HONOLULU (AP) — A couple getting
married near President Barack Obama's vacation spot in Hawaii learned
the hard way that the big day rarely goes exactly as planned.
Natalie Heimel
and Edward Mallue Jr. — both U.S. Army captains stationed in Hawaii —
were scheduled to tie the knot Sunday at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course, a
military course with ocean views near Obama's rented vacation home in
Kailua.
But after their
rehearsal on Saturday, they were told they'd have to move their wedding
away from the 16th hole because Obama and his friends planned to golf,
Heimel's sister, Christie McConnell told The Associated Press.
"They're
both pretty even-tempered and planners," McConnell said of the couple,
who met in 2011 while stationed in Germany. "I'm sure it was a little
bit of stress, but they seemed fine."
The
ceremony relocated to another part of the course that offered better
views than the 16th hole, she said, adding that some guests even caught a
glimpse of Obama as he golfed.
After
the ceremony was done and members of the bridal party were taking
photos, Mallue got a call from the wedding planner asking permission
give the president his cellphone number, said McConnell, a bridesmaid.
Then, Obama called and Mallue put the call on speakerphone.
"We all hovered around,
all excited, listening," McConnell said. Obama asked how long they had
been "going out," chatted about golf and apologized for disrupting their
plans. "He was really funny and nice on the phone."
On Monday, Obama was back on the
green, this time at a private course a few miles away. Putting on the
18th hole, Obama offered a few compliments to his golf partners before
attempting a chip shot as the sun set behind him over the Koolau
Mountains.
Typically, when
Obama is involved in recreational activities like golf or hiking, the
events are considered "unofficial" and not announced beforehand on his
public schedule. Keeping the events a secret until they take place
allows the Secret Service to minimize the costs and disruption involved
in securing a location for Obama's arrival, but it also makes it harder
for the public to anticipate when a presidential visit might throw a
wrench in their plans.
In
this case, the White House didn't know in advance that the couple was
being told they had to relocate, said a person familiar with the chain
of events, who wasn't authorized to be identified publicly and requested
anonymity. The White House declined to comment on the record.
This
isn't the first time Obama has faced questions about the timing of his
frequent golf outings. In August, Obama golfed on Martha's Vineyard just
after speaking to the nation on the Islamic State's beheading of U.S.
journalist James Foley. Obama later conceded he "should have anticipated
the optics."For the newlywed couple, at least, there were no hard feelings about the change in plans, which was first reported by Bloomberg. McConnell said the phone call from the president made the wedding all the more memorable.
"There were no hard feelings about the move," she said. "It was all a good thing." - AP