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Hawaii has always been one of my favorite places on Earth, and I know it well. It’s been several years since I have felt the familiar breeze of the islands, and even though I am based in a warm climate (Florida is where I call home), nothing compares to the magic of Hawaii. You can imagine how excited I was when I received an invite to attend a special ‘Discovery Soiree’ at TURTLE BAY RESORT in Oahu, organized by my dear friend JoAnn Gregoli, founder of ELEGANT OCCASIONS BY JOANN GREGOLI.
Suffice it to say, I was THRILLED to accept the invitation and began counting down the days! As the trip approached, so did my UPS driver (daily), with a few cute outfits I couldn’t wait to wear while sipping Mai Tai and Lava Flows (if you know, you know!) with several of my favorite industry colleagues while in paradise. I even booked a few extra nights to savor and relax since it’s been a tiring couple of years (keeping it real), and I was daydreaming about the potential of relaxing for five whole minutes while floating in the Pacific Ocean. Sounds like paradise, right?
Well, insert screeching halt HERE because this is where real life and fantasy don’t always live happily ever after. I realized I was getting sick a few days before my flight was scheduled to depart. You guessed it. I had to cancel because I was too ill to fly! Womp! Talk about a disappointment. Here’s hoping I can revisit Hawaii soon(ish) because the trip looked beautiful, and the itinerary was terrific, thanks to the hotel, who pulled out all the stops! (I know because the group text chain was popping for three days, and I got to follow along from my bed. Ahem.) The group enjoyed all the things you could do with your destination wedding group, including scenic outdoor dining, a luau, surfing, horseback riding, yoga, bike riding, AND a movie night under the stars with a screening of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” which was filmed at this iconic property! In camaraderie, I am thrilled to share the images of (what looks like) an incredible few days as captured by CHRIS J. EVANS.
Several extraordinary wedding and event pros from around the world <many of whom I’m lucky to call my friends!> attended the soirée including the hostess of the event, JoAnn Gregoli, along with Chris Evans (photographer), Bob Conti, Gurminder Banga, Leslie Mastin, Ayal Tessler, Jove Meyer, Ellen Kostman, Ali Barone, Jennifer Gould, Jacqueline Hill, Derek and Cece Chan, Percy Sales, Brooke Palmer-Kuhl, Ana Cerna, Annie Lee, Sonal Shaw, Cicely Rocha-Miller and Frank Daamgard.