Recently, I was asked by one of my brides why I offer specials that saves them money and also make a donation to a charity in their honor.     My answer was quite simple “it is the right thing to do.”

I came to Hawaii in 1984 and I was welcomed with open arms.      When my front desk clerk  hours were cut from 40 hours to 16 a week, I found myself struggling to make ends meet and literally survived on a 5lb box of gummy worms, popcorn and lots of cinnamon toast on my days off.  If you ever have complained about cafeteria food, I can tell you when that becomes your only meal, you have a whole new appreciation for what is offered and I would eat a mountain of food as if each were my last meal.

So what does a girl do?    I’ve never been one to give up and I’ve always stood on my own two feet, even though thoughts of living in my car had crossed my mind many times.   With a 90wpm typing speed, I worked part-time as a typist at Temple Emanu-El and also helped input hotel room reservations which helped to keep my head above water until the hotel occupancy was back in full swing.  I also took whatever training sessions that came up at work because you not only did you learn, but you got paid for training time and if it was enough hours, it gave me another meal.

Things of course, got better, as they always do, and I keep myself grounded by remembering the hard times and feel it is important to help others.   As the majority of my couples are both working and/or going to school, offering specials allows them the opportunity to afford a wedding coordinator which relieves stress and may not otherwise be an option for them.

It’s not exactly a rags to riches story as I still don’t own a home, or even own my car for that matter, but I am doing what I love, have a roof over my head, a family that loves me, live in a Paradise and have been able to achieve my dream of sending my two kids to college.  What else does a girl really need?

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