hawaii weddings 101

with wedding season upon us, i thought now would be a good time to check out a few of the wonderful wedding resources available to everyone planning a wedding in hawaii. i know first hand how crazy it can be to coordinate a long distance wedding . . . especially when you want to have a modern wedding in the islands. today it's called neo-traditional but a few years ago while planning my wedding i resorted to referring to it as the "unwedding" because very few people back home understood what we were trying to create.

enter pacific rim weddings. it was, simply put, a gift from the gods. i discovered our fabulous photographers in the pages of the first issue i flipped through, and found lots of inspiration on how to incorporate modern island style into our wedding. they even have an online boutique where you can find cake toppers (my favorite, shown above, is actually a reproduction of vintage hawaiiana salt & pepper shakers), weddings favors, and gifts from the islands.

pacific rim weddings is stocked at barnes & noble and borders on the mainland or you can subscribe online. and don't forget to get a copy of bridal bargains (a must if you're a bride &/or groom to be) when you're at the bookshop.

the food of paradise

most people from hawaii are familiar with the origins of the plate lunch, but have you ever wondered just how all the other food you love came to be in the islands? rachel laudan's the food of paradise: exploring hawaii's culinary heritage traces the origins of local favorites like crack seed, malasadas, saimin & saloon pilot crackers (among other foodstuffs) and their journey to become part of hawaii's food culture.

laudan also devotes a section to the influence of native hawaiian foods and the agricultural bounty of the islands. the food of paradise has received many rave reviews and definitely deserves a place on every local cook's bookshelf.