Life is full of surprises. We can never predict the future, and my getting re-united with an old sweetheart is one of those. We had lost tract of each other, and would never cross paths ever, for all the 30 years since the day we broke up. We never thought we would ever see each other again.

Funny thing was, my lost love was responsible for introducing me to Hawaii, which was part of a tour we did while we were still lovers. I fell in love with the Islands at first sight, with it's beaches, azure waters, palm trees, clear skies and the smiles of the people. I thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. For me, it was paradise.

I had visited Hawaii many times, and when my husband of 28 years died, my daughter and family asked me to join them and make it my second home. Little did i know, it would be the venue of the most incredible reconciliation and unforgettable wedding, ever!

Herman and i found each other when my daughter Anna decided to play cupid. Without my knowlege, she called him in his home in North Carolina and left a message in his answering machine. He was traveling at that time and it would be 3 months later that he would respond and return Anna's call. The rest is history.

Herman flew to Hawaii and there proposed marriage to me. We always felt so perfect together, and it had not changed despite the time. We were older and perhaps, we were more ready to go for the long haul. He said he would get it right this time, and wanted a memorable wedding. We were super excited and announced our plan to our families. Everyone was just as excited and wished us well.

We went on a planning mode. We chose the date, Easter time, to symbolize the 'ressurection' of our love. Anna was more than happy to help us plan the event and be our coordinator. We had only 3 months to put it all together, so we didnt waste any moment. It was going to be a dream wedding, and we picked the 'best' hotel, the Kahala Mandarin Hotel, by Waikiki for our setting. We would invited some 100 guests, representing our family and friends. We had to travel back to North Carolina to take care of some business. In between, we were able to get our invitations printed, make our guest list, go to Asheville to find the right wedding gown and order a tuxedo. We chose the color "burgundy" for our theme, symbolic of our 'maturity', like old vintage red wine. Yes, we ordered a 30 year vintage Cabernet, Sauvignon wine, produced and bottled by Robert Mondavi Winery, for the event of our lifetime, which we found online!

We were impeccable with our details and it was well managed and stress free.

1. We chose our flowers, for the outdoor gazebo and the reception area, and worked with a highly recommended florist. We wanted red, long stemmed roses, but used white orchids for my hair and my bridesmaids.

2.For music, we hired a live jazz band (my son in laws musician friends from Seattle flew in), and a local artist for the dance session.

3.We gave away Red Heart Swarovskis for our lady guests and a "Wedding Book" which i wrote and had printed.

4.We picked our Video/photographers based on work we saw from an ad in a Hawaii Wedding Magazine, who did a marevelous job.

5.We had a wedding website to keep our friends all over updated on activities we had planned, before and after the wedding. These included, a Luau Pre-wedding dinner, a little island tour, some dolphin watching sail, for our out of town guests.

6.We had live classic guitar music played during our wedding rites.

7.We wrote our wedding vows, and read it to each other.

8. We had a video show of our 'love journey', while we danced to Barry Manilow's "Somewhere Down the Road", which brought tears to everyone's eyes, including ours. Then, it was fun dancing all night!

9. We chose special people close to us, to do the wedding 'toast' and wish us well.

10.We requested no 'gifts', and in lieu, we asked that gifts of cash be given to our favorite children's charity.

Indeed, it was a wonderful wedding, one we will always cherish.

This happened in the year 2005, and we're still honeymooning in paradise, where we now live!