try it in the sea ( at Cozumel ) . Since then her swimming has come on no end and she always spends more time under the water than on top of it! We fancy going to Hanauma bay when they open late into the evening as Iain wants to snorkel with a torch! I think that is Saturdays only so it will have to be our first night after the cruise.
We also plan to do the Luau at the Hilton Village as that's next door to our hotel ( we are actually staying there our very first night before we cruise which is a friday so we will get to see their fireworks )
Sadly I don't think our budget will strech to a helicopter trip, it's already maxed out. If we couldn't class this trip as a once in a lifetime honeymoon, then we really couldnt justify the cost of it. Airfares are now frightening aren't they? of course I need to find some money in the budget to spend at the Ala mona
PLEASE keep the tips comming in everyone, and hype me up some more

 

[DigitalLove]

Dukes was the bar below our hotel! The breakfasts are fantastic, and the omlette station is to die for!! Its right on the beach and they have bands playing some afternoons.... Lovely to lie in the sun with a book and a drink listening to the music!!

I can't remember how much our flights were!! We did it all DIY. Hubby and myself are big U2 fans, and they were ending their tour in Hawaii in April 2006, so DH, DS and myself went. Unfortunately, they cancelled the show a few weeks before we were due to fly!! We ended up going anyway for a couple of weeks... They then rescheduled for Dec later that year, and just myself and DH went back... all that way... FOR 5 DAYS!!!! We must be mental!!

*Tootles off to check flight prices*

Oh... 'A House Without A Key' is also a nice place to have dinner. Its at Halekulani Hotel which is just sheer luxury, but its informal dining overlooking the ocean with Hawaiian music playing in the background and FANTASTIC food (and its priced reasonably)

Tina

xx

 

[29apr00]

the honeymoon pics are soo cute!!!

 

[keenercam]

Your honeymoon photos are wonderful! WOW! You look great! You must be so excited to see that all your dieting and discipline paid off -- you look so gorgeous and fit!

 

[jackdis]

We had a lovely dinner at Duke's one night....it's right on the beach.

More food ideas....when we rented the car, each time we stopped on the North Shore at a place called the Shrimp Shack. There's lots of little shrimp shacks along the way. Best shrimp I ever had. The place we stopped was actually on tv on the Food Network "Beach Eats." You can google it and it comes up.

I'm not sure if they still have it, but once a week there was a family movie night right on the beach.

We went to Jermaine's Luau. Fun!!! We also went on a semi-private catamaran. There was just us, DD was 5 at the time, and another boy and his Dad. Our DD loved it. We saw lots of sea turtles. Looking back towards Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, the view was amazing. The one we took left from the Outrigger Reef on the Beach.

We did Dole. That was fun, too. And definitely stop by Pearl Harbor. It is such a sacred place....so moving, like another poster said.

There's also a Cold Stone Creamery in Waikiki. It's ice cream. If you've never had it, you should try it. But be prepared, it's a little costly. They make the ice cream with your choice of mix ins on a cold slab of stone right in front of you. They sing for tips, so it has a pretty lively atmosphere in the little shop.

You are going to have a great time!!!!

 

[jackdis]

I just found this about the Shrimp Shack:

Shrimp Shack at a Glance

There are many places to get fresh shrimp on Oahu’s eastern and northern coast. One of them stands out. The bright yellow “Shrimp Shack” wagon in Punaluu catches your eye and once the scent of Irene Theofanis’ delicious home cooked treats hits your nose, you will be convinced to make a stop.

At the Shrimp Shack you’ll find more than luscious fresh local shrimp. Try Irene’s grilled ahi, mussels, crab legs and other island specialties. There is a small outdoor eating area where you can sit down on covered tables and have a chat with other travelers and the locals, who also love to take a delicious break here.

The yellow Shrimp Shack is located right on Kamehameha Highway next to Kaya’s, a small mom-and-pop store where you can get drinks, fun Shrimp Shack T-Shirts and other gifts and treats.

The Shrimp Shack has also caught the attention of nationwide television. It was featured on the Food Network, the Travel Channel and others. It is open every day from 11 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon.

 

[Maddiesmum03]

Dukes was the bar below our hotel! The breakfasts are fantastic, and the omlette station is to die for!! Its right on the beach and they have bands playing some afternoons.... Lovely to lie in the sun with a book and a drink listening to the music!!

I can't remember how much our flights were!! We did it all DIY. Hubby and myself are big U2 fans, and they were ending their tour in Hawaii in April 2006, so DH, DS and myself went. Unfortunately, they cancelled the show a few weeks before we were due to fly!! We ended up going anyway for a couple of weeks... They then rescheduled for Dec later that year, and just myself and DH went back... all that way... FOR 5 DAYS!!!! We must be mental!!

*Tootles off to check flight prices*

Oh... 'A House Without A Key' is also a nice place to have dinner. Its at Halekulani Hotel which is just sheer luxury, but its informal dining overlooking the ocean with Hawaiian music playing in the background and FANTASTIC food (and its priced reasonably)

Tina

xx

You went back? OMG, thats crazy - I hope it was a good concert! We are so not looking forward to the jet lag, specially comming back, and Maddie starts school a couple of days after we return!

If Dukes is over on the Diamond head side of Waikiki, I think we'd be better off going there after doing Diamond head, rather than Iains idea of walking along the beach. It may be a LONG walk, LOL. just looked up A House without a key, menu looks good too, I think I may have to go back on the diet after this holiday

the honeymoon pics are soo cute!!!

Thank you, I was so pro - Randy for the wedding, I didn't expect much out of this session, but I do really like some of the photos

 

[Maddiesmum03]

We had a lovely dinner at Duke's one night....it's right on the beach.

More food ideas....when we rented the car, each time we stopped on the North Shore at a place called the Shrimp Shack. There's lots of little shrimp shacks along the way. Best shrimp I ever had. The place we stopped was actually on tv on the Food Network "Beach Eats." You can google it and it comes up.

I'm not sure if they still have it, but once a week there was a family movie night right on the beach.

We went to Jermaine's Luau. Fun!!! We also went on a semi-private catamaran. There was just us, DD was 5 at the time, and another boy and his Dad. Our DD loved it. We saw lots of sea turtles. Looking back towards Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, the view was amazing. The one we took left from the Outrigger Reef on the Beach.

We did Dole. That was fun, too. And definitely stop by Pearl Harbor. It is such a sacred place....so moving, like another poster said.

There's also a Cold Stone Creamery in Waikiki. It's ice cream. If you've never had it, you should try it. But be prepared, it's a little costly. They make the ice cream with your choice of mix ins on a cold slab of stone right in front of you. They sing for tips, so it has a pretty lively atmosphere in the little shop.

You are going to have a great time!!!!

I'm writing ALL these ideas down, I love the sound of the ice cream place.... and the shrimp shack. Mmmm.........

Your honeymoon photos are wonderful! WOW! You look great! You must be so excited to see that all your dieting and discipline paid off -- you look so gorgeous and fit!

Thank you.I can't tell you how happy I was that my dress fit, finally, and I did feel that I'd really acheived something. Unfortunately, it's been a hard slog keeping the weight off as I didnt diet once the wedding was over and couldn't seem to get into the swing of dieting again once we got back, now we are off again and I can't help it, eating is a big part of our vacations, so I definately will have to diet again once we get back. There is no way I want to put all the weight I lost back on, I guess I'm one of those people who constantly needs to diet to maintain their weight. Oh well!