thought we could all use a tropical vacation. the last few days have been filled with beautiful big brown eyes, palm trees, sand, sunshine, cute toes, gorgeous orchids, and never ending happy smiling faces. the best part is that i am home in tacoma. my computer is my travel/time machine. and i like that.  welcome to the sweet island wedding of amanda and anthony.

in true island girl fashion, amanda slipped into her wedding dress on the side of the road next to a very special and beautiful beach in lanikai. this was the spot of the big question that changed everything.       so they returned here for their first sight. 

we love these two. they are warm, sweet, kind and a total joy to work with! their families are just as wonderful. we were showered with love and appreciation our entire stay. amanda and anthony live in seattle but amanda is from oahu and her family lives on the island. it just made the most sense to come home and use her network of friends and family to pull off such a special event. i remember one of the first times i was talking with amanda about her wedding and she said, "i want the ceremony in a pretty church and i just want a big lawn next to the beach with tents for the reception, oh and enough pavement so I can wear heels."  i had to giggle. i guess the romantic notion of a hawaiian barefoot beach wedding isn't quite the same if you are raised in the islands passing your days barefoot. the church part fell into place but that perfect lawn was a much harder find. that's where the local connections came into play. more on the reception later.

we've still got the party to come, until then you can see more photos of these cuties here and here.