Emily and Jay

Jul 1

From Emily and Jay:

How did you two meet and how long have you been dating?
We met through mutual friends at a bar in San Francisco, our wedding in May marked our 5 year anniversary!
Emily, how did you know Jay was "The One?"
Shortly after we met I just knew, I couldn't imagine my life without him. He's my best friend.
Jay, how did you know Emily was "The One?"
As soon as I saw her beautiful smile and kind heart. It didn't take long.

Why did you decide to get married in Hawaii - and specifically why did you choose Sunshower?
Hawaii has always been a special place for both of our families separately growing up and we loved the idea of a destination wedding, so it seemed like a natural choice! The moment we discovered Sunshower in a google search for "wedding venues in Hawaii" we knew it was it! At that point we had looked around at venues in many different destinations and found there to be so many rules and hidden fees associated with all of them, Sunshower instantly stood out from the crowd. Kate is kind, honest, reasonable and reliable, she did a wonderful job helping us get everything together.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day?
Emily: Just having all of our friends and family together in paradise was amazing. We also said our vows privately with our photographer Reese, that was pretty special.
Jay: Exchanging our vows in private was very special. I also loved when everyone hit the dance floor at the end of the night after we had all spent an absolutely beautiful day outside at Kate's. The sunset was also spectacular.

What was your favorite wedding detail?
Emily: The cake and my flower crown were beautiful. The goats in the background were a fun addition too!
Jay: So hard to say - all of the vendors were amazing. In looking back at the pictures, I think the bonfire was a very cool addition that I hadn't realized would be such a hit.

Any advice for future couples?
Emily: Trust Kate and the vendors and don't worry!
Jay: Same. Know that Kate has your back!

Funniest memory from your wedding day?
Emily: Our ceremony and the speeches all had some surprises, lots of funny unexpected moments.
Jay: Probably seeing our officiant wearing a Hawaiian shirt. This is after we had specifically asked that nobody wear Hawaiian shirts unless they wanted to get (Smirnoff) iced. Matt got iced.

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Emily: I wish I had gotten sparklers for a cool exit, other than that everything was pretty much perfect! All of our vendors were wonderful.
Jay: Reese did an amazing job with our photos, but with a wedding of our size (75 people) I might have requested a second photographer to get even more photos of our guests. They aren't cheap, but the day goes by so fast and the pictures last forever and are one of the most fun things to look back on. Getting as many photos of friends and family as possible is a must!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We did a mini-moon at Mauna Kea, and went to Italy for a delayed honeymoon a few months after our wedding.