Music
 

Blowing of the Pu (Conch shell)

Processional with Oli (Hawaiian Chant)
 

The Sharing of Aloha

Penei: Aloha, (Bride) and (Groom). The Hawaiian word, aloha, literally means to give and share the sacred breath of life.  Yes, it is a greeting, and it does mean  “love”, but it means so much more than that, for to greet someone with aloha is to greet them with the essence of life - our breath.  I know of no other language that has such a personal, intimate, spiritual greeting.   “HA “is the breath.  These islands are named for that as well.

Let us share the aloha now by taking a moment to breathe deeply together. Besides sharing the aloha with each other it is relaxing, cleansing and calming.  Be aware of the tropical breezes, for the Hawaiians believe that carried on the winds at a wedding are the spirits of absent loved ones. This includes your ancestors, and those who have passed on to another plane of existence, as well as your friends and family all over the world..  Feel their blessing caress your faces as we share an aloha breath. At any time during the ceremony, should you become strongly aware of the breeze, consider it to be the blessing presence of a loved one here in spirit.  The blowing of the conch shell, or Pu, did invoke their presence as well.  Love transcends all time and space. 

Chant   - E Ho Mai

This chant calls upon  mana or divine power to bring wisdom and understanding to this place.  Please close your eyes and seek that place deep inside from which you draw your strength and inspiration.  Whatever you believe God, Mana, or a higher power to be, call upon that divine spirit to be with you now and always. 

Prayer - E Ko makou Makua iloko o ka lani.  E hoano ia ko Inoa

Almighty God, Divine Power of the Universe, we call upon your presence to (Bride) and (Groom) as they join their lives in Holy Matrimony.  Smile on them today and always.  Be with them in their times of joy and of need.  Give them patience and understanding to deal with the challenges of life.   Fill their hearts with compassion for each other and for others.    Bless their home and all who enter it. May they walk in the light of your love from this day forward.  No ka mea, Nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana, a me ka ho onani ia a mau loa aku, Amene. Amene.

Greeting

Dard: Congratulations, (Bride and Groom), on your marriage. You have chosen one of the most beautiful places in the world. But we are celebrating a different kind of beauty today ~  your love ~  so joyous and deep that you have called us together to witness and celebrate your marriage.

Lei Exchange

A Hawaiian wedding often begins as it does today with the exchange of leis.  We do this for several reasons.  One is that the lei is an unbroken circle, like the rings that soon will be blessed and exchanged, representing the eternal  commitment of your hearts together.  Also, as each flower is brought into the circle, it loses none of its individual beauty, reminding us that in the unity of your love, you have lost none of your unique individuality.  In fact, the loving care and  nurturing security of your relationship helps you grow even more fully into that special person with whom your partner fell in love.

Dard hands a Lei to Groom.

(Groom), please place this Lei around the neck of your beautiful bride,  and as you do so please give her a kiss.

This is one of the advantages of a Hawaiian wedding;  kissing starts right away.

And likewise, (Bride), place this Lei around the neck of your beloved with a kiss.

Penei: "Lei Pikake" sung A Capella as the couple exchanges leis.

Hawaiian Marriage

The Hawaiians have always had a sensitivity to the sacredness of special times and places. This is true of you as well.  When you think of all the places you could have chosen, I believe you were guided to be right here today and this becomes a sacred place because of your love and the vows that you will soon share. I selected a lava rock from this place to perform a short blessing  at the end of this ceremony. 

There is an additional significance as well. We see only the surface of the land. Below, unseen, is the power and depth of A’ina.  So too, many others will see the outer expression of your love for each other, but only the two of you know the true and unseen depth of you inner union, that profound place in the heart where you have been strengthened and enriched by love.

This can also be compared to the beauty of the Pacific Ocean surrounding us here on the Big Island, which you have chosen as the backdrop to your ceremony. We see constant changes on the surface of the sea, but below, unseen, is an almost infinite depth, abundant, teaming life. Life requires constant attention to the surface details of career, family and daily life.  For all of this you are drawing from an inner depth, what the Hawaiians call Mana, guidance and direction for the decisions of life.  I am confident that the best Mana you have ever followed is demonstrated today in your choice of life partners.

I want to speak of one final element to conclude this portion of the ceremony. If we mention A’ina and Sea, let’s include as well a reference to the beautiful mountains that surround us; the Kohalas to the North of us, with Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea to the east and Hualalai to the South. Even Haleakala of Maui is often visible to the West. Telescopes are looking outward and upward, making new discoveries there every day. I have been talking about your inner love. These mountains suggests the importance of looking outward to the circle of family and friends that surround you. The Hawaiians call this your Ohana, and one tradition says that at a wedding the stirring of the wind represents those absent loved ones who join you now in this joyous celebration.  We are the ones blessed to be present, but we give thanks and express appreciation for those others who have been such an important part of bringing you to this loving moment. 

Continue to celebrate your love.  Occasionally step aside from the busy-ness of your lives to enhance the intimacy of your relationship. May these Leis remind you of the dynamics of a healthy relationship, a giving and receiving of a gift from the heart.  Sometimes the simple gift of a flower says how much you mean to each other,  that you want your relationship to continue to blossom, to be fragrant, to grow. 

Vows

(Groom), do you take (Wife) to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, treasuring her in your heart as the special gift that she is to you, striving to do all that you can to make her to feel happy and secure, treating her with understanding, kindness and respect for all the days before you?
 

I do.

(Wife), do you take (Groom) to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, treasuring him in your heart as the special gift that he is to you, striving to do all that you can to make him to feel happy and secure, treating him with understanding, kindness and respect for all the days before you?

I do.  

Koa Bowl and Ti Leaf Blessing of Rings

 Are there rings to commemorate these vows and your love?

Dard hands a Koa bowl to (Groom).

A few moments before this service I dipped this Koa wood bowl into the Pacific Ocean in order to perform a Hawaiian blessing over these rings. Koa, which is the hardest of our Hawaiian woods, has been used over the centuries to build the outrigger canoes, tools and utensils. It has come to represent integrity and strength; foundational qualities of your relationship. Marriage is more than just the beautiful passion and tender emotion of love. It is a covenant enduring all of life's changes, based on faith, hope and love.

The Ti leaf represents prosperity, health and blessing of body, mind and spirit.

Dard dips a Ti leaf in the bowl, sprinkles the rings three times and chants:

“Eia iha no ka maluhia o na lani me kakou a pau”

"May blessings from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever."

The water has a double significance. One is a washing back into the Pacific, as it were, symbolically, of any hindrance to relationship, disappointment or hurt from the past. In Hawaiian this is called Ho’oponopono or reconciliation, a letting go by grace and aloha so that the second aspect of the water may be profoundly true for the two of you today: it represents a brand new beginning as husband and wife.

(Groom), as you take this ring and place it upon your wife’s finger, please repeat after me:

(Bride), with this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and my devotion to you, I thee wed.

And likewise (handing the ring to Bride)

(Groom), with this ring as a symbol of my eternal love and my devotion to you, I thee wed.

Penei: Hawaiian Wedding Song (or couples choice)

Ti leaf and Lava Rock

As I mentioned at the beginning of the service, I now take this lava rock and Ti leaf to perform the final blessing. The rock represents this moment and place of your marriage - made sacred by your love. Wrapped in the leaf it is a traditional Hawaiian offering, prayer and blessing. You are to place it anywhere you choose on the island before you leave. It remains here. Your rings are with you everywhere you go, a reminder of your marriage and love. The rock marks your entrance into a promised land, that of marriage, full of rich promise and unlimited potential. May the joy of your many years together far exceed even your greatest expectation.

Pronunciation
 

We have had a very special honor here today to witness your love and aloha expressed through your exchange of leis, vows, and rings. And now by the authority that has been entrusted to me by the State of Hawaii, I pronounce that you are Husband and Wife. Would you like to seal your vows with a kiss?

Kiss

Penei with blessing chant:  (Kumu  Tis’a Kalili, Kahula o ka Moana Pakipika),

A - Aloha Mai                        May you always be surrounded with love
E - Ea Ea                               Every breath you take is sweet and good
I -  Ike Pono      See, Know, Recognize Goodness in You - Others - Everything
O - Ola Mau Loa                    May your lives Be Long
U - Uwehe E                          Be free from harm
Ha'awi Loko Mai ka'i            Wishes Given from Goodness Within
Loa'a Mai Loko Maika'i        Received from Goodness Within

“I Ho’okahi kahi ke aloha ua mau.”     Be united as one, in love forever.

Presentation

Dard:  It is now an honor for me to present to you, (Groom and Bride), Husband and Wife!

Please stand.

Recessional

Reception and signing of license