Honeymoon: The End or The Beginning?

Boo hoo. Sniff, sniff. The time had come to bid good-bye to tropical Hawaii & return home to snowy New Jersey. Our incredible honeymoon was over.

I wasn't pleased to say the least. I pouted. I begged to stay. I wished I could rewind time & go back to the start of our honeymoon. Nothing RZ mentioned changed my state of mind. Beagle Bailey? He seemed to be having a ball with my sister & brother-in-law. Family & friends? I was sure they would love to visit us in Hawaii. Home sweet home? We could set up camp here easily.

"I'm so sad everything is over," I tried to explain. "The wedding, the honeymoon . . . done & done. It's sad."

RZ shook his head. "Nothing is over. We just got married, this is only the beginning."

He was right, of course. The leisurely, sunny days spent enjoying life with my new husband had caused me to lose sight of our truth. Our positive new beginning was as fresh & bright as the Hawaii sun!

Honeymoon: Last Supper {Kauai}

Don't visit Kauai without having dinner at the Beach House Restaurant! Everyone from our friends to our travel agent to our hotel concierge gave us this wise advice. Now it's only fair that I share this great recommendation with you!

RZ & I chose a romantic, sunset dinner at Beach House Restaurant for our final honeymoon dinner:


The open-air restaurant is perched on the beach with beautiful ocean views:


RZ & I were fortunate enough to score a front row seat to Mother Nature's show. We arrived for tropical drinks & yummy appetizers when the sun was still shining. Our beach view looked like this:


As dinner progressed, the sun to say began her gorgeous good-bye for the night:


RZ & I stopped eating our dinner so we could enjoy our final honeymoon sunset. It was so beautiful with the sunset, the ocean, the palm trees & the torches:


And then the sun was gone. Despite her absence, the night view was quite spectacular as well:


Needless to say, our final, delicious dinner with sunset views was the perfect end to our wonderful honeymoon!

Honeymoon: Napali Coast {Kauai}

Besides Waimea Canyon, everyone said a "must see" in Kauai was the Napali Coast. This rugged, 15-mile stretch of sheer, striking cliffs is accessible only by boat or hiking. Not the hiking type, RZ & I booked a Napali Coast sunset cruise by Kauai Sea Tours. As an extra bonus, the winter waters promised to be full of playful whales.

On our appointed day, we boarded the 60-foot Lucky Lady catamaran & scored a sweet spot on the upper deck:



We passed another beautiful, haunting, abandoned sugar mill:


As promised, the waters were teeming with whales. We were treated to Momma & baby whales jumping, playing & cruising which was a highlight for me. I didn't get any good photos of said whales but here is a pretty view of Kauai:


Then we reached the cloudy Napali Coast:


The Napali Coast cliffs are twice the height of the Empire State Building. As a girl who sees the Empire State Building every day, I was amazed:


Clouds rest on the cliffs of green, red, orange & brown:


Here is an arch, big enough to fit a helicopter!, carved into the cliffs. & look at those turquoise waters:


One woman complained about the clouds, claiming we were missing out on the cliff's bright colors in the sun. There is one in every crowd! I thought the low clouds made for dramatic sights:


Did I mention it was a sunset cruise?


The Napali Coast cruise was a triple delight with the whales, the cliffs & the sunset. I enjoyed every moment, even my sea sickness. I may have been green & felt awful but even then, the Napali Coast was quite a sight. As much as I loved it, I was a happy girl to arrive on steady land!

Honeymoon: Waimea Canyon {Kauai}

Since it was our first time in Kauai, we asked our family & friends for sound advice on fun things to do & everyone mentioned Waimea Canyon. Sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific or the Grand Canyon's little sister, Waimea Canyon is a natural wonder. Its beauty is accessible via guided bus tours & helicopter rides or self-guided drive of Canyon Drive. As honeymooners with a cute convertible, we chose to explore Waimea Canyon on our own. The mood struck us one day after a leisurely breakfast & late morning sun session.

We hit the road & first things first, we stopped at the Shrimp Station, an outdoor, roadside restaurant, to feast delicious shrimp tacos with a nasty rooster as a fellow diner:


We began the mildly steep descent of Canyon Drive with a full belly. After The Road to Hana, this drive was a breeze! We reached Waimea Canyon Lookout easily & we were instantly in awe of Mother Nature:


The sun & clouds offered us an ever-changing shadow & light view of Waimea Canyon:


The reds & greens & browns glistened in the sun or deepened in the shade:


Gorgeous, gorgeous:

Shadow & Light:



Way, way below is the Pacific Ocean:


RZ & I stood & gawked at Waimea Canyon for quite awhile. We alternated between admiring it & photographing it. Everywhere you looked was more & more of nature's beauty. It caused our minds to wander. Waimea Canyon, much like the ocean, made us feel small & reminded us how short life is. We paused to say thanks for being happy, in love & on our honeymoon!

Honeymoon: Garden Island {Kauai}

The final five days of our Hawaiian honeymoon were spent in Kauai, the garden island. Unlike Oahu & Maui, RZ & I had never been to Kauai. Let's just say, it was love at first sight. Then we fell in love more & more each day with the tropical paradise of Kauai.

Live Aloha! Yes, please:


The abandoned sugar mills that dot the Kauai landscape are quite beautiful, yet haunting reminders of the island's history:


Blue skies & lush green are common sights in Kauai:


Shipwreck Beach is gorgeous but very look, don't touch! Swimming isn't recommended:


RZ & I satisfied our sun & fun craving with tropical drinks, palm trees & lagoon pool at our fantastic resort, Grand Hyatt Kauai:


By far, one of my favorite days was our relaxing, open-air Couples' Massage at Anara Spa:


RZ & I shared several casual, romantic dinners but only one included koi fish as our dinner companions! Tidepools consisted of open air, thatched huts nestled in a koi pond for quite a unique, rustic dining experience:


Oh, the sun, the sights, the relaxing:


Kauai was pure bliss for these honeymooners. Stay tuned to see & hear more about our two adventures in Kauai: Waimea Canyon & Napali Coast!

Honeymoon: Sun and Fun {Maui}

Oh Maui, you have my heart.

RZ & I spent Days 3-8 of our honeymoon in pure bliss on Maui. We stayed at Fairmont Kea Lani, a wonderful resort with one bedroom suites, delicious restaurants, multiple pools & a gorgeous beach. Each day consisted of plenty of sun whether we were swimming in the pool, sunbathing at the beach, kayaking the shore, walking the coast or a wonderful combination of those things. Every night we watched the sunset, then relaxed with a tropical cocktail & romantic dinner. Bliss, I tell you, pure bliss.

Our resort was large, yet intimate, & included honeymoon perks like free champagne & breakfast buffet:


Our first Maui sunset walk. It wasn't lost on us that New Jersey was getting buried in snow while we snapped this photo:


Honeymoon Dinner at Nick's Fishmarket (a favorite!!):


Oh so pretty Maui:


Beyond beautiful everywhere you look:


One Week Anniversary Dinner at Ko, where we dined under the stars:


Our final, dramatic Maui sunset:


Our big adventure in Maui was The Road to Hana. Stay tuned for the details tomorrow!

Honeymoon: Sleepy in Oahu

The Monday after our wedding, we kissed our cold, snowy home good-bye & jetted off to Hawaii for our 12-day honeymoon. I slept for the first two days of our honeymoon, no lie. The two weeks of little to no sleep caught up to me! I barely remember one moment of our 10-hour flight to Oahu because I was asleep before we left the runway. It was a dream come true to wake up to the paradise of Hawaii.


But I was still tired. The warm air, the swaying palm trees & the gentle waves weren't enough to rouse me. We checked into our beautiful oceanfront room at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach (FREE! thanks to our Reception at Hyatt on the Hudson!!) & I'd never seen a bed look more inviting. I couldn't very well spend the first night of our honeymoon sleeping so RZ & I headed to an old standby, Duke's Waikiki, for our first honeymoon dinner. All I see in this photo below is pure exhaustion!


The next day dawned cloudy but warm. We were (yes, still) tired from our wedding & our travels yet our spirits were bright. Oahu was a brief stopover for us on our way to Maui & Kauai & we felt very little pressure to do much because we'd spent 5 days here together a few years ago. We lunched, napped on the beach & walked miles along the coast. Our regular life is so planned & regimented that it felt amazing to see where the day took us. Very carefree, very wonderful.


The day ended on our oceanfront balcony with complimentary champagne from the Hyatt. The perks of being newlyweds! We toasted to our honeymoon naturally. I was the happiest girl in the world with my husband by my side, bubbly in my hand & waves in my sight.



We were treated a gorgeous, pink ribbon sky sunset:


For our final honeymoon dinner in Oahu, we went to Duke's Waikiki again for fresh fish & tropical drinks under the stars.


Our time in Oahu was brief but important. It gave us the luxury of recharging for remainder of our honeymoon. When we departed Oahu the next day, we were fresh & excited to enjoy Maui!

Wedding Belles!

I'm drooling. Are you? Or the better question: have you seen Wedding Belles, the new wedding collection from Kate Spade?

Wedding Belles is chic & whimsical, just as you'd expect from Kate Spade. It includes fun collections for the Bride, Bridesmaid & Honeymoon. Love, LOVE! I spent the major part of my weekend poring over every item & wishing they could be mine or could have been mine for my wedding. Here are my favorites from the Bride collection:

Wedding Belles Naomi Dress
Soooo cute for the Rehearsal Dinner or Celebratory Brunch

Charm Shoes
The perfect amount of sparkle & sass!

Pearl Bauble Bracelet
Classic Pearls with a bit of glitz

Very Opaque Tights
Wasn't I just saying colored tights are the perfect Something Blue?

Date Night Ring
Fun & flirty! I need this ring ASAP for our date nights!!

(All Images via kate spade new york)

Don't even get me started on the Bridesmaid & Honeymoon collections! What were your favorites?

Dream Team

RZ & I have been happily married for one month & counting (quickly approaching two months!). Upon our return from our relaxing honeymoon, I began to struggle with the best way to share our wedding story. I want it to be perfect, much like the day itself. I finally came to the conclusion that, like anything in life, I just need to start the story.

One Happy Couple!
Image by Timothy Glenn Photographers (for more, click HERE)

Let's start with our vendors: our amazing, amazing vendors! I must thank our fabulous vendors for making our wedding dreams come true by their talent & efforts. They're simply the best!

Alterations/Veil: Ally Bridal & Tuxedo
Attire (Bride): Celestine by WToo at Lovely Bridal Shop
Attire (Bridesmaids): Cynthia Rowley at Bella Bridesmaid
Band: The Love Jones Band
Cake: Carlo's Bakery
Florist: Elizabeth Koleto Designs

Hair & Make-up: Ashimoto
Honeymoon: All About Honeymoons
Hotel: Hyatt on the Hudson
Invitations & other paper goods: Marsupial Invitations at Koru Wedding Shoppe
Jewelry (Bride): Bracelet by J.Crew & Earrings borrowed
Jewelry (Bridemaids): Earrings & Bracelet by Cookie Lee, Necklace by Chico's
Photography: Timothy Glenn Photography
Transportation (Limo): Santos VIP Limousine
Transportation (Vintage Checker Cab): Film Cars
Tux: Men's Wearhouse
Venue (Ceremony): Church of St. Ann
Venue (Reception, Rehearsal Dinner & Brunch): Hyatt on the Hudson
Videography: document this! productions
Wedding Planner: An Affair to Remember

Some I had worked with before wearing my hat as a wedding planner, some I had been introduced to while planning my own wedding. RZ & I expected the best from them & they delivered. Without exception, our vendors exceeded our expectations. I can only wish & hope to work with each member of our dream team again!