We were all a little nervous we would sleep through our alarms that would sound at 2am. The two buses that would transport the entire wedding party to the top of Halelakula left the hotel lobby at 3am. Two hours later we arrived to the top of the volcano bundled up and half-asleep. The frigid cold air of an elevation of almost 10,000 feet jolted us awake. With eyes now wide open we could take in the every hue of pink, purple, blue and orange that seemed to be changing in shade and intensity by the minute. We were above the clouds, in scattered areas they parted we and could see the coastline of Maui. It was a mad dash to take pictures, go pee, and take in the view before we were to all head to the summit for the ceremony. The ceremony itself was incredible, presided over by a descendent of the last Hawaiian king. This guy was the real-deal kicking the ceremony off by blowing on a conch shell and ending with an array of colorful Hawaiian sayings. As soon as it was over the 50 person wedding party hurriedly trotted back to the busses. Technically groups visiting the summit could be no larger than 30 people and required a permit. The bride and groom had a permit for 30 but with so many in attendence we had to get in and out without the detection of park authorities. As you can imagine a fifty person wedding party on a volcano is difficult to conceal and in the end the operation was busted. Luckily they only faced a warning and placement on the national parks list of offenders. Of course the rangers were given her maiden name and word is that neither of them plan to get married on a volcano again.
In addition to a visit to a volcano, Kate and Blake hosted a brunch and later a sunset cruise. At each of the several weeding related festivities the girls wore a different dress. I had fun doing mini photo shoots at each event. Taking great pictures of this gorgeous group was easy. Here are a few good ones:
The reception, held on a boat that floated up and down the coast, featured a live ukelele player.
By the end of the voyage the group was full of good food, exhausted, slightly drunk, slightly sea sick and ready for bed. The next day we planned to tackle the road to Hana.
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