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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, May 6, 2001

For Better, For Worse
Fate played supporting role in couple's choice of wedding site

By Terry Visperas
Special to The Advertiser

Tammie and Terry Visperas found a site for their wedding in an unusual way after they learned that their original location was being sold.
It was a year or more before our wedding date, and we were all set, engaged and just excited to seal our vows. I wanted a more traditional small wedding. My fiancee, on the other hand, had always dreamed of the Cinderella outdoor-type wedding, reinforced ever-so-strongly with blockbuster movies such as "Meet Joe Black" and "My Best Friend's Wedding." Those movies sort of shaped our compromise wedding plans to have that ideal outdoor wedding, complete with hundreds of friends, family, great catering and possibly even fireworks at the end.

We searched several local agencies that had contact with large prime properties, many of them in the Kahala through Hawai'i Kai area, and others across the other side of the island. After a couple of tiring visits with our agent, we finally found our dream location: the Damon Estates on the hill above Moanalua.

For a sizable rental fee, we believed that we found our dream location. The property offered panoramic views of both the west side of the island and of Diamond Head. Complete with peacocks and wide-open spaces to park and set up large canopies to host the reception, this place was a mystery to most of our friends and family who had no idea that there was a real castle on a hill in the heart of Moanalua.

However, three months before our wedding day, we received a call from our agent. In so many words she said that the owners of the estate had decided to sell the property: two possible buyers, and one of them was currently in escrow.

After many tears and feelings of despair, we were forced to look for another location, and in a hurry. After all, time was definitely not on our side, invitations needed to be printed and sent out, and other wedding arrangements needed to be revised.

In this state of shock, we proceeded to carry on with our daily lives while struggling through the fact that we had to find another place immediately. Family and friends from both sides had made plans to attend from as far away as Japan and the Mainland. We had no choice but to stay with the same date but seek a new location.

Although we made what seemed like a million and one calls, nobody could accommodate us. This was three months out to the day of our wedding; hotels, halls and other typical wedding venues were all booked at least a year in advance.

I was depressed and angry at the circumstances surrounding our special day. Then one day, as I went to work as a flight attendant for Aloha Airlines, something happened: One of my scheduled crew members called in sick, and a reserve flight attendant was then called out to fly the remaining flight schedule.

The day passed by like any normal one, and I had a chance to share my pressing sad story with my crew. That was when I found out that the reserve flight attendant who was called in to fly was also going through a crisis. She was also engaged, but because they had just purchased a new home, they wanted to postpone their wedding day for financial reasons. They had already secured the Hawaiian Regent Hotel, with the use of the outdoor gazebo and the large Hawaiian ballroom for approximately 300-plus people.

Her concern was that they had placed a deposit down on the date and was a little worried that they might lose that money because of the last-minute notice of cancellation.

Intrigued, I asked when their wedding was planned. This was a God-sized miracle! The date was Saturday, Jan. 22, 2000. This was the exact same date that we had planned to get married.

I called my fiancee as quickly as I could, told her the news about my co-worker's situation and asked her if we should consider taking the reservations. She approved.

We called the hotel and asked what the penalties might be for this proposed transaction. They had to get back to us because they had to go through their standby list to see if any other couples were in line to take the date. We received the call and the answer was simple: No one was in line, and the transaction was not a problem.

The next day, we called my fellow flight attendant and asked if we could pay them back for the deposit and assume their reservations in full. They happily agreed!

We believe in miracles! Out of the 365 days in the year 2000, the reservations that we planned for and those reservations that were set by my fellow flight attendant were for the exact same date, time and about the right amount of people that we had prayed and planned for.

The wedding was a huge success! We had our outdoor wedding on the Hawaiian Regent property, great service and delicious catering, Frank DeLima, Kapena, Jesse Rivera, Ilona Irvine and 400-plus friends and family and, yes, even fireworks later that evening.

I knew my wife was heaven sent.

Terry and Tammie Visperas live in 'Alewa Heights.


Do you have a great love story? What are your best stories or advice on marriage and making the magic last? Do you have a story from your wedding or wedding-planning advice? Send your letter of 500-750 words with your city and phone number to: For Better, For Worse, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 535-8170. Sending a photo is optional.