Colby and I met my junior year of high school and his senior year. We dated for 2 years but we went our separate ways. Fast forward eight years later. We re-met at a local bar in our hometown over Christmas through the help of my friend. It was too easy to be friends again. Colby then asked me on a date two days later where we talked and caught up for hours. That night he asked me to raft the Grand Canyon with him in August. I thought it was crazy that he knew we’d still be talking then but without thinking I said, “Yes!” Colby was right. We continued to talk and date long distance for the next eight months. We fell in love on that Grand Canyon trip and the rest is history! Two years later we got married!

Engagement: Colby and I were in Hawaii for Colby’s Dad’s 60th birthday. The week prior to the engagement Colby kept talking about wanting to canoe out to the Moks islands. However, tropical storm Darby was brewing and it was too windy and rainy to get to the island. Finally, the morning of the party it cleared up enough for us to take the chance. We got the boat ready and it started raining. We hid under a tree while we waited for the could to pass. As we paddled out to the island I was slightly terrified. We were laughing the whole time yet secretly I was pretty scared. As we reached the island we had to time the waves just right to make it and luckily we made it in no problem! The island was beautiful. We took a walk around the island and when we returned we had the beach to ourselves. We hadn’t seen the sun in days and the sun finally came out! We laid on the beach to catch some rays and while I laid there Colby got up to “get his sandals.” It was windy so I had my hand covering my face. He came back and wanted to show me something. I got up, we walked a few feet and there it was. “Marry me” was written in the sand. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was perfect.

Finding THE Dress: Finding my dress was relatively easy. For the most part, I knew what style I wanted. I went to three different wedding shops that day with The White Dress being the last shop of the day. I tried on my Mikaella dress and I couldn’t stop staring at myself. I loved it. I loved all the details. The lace, the ruching, the dramatic low back. It was what I wanted and more.

The Wedding: We got married on July 22, 2017 at Colby’s parent’s home in Lanikai, Oahu, Hawaii. It was perfect. The temperature had dropped a little that day and it was overcast. It poured down rain while we were getting ready but that’s good luck, right? I had so much fun getting ready with my girls and enjoyed the down time before the big event. On the way to our first look the strap on my dress broke but that’s what makes our wedding day an even better story. My bridesmaids temporarily sewed it back on and we were off! Our first look was out on the rocks at Kailua beach. It was windy but it was perfect. Colby looked so handsome and I will never forget what he told me when he saw me for the first time that day. Running behind on time we headed to the house where we hid upstairs while the guests arrived. My hair was so windblown we had to re-do my hair before the ceremony as well as re-sew the strap (ha ha). As I walked down the aisle I realized how beautiful it all was. It was really happening. Our ceremony was sweet and silly and funny and perfectly us. The reception to follow was full of the most delicious food, music and beautiful people. We partied long into the night and of course, we all ended up in the pool by the end.

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