From Waikiki to Wailea: Oahu Part 1

Even though we got off to a rough start, the rest of our time in Oahu went off without a hitch. Waking up in paradise everyday definitely helped! With less than a week to spend in Oahu, we wanted to explore as much as we could so our days were packed full of activities. We both had things we were looking forward to: Mr. Warbs really wanted to go to Pearl Harbor and I really wanted to go on a LOST tour. Completely different right? We were able to do both and then some!

Pearl Harbor and USS Missouri

Everybody always says if you ever go to Oahu, you just have to visit Pearl Harbor. It's true. Once you get to the USS Arizona, there's just a change in the atmosphere. Reverence probably is the closest word I can use to describe looking at all the names on the wall. Reverence and humility.

You can't bring anything except a camera into the memorial. No exceptions!

A shot of oil leaking from parts of the USS Arizona that they couldn't get to.

 The anchor behind us was blown off the Arizona and landed 200 yard away.

I think we took more than 100 photos on the USS Missouri alone, Mr. Warbs and I really explored every available inch of the ship. I slammed by shin on a metal ladder going below deck. I like to think a little part of me is still on board!

We were able to book a tour that included Pearl Harbor, USS Missouri and the other attractions at Ford Island and a city tour. Our fantastic tour guide gave us great tips on places to eat and where to shop. The whole tour lasted 6 hours! We had just enough energy to grab dinner before crashing back at the hotel. But it was a very fun day.

 LOST Tour

Like I mentioned above, the thing I was looking forward to most was the LOST tour. I was a huge fan of the show and cried real tears (I'm not a cryer) when the show ended. So I had big expectations for the whole experience, which unfortunately were not met. Damn, that was a high maintenance sentence wasn't it? My expectations were probably unfair because the show did end two years ago. Even though we got to see the locations the show was shot at, most of the sets were no longer up so it was kind of bittersweet.

 Chinaman's hat - not shown in LOST

Me making my "meh" face.

Was the tour fun? Absolutely. All of the sites were cool and the views were amazing. But, I think I would have enjoyed myself if I could have seen the sites while filming was still going on. Obviously. So in my opinion, if you're going on the tour, go for the scenery and don't place too much stock in recognizing all of the show sites.

Up next, more fun in Oahu!

From Waikiki to Wailea: First Night in Oahu

After a long cramped flight, we finally arrived in Oahu! We hopped on a shuttle to our hotel and forty-five minutes later, we checked into our temporary home for the next week. The Courtyard Marriott Waikiki is a decent hotel, but it wasn't overly extravagant which was fine because we didn't spend a lot of time in our room anyway. Other than sleeping and you know.

Even though we were dead tired from the early flight, we went out to explore right away. The drive from the airport only showed us freeways and industrial buildings. We wanted to see Oahu. The beach was only a few blocks away from our hotel so we strolled on over. And it was beautiful. 

After a few drinks at a bar we hit the streets again. Mr. Warbs saw a dude walking around with a bunch of parrots he had trained to strike a pose and vogue for tourist photos. I watched for a minute and kept walking. But Mr. Warbs was transfixed. He wanted a photo with those birds. Badly. I was content to take photos of him holding the birds, but I was not.touching.those.birds. But Mr. Warbs thought it would be the best thing ever. Kind of how people under the influence think it would be the greatest thing ever to buy a shit load of tacos from Jack-in-the-Box at 2 in the morning. So between my husband's prodding and the effects of two Mai Tais, this happened:

Don't let my smile fool you. I was terrified.

We walked around holding hands and being all mushy for a bit before going to get something to eat. And drink. But mostly...OK I drank a lot. 

 OMG best Mai Tai ever.

Can you tell I had a little too much to drink that night?

By the time our food was served, I was feeling sick. I only managed to take a couple of bites of my kimchi fried rice. I already mentioned in my last post that I had to run to the restroom and give my stomach a little pep talk. Even though I felt better after we got back to the hotel, the rest of the night was a wash. I'm sure most people don't dream that the first night of their honeymoon will end with pepto bismol and ginger ale, but that's what happened to me! So, Oahu: 1, Mrs. Warbler: 0. Don't worry, Hive it got better.

Up next: Good times in Oahu!

Honeymoon Tips

Before I recap our honeymoon, I want to start out with a few tips. While some of my tips are Hawaii specific, I think most can apply to any honeymoon destination. When Mr. Warbs and I were planning our trip we had so many questions! Most were answered just by doing things, but we did second guess ourselves a lot. So if any like-minded brides are on the fence about something, take my advice...

DO

Fly First Class.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking and believe me I'm not made out of money either. That shit can be expensive. BUT, you're on your honeymoon. You only get a few of these! (Points for movie reference). Mr. Warbler and I didn't fly first class and we regretted it for a couple of reasons. First of all, our flight to Oahu was 5 and a half hours and we had really crappy seats. We sat in the back row where you can't recline your chair back for those extra centimeters of space. It was especially uncomfortable because we're really f@*kng tall.

We were giants in Hawaii.

On the flight home, we were able to upgrade our seats for a little more room, but I secretly openly envied those first class passengers.

Book at least one tour.

Up bright and early for the Road to Hana tour.

I don't know why there's a stigma against doing "tourist" activities. Especially if you are a tourist! In my opinion, it's the best way to explore if you want to maximize your time. Our tour guides were amazing and gave us recommendations for other activities that weren't "touristy". Which brings me to my next bit of advice...

Go local.

Of course Hawaii is amazing because of the amazing beaches and everything, but you seriously need to take the time to visit with the locals. From cultural centers and swap meets to shrimp trucks and shave ice stands, you get a different view of Hawaii than you do on the resorts. And the people are so friendly! On our first night in Hawaii, we went to a small restaurant for dinner. I got a little nauseous and went to the restroom to splash water on my face. I spent about 15 minutes trying to mentally force myself not to ruin the first night of my honeymoon. Well, one of the women sitting at the next table noticed I had been gone awhile and asked Mr. Warbs if I was feeling OK. He told her I was feeling sick and she immediately got up to go check on me! The next evening we ran into her again on the street and stopped to chat for a while. Seriously, the people are amazing.

DON'T

Feel the like you have to eat outside of your food comfort zone.

I'm a picky eater and Mr. Warbs is even pickier. While we did eat at local restaurants and try new food, we made sure to order things we knew we would like. Vacations are expensive enough, without wasting money on food you don't even like. A couple nights in Maui, we even cooked our own food at our condo.

You better believe he was making steaks.

Get sucked in to buying souvenirs too early/avoid ABC stores.

One of our tour guides offered up some advice about the ABC stores. Apparently the locals have a joke that ABC stands for "A Bunch of Crap". Like a Starbucks or McDonalds, there's one on pretty much every corner. They're tourists traps because everything is dirt cheap, but the items are not very well made. I bought a pair of plumeria earrings and they broke when I got back to our condo. What can you expect for three bucks?

Overpack!

Between the two of us, we packed three large suitcases and one carry on bag. We ended up buying a lot of souvenirs and accessories. On the way home, we were barely able to get all of our stuff back in the suitcases. Definitely plan on buying things on your honeymoon ahead of time, so you can make sure to leave room!

What's the best honeymoon advice you've received? Or if you're already married, what advice do you have for other brides?

*All photos are personal

Surprise Gift

Weddings are strange. They're all about parties and gifts. Sure, it's really about two people pledging to be together forever, but technically that part only takes up about an hour of wedding time. During my bridal shower, BM Tata said it was a party to celebrate another party. So true!

When it came to gifts, I was baffled at the amount of gift giving actually involved in weddings. Engagement gifts, bridal shower gifts, wedding gifts, gifts for the bridal party, gifts for parents and even gifts for each other. That's a crazy amount of gift giving if you ask me!

Originally Mr. Warbs and I weren't going to get each other gifts. Partly because we didn't think it was necessary and also because we don't make buying gifts for each other easy. Mr. Warbs is the worst person ever to shop for. He has two watches that he won't wear. He scoffs at "superfluous" gifts such as cuff links, because he feels he'll never wear them again. And he won't give you a single hint as to what he actually wants or needs. In short, you have to literally be a mind reader in order to get him presents. So when he said we didn't need to exchange gifts, I was so relieved! But, the sneaky guy ended up getting me a gift anyway! Technically it was a gift for the both of us. We ended up getting a photobooth after all!

Originally we decided that a photobooth wasn't in our budget, but thanks to an unexpected bonus, Mr. Warbs decided that it was doable. So when our florist announced on Facebook that she had just bought a brand new photo/video booth (Mr. Warbs loves shiny new things) we jumped on it.

 Some of the tamer photos!

The photobooth was an absolute hit! And our lovely florist gave us a good deal. Our guests spent the half of the night on the dance floor and the other half in the photobooth. I really wish I could share the videos with you Hive, but I must protect the reputation of my drunk drunk guests. Even though I'm sure we would have had a great time either way, the photobooth definitely added a layer of awesomeness to the wedding. Best present ever Mr. Warbs! In no way does it compare to the luggage I bought you. Whoops!

Did you receive any unexpected wedding gifts?

The Biggest Lie

Seven months ago, I bought my wedding dress and didn't show you guys any photos because Mr. Warbs reads my blog religiously (like a good husband). It was really important to me to keep the dress a secret from him, and I'm not good at keeping secrets or lying. I can't even tell little white lies usually. I'm the worst because I either admit it right away or over complicate simple things. Whenever I tell a lie, it usually goes something like this:

Mr. Warbs: So, did you eat the lunch I made you?

Me: Um...yeah. I did.

Mr. Warbs: Did you like it?

Me: OK, I went to Curry House instead. I'm sorry.

Mr. Warbs: Why did you lie? And why did you admit it right away?

Me: I don't know. Sorry. I felt guilty. Sorry.

Mr. Warbs: It's OK. I knew you were lying. You're terrible at it.

Me: I know.

So after I bought my dress, I vowed to keep it a secret from Mr. Warbs until the wedding. The best thing I could think of was to keep the dress out of our apartment. However, the dress didn't need any alterations (because it was obviously perfect and meant to be) so I was able to leave David's Bridal with it. MIL Warbler offered to keep it at her house, but I was afraid that it would be the first place Mr. Warbs would look. And I kinda didn't want the dress out of my possession. I loved it so much!

That's when I came up with the kind of stupid-at-the-the-moment lie that I usually end up blowing. I decided to tell Mr. Warbs that the dress was still at the shop and really hide it in our apartment. And you guys, I pulled it off! After lunch, MIL Warbler and I snuck the dress upstairs and stuffed it in the back of my closet. I know that doesn't sound like a very secure place, but there's so much crap in our closet, I knew Mr. Warbs would never notice it. And he didn't. After a week, I told him that I picked up the dress and BM E was holding it for me. It was the only lie I think I've ever successfully kept up. Several times, I thought I had given myself away, but Mr. Warbs later said he had no idea. Woo hoo!

Looooonnng story short, here are the photos I couldn't show you from my first dress post. Introducing my tulle Oleg Cassini dress from David's bridal. Or as I affectionately call her, Olga.

 I loved my veil!

Me and the lady who found the dress, BM Tata!

Sneak peek of my walk down the aisle

Guest photo

Did you keep your dress a secret from your partner?

All photos are personal unless otherwise noted

We're Back!

Hey there, Hive! Mrs. Warbler here.

We got married!!!

Guest photo

The day started off pretty touch and go, but in the end it was the best wedding I've ever been to. I know I'm biased, but all of our guests said the same thing! There was just so much love and every single person invited, helped make our wedding what it was.

While I'm waiting for the pro photos go get back, I have a few little details to share with you including my dress reveal (um, check!), last minute surprises, how married life is awesome and the 1,400 photos we took during our Hawaiian honeymoon. OK, maybe just the first hundred.

Love, love, love

Mrs. Warbler!

This Is Our Day

Fifteen months ago, I started planning my wedding. Back then, I was so optimistic about what a wonderful and elegant time we were going to have. We had our set backs, a heavy dose or reality and had to revise our expectations. And I'm no longer optimistic about what a wonderful wedding we're going to have. I am sure.

Today is my wedding day. When I think about the road that got us to this moment, I get a little misty eyed. And as I've said before, I'm usually made of stone. Even though I bitched and complained about all of the annoyances and tedious projects, you know what? It was all worth it if it got us here. 

Hive, I'm so happy to have shared this experience with you! I am so amazed at how supportive and encouraging you all are. I can't wait to share the recaps!

Mr. Warbs, my love, my friend. I am so honored to be walking down the aisle towards you today. You have taught me so much about love and happiness. Happiness I didn't even know I could feel until I met you! Thanks for putting up with my crazy wedding jitters, freak outs and ugly cry faces. And still wanting to marry me in spite of all that.

Today my new life begins. And I can't wait :)

For the last time, 

Miss Warbler