Planning Our Big Wedding

James and I discussed about choosing a wedding date during college. Could it be 2010 or 2011? We finally decided to get married in 2010 because it would be our 10th anniversary. Following the wedding date, we chose July 31, 2010, however, my mom suggested another option which would be on August 8, 2010. The number 8 is a symbol of wealth and good luck. The wedding date was officially set! What's next? Where should we get married in Hawaii? We made a list of the possible venues, including water falls, beach, etc. One thing, we were concerned about the length of time and money. We wanted all the guests to drive close to the ceremony and reception sites. And it would be easy to go to some vendors' places for the wedding accessories what we needed. Thus, James and I finally found an unique place at Waterfront at Aloha Tower. They have a waterfront where the reception venue could be taken place. It was expensive to book a ceremony and reception though. I was thinking about booking a reception at a hotel, but I knew they cost a lot of money. I had to maximize the number of guests due to the budget. I went ahead booking both ceremony and reception. In a few months later, I applied for a job at the Hale Koa Hotel. That was how I started exploring the venues. It made me realize that I wanted to book a reception there because they does not charge taxes since it is, in fact, the military hotel. Sure enough, my $850 deposit for Aloha Tower was a loss of money, but Crystal took $500 out of the pocket for the ceremony venue. Originally, the number of guests was 100-150, but I increased it to 350 or up. I finally booked a reception at the Hale Koa Hotel. Whew!