let them eat cake

hawaii is a foodie's paradise so finding a wedding cake is not too difficult unless you're searching for a yummy modern creation. luckily, there are many talented pastry chefs in the islands so the most difficult decision will be selecting the flavors for all those layers of cake.

cake couture's owner, carmen emerson bass, trained at the california culinary academy and is now one of the better known pastry artists in the islands. the cake above reminds me of the hula dancers at the merrie monarch festival. carmen's fanciful creations have been featured in martha stewart weddings and pacific rim weddings.

i think this cake from the sweet stop in kailua is so pretty and tropical. once upon a time pastry chef (and former marine!) joslyn laura-annette benn created the desserts at roy's and many other notable restaurants on oahu. a few years ago, she opened up her own bake shop which means you don't need to be getting married to indulge in her delightful concoctions!

here comes the bride

{l to r} designs by hemingway * yvonne floral * flower girls

you would think that the abundance of flowers in hawaii would make selecting the flowers for your wedding one of the snappiest decisions you'll make. choose your color, decide on a style and bam . . . wedding flowers. if only that were true. even if you're leaning towards simple diy flowers one look at the very elegant designs by hemingway and you just might change your mind.

if flowers are your big splurge and you want nothing more than to step into a dreamy floralscape on your big day then click over to yvonne floral designs and take a peek at the wedding gallery. once you see her breathtaking designs you will quickly understand just why she was the floral designer at mar-a-lago, donald trump's private club in palm beach.

upon first glance the very pretty arrangements from flower girls hawaii seem like they would fit into many bride's budgets. their fresh designs are very eclectic and i wish one of these orchid creations were sitting on my desk right now!

and just because you're opting for a simpler wedding doesn't mean you shouldn't splurge on the leis. if you're on oahu, stop by rainforest at the ward warehouse kilohana square and when you place your order request that your lei be wrapped in a ti leaf pu'olo. owner michael miyashiro is one of the most sought after lei designers in hawaii and the leis he created for our wedding were simply stunning.

antiques roadshow

one of my favorites antiques roadshow moments (from the san diego stop, no less) was about the koa bowl that queen lili'uokalani was purported to have given to a family friend when she was just a princess. well, it turns out that it wasn't really young lili'uokalani and the bowl wasn't really made of koa after all (check out the roadshow's follow the stories for more details) but it was still worth a pretty penny.

all you really need to know if you're a roadshow devotee (and daydream that something in your home is a hidden treasure) is that the show will be stopping in honolulu on saturday, august 26th! you do need to have a ticket to get in the door and your ticket request must be submitted no later than may 6th for a chance (it's a lottery so don't get your hopes up) to attend the summer tour in person.

can't get enough? read more at the honolulu advertiser.

all aboard the pride of hawaii

after taking my first cruise down the mexican riviera earlier this year, i learned a few things that other cruising newbies may not be aware of like . . .

• someone else tidies up your room not once, but twice a day!

• the ability to take a nap (or two) while traveling to your next destination

• never worrying about where to go for dinner. or breakfast. or lunch. or snacks (lots and lots of snacking opportunities abound on a cruise ship)

that being said, if you have always thought a cruise around the hawaiian islands would be fun then hele on over to norwegian cruise lines. it's not every day that you have the opportunity to travel on a brand spanking new ship, and, if you do your home work, you might be able to score a cruise on the pride of hawai'i (going on her maiden voyage this summer) for as little as $799 per person.

although your time ashore can be limited, with a little planning and research you can definitely travel off the beaten path and avoid the somewhat touristy & overpriced shore excursions.

sneaker pimps

i have a feeling that the fella's favorite shop when we hit the islands this summer will be kicks/hi. this is the place to go if you love sneakers. and i'm not talking about your kids' keds but super cool kicks for sneaker aficionados looking to score limited edition, old school style sneakers.

they have even collaborated on limited edition sneaker designs like the aloha dunk with nike. the masterminds behind kicks hawaii are pchs grad ian ginoza & his friend eddy haus who opened up their first shop a few years ago and recently opened another location at the new ward gateway in town. online shopping isn't available yet so if you're not lucky enough to live in (or visit) hawaii hopefully you're near saint alfred, their sister shop in chicago.