AMHS President Marries in Unforgettable Ceremony on the Big Island of Hawaii
On Thursday, February 11, 2016, AMHS President Maria D’Andrea married her “one true love”, Sam Yothers, on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Truly driven by adventure and thrills, the happy couple planned their wedding ceremony with the help of Reverend Dard Aller and photographer Eric Rhodes. The Reverend incorporated traditional Hawaiian blessings into the ceremony including water, the wind, and the wrapping of a “ti leave” around a stone that was placed by the couple atop the summit.
Standing at 13,796 feet above sea level, Mauna Kea at its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over 33,000 feet tall – taller than Mount Everest! On their wedding day, the Hawaiian Gods and Goddesses were with them, in that the weather was superb in terms of clarity, visibility and lighter winds than normal. (Temperatures at the summit can reach 20 to 30 degrees below zero with the wind chill factor). Nonetheless, as you can see from their wedding “attire”, it was cold (around 30 degrees).
To add to their adventure, the couple rode bicycles down from the summit – a total of 13+ miles that included 4 miles of unpaved road. (The bikes were named Vincent and Marcellus, from the movie “Pulp Fiction”). Regular bikes certainly would not do; the special-rental bikes had shock absorbers and disc brakes, which came in handy when descending at high speed from 13,000+ feet! Reverend Dard Aller, who is a triathlete, joined the couple in their descent.
According to Reverend Aller, who has married many people over the years on the Big Island (on the summit on Mauna Kea, on the beaches, underwater), Maria and Sam is his first “clients to marry on the summit AND bicycle down the entire descent. They want to market this as a new package to prospective couples, and plan to use photos from our event on their website for promotional materials. Kind of cool to be the “first of our kind”!
The wedding day ended with an elegant, private, 4-course dinner under a gazebo on Turtle Cove at the Fairmont Orchid. The couple’s 5-night stay on the Big Island was followed by an 8-night stay on Kauai, one of the most spectacular places on earth. There, Maria and Sam enjoyed many hiking adventures (including one 8-mile hike on the Kalau Trail of the Na Pali coast, considered one of the top 10 hikes in the world); a helicopter tour of the island, to include a view of the waterfall/landing from the 1st Jurassic Park movie, as well as of Mount Waiʻaleʻale, a shield volcano and the second highest point on the island of Kauai (its name literally means “rippling water” or “overflowing water”), and rightly so – at 5,148 feet, it is one of the rainiest spots on earth; and a kayak trip on the Wailua River, the only navigable river in the state of Hawaii.
While our wedding ceremony was intimate and shared only by the two of us, we thank the love and support of our families, especially our parents Lucio, Edvige, and Sara Brisbane Yothers, Sam’s daughters Lauren and Maria, and our many siblings, nieces, and nephews. The couple will celebrate their nuptials, with friends and close family, at a post-wedding celebration in April 2016. (Submitted by Maria D’Andrea).
“LA PRINCIPESSA LILIANA E IL PRESIDENTE MATTARELLA”
During his historic visit to the United States, President of the Republic of Italy Sergio Mattarella attended Mass at Washington's Holy Rosary Church on February 7 and paid a brief visit to Casa Italiana. At that time, he graciously consented to be photographed with Liliana Fuggitti, the nine month old granddaughter of AMHS members Joe and Joann Novello. This was an honor for the entire family and President Mattarella’s gentilezza will never be forgotten.