Brian Meece surprised his bride Kana Tsukamoto on their wedding day in Hawaii at Hale Koa in Waikiki, Oahu, with a wistful performance of a song he wrote early in their courtship. His reflective and intimate lyrics were the purest sentiment in that moment, “Today my pair of eyes just met paradise. I’m not running anymore, I’m happy here sunny and warm. You’re the perfect woman, I’m the perfect man, It’s the perfect ending to the perfect plan.”

On a brilliant, cloudless summer day, Brian and Kana wed beneath swaying palm trees. The groom arrived to the ceremony fresh from the beach with sun-kissed hair and tan skin from an early morning surf. Preparing for her grand entrance, Kana stood locked arm-in-arm with her father as local musician, Art Kalahiki, played a lovely rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. Kana looked like a princess bride in a silk organza gown with tulle skirt overlay and a delicate strand of pearls around her neck. “My wife was so stunning in that moment, it was almost too much,” recalls Brian.

The couple connected with Kahu Butch Helemano’s ongoing mission to preserve the integrity of the archaeological sites throughout Oahu’s North Shore. Kahu Butch conducted the entire ceremony in the mother tongue of Hawaii, incorporating ancient symbolic traditions beginning with a prayer to bless the event. He then handed three strands of coconut fibers to the groom for Kana to braid in a sign of togetherness. The resulting braid was tightly bound together to represent the sacred vows of marriage. “Kahu explained everything beautifully in Hawaiian, which was perfect for our half-Japanese speaking and half-English speaking guests!” remarks the groom.

Wedding planner Melissa Laudise arranged every detail of the day, making a special trip to New York to meet with the couple beforehand. The setting was so spectacular, it needed little adornment. Michelle Maeda of Flowergirls Hawaii decorated the outdoor reception with bunches of green cymbidium orchids. The bride’s friend, Sayoko Yoshida designed whimsical wedding stationary in a tropical motif featuring illustrated caricatures of the smiling couple.

Celebrants gathered on the Ilima Lawn for mai tais and an impromptu hula lesson as Art Kalahiki continued to play his island style music. Set beneath a grand tent aglow with lanterns, diners feasted on miso-marinated mahi mahi and fresh 1 wrapped in ti-leaves. The warmth and joy of the day was more than the couple could have hoped for. The evening ended on the same romantic note that it began with Brian's heartfelt lyrics, “Perfect symmetry as far as I can see. Hit by a second thought of tulips and forgetme-nots. And yes I took my time and the quest it turned out fine. Now the letters that I send all begin at the end.”

Photos by Stefanie Riedel