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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, September 26, 2004

Both families anticipated pair's union

By Tanya Bricking Leach
Advertiser Staff Writer

You could say the union of Tannya Boyd and Alan Joaquin was a family affair.

Before Boyd ever landed her dream job as co-anchor of KHON's morning news, her sister spotted Boyd's dream man at a Christmas party in 2000 hosted by family friends, Joaquin's parents.

Tannya Boyd and Alan Joaquin exchanged wedding vows July 24 at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider hotel in Waikiki.

Photo courtesy of Joaquin family

"My sister definitely has 'a type,' " said Susan Reilly, 33, a dentist in Atlanta. Reilly knew her sis was fond of the actor Antonio Sabato Jr. (who played a heartthrob on "General Hospital"). When Reilly met Joaquin, she thought he looked like the actor and would hit it off with her sister. (All this time, Joaquin thought Reilly had just noticed his laid-back personality.)

Two years passed. Boyd moved to Hawai'i. But the first time she met Joaquin was at a family dinner that came at the wrong time for romance. They were seeing other people.

Besides, Joaquin said, "I thought, 'She has a boyfriend. Broadcast star. She's out of my league.' "

They met again at another dinner, and that time, they made plans to paddle to the Mokulua Islets off Lanikai for a picnic. Sparks were flying, and their families were thrilled when they heard the two were dating.

"They were very optimistic that we would hit it off," Tannya said. Yet, her sister says, the family didn't want things to backfire.

"Both families were kind of hesitant to push them," Reilly said. "They're both strong-willed personalities. We knew if they were just around each other, it would happen."

And it did.

Joaquin, 30, a Kaiser High School grad and Aloha Airlines pilot, has an affinity for water sports and discovered his newscaster girlfriend wasn't high-maintenance at all. He taught her to wakeboard and sail and is still working on her surfing skills.

Boyd, 31, said he passed all her tests. He could cook, a skill she has yet to conquer. And she fell for the way he would make sandwiches with evenly distributed mustard and mayo. She thought the way he would uniformly apply sunblock was cute.

He forgave her when she brought home a tiny dog, a Jack Russell terrier/chihuahua mix named Pronto, without telling him.

Pronto was the ring-bearer at their wedding.

Joaquin proposed on Lanikai Beach, where their relationship began, and they were married July 24 at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider in Waikiki to vows they wrote themselves. A keiki hula halau started off the celebratory dancing.

The bride is now Tannya Joaquin on the morning news, and she sometimes talks about their son the dog. No word on whether the families are pushing for more family additions.

Tanya Bricking Leach writes about relationships. If you'd like her to tell your love story, write to tleach@honoluluadvertiser.com, call 525-8026 or mail your photo and details to: Love Stories, Tanya Bricking Leach, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.