I met Hannah one fateful Saturday night in April, 2011. I was working late at SOMACentral, a coworking space in San Francisco, on a side project called RandTxt. My project was supposed to be the “Chatroulette for text messages”, but before I started writing code I wanted to talk to some potential users. I wandered the halls looking for other people who were staying late, and found Hannah huddled at her desk working too.
I had seen Hannah before, as I had to pass her desk each day to get to my office, but I had never spoken to her before. So I walked over, sat down next to her, and asked “Hey, do you like to talk to strangers?”. “Why yes I do!” she replied.
We became fast friends due to our shared love of McDonalds and Safeway soup, and we started dating a little over a year later. Over the years, our relationship has grown in so many ways -- from our first hike to Bass Lake, to our (her) first cat (Hermes, in 2012), to our first trip together (to Hawaii! In 2013). We bonded over our shared love of good food, good friends, and pineapples.
Andrew had invited me on bike ride and picnic dinner,
on an otherwise uneventful Wednesday night. Little did
I know the bike ride would change our lives forever.
The ride itself started off a bit odd. It was further
than we usually went (especially on crummy gBikes) and
much smellier due to the flocks of seabirds.
Andrew led us along the bumpy, non-paved road, and had
us stop right by the Pelican Nesting View. After taking a
whiff, he quickly suggested we continue biking. When we
escaped the smell of waterfowl, we stopped and Andrew
laid out a picnic blanket and dinner.
We had dinner and I was pretty cold so I began to pack up
quickly, but Andrew wasn’t as eager to leave and asked if
I would like dessert. My answer was obvious.
He brought out four desserts including two fortune cookies.
I grabbed a cookie and cracked it open. It read, “Will you marry me?”
In the briefest second I thought to myself, “This is a weird fortune.”
I looked over and Andrew was down on one knee with a box open and in it,
a beautiful ring.
I didn’t know what to say so I said the most Hannah thing possible…
When I look back on our engagement, what stands out is the love, joy,
humor,and excitement I felt that night. I couldn’t imagine spending
the rest of my life with anyone else.
Friday, January 24th, 2020
Our wedding will be held at the Paliku Gardens at Kualoa Ranch, about 40 minutes outside of Honolulu.
Shuttles will pick up in front of the Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore.
Join us for more dancing and shenanigans at the after party! A shuttle will pick up from the reception and take us to the Beach House Sports Bar & Grill. Only guests 21+ may attend.
Kualoa Ranch, Oahu, Hawaii
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020
We’d love our families to meet and enjoy a full day of fun activities. Please meet us in the lobby of the hotel (Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore) for a day of fun followed by a family dinner.
Thursday, January 23th, 2020
The party will be held at the Aloha Event Center, Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore. This is a chance for everyone to meet and mingle. Join us for a delicious dinner and drinks.
Saturday, January 25th, 2020
Enjoy another day with us, including traditional Vietnamese food for Lunar New Year, island fair, and fun beach activities including swimming, kayaking, boat rides, volleyball, and lounging.
To attend the Beach Activity Day, you must pick up a wristband at the Welcome Party and bring it with you on Saturday. Do not lose your wristband!
Beach Activity Day will be held at Secret Island at Kualoa Ranch. Park by the docks in this parking lot. The island is available starting at 9 AM if you would like to get the party started early, but feel free to sleep in and join later as well. Hannah and Andrew will arrive around 11 AM. Boats will shuttle people back and forth between the docks and the island every 30 minutes.
We’re so excited to share this special time with you and would love you to join us for
festivities from Thursday, January 23rd through Saturday, January 25th.
Family members: please plan to arrive by Tuesday evening, January 21st.
Oahu’s major airport is Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu. Most transpacific flights land here whether from the mainland or other countries.
We have reserved a block of rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore from Jan 23rd through Jan 26th. We've gotten the following discounted rates:
PLEASE USE THIS LINK TO BOOK YOUR HOTEL AND GET THE DISCOUNT.
Note that the shuttle will pick up and drop off from here and the other events will be held in this area.
If you are booking different accommodations we recommend staying nearby.
We’ll organize shuttles for the ceremony, reception, and after party. Lyft and Uber are available on the island but we’d recommend renting a car if you’re doing your own day trips.
We ask that each of our guests share a picture of them with Hannah or Andrew or both. Please share the picture(s) by adding it to our Google Photos album or emailing: handrewlee.2020@gmail.com. The photos will be shown during the reception
If you wish to give something, please consider donating to one of the following charities that are close to our hearts.
Please reply to your invitation by Thursday, November 21st, 2019
Plan to celebrate with us from Thursday, January 23rd through Saturday night, January 25th, 2020. Family members, please arrive by Tuesday evening, January 21st.
The venue is outside in a grassy and slightly hilly area. Avoid wearing stilettos and other high heels. Remember we’ll be dancing =)
Yes, children are invited. Please indicate attendance on the RSVP. Let us know if you have little ones joining as we’d like to organize babysitters during the wedding.
Yes! We want parents to enjoy dinner and dancing and have arranged for babysitters where you can drop off your children for a break, nap, etc. We’ll also provide coloring books and crayons for your little ones.
Yes, we will organize shuttles to and from the wedding venue and after party. The pickup and drop off will be from the Courtyard by Marriott Oahu North Shore.
Oahu in January is very pleasant, with temperatures usually ranging from a low of 68° F to a high of 78° F. There are often brief showers in the mid-afternoon. We’ll be watching the weather carefully leading up to the wedding and will update you as needed.
Dinner at the wedding reception will be buffet-style, and we will have vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free options. If you have other food restrictions, please state them in your RSVP.
Please use #HappiLeeEverAfter to tag photos from our wedding.
Please organize your own transportation to and from (there are no shuttles). Park or get dropped off at the Secret Island parking area. Parking is very limited so please carpool as much as possible. Boats will take you from the parking area over to the island every 30 minutes, starting at 9 AM, so please wait patiently for the next boat once you arrive.