On Writing

Writing is Hard. 

My first writing project lasted 3 years from January 1, 2023 through December,31 2025. 

2023 was year one: I wrote a diary entry every day.

2024 was year two: I wrote everyday plus edited the previous year's day's entry. 

2025 was year three: I wrote everyday plus edited the two previous year's day's entry. 

Writing is Reflective.

Writing everyday revealed that my life has a yearly cycle. There were too many times that I was with the same people doing the same thing on the same day to be a coincidence. Weird.

Writing motivated me to take charge of my health. For two years, I wrote about the heaviness I felt. The bottom line is I made changes. Now energy is up and body weight is down (which is a different journey to write about). 

Writing is Exciting.

In January 2026 it was time for a new writing project. Two days ago, the decision to write about how I spent the first half of 2026 planning my Fall 2026 - 32 day Europe trip and what happens next was made. 

While the trip begins and ends in Paris. It all started in Honolulu breathlessly watching for the annual LaCompagnie Valentine's Day Sale.

 

Allons-y!

Podmore

 

 

It's Friday morning and Podmore is open for brunch. At 10:15am there are plenty of open seats so I take the last bar stool on the left. I like the decor and all the natural light. This place is balanced blend of retro, bistro and swank. 

I had not planned to hit up a bar that early but it was just a few steps from the last of my errands. And it is Friday...

A coffee cocktail - you know coffee - acceptable everywhere in the morning but with a little extra something something. 

One of my favorite things to do is to learn more about a place that is new to me. 

 I did not know for example that at night they close the drapes for intimacy or that the bar is owned by the Senia team or that they offer duck on the dinner menu. 

I will be back for the duck and another drink because my brunch preview enticed. 

New Beginnings

The end of 2023 coincided with the end of Aloha Holoholo, LLC. 

The Articles of Termination for Aloha Holoholo, LLC were filed today at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Business Registration Division on Merchant Street. 

Aloha Holoholo was a lifestyle blog about enjoying Hawaii. It was a good ride while it lasted. Taking a moment to mark the end of a passion project and partnership felt right. Call it serendipity or fate but a bar that I had been meaning to try was nearby.

That is how and why I found myself seated at Podmore this morning with a Deja Brew a coffee cocktail. Perched on the last stool on the left hand side of the bar, I had an epiphany. This was not the end of exploring and documenting - just the end of Aloha Holoholo's. 

As I experienced the rush of trying a new place, I realized that I had already been making mental notes for a post. Taking in the decor, checking out the menu, talking story with the waitstaff, tasting new stuff and smiling.

My first post under Parasol Events as a resurrected lifestyle blogger will be about Podmore...naturally.

Adieu 2022, Aloha 2023

The COVID pandemic safety measures effectively shut the Oahu wedding industry down beginning in March 2020. By April of that year, every event was impacted. Moving from the total shut down to a return to “normal” over the last few years has been quite the journey.  The silver lining from the forced hiatus was the gift of time. Time to redirect, reflect, reevaluate, reinvent. 

Over the last few years,  I was involved with planning and executing my nephew's, my niece's and my son's weddings on the mainland. Being intimately involved on that side of the planning was revelational. It was the 180 degree view from the client's side of the process. With these new insights, I gained both knowledge and empathy about the dynamics and challenges my clients and their families navigate on their side of making it happen. 

The next few blogs will be focused on lessons learned from each of these weddings and how it has helped me be a more effective planner and given me the ability to be a consultant with a 360 degree view on the entire process. 

October 2021-  my nephew Tim and Caroline 

July 2022 - my niece Grace and Kyle 

October 2022 - my son William and Tori 

Coming soon - The Incomparable Package

Exciting news! Parasol Events is responding to the current needs of couples by offering a fresh alternative to our "full wedding planning" package and our "day of" coordination service called the "Incomparable" package. 

Stay tuned for details about the "Incomparable" package!

 February 29, 2020 - August 20, 2021 

The last wedding I attended was on February 29, 2020 in Washington State. My role was not as a wedding planner but as the step-mother to the groom. Dancing into the night, we were all blissfully unaware that it was to be our last dance for a while.

The wedding industry has been decimated for over a year now. There are signs of a slow resurrection but the rules are different.  Today for example, I received a call asking if I was able to be a COVID coordinator.  

Huge events with 100+ guests will be replaced by small intimate affairs. With a reduction in the guest list there will a myriad of opportunities that were not logistically feasible. That is the sweet spot. Weddings have the potential to be even more fun, more memorable, more unique. That is where my head is at. Busy thinking before doing.

A Couple that got the Ceremony Song Right!

Nadine & Liam nailed it!  They chose this song which they heard at Jon Bellion's concert they attended. It has the right feel, the right pace, and the right meaning for a ceremony processional. In addition to that - it's highly personal. Perfection!

Put thought into your playlist - it makes a difference. 

Have a listen here...

"Blu"

Messing with my pride, thinking anytime
You could just get up and go
Then I realize what the hell is love
If you're in complete control?

Hey ma, hey ma, hey, hey ma, hey ma
Hey, come to my house and take me home
Sucked up by the wave, shot to outer space
Stranded, but I'm not alone

Fall into your blu
Fall into your blu
Fighting it is hopeless, sinking in your ocean
Just like He designed me to do
Fall into your blu

Sunrise in your bed, purple, yellow, red
Only when it's you and me
Take me to the edge, drag me through your lens
Show me what I need to see

Hey ma, hey ma, hey, hey ma, hey ma
Hey, come to my house and take me home
Avenues and lanes, parachutes and planes
Push me out, away we go

Fall into your blu
Fall into your blu
Fighting it is hopeless, sinking in your ocean
Just like He designed me to do
Fall into your blu

Come to my house and take me home
Come to my house and take me home
(Come to my house and take me home)
Come to my house and take me home
Come to my house and take me home
(Come to my house and take me home)

Fall into your blu
(Come to my house and take me home)
Fall into your blu
(Come to my house and take me home)
Fighting it is hopeless, sinking in your ocean
Just like He designed me to do
Fall into your blu

A Hawai‘i Wedding Wish List for 2020

I have been thinking about what I'd like to see this year in weddings.

More 

Individuality -"paint by number" weddings lack personality. I want to continue to encourage couples to use this opportunity to express their unique hosting style.
Signature Drinks - remember that the goal is to create a enjoyable experience. Let's explore the myriad of tasty & creative options that will enhance your menu and theme. A full bar is not the only choice.
Aloha.

Less

Waste - being a good host/hostess does not require having an excess. While you never want to run out of food or drinks - too much is simply too much. For example: bottled water costs $6++ (not including the environmental expense) wouldn't serving from water pitchers be a better choice?
Competition - when couples attend a circuit of weddings it often makes them wonder if they are "keeping up". My goal is to keep them on track and remind them that everything but the kitchen sink does not make for a better time.

Do this one thing for a better wedding ceremony

The best ceremonies are brief but thoughtful. So if you have left this portion of your wedding to the officiant - don't. There's no need to reinvent the vows - just take this opportunity to add an original element.

Write each other a paragraph, called "words of affirmation", and read/exchange them before your vows.  They reflect your love, journey and unique reason/s for committing to your partner. "Words of affirmation" can be funny, romantic, soulful or a mixed bag. This sharing is heartfelt and organic and will be the portion of the ceremony that you, your spouse, and your guests will most fondly recall.

Unique Wedding Designs

No two of my events look alike which makes sense because no two clients are alike.

While each client intuitively knows what colors and styles appeal to them. They often don't know how to pull the myriad of elements together for an overall cohesive, coordinated and complementary look. Being able to help them visualize the entire effect is a very important part of my service.

It was way back in 2002 that I realized not every "sees" all the pieces together the way I can. It's
rewarding to collaborate with couples on their event design and there's nothing better than to hear - "It was just what we wanted... but better!".

New Beginnings 2020 in Paradise

I thought a lot about my blog in 2019 and why I do it... or in my case have not been doing it.

Starting fresh this year means to share who I am and to share my perspective as a local, a wedding planner and a woman with lots of Aloha.  Life is deep, challenging and interesting. I want my social media to document that. So here's to 2020 and being me.



My husband captured the beauty of our island and the promise of the day in this picture. Fresh starts, new beginnings - what a welcome to 2020!

Introducing Aloha Holoholo

I have a big passion for life in Hawai‘i and love exploring the best places to workout, swim, eat, drink and be merry.

This zest for discovering and experiencing Hawai‘i is additive to my career as a wedding planner especially when working with destination clients. They often want to experience the islands as an insider and enjoy a local experience.

Enter Aloha Holoholo, a Hawai‘i Lifestyle Blog, created by my friend and business partner Chrissy Lambert and me. Chrissy takes the pictures and I am the writer. What started as a dream in January of 2017 became reality this November when we went live. Together we are posting all the things we find, whether new or under- discovered that we like and we're having a blast! 

We still are both enjoying successful and fulfilling careers - me as an event planner and her as a professional photographer.  With that said, we both have a lot of energy and Aloha - our blog is a creative outlet and a way of expressing our happiness with life here in the islands.

If you are reading this - you're invited to holoholo with us - 

join us at alohaholoholo.com

Paradise to Paris

Aloha Heather & Michael - Molii Gardens

Congratulations Heather & Michael!  It was my absolute pleasure to be your partner in planning! So glad you did your cake cutting in natural light:)

Kualoa Ranch Wedding!

Photo by Rachel Robertson

Unique Hawaii Weddings - 2 weekends - 2 distinctly different events.

The process of working closely with couples to elevate their weddings is my jam! Building the wedding professionals team and witnessing the event evolve as I help couples define their style and create their vision is such a rewarding career.

I received these links within the last week and viewing them back to back it was apparent how different they both were.

Let me share.

8/27 | Cindy & Isaac
Living locally and wanting a full production to share with their 170 guests it was an action packed day. Highlights were a balloon release at the ceremony, playful games during the reception and a dance on a cloud - literally.

8/20 | Jun & Rich
Hailing from the West Coast and wanted a intimate celebration with close friends and family. A relaxed evening under the sun & stars with upscale food, wine and spirits. A lite drizzle during the ceremony - considered a blessing in Hawaii - was welcomed as a good omen. The most fantastic antipasto bar ever to start, S'mores on the beach and good vibes all around.

Both couples felt that everything was even better then they imagined - I love hearing that!

https://vimeo.com/180580097

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKG2DcjB0RY/

For the Groom - what to wear on our wedding day

Need I say more?

Bringing "You" to your Wedding Design

With a well over a decade of experience as a planner in the wedding industry, I am grateful that Parasol Events is well respected and has a solid gold reputation.
Our success follows old fashioned principles such as; do what you say you will; when you say you will; work hard; have integrity.

Two things that keep me motivated are 1) Helping my couples feel not just confidence but enjoyment while navigating the planning process 2) Elevating the entire event- across the board. Anything from helping to stretch resources, build their wedding professional team, freeing them from convention, original layouts, menu creation, etc.

With that in mind, an exercise that helps clients find originality is to use ART as a color launching point.  For example the Impressionists capture color and light in an amazing way. Look at Haystacks by Claude Monet: see how it translates into a wedding theme. Want something more contemporary?How about the abstract expressionist piece below?

                                                                 

An exciting show at the Denver Art Museum called "Women of Abstract Expressionism" 
http://denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/women-abstract-expressionism

Mary Abbott, All Green

Pretty in Pink!

Ombre colors continue to trend as well as a focus on comfort food with a special interest in small bites (think macaroni & cheese nuggets) -well here they are in pink!
So fun and so great for October right! I found these on a fun website http://www.thesnug.com.

The playfulness is what really makes me :)

Mini pop tarts on a stick 

October take on Ombre

Top 10 Wedding trends for 2015