Features
Marin Magazine
January 2007
Robyn Asato & Marcello Sebastiani
Makena Beach, Maui
Robyn and Marcello Sebastiani had been dating for eight years and had been engaged for nearly three by the time they tied the knot at an intimate sunset ceremony overlooking the Pacific. The Novato couple initially thought they would have a big wedding in Carmel and spent three months searching for the perfect spot until they realized their idea of perfect included tropical weather and a relaxed island vibe. Once they decided on Maui (where Robyn’s family is originally from), they had no qualms about planing a destination wedding. “We just figured if no one could go, it would be just the two of us,” Robyn says. In the end, 25 family members and friends joined them for their August celebration.
They found the locations first—a beautiful house on a grassy bluff overlooking the beach—and then began working with the wedding planners who handle the site. “I could have planned it [long distance] myself, but it would have been much harder,” Robyn says. White Orchid took care of everything from the flowers and food to the hula dancers who appeared appear after dinner.
But the wedding was no cookie-cutter production. Robyn spent a lot of time creating personal touches: sand dollar invitations, Maui welcome bags and personalized luggage tags for each guest. To honor her father, who passed away several years ago, she carries a flower lei as she walked down the aisle with her mom and then placed it on an empty chair in the front row. “It was a symbol that he was coming down the aisle with us,” she says.
After the ceremony, they enjoyed a sunset cocktail hour followed by dinner under a tent where everyone sat together at a long table to eat an island-inspired meal including coconut rice and huli huli chicken. For Robyn, the intimacy of the wedding was the best part. Because there were only 25 guests, they all had a chance to get to know one another. “we spent a few days in Hawaii before the wedding and we did stuff together. Everyone really felt bonded,” she says.