Our wedding was everything we could have possibly dreamed of and more. Kahu Pomaikai brought a very warm and inviting energy and we were excited that she and her team are LGBTQ friendly. She brought a lot of joy and laughter to our ceremony. We actually also decided to slightly change our wedding location to a spot where the terrain was pretty awkward and weird and Pomai supported the decision and made it work! Her son, blew the Pu, and it was gorgeous! Blowing the Pu is no easy feat! Our musician Henry was so warm and kind. We thought he might only play music during some parts of the wedding but he picked songs throughout which made the ceremony feel more magical. Debbie, our photographer was extremely easy to work with and would coach us on where and how to stand so that we would have flattering photos. We planned the wedding in two months, so we didn't have the year leading up to the wedding to get fit! Debbie still managed to make us look absolutely stunning. We had a few sets of photos that we absolutely wanted and Debbie was really open to making those shots happen. This was an unbelievably affordable option for getting married and I can assure you, the quality was not compromised in any way. I got way more than I expected and would recommend the full ceremony package to anyone! It was so beautiful that my wife and I were back and forth between laughter and tears the entire time. I can only describe the whole experience of working with Kahu Pomaikai and her team as magical. Purely magical. read more

Hawaiian Aloha Blessings - Photo by Debbie Miller - Wedding Planning Near Me

My aunt and uncle's vow renewal was beyond perfect thanks to Kahu Pomaika'i and her associates. After researching many options for a simple vow renewal ceremony in Oahu, we chose Hawaiian Aloha Blessings based on the reviews, photos, and ceremony packages. From the first message on yelp all the way up until the ceremony, Kahu Pomaika'i was extremely helpful, easy to work with, and professional. Kahu Pomaika'i helped me with every question I had and responded promptly to every email I sent. We ended up choosing the Makana package and later added a photographer, musician, and conch blower. Kahu Pomaika'i set up each of these services for us and each of these people were beyond amazing. Even though we only met these people fifteen minutes before the ceremony started, it felt like we were all family. The icing on the cake was when Kahu Pomaika'i included my aunt and uncle's daughter (who could not make it to Oahu) in her blessing. Kahu Pomaika'i took a moment to chat with my aunt and uncle before the ceremony and learned that one of their kids could not make it. In the back of all of our minds, we were sad that she wasn't there so when Kahu Pomaika'i included her in the ceremony we were all extremely touched and thankful for her kind words. Kahu Pomaika'i explained the meaning and purpose behind every detail included in the ceremony, and we could truly feel the aloha with every word spoken. Each word felt fluid and natural, not recited and bland. This wasn't a quick Las Vegas drive-thru ceremony, it was one of the most spiritual and meaningful events that I've ever witnessed and been a part of. Hawaiian Aloha Blessings showed us the true spirit of aloha. There was never any pressure, the pricing was simple and fair, Kahu Pomaika'i and her associates were a pleasure to work with, and the actual ceremony was more than we ever hoped for. If you need an officiant, you won't regret choosing Hawaiian Aloha Blessings. You should also consider hiring: Po'okela, as your conch blower. He assists Kahu Pomaika'i with the ceremony and blows the conch in all four directions to summon family ancestors. He's also Kahu Pomaikai's son! Adorable! Butch O'Sullivan as your musician. His vocals and ukulele create the perfect vibe for an island ceremony. He was so warm and kind and cool at the same time! Debbie as your photographer. She did an amazing job and really took the time to make sure the lighting and positioning was perfect for every photo. She didn't rush it and run off. She stayed after the ceremony to take more photos on the beach and in different areas of the location for both my aunt and uncle and the rest of the family. Mahalo Nui Loa to Hawaiian Aloha Blessings! read more

Hawaiian Aloha Blessings - Waimanalo Beach, Oahu - Wedding Planning Near Me

Kahu Pomaika'i is an AMAZING officiant!! Her communication during the months leading up to our wedding was unparalleled. Any questions were promptly answered and she accommodated our special requests (lei ceremony and groom blowing the Pu). We wanted all the aspects of a Hawaiian wedding and she delivered. The stories, blessings, props, etc were all so beautiful. She guided us throughout the ceremony so smoothly, no one could've know just how nervous we really were! Her calming presence during the most important day of our lives is something I will never forget. Mahalo, Kahu Pomaika'i! read more

Sixteen years ago, on Leap Day, a very young man and woman were married in a courthouse. While the couple has been very happy, they forever regretted not having a "real wedding." This year, their dreams came true. Along with their five children, friends, and family, they renewed their wedding vows. It was perfect in every way, and most of the credit goes to Kahu Pomaika'i. That couple, of course, was my wife and I. Kahu Pomaika'i helped us every step of the way. Despite being very, very affordable, she was incredibly generous with her time. We are located in Seattle, and she made repeated Skype calls with us, e-mails, and phone calls. She helped us choose our ceremony location, our musician, tailored our ceremony, walked us through the beach permit process, purchased our leis for us, brought her awesome son to blow a conch shell, and so much more. When the day finally came, and we went through our ceremony, it was the most special time in my life. Her words and actions brought tears to the eyes of all in attendance. Ten days later, I still have family calling me and telling me it was the most touching ceremony they had ever seen. It was done with such love and care that it truly amplified everything we were celebrating that day. If you are looking for someone to officiate your wedding or renewal, and want a heartfelt and Hawaiian ceremony tailored to your every wish, hire Hawaiian Aloha Blessings. It was the very best decision we made when planning our renewal. Thank you Kahu Pomaika'i for giving us the very best day of our life! read more

Hawaiian Aloha Blessings - Kahu Pomaika'i looking on as my wife, children, and I embrace after she completed our wedding renewal ceremony. - Wedding Planning Near Me

I was born in Hawai'i, but have lived most of my adult life on the mainland. When I got engaged I just knew that I must return home to Oahu to get married in a place surrounded by "aloha spirit." After a lengthy internet search for a Kahu, I added those two keys words into my browser search and voila, I found Aloha Hawaiian Blessings. Once I spoke with Kahu Pomaika'i and heard her description of the ceremony and shared some stories with her I knew she would be the perfect. I scheduled our big day for 12.27.12 on Waimanalo Beach at 4pm. The ceremony was everything I had hoped for in a traditional Hawaiian wedding. Our favorite parts were: (1) her deep appreciation of Hawaiian values and how she incorporated it into the ceremony, (2) The Ho'oponopono blessing that helped us feel that we could let go of past baggage and focus on the present (we can all use a little of this!) I had a big internal debate with myself about which beach to get married on. I had lived in Kahala before I moved from Hawaii and thought maybe Waialae Beach. But, I have to say you almost need to visit the beaches to get a feeling of them. Or follow the recommendation of Kahu Pomaika'i. We ultimately chose Waimanalo even though it is was a 40-45 minute drive from Waikiki. When we arrived in the limo and my brother said, "oh, I remember this beach with the forest . we came here when we were kids" I smiled. And when I cast off my Jimmy Choo's and stepped into the soft, pristine Waimanalo sand, I knew we had chosen the right beach. Our reception dinner was at the Royal Hawaiian and we made it to Azure just before the beautiful Waikiki sun had set. We also used a few wedding professionals from her wedding links page. Kahu Lawrence Keaolani Pau played ukulele before and after our ceremony for us. A very, lovely addition! He learned a song on the ukelele just for us and played a special request for my husband. Originally, I wasn't going to have a photographer, but we decided since a lot of family on the mainland couldn't make it we would document it with pictures. We used the professional services of Hokuli'i Images - Geralyn (aka Da photo chick)! She did a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of our beach wedding. I am so thrilled to have my photos that take me back to that day. Everyone who helped make our ceremony possible, did an amazing job! We will always remember our magical Hawaiian, beach wedding. read more

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I cried the first time I met Kahu Pomaika'i.... The short version of why this woman is so wonderful, and why you owe it to yourself to just speak to her should you be considering a wedding in Hawai'i: 1) She is truly a loving and spiritual person, connected to the islands, and respectful of all that makes up the world. 2) She will discuss at length with you the ideas/style of her Hawaiian ceremonies, and tailor them to your specific needs (religious, spiritual, etc.) to create the most perfect and memorable ceremony you could ever imagine. 3) The love she brings to your ceremony is true and heart-felt, and will touch you, your family, and your guests both during and after your ceremony. The long version of how we came to know Kahu Pomaika'i and why our ceremony was so amazing: Our wedding coordinator found Kahu Pomaika'i and sent us her contact information. The minute I read her website descriptions, I knew I wanted to meet her. We met three days before our wedding date to discuss the ceremony, as well as to give her some background on the both of us. After she finished telling us about what she was planning to use/say during the ceremony, I was in tears. It was like she had read my mind on what I wanted for my wedding my entire life. On the day of our wedding, Kahu Pomaika'i took me through a grounding exercise for me to release my tension, she blessed our leis as well as the land, and conducted our ceremony with such grace and poise, yet filled with so much love, that I was crying throughout the entire ceremony. Kahu Pomaika'i's message to us touched all of our guests, and they could not stop talking about the things that she said, and the effect it had on them. My father, a non-native speaker of English, said that her message was so meaningful, and also so easy to understand even for him. Her delivery was flawless, the things she brought to the ceremony priceless. When speaking to Kahu Pomaika'i, I truly felt that the Akua had brought us together for a specific reason. After our ceremony, talking to Kahu Pomaika'i, it was as if we were talking to someone we had known for years. She truly is an amazing woman, and I cannot put into words how grateful we are to her for giving us such an amazing gift...a wedding ceremony that we will remember forever. If you are considering a ceremony in Hawai'i, please do yourself a favor and just meet Kahu Pomaika'i. If anything, you will walk away with an understanding of her, the islands of Hawai'i, and the true meaning of "aloha." read more

Hawaiian Aloha Blessings - Wedding Planning Near Me

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When I was searching for an officiant for my destination wedding I knew I wanted a traditional hawaiian wedding and a spiritually based officiant. When I found Kahu Pomaikai and read her bio I knew she was the one. After we spoke on the phone, It just confirmed my feelings that she would be perfect for our day. Kahu Pomaikai was my officiant for my wedding in June 19,2019 at Paliku Gardens. She was amazing she has such a loving and kind spirit. I had so many compliments from my guests regarding our ceremony. I had guests tell me that it was the first time they actually listened and were intrigued by the speech at a wedding ceremony! My guests also told me that they could feel all the positive loving energy radiating from her during the ceremony. My ceremony was my favorite part of my wedding and could not have been anymore perfect. read more

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Semi-elopement destination wedding on the beach! My husband and I were married May 2014 on the beach near Ko Olina. We were so happy with our choice of wedding officiant. Kahu Pomaika'i was helpful, patient and most of all, so kind to us and our family. Planning my wedding from nearly 5,000 miles and 6 time zones away could have been difficult, but Renee was very flexible with her availability over the phone and walked us through each step of the process. We chose her "Royal Ilima" Hawaiian wedding package with a Pu (conch) blower - who was also her son - and a ukelele musician. We only first met in person at the ceremony, she set up everything on the beach and the whole wedding went very smoothly! The traditional Hawaiian ceremony was so beautiful; our parents were there with us, and we all felt very blessed to have Kahu Pomaika'i perform our wedding. We hope to be back for an anniversary - perhaps a vow renewal will be in the future for us. I highly recommend Kahu Pomaika'i! read more

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This is so very long overdue from getting wrapped up in things: My husband and I decided to do a vow renewal on the island of O`ahu in April 2013. I had the best experience setting up a time and a date with Kahu Pomaika`i from home. She went through all of the logistics with me over the phone of the order of ceremony, etc. since we were traveling in from CA. She even offered to help offload some pre-ceremonial stress by picking up maile leis for us. Very, very easy, and she was a joy of warmth to talk to on the phone! When we arrived in late April, I felt like we already knew each other based on previous phone conversations and email. She has such the warmest personality ever, so it was very comforting and inviting to have her officiate our ceremony. We went to a beautiful location that she recommended. As she blessed the land, hubby and I just inhaled the air and enjoyed that moment of beauty watching the waves respond to her blessing. Kahu Pomaika`i performed the most beautiful ceremony ever. The ho`oponopono blessing was so very important to us. We felt so connected with the small intimate ceremony between just the two of us, with Kahu Pomaika`i and her son Beau, and the beautiful blue ocean as our audience. Beau took pictures - he is an excellent photographer :) and gave us beautiful pictures to remember the day by. I could go on and on about how much love and how much spirit and beauty was felt in this ceremony, and if I could do this again, I would pick Kahu Pomaika`i each time. Mahalo Nui Loa Kahu Pomaika`i, hope to see you soon again! read more

Kahu Pomaika'i conducts gorgeous wedding ceremonies in Hawaii as well as certain areas of the mainland U.S. In addition she performs blessings, ho'oponopono ceremonies and lomilomi massage. I have been fortunate enough to receive the latter three services. I cannot recommend Kahu Pomaika'i enough. She's extremely calming and graceful, knowledgeable and intuitive, skilled and connected. Kahu actually conducted a ho'oponopono for me on the island of Kauai in 2009; I had a fractured elbow and wrist and was in a good amount of pain, both physically and emotionally (many time the two are connected, as you probably know). She led me into the calm Haena waters and chanted over me, praying for my healing. I kid you not, I was healed instantly. And I am not a hysterical personality, either, I assure you. Spiritual as I am, I possess a healthy dose of rationality and skepticism. Nonetheless, I went into the water with her in a lot of pain, and then ... it was gone. I really was healed. I believe in Kahu Pomaika'i's gifts and talents and anybody lucky enough to obtain her for weddings, blessings or the ho'oponopono ceremony are fortunate indeed. read more

My husband and I just married in Hawaii this past New Year's Eve 2013. We made our wedding plans in quite a hurry and we were in need of someone who could handle making arrangements in a short timespan along with providing some comfort during a joyful but still tumultuous occasion. Kahu Pomaika`i delivered and then some. We wanted a spiritual but nonreligious ceremony that also represented the traditions of Hawai'i and it was intimate, memorable and fully appreciative of the uniqueness of our union. Our ceremony was at Waialae Beach Park just east of Honolulu based on Pomaika'i advice and it was a breathtaking location. Her son and photographer, Po, did an amazing job with the pictures and everyone has been raving about them since our return a couple of days ago. I told her personally and wanted the people who read this review to know that during our ceremony she demonstrated high skill with respect to nurturing interpersonal bonds through ceremony and through the strength and genuineness of her person as a Kahu. She has our continuing gratitude for playing an essential role in one of the first and most important events of our new family. Brandon Nakasato read more

ALOHA NUI LOA! What can I not say to express our sincere "Mahalo" for this amazing Kahu who married us December 8th, 2012 :) We just recently had our small, intimate, simple wedding ceremony with Kahu Pomaika'i who officiated the matrimony on the Windward Side of Oahu. Waimanalo a.k.a Nalo :) on Angel's Beach close to where her and Kahu Keaolani (who we had as our uke player and singer--amazing voice!) where ordain. We could not ask for a more traditional ceremony then with Kahu Pomaika'i everything from when she grounded us both prior to us heading into the he'ia where her and Kahu Keaolani conducted a oli down to the actual wedding ceremony and ho'oponopono was amazing besides very spiritual. My husband and I wanted to have a small ceremony before we conducted a bigger renewing of the vows ceremony for next year with my immediate family (who were not present) and everyone else. She made sure we knew what she was going to be conducting and she communicated with us every step of the way. During the procession I had mentioned I wanted to surprise my husband to be with a gift. My gift was the art of hula and song. As Kahu Keoalani assisted me as well with his talented skills. A true traditional Hawaiian wedding with all the aspects we expected and more. This was a amazing wedding for us & our guests that words could not even describe or video. It's you had to be there to bear witness to everything. She handled everything very professional but with a touch of personal attention. She knew our excitement but also understood my nervousness during this whole process. She was very much at the end of everything a dear friend who we plan to have honor us as she will be conducting our 2013 renewing of vows. We highly recommend her and Kahu Keaolani ! Their kind spirit and energy made our special day amazing. They are a amazing team! Mahalo nui loa Kahu Pomaika'i & Kahu Keaolani for a memorable day we look forward in seeing you again soon! :) read more

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After email each other for two weeks prior to our trip, our officiant met us on location performed a beautiful ceremony. However, we were unable to actually have an official ceremony and legally get married. All these problems are irrelevant to the fact that she screwed us over. We paid for paperwork and filing fees she didn't have to do or pay. For permits she didn't get and has the audacity to tell me I should have paid more for higher resolution photos. I'm attaching our emails in the links below. read more

When my husband and i decided to elope, we were aware that we were gonna get married by a stranger. However, we were looking for a stranger that would care about our special day as much as we did. I did research, called several other vendors and they all gave me the vibe that it was just business for them. Literally my conversations with them didn't last more than 5 min. Until I found Kahu Pomaika'i, the first time we talked, we were in the phone for over and hour, we got to know things about her and her family and she got know us. At the end of the phone call, it felt like we have known each other for years. Then we knew she was the right person. She truly cared about us and made sure our day extra special. There are no words to describe how amazing our ceremony was. We feel so blessed, lucky and grateful to have had her preside our ceremony over. She has this peaceful energy that it is so contagious and just great to feel around. Not to mention, the great choice she made with our photographer Debbie. She was awesome to work with and we can't wait to see the pictures. Anyway, thank you foreverzzzz Kahu Pomaika'i !!! read more

AMAZING! My husband and I wanted someone traditional, authentic and shared the same views we did to marry us and Kahu Pomaika'i was the perfect fit for us! Her communications and genuine care for our needs/wants was beyond what we expected. She cares for her clients and ensures that the ceremony is not just a canned speech, but something personal and tailored to the couple. Every guest commented on how they loved the officiant ( Kahu Pomaika'i ) and we did too! Look forward to having you officiate our vow renewal in the future ;) Highly recommend. read more

Kahu Pomaika'i performed our ceremony on 4/9/15 @ loulu palms estate.. It was a beautiful ceremony! I'm Hispanic and my husband is Filipino. We wanted to do something different and went with a Hawaiian ceremony. Kahu Pomaika'i spoke to us for an hour and went throughly guided us through the process.. Very flexible with what we wanted. All our wedding guests loved the ceremony.. We even incorporated our own personal vows.. She also calmed both of us both because we were so nervous and anxious up there.. read more

Kahu Pomaika'i did our renewal of vows/wedding ceremony at Hale Koa Hotel. She did an amazing job! Everyone was very impressed. My husband and I received compliments throughout the whole day about how beautiful and unique our ceremony was. Many people said they have never been to such a wonderful wedding ceremony. :) Thanks to Kahu and her sons (who blew the conch shell and assisted in the ceremony as well), our ceremony dreams came true! We couldn't have asked for anything more/better. Kahu Pomaika'i is one of the most sweetest, welcoming, and spiritual (not necessarily religious) person I have probably ever met. My husband and I are not religious people, but we were looking for someone that is spiritual and she was/is perfect for us. There aren't enough words to describe how happy and thankful we are to have had Kahu Pomaika'i to be apart of our big day! We HIGHLY recommend her. . . you won't be disappointed. read more

In planning our Hawaii wedding, the most important element for us was finding the right officiant. We knew this could be difficult since we were planning from Chicago, and knew that we wouldn't actually meet our officiant until we landed in Oahu. I prayed very hard and the universe provided when I found Hawaiian Aloha Blessings online. My gut told me that Kahu Pomaika'i was the spiritual guide we were looking for, and this was confirmed in our first email exchange and for my husband during our phone call with her. We are so blessed to have been touched by Kahu Pomaika'i. During the planning, she was very much available by email and helped with local tips to prepare for our intimate wedding on Waialae BeachPark. Her genuine love, care and spirit came through in all our exchanges. As a Hawaiian priestess, or "Kahu", she brought very traditional island blessings and provided modern ideas. I truly felt that we planned the ceremony together with her, which was exactly what we were hoping for. It is hard to explain in words how the power of the elements came together on our wedding day. Kahu Pomaika'i advised us that we should be very aware of spirit during our ceremony, and that the elements will appear to bless us in its own way. And it did. It poured rain during the exchange of our vows. And how that may make most brides cry in despair on their wedding day, the rain was a true shower of blessings. It was truly beautiful. Her words continue to resonate with us, and will continue long into our marriage. We continue to look back at our wedding day, May 5, 2013, and can't help but feel that our energies were aligned with the universe that day. We were surrounded by beautiful people and given a proper cleansing with all of nature's elements. We feel so thankful to have found Kahu Pomaika'i to officiate our wedding, and for bringing her son Max to assist in the ceremony, and Kahu Keaolani and Kamaka to sing and play the ukelele. Everyone helped make our ceremony complete. They will forever be a part of our Ohana. We will always remember the prayers, songs and love they shared with us. Mahalo! read more

We feel so blessed to have had Kahu Pomaika'i as our officiant. There are not words enough to thank her for the most amazing and sacred ceremony that she gave us; it truly made us weep with joy. Many of our guests expressed how touched they were, too, after the beautiful ceremony she blessed us with from the opening chant, to the tying of the maile lei, the Ava ceremony, the Ho'oponopono, the sharing of HA with everyone, the exchanging of our rings, the final prayer, and of course the magical kiss! We couldn't have asked for a more heartfelt, authentic, a heavenly wedding ceremony to honor our eternal love on our special day as the one we were given by Kahu. We are forever grateful for her service and truly recommend her to anyone seeking a true Aloha wedding blessing. Thank you, Kahu!!! read more

Kahu Pokmaikai is the best. We were on vacation from Ireland and wanted a blessing which acknowledged our lives as a couple and family. Kahu Pomaikai seems to sense who you are and what's appropriate for you as well as sensing and channelling the natural environment. She bestowed the Ho'oponopono blessing and core values of living harmoniously. Her lovely son took pictures. The sky opened with cleansing rain and the Iwa bird descended. It was a beautiful and magical experience that we will cherish always. Mahalo Kahu Pokmaikai. Fiona, Stephen , Kern & Ena read more

Just amazing and so special is the first two adjectives that pop into my head when thinking of my wedding! When I first contacted Kahu Pomaika'i she made me feel so comfortable on the phone and I had a good feeling that I found the right person. My husband and myself wanted to get married just us two, and Pomaika'i made me feel so special and great about this. She helped also coordinate via telephone, email, and text messages the organization of the ceremony, flowers for the ceremony, location, and anything else that we could of needed help with. When we met Kahu Pomaika'i I was just totally taken away by her energy. She is really one of a kind. Incredibly spiritual and connected to people and the environment around her. I really felt that our ceremony was very unique, and I think she probably makes most of her clients feel this way as I think she does want to make everything that she does different, unique and special. I will never forget the joy, positive energy, and good will that she brought to my husband and I that day. Thank you Kahu Pomaika'i...you are in our prayers! love braulio and michelle read more

Do yourself a favor and choose Kahu Pomaikai for your ceremony. Simply said, she is awesome. She performed a vow renewal ceremony for my 25th Anniversary at the Hale Koa Hotel in the Maile Tower Gazebo. She has a kindness about her and is beautiful both on the inside as well as the outside. She takes the time to get to know a little about the couple before the ceremony either in person or in my case via phone. She performs the ceremony with AUTHENTIC Hawaiian symbols/meanings and then relates it to everyday life. The ceremony was so beautiful, it exceeded our expectations. Both my husband and I could barely keep a dry eye, in fact we didn't and neither did our guests. Our guests were so impressed with her, many asking where I had found her. They were surprised to find out that I had found her on a web search. I had read a couple of reviews that were favorable and decided to take a chance. Trust me, if you book her for your ceremony you will not be taking a chance. She gets a 5 star rating from me. read more

I feel fortunate to have randomly found Kahu Pomaika'i via a google search, and after having a beautiful ceremony a few days ago I truly feel like finding her was meant to be. My husband and I decided to renew our vows while celebrating our anniversary in Hawaii. We wanted a "backyard" ceremony for just the two of us and we wanted it to be very calm, quiet and beautiful, with the focus being on our marriage and the love that we feel for each other. In order to have this I knew that we would need the right person at the helm and from the minute I found the Hawaiian Aloha Blessings site I new I had found this person. For starters, the amount of detail that Pomai goes into on her site regarding the way her ceremonies are conducted was extremely helpful. I referred back to her site many times while planning our day, and given the fact that there is a five hour time difference between NYC and Hawaii, I appreciated that many of my questions could be answered just by visiting her site rather than trying to schedule several calls. Within a day of my filling out the questionnaire with our information, Pomai reached out to me letting me know that she loved the idea of our quiet backyard ceremony, and we planned to speak about it in more detail. We chatted for over an hour about many things in addition to the flow of our vow renewal ceremony. She explained a lot about customs and values that she as a kahu and as a hawaiian holds dear and walked me through what she was going to do during our ceremony to incorporate these values and customs. I learned a lot during our talk and was immediately very comfortable with the idea of her guiding us through everything on our vow renewal day. She was on top of her game and didn't miss a step- I had written in our questionnaire that we did not want to exchange leis; we wanted to focus on just exchanging rings and exchanging vows. When she got to the part of the ceremony run-through where leis would normally be introduced she didn't try to sell me on leis or give her opinion, she just moved on to the next part. I appreciated that. When I expressed that I wasn't sure how I felt about personal vows in addition to our declaration of consent, she suggested that my husband and I exchange personal vows to one another at another time if we wanted to keep it private. We decided to take her suggestion and exchanged vows in letters with one another after our ceremony was over and we were alone. It was a great idea, one I wouldn't have thought of on my own. She followed up with an estimate that was in sync with the information on her site; no surprises, no extra charges, no funny stuff. With that we were all set. On the day of our ceremony she arrived on time with her son to help out. She is obviously a great mother because he was a gem. Our ceremony was perfect. I don't want to go into exact details because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, but honestly it was exactly what we were hoping for and more. She said that most beautiful things to us about our marriage. Somehow she managed to incorporate so much of "us" and our unique love story into her words and also echoed all of the wonderful values that she had taught me about when we spoke on the phone. Among other very special moments, she blessed us, our rings, our pasts, our present and our future, and hearing the Our Father in Hawaiian was just beautiful. We both teared up, and my husband is like a caveman and never cries. It was that beautiful. I did a lot of research when I was figuring out how we were going to do our vow renewal and there was no one like Kahu Pomai. We have already planned on calling her for our ten year anniversary vow renewal. :) read more