August 8th was a big day for weddings

We had been together for three years and finally tied the knot on 8/8/08!  My then-girlfriend got the idea for this date in 2007, when we heard on the news that there were a lot of weddings on 7/7/07.

We're not the types to do everything based on lucky hunches.  On the other hand many asians believe "8" is a lucky number and we have a lot of asians living in Hawaii.  The date was determined.  Like every couple, we had our usual daily lives to take care of and financial obligations.  As the middle of the year grew closer, we said to each other that we'd better decide if we're going to do this!

In early July, we went out to dinner, talked over our concerns and agreed to go for it.  We started making calls and working on invitations.  My wife's family is very large, she is one of six siblings.  Her brothers and sisters have children and even grandchildren.  My family is spread out in Hawaii and the mainland.  With rising fuel prices and airfares, we did not expect many relatives from the mainland to fly here on short notice.

The invite list was about 100 people.  Mostly my wife's family, plus my family, some friends and our neighbors.  My wife was cost conscious and suggested we have the wedding at our house.  At first I didn't think it was a great idea, but then as we started planning I realized it could turn out nicely.

As you can imagine, the clock kept ticking and the next thing you know we were days away from the wedding.  Our house is a typical Honolulu home, about 60 years old and located in Palolo Valley.  Structurally it's in good shape, we just wanted to have the exterior painted so it would look great on wedding day.  I spent several hours a day stripping, primering and painting walls.  My mom came over and helped in the afternoons.  Felix, a friend from college and a fellow Ironman triathlete, came over on a Saturday and we painted an entire wall.  I also hired a professional to do some painting in the eaves (underneath the roof overhang), which were high up and dificult to reach.

The wedding turned out perfect.  We'd been getting rain everyday that week but on Friday afternoon of the 8th it stopped raining.  The valley was cool and green, we had our tents and tables set up.  At 5:30 p.m. we were married under an arch in our front yard.  Afterwards, we had a great dinner prepared by the Catering Kalima's, a jazz musician playing piano and we drank champagne.  Later, a Chinese Lion Dance troupe came to the home and circled the property, to the enjoyment of kids and adults.  Finally, we had a pinata for the keiki (small children).

We received many compliments from neighbors, family and friends.  I have to hand it to my wonderful wife, she did a great job.  Some people said it was the best wedding they had ever attended.

We're hoping to take a honeymoon around Christmas time.  If you have any suggestions for a place to go (not Hawaii since we live here!)  we'd love to hear it.

Aloha, Mike Bates 

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