Sandi and Keven Peck’s Wedding Testimonial:

This letter is written as an open recommendation to anyone who is looking to have their wedding in Paradise.  When my husband and I began looking for wedding venues in Hawaii, we were overwhelmed with the volume of cookie cutter Hawaiian wedding  planners offering the same basic services at exorbitant cost.  And then…. Like the sun shining through the clouds, we found Above Heaven’s Gate.

What first drew us to Above Heaven’s Gate was the notion of getting married on the beach, with the option of also taking pictures at the Hawaiian Hobbit House and Pukalani Falls Garden.  I sent an email to inquire about the date we were planning and soon received a call from Jodi who answered all of my questions and offered several perfect suggestions. She walked me through all of the options and services available for our wedding day.  At the end of our first 20-minute conversation, I knew that this was the place for us.

As the months passed leading up to our wedding, we made several changes to our plans, and each change was easily accommodated. We loved that the entire staff was flexible and thoughtful and offered so many ideas to get us exactly what we wanted.

In the weeks before the wedding, Chrissy and I emailed regularly, finalizing plans and establishing the schedule for the day.  The day before the wedding, Deva called to check in, and to be sure we had directions.

From the moment we knocked on the blue gates at the Hobbit House / Pukalani Falls, we were treated like family, with so much love and friendship.  Each person we encountered made our day so special.

We spent some wonderful time with Captain Howie.  He engaged us in a conversation about our lives and our journey together.  He used the information gained to create the most personal and beautiful wedding ceremony for us.  He is a unique person who may not be for everybody.  However, for us he was perfect – spiritual, insightful, caring, and maybe a little left of center – “just what we were looking for”.  We had guests with us from 20 to 76, religious and not so much.  Each of them found meaning in Captain Howie’s thought provoking and heartfelt words.

Deva, Captain Howie’s wife, was everywhere throughout the day.  She welcomed us to her home and made sure we had what we needed to feel comfortable.  I had chosen Plumeria for my bouquet and hair and for the guest leis for our parents.  She told me the day before the wedding that they were hard to come by in the winter and that I might have to have a back up plan in case they were not available.  The morning of the wedding, she walked through the neighborhood collecting Plumeria from her neighbor’s trees so that I could have enough for my hair.  As it turned out, the florist did deliver enough for my bouquet, hair and guest leis, but the idea that she would go to that much trouble because she knew how much I loved Plumeria, was beyond belief.  I cannot tell you how very much it meant to me.

Then, I was off to the hair and make-up Cabana with Wade.  I can’t find the words to describe the transformation Wade accomplished.  All I can say is that I have never felt more beautiful and special.  My hair and make-up were extraordinary and the conversations we had were like chatting with an old friend.  He is a magician, and I am eternally grateful.  Kevin’s first word at seeing me was “WOW”. Enough said!

Fernando awaited us in the Pukalani Falls Gardens to begin our photo shoot.  We had originally been hesitant about doing our photos before the wedding but we are so very glad we did.  They turned out amazing and we love every single picture.  Fernando got every shot he wanted without ever making us feel stressed or uncomfortable.  He was easy going and a perfectionist, and I’m not sure how he got us to pose for so many pictures and have fun doing it.  We did our photos in the gardens, and on the beach, with sunset photos at the end of our beautiful day.  I encourage every one to get photos in multiple locations – each place is a unique glimpse of paradise.

Chrissy shot our video, in collaboration with Fernando.  It is a unique and wonderful memory of our special wedding in Hawaii.  In all of the excitement, we had forgotten all of the words we spoke to each other during the ceremony, and our Hawaiian wedding video is now a cherished gift.  It even came complete with a blooper from the ceremony at the end – loved that!  Thanks Chrissy, for such a wonderful job, and for all of your help and kindness.

The Hobbit House / Pukalani Falls Garden is the most amazing slice of heaven we have ever seen.  Each corner of the property is filled with magic, for the eyes, for the ears, and for the soul.  The flowers and plants and the myriad of colors, in combination with the koi fish and the waterfalls, is spectacular.  The sound of those waterfalls, with the birds in the background, provided a soothing harmony to our time there.  Captain Howie and Deva made us feel at home, and we were surprised, but grateful, that they allowed us to explore, for even a few moments, this place that they are so blessed to call home.

Angels Bay is a beautiful stretch of white sand beach and we can’t imagine a more perfect background for our Hawaiian wedding.  The sound of the surf created such beautiful music for our day.  We ordered the Indonesian Arch, with tiki torches and chairs with white covers.  The arch and chairs had hot pink sashes and the arch also had flowers.  The hot pink was such a wonderful contrast to the golden sand the turquoise water and it looks great in the photos.  We drove to a second beach for our sunset photos, and were blessed with an amazing sunset which Fernando captured perfectly.

The photos, CD, Video Photo Book and the Video arrived in only aa little over two weeks.  Everything is top of the line, professional, and AWESOME.  We adore the photos.

Our whole experience with Captain Howie Above Heaven’s Gate was phenomenal and we would recommend it to anyone who wants a personal and meaningful wedding experience in Paradise.  They are flexible, accommodating and attend to every detail.  They are our family now and we look forward to visiting our OHANA (Hawaiian family) again on our first anniversary.

Sandi and Kevin Peck
Married January 31, 2011