Features
Pacific Rim Weddings
Winter/Spring 2002
John Wang planned to ask Rose Lum to marry him in the fairy tale surroundings of Disney World. The thought of proposing made him so nervous that he decided to do it the first night of their trip. He took Rose to a restaurant with a commanding view of a fireworks presentation. John recalls being so anxious about the proposal, he hardly touched his food. Then, with bursts of fireworks lighting up the sky, the pianist played their favorite piece, Pachelbel's Canon. John got down on one knee and presented Rose with a beautiful glittering engagement ring.
Rose and John met through a mutual friend during their freshmen year in college. Their love grew from a warm admiration for each other. Through five years of courtship, Rose met many of John's friends. They would all say the same thing, "He's a great friend." Rose was attracted to John's caring personality and his easy-going manner. John admired Rose for her strength of character, "As a child Rose lost a parent and developed a strong sense of independence. I like the fact that she never takes things for granted."
Knowing Rose had always dreamed of a beach wedding, John set out to make his fiancee's dream come true. They used the Internet to help them find the perfect place. Hawaii stood out above the other destinations. The natural beauty, miles of sandy beaches, and romantic sunsets would make their wedding unforgettable. When John saw a picture of the White Orchid Beach House in Pacific Rim Weddings, he knew they had found the place. With one phone call, plans for their dream wedding began. Kelly Miller, a coordinator for A White Orchid Wedding, assisted the couple with each and every detail. With her guidance, Rose and John were able to plan their entire wedding from New York with the assurance that absolutely nothing would be overlooked. According to Rose the magazine also helped them locate their wedding photographer, Robie Price. "Robie was a great person to work with and his talent produced pictures that were even more wonderful than we could have imagined," says Rose.
Rose designed and created the invitations and favors. "The wedding invitation had the word 'love' written in Chinese to symbolize our family heritage," said Rose. The favors were small beach buckets that carried out their seaside theme. The night before the wedding, Rose and John invited their guests to the Old Lahaina Luau to enjoy an authentic sampling of Hawaiian traditions, including delicious food and a hula show.
On the day of the wedding, twenty five guests gathered to witness the union of two best friends. Rose fought back tears as the couple exchanged vows and expressed their feelings of love and joy.
The happy couple raised a gracious toast to their guests at sunset, as brilliant pinks and oranges lit up their reception on the seaside lawn of the White Orchid Beach House. Rose and John lived out their dream that evening dancing in their sandals surrounded by friends and family on the beautiful shores of Maui.