what to expect at our reception

There will be no dancing.

Okay, you can dance.

What we mean is, there will be no planned music: no DJ, no band, no speaker set-up.

What you will hear: the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the sand, the wind whispering in the palm trees, the tiki torches fluttering in the breeze, and – we hope – the laughter and conversation of our friends and family celebrating the joy of the evening and each other’s company.

Oh, and the groans of pleasure when people eat the cake. No, really. This is not like ‘regular’ cake. This is not even like regular wedding cake. Oh my. This is knee-weakening stuff.

The dinner buffet will be a traditional luau menu with some additions and tweaks of our own, to make it ours and to please our palates.

Except for the poi.

We’re not wild about poi, but it is authentic and traditional, so we’re leaving it there. You be the judge.

"It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others.

So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it; and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied; and it is all one."
— M.F.K. Fisher

There will be a full bar, with our signature cocktail: the Red Dirt Margarita. We discovered this on our December trip, and it is the best drink ever. We have no idea what the mixture is on the rim, but it is salty, sweet, unusual, and a little gritty. We don’t need to know, because it tastes great. We hope you’ll like it too.

With all these libations, we anticipate there may be some interesting toasting. Oh wait, that’s one of the things attendants do. And there aren’t any attendants. But we know our friends are talkative, and our families like to tell stories. So, there will be champagne for toasting.

Get your speeches ready…

By 10:00 pm, the Hyatt will be kicking us off the beach, as quiet hours must be observed. If you are partied out by that point, we’ll bid you good night. For those who may wish to continue celebrating, Stephenson’s Library (the lounge off the main lobby area), will be open until 11:45 pm. Will Ed and Bridget be there?

That remains to be seen.