Waimea Falls ceremony set for renewing vows

If you’ve always wanted to renew your marriage vows but you don’t have a big budget, or you always wished your wedding had been done Hawaiian style, you have a chance to have your wish on Valentine’s Day at Waimea Falls Park.

The park is offering a group ceremony by torch light, next to the park’s waterfall, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

This is not just for tourists, said Tinker Blomfield, who is the events, functions and weddings coordinator for the park. The ceremony has elements of weddings conducted in old Hawai‘i, she said, and the valley is well-known for its spiritual heritage.

This is the third time that the park has offered a group vow-renewal ceremony; nearly 100 people participated the last time it was held in the mid-1990s.

Wednesday’s ceremony will be conducted by Helemano Kauihimalaihi, a kahu, or Hawaiian priest. He will lead couples through his interpretation of Hawaiian wedding customs: being draped in kapa, or bark cloth, which symbolizes the sharing of one blanket; honi, or the touching of noses; and the braiding of coconut fiber cords, symbolizing the bond of the wedding vow.

The $25 cost per couple includes park admission, tram ride, ceremony, champagne toast and an acrobatic diving show. Additional guests are welcome to attend for $8 per adult, $4 for children ages 4-12; children 3 and younger enter free.

Cameras are welcome, or you can have the park’s photographer snap a photo for $12 per couple; it includes a digital background of park scenery that’s difficult to capture on film at night. An optional, post-ceremony pÂp reception is $13.50 per adult, $7.75 per child ages 4-12.

Reservations are recommended. Registration starts at 5:45 p.m. Call Blomfield at 638-6714 for more information.

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