Superferry nears Hawaii

There is going to be a new way of traveling inter island between Oahu, Maui and Kauai: THE HAWAII SUPERFERRY. A trip between Maui and Kauai takes 3 hours.

Prices won’t fluctuate like those of the airlines and one-way are as follows:

ADULT     (TUE-THU): $52  (2 week online advance purchase: $44)
( FRI-MON): $62 (2 week online advance purchase: $54)

CHILDREN (ages 2-12) & SENIORS (62 and over): $41 (TUE-THU) and $51 (FRI-MON)

CAR or SUV: $59 off peak and $69 peak

Big Island trips coming in 2009 when a 2nd vessel comes on line. It will travel 4 hours and 15 minutes between the Big Island and Kauai and fares will cost an additional $10 to the ones above.

Here is a newspaper article from the Honolulu Star Bulletin…

By Dave Segal
dsegal@starbulletin.com

STORY SUMMARY »

The Hawaii Superferry will make its much-anticipated arrival in Hawaii waters tomorrow.

The Alakai arrives in a market transformed from three years ago, when its fares were approved. The interisland airfare war has slashed many ticket prices to far below what it would cost to travel on the vessel. But company executives say their business model isn’t threatened.

 read more at The Honolulu Star Bulletin

Wedding trend shows couples keen on family, traditions

Wedding trend shows couples keen on family, traditions
(http://www.post-trib.com/lifestyles/majeske/423142,weddingtrend.article)

June 12, 2007

By Diane Majeske Post-Tribune staff writer

The wedding was modern and casual, but just a hint of tradition peeked through.

“I wore something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue,” said Megan Rodriguez, who was married last month in Portage. “I mean, ever since I was a little girl I knew about that.”

Like many brides these days, Rodriguez put a personal spin on her special day. “I told (guests) they could just come in anything they wanted,” she said. “I wanted them to be comfortable. I don’t usually dress up, so I didn’t want them to feel like they had to.”

And while Rodriguez didn’t have a wedding party, there was one tradition she couldn’t pass up.

“I did have my father walk me up the aisle,” she said. “I’m a big daddy’s girl; I couldn’t imagine the day without him.”

Personalization — entwined with tradition — is one of the major trends style experts are seeing this year in weddings.

“It’s all about personalizing your wedding,” said Christa Vagnozzi, senior editor at The Knot, the all-encompassing wedding Web site that receives 3.2 million hits a month. “Weddings today are colorful, they’re casually elegant, and they’re all about personalization.”

The hot color this year is orange — from peach and melon to burnt sienna and chocolate, depending on the season. And, in one twist on tradition, bridesmaids may not all be dressing alike. Instead, they may wear different styles united by color, allowing them to show off a dress that’s actually flattering to them.

But that’s not the only change, Vagnozzi said.

Couples today may decide on a traditional ceremony in a non-traditional venue.

“These days, you can get married in your favorite art gallery, at a zoo, at an aquarium, on a rooftop, in a garden,” Vagnozzi said. “Weddings at home are very popular; brides love to get married in a place where they grew up.”

Destination weddings — to Rome, Italy, Venice, or closer to home in Hawaii — also are popular, she said.

But wherever the vows are said, there’s a notable recognition of family and heritage.

“Brides and grooms today are changing the traditions by including their own,” Vagnozzi said. “They may not throw the bouquet or toss the garter, but they’ll incorporate family traditions — it’s all about family.”

A Chinese bride may fit a ceremonial tea service into her wedding or reception, she said; an Italian bride may pass out time-honored Jordan almonds.

A ribbon from grandma’s wedding dress may hold together the stems of the flowers, or mom’s trademark cookies might be given as wedding favors.

Local disc jockey Steve Zana sees all types of traditions taking shape at the wedding receptions where he entertains with his “Let the Good Times Roll” DJ service.

“I think people love traditions, and I think a huge part of weddings is tradition,” said Zana, who also serves as a morning host on Indiana 105.5, WLJE-FM. “But everyone’s tradition is a little bit different.”

For example, he’s seen couples hold an anniversary dance, celebrating the longevity of marriage.

“They’ll start out and say, ‘OK, everyone who’s married, stand up and dance.’ Then, it’s ‘Everyone who was married today, sit down,’ and then it’ll be everyone married less than five years, sit down, and then they’ll get to 10 and 20 (years) to find out who’s been married the longest, until there’s just one couple left on the floor. I’ve seen brides who skip throwing the bouquet; they just give it to that couple.”

Even in the song selection, the couples orchestrate the moments that are important to them, he said.

“There is this one song by Heartland that’s very popular for father-daughter dances — it’s called ‘I Loved Her First,’” Zana said. “I remember at one wedding, the bride and groom started the dance, and then later, the father cut in. It was something they had planned, and it was just wonderfully classy, really nice.”

Rodriguez, of Portage, kept parts of her wedding traditional — with a white wedding gown, church locale, and of course, the old, new, borrowed, blue tradition.

For something old and something borrowed, she wore the wedding band of her husband’s late mother, and for something new and blue, she wore assorted jewelry given to her by her own mother.

Otherwise, she said, they kept it short and sweet.

“I didn’t want to deal with a lot of drama,” she said. “I loved it — I couldn’t be happier.”

Wedding Norms Challenged as Women Question Changing Names

Tuesday , June 12, 2007
By Lis Wiehl

June is the unofficial height of the wedding season so I couldn’t pass up a chance to weigh in on an issue many women encounter when tying the knot — the name change.

As young girls, we have all scribbled on our notebooks “Mrs. ‘insert fifth grade crush’s name here.’” But back in fifth grade, we probably weren’t thinking about the legal and social implications of a woman changing her surname to reflect that of her new husband. Now, however, women have a choice to make. Do I hyphenate? Do I change my last name when I’m known in my profession by my maiden name? If I do change my name, do I lose a part of my identity? Or if I don’t, do I correct people when they call me “Mrs. _____”? As a woman who did not change her last name, I know these are questions I had to answer for myself.

Traditional social mores and values dictate that women should adopt their husbands’ surnames upon marriage. Women were once considered property and changing thelast name reflected this. Although not true anymore in the legal or social sense, name changing symbolically still reflects unity and commitment. Lucy Stone, a prevalent antislavery activist and woman suffragist, became the first woman on American record to not change her surname upon marriage in 1855. Now, Lucy Stone’s name continues to be synonymous with the movement against name change. In the mid-1920s the Lucy Stone League was formed, a committee dedicated to name change equality for men and women. The organization likens name change to certain prisons where prisoners are given a number instead of being called by their names.

Although many of us may not take this idea as far as the Lucy Stone League, questions of identity may be of importance when deciding whether or not to change your name after marriage. In a recent study by University of Florida Professor Diana Boxer, one woman expressed dismay at losing part of her ethnic heritage by changing her last name. The results of the study indicate that many women are concerned about the confusion their kids may encounter when mom has a different last name, and also that women who are in professional fields are less likely to change their names.

The results are not surprising. As women began to assume a more professional role in the workplace in the 70s and 80s, the number of women who kept their maiden names also increased. If I had to guess the reason behind the upswing, I’d say that women began marrying later in life, allowing more time for career and finding they have “made a name for themselves” in their respective professions. But, like bell-bottoms and aviator sunglasses, most trends come back around and women are once again beginning to adopt their husband’s names. Statistics now show that roughly 90 percent of all married women take on their partner’s surname — even though women are marrying even later in life.

So what does the law say? When signing a marriage certificate, a woman has a choice to write in what her new last name will be. However, only six states — Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New York, and Delaware — have the same option for men to change their name. In a recent court case in California, a man wished to take his wife’s name, but court fees were much higher and requirements more burdensome than a woman who takes on her husband’s name. A man in California must advertise his plan to change his name change for four weeks in a newspaper, as well as get approval from a judge! Similarly, in Virginia, a woman can change or hyphenate her name after marriage without any court proceedings, but a man should petition for the name change in court which means higher costs and more time.

Since society (and apparently also our courts) believes it’s the norm for women to change their name, we encounter much less hassle. So after indicating your choice to change your last name, the most important move to make is to notify the Social Security Administration by filling out a SS-5 form online or through the mail. The Social Security Administration will then notify the IRS of the change. Next, head down to the local department of motor vehicles and get a new driver’s license (and even a better picture this time).

Additionally, let your employer know so paychecks can be adjusted to reflect the change. Lastly, notify everyone — really, everyone: bank, brokerage and other investment accounts, credit cards, medical offices, insurance companies, state and local tax boards, passport office, voter registration, utilities, your mother. But don’t panic because all of this can be done after you get back from your honeymoon or by the handy use of a “name change kit” sold on most wedding websites. These kits come with everything you need to make the change including forms and a check-list to make sure you notify everyone important.

And regardless of the name choice you make … just remember a good marriage is more than just a name.

Webbed Bliss: Brides and Grooms Tell All Online

On New Wedding Sites:
Proposal Videos, Blogs
And Updates on the Ring

By RACHEL DODES

Jogging in Atlanta a year ago, Chris Tuff tripped and fell. As his girlfriend, Julie Augustyniak, tried to help him up, Mr. Tuff, already on bended knee, pulled a diamond ring from his gym shorts.

“Julie, I love you more than anything in the world,” he said. Unbeknownst to Ms. Augustyniak, a cameraman lurking in a parked car nearby zoomed in and recorded her running into the street, screaming. She eventually calmed down enough to say yes — on camera. (See the proposal video.)

In case you missed this scene, you can now watch it on the couple’s wedding Web site www.doublemintwedding.com². At the bottom of their home page is a poll asking guests whether posting the engagement video online is a) very cute, b) cheesy, c) classic, or d) Chris’s idea.

Wedding Web sites — also known as “Wed sites” — were originally conceived as a convenient way for couples to notify guests of wedding events, provide directions and link to gift registries. Now they are turning into elaborate hubs of matrimonial exhibitionism, with confessional stories, courtship videos, and blow-by-blow accounts of the preparations.

In the “News and Updates” section on her Web site, bride-to-be Monika Razpotnik griped that making her own centerpieces was “a disaster,” finding a band was “a nightmare,” and looking for a dress was “a total disappointment.”

“I am usually not in the best mood, so I tell everybody to look at the Web site to see why,” says Ms. Razpotnik, a singer in a wedding band, who is inviting 600 people to her October nuptials in Oakville, Ontario. One voyeur wrote Ms. Razpotnik an email saying that after reading the bridal blog, she’s too scared to get married.

Marisa Stones, manager at a financial-services company in Bermuda, used her wedding blog to keep friends and family members up to date on her engagement ring: “The ring has a three-stone setting. The middle stone is a princess-cut diamond, .74 carats, clarity of VS1, and color E,” wrote Mrs. Stones. “The side stones are amazing sapphires that weigh about half a carat altogether.”

Also included on the site: video clips of a theatrical performance of the song “One” from “A Chorus Line” in which the bride and groom perform, and a tune performed by a traditional Scottish pipe band. The bride, in her wedding dress, dances the Highland Fling with several young dancers in kilts.

Wedding sites “used to be very ‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ ” says David Liu, chief executive of TheKnot.com³, an online purveyor of wedding products that started offering free wedding Web pages in 1999. These days, couples are opting for fancier “premium” Web sites, where they can pay around $70 a year for features like vanity URLs, music, video footage and blogs to track couples’ thoughts and feelings leading up to the big day.

Etiquette writer Peggy Post, the great-granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post, says that, for better or for worse, revealing personal information on Web pages is now part of our culture. But when it comes to wedding sites, she draws the line at long-winded descriptions of dates leading up to the proposal: “It is similar to sending an e-blast on the process of giving birth,” she says. “Show me the child, not the process.”

(read the Wall Street Journal Article here)