From A to Z, A Beautiful Wedding in Hawai'i

Well if you pronounced Hawai'i properly (huh-va-ee), you would have noticed my corny attempt at a rhyming title! A few weeks ago, we celebrated the marriage of Jordan's and my good friends, Ashley and Luke. Jordan first met Luke when they were matched up to be on-wing partners during primary flight school back in Corpus Christi, TX. Remember those stories from Marine Lesson #4, If You Live on a Military Base... about our pesky intruder Jordan's friend, who would always let himself in and make himself at home at our house on base between flights...well, that's Luke! Luke met Ashley towards the end of our time in Corpus Christi, TX, and the two of them only shared two months together before we moved to Milton, FL where Luke and Jordan continued their training in Advanced after selecting helicopters. However, although it has now been well over 2 years, I still vividly remember that very first day Luke told us about Ashley. In typical Luke fashion, he had let himself in to our house, made himself comfortable on our couch with his flight boots propped up on our ottoman and Gunnar sprawled across his lap, and proceeded to tell us about this girl he had met. We could tell by the way he spoke of her that very first day, he was instantly head-over-heels and completely smitten with this Ashley girl. Before we knew it, Ashley had moved to Milton, FL as well. I am so (selfishly) thankful she decided to make a huge leap of faith and support/join Luke on this journey, because I have also loved having her along with me during this crazy ride, from the Sunshine State, to the Golden State, and now the Aloha State!

The Sunshine State

Mardi Gras in Pensacola

The Color Run in Orange Beach, AL

More Pensacola memories: Sushi Nights followed by Bands on the Beach and Painting with a Twist

 The Golden State

California memories: Dancing with the Stars premiere, Vegas and the squadron Christmas party at Camp Pendleton

The Aloha State

Hawaii Fun: hikes, drives to the North Shore, trips out to the sandbar, and weddings

Despite all the fun we have had over the last 2.5 years together, the most exciting memory of all has to be their wedding on April 11th, where Ashley officially (and finally! Eh hem...Luke) went from a last name with A, to the very end of the alphabet, at Z. There are no two people in the world more meant to be together than these two. They truly light up when they are around one another, and to this day are still the very definition of the word "smitten."

Jordan and I were both so honored to be asked to be part of their wedding, myself as a bridesmaid and Jordan as a swordsman and reader in their ceremony. We have so much enjoyed watching their love-story unfold and their relationship grow since the very beginning, and to be asked to stand up in support of their union during their ceremony was incredibly special. We had the most wonderful time celebrating and being part of their special day, but we also so much enjoyed the opportunity to share in the pre-wedding festivities. Most especially, we had an absolute blast spending time with their families during their time in Hawaii: from a trip out to the sandbar, where we almost reenacted a scene from Ben Stiller's Meet the Parents as Ashley took a ball straight to the face in a competitive game of sandbar volleyball to the beautiful rehearsal dinner with all of Luke and Ashley's loved ones from Texas and Minnesota.

Jordan and I at the Rehearsal Dinner and picture of the Bridal Party: Ashley's college friend from Texas, myself, a new friend from Hawaii, and Ashley's little sister.

In my opinion, one of the most fun parts of any wedding day is the bonding time the girls share with the bride before the wedding (From Top to Bottom, L to R): this is how you relax on your wedding day in hawaii- a quick cat-nap in hammock, the bride getting pampered, the Maid of Honor and I steaming dresses, driving to the venue, Ashley's little sister adding a final touch of flowers to her hair, and what 2015 wedding would be complete without one last pre-wedding selfie.

I find myself using the term "motley crew" often to describe this particular bunch of Marines, but at least this motley crew is sharply dressed...for now. Jordan is on the far left.

Looking for the bride...

The Ceremony (I cried, of course) and Jordan's reading. Doesn't he look so handsome? 

Sword Arch

The kiss...

...and the SLAP! Poor Ashley! This Marine took a running start and gave her quite the whack!

They're MARRIED! Isn't this the most beautiful setting?

So happy for this girl!

Post wedding pic of the bridal party and the two families

And then there is the post wedding pic of these guys...again, motley crew! This should give you a preview of what the rest of the night held in store...

Cocktail hour overlooking the beautiful golf course

Reception 

In what has become somewhat of a tradition that we love to pass on since our own wedding, the Marines did a surprise serenade to the Bride of Top Gun's "She's Lost the Loving Feeling." This group of Marines was very intense, and perhaps a little too intoxicated, as this Marine Corps tradition suddenly morphed into a Jewish Horah dance as they decided to lift the chair Ashley was sitting in up into the air. I am just so glad they didn't drop her!

 These Marines work hard and play harder. Even the garter toss was a serious competition and incredibly intense. When we all looked back at these pictures, we could not stop laughing. The animation in everyone's faces and the sheer determination captured by these photos looked like a sequence out of a comedic movie. I had to make these large so you all could fully appreciate this hysterical series of pictures. You can't make this stuff up!

My absolute favorite picture from the wedding: the joy that is captured in this moment is truly a reflection of these two lovebirds and how happy they are every, single day with one another.

I didn't intend to be so detailed or so sentimentally reflective when I first started writing this post. I guess this is what happens when you actually can share a post on one, single, recent event, as opposed to trying to cram a summary of an entire 6 months worth of life into a single blog entry! Or perhaps, I am prematurely going through withdrawals in anticipation of next week, when Ashley leaves to go back home to Texas for the next 6 months, while her new hubby heads off for deployment in Japan and out to sea. Not only have I felt blessed to have been on the same road with this sweet friend and happiest of humans for the last 3 duty stations and 2.5 years, I am also so thankful to have had her by my side as we arrived at our first "permanent" and 4th duty station, Hawaii, together. Having a wingman/partner/good friend makes moving to a new place, with a whole new set of people, and all the uncertainty and new situations that follow, an easier transition. I am so thankful for the new waters we have tread, holidays we have shared, fun adventures we have tackled, and the beautiful new friends we have made here together. I couldn't have done it without this girl!