Weddings in Hawaii

One of my second cousins on my mother's side got married yesterday. He is about 20 years younger then me and I was at school for 11 years on the Mainland while he was growing up. Because of that plus the fact that during my childhood I spent more time with my father's relations means that I did not know him or his brothers and sisters very well. I spent a fair amount of time with his father and 3 aunties growing up and his grandmother was my Godmother and was married to one of mother's brothers. She was one of 8 sisters and one brother. So, there are a lot of cousins on that side of the family, many of whom live on the Mainland now, and many who I have never met before. The cousin in-laws I sat next to happened to graduate from the same high school I went to and now live in Vancouver, Washington, the "banana belt" of Washington. I enjoyed visiting with them very much and also catching up with my other cousins, their children and grandchildren.

Many weddings in Hawaii follow a formula. First there is the service. Many people skip this part. Then there is a gap where the couple is off getting photographed and everyone else shows up the reception room, signs the book and admires the gold origami crane picture. First the eats. The Prince in Honolulu has one of the very best buffets,and I was not disappointed. Then the bridal part has to entertain us with stories from the groomsmen and bridesmaids, and then the out of town guests have to be introduced, the cake is cut, and the bouqet and garter are tossed. The "banzais" are done. Then the video of him growing up, her growing up and them dating is shown along with them getting married. Finally they dance.

On of the customs here is the "money dance". According to this link
[http://www.hawaiibride.com/customs.html] it is a Filipino custom. The guests line up and pass money to the couple while they dance. I can't get past the idea of passing money with my teeth, cuz I don't know where that bill was before my wallet, so I just put the money in my gift envelope.

I wish my cousin and his new wife a very happy life together:)