Features
Pacific Rim Weddings
Winter/Spring 2004
Kasey Fukada was married in a stunning Armani tuxedo... and his golf cleats. In fact, just minutes before his bride Gillian Stark came down the aisle, he was practicing on the putting green adjacent to the wedding site. His best man Sean Sofin remarked that he was the most relaxed groom he had ever seen. Gillian was delighted at the story. "The views of the ocean from the Challenge Course at Manele are quite spectacular. When we were shown the Practice Tee as a possible site for the ceremony we knew right away that it was perfect for us," recalls Gillian. Golf was not the only reason they chose Manele Bay. When Kasey and Gillian began planning their wedding, they both thought of Lanai. Having spent many holidays together on the remote island off of Maui, the young couple longed to share the special place where their romance had blossomed. Hawaii was also an ideal meeting point for close friends and family flying in from Vancouver, Canada and Tokyo, Japan.
Kasey, an investment banker, and Gillian, a fashion designer, were introduced by mutual friends at a party. During their courtship they began making an annual trip to New York City to do some Christmas shopping and go skating at Rockefeller Center. On their last trip after a full day of skating and shopping, Kasey proposed over a romantic dinner. Gillian remembers the magic of the moment, looking out over the grand Christmas tree and angels glimmering with white lights at Rockefeller Center.
A visit to the Lodge prior to the wedding allowed for much of the planning to be handled in person, and the coordinators of A White Orchid Wedding made certain no detail would be overlooked for the wedding day. On May 22, 2003 family and friends gathered on the cliffs of Manele Bay for the ceremony. Each guest was greeted with a white and yellow plumeria lei. The setting was magnificent with a fragrant blanket of white rose petals scattered down the aisle. Ti leaf cones brimming with white petals adorned the chairs. A classical duet played the wedding march as Gillian appeared in a breathtaking Romona Kaveza gown carrying a bouquet of white roses. The dashing couple exchanged vows in a touching ceremony officiated by Hawaiian minister Laki Ka'ahumanu. The celebration began with a cocktail reception at the pineapple fountain, where guests played croquet on the back lawn and sipped the newlyweds' signature drink, a Mojito. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres were passed among tables decorated with paper lanterns, candles, and floating floral centerpieces. An intimate dinner was served in the library, with votives glowing throughout the room and tables set with Italian ruskus and an array of white blossoms running down the center of the table. Music of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald created a magical ambience and the entire wedding party danced the night away A storybook wedding became a dream come true for both the bride and the groom.