Army captains Natalie Heimel and her fiancé Edward Mallue, Jr. wanted to have their dream wedding at the 16th tee box at Hawaii's Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course. Unfortunately, President Barack Obama ruined that dream for them.
On Dec. 27, the couple remained in good spirits after their tongue-in-cheek wedding invitation sent to the White House was declined. The president was on vacation on the island for the holidays and, on a whim, they decided to invite him to grace their wedding ceremony.
However, just hours after they received the president's RSVP and immediately after their wedding rehearsal at the 16th hole, the couple received another message from the golf course management that they had to transfer their wedding somewhere else. The president was in town and he wanted to play golf at the famous 16th hole. The wedding was to be held on Sunday, the very next day.
"It was kind of ironic they got the letter from them and then, within hours, they were told they had to be moved due to him," Jamie McCarthy, Mallue's sister, told Bloomberg. "It was emotional, especially for her -- she's the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned."
Situated on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course is known as one of Obama's favorite golfing spots in Hawaii, providing a breathtaking view of the Ko'olau Mountains on the front nine holes and the Pacific Ocean on the back nine.
K Bay Catering's Naile Brennan, the couple's wedding planner, says the 16th hole is a popular wedding venue because of its beautiful views, but it is implicitly understood that plans are subject to change anytime the president is in the area.
Thankfully, the couple found a new venue at the last minute, which Brennan says is much nicer anyway. The newlyweds exchanged their vows on a lawn near base commander Colonel Eric Schaefer's home, which overlooks the 16th hole.
"It's a much prettier and much nicer venue unless you're an avid golfer," said Brennan. "It's more secluded and there are no golfers yelling, 'Fore!'"
After the White House caught wind of the story from Bloomberg, the president tried to make amends by personally calling the couple on their wedding day to apologize. A video of the call has been provided by the family of the bride to CNN.
"Listen, congratulations on your wedding," Obama said. "I feel terrible. Nobody told us. If they had just mentioned that they were going to have a wedding on the 16th hole, we would have skipped the 16th hole. I hope the wedding went okay anyway."
The video showed the newlyweds smiling and laughing with their friends in the background as they listened to the president's every word. They told him the wedding went fine and they were, in fact, watching him golf down at the 16th hole.
"That must have been painful," Obama answered.
Asked by Mallue, himself a golf enthusiast like Obama, what he shot, Obama said he shot an 84, although it would have been a 79 if he skipped the 16th hole.
He then proceeded to a bit of small talk by asking them how the military couple met. Mallue answered by saying they met in Germany after both attended West Point. The couple now lives in Hawaii.
"Now, the only question is, where do you honeymoon when you live in Hawaii?" Obama said.
"We haven't figured that part out yet," the bride answered.
"Might be Fort Polk, Louisiana," interjected the groom.
Before the call ended, the couple invited the president to their reception, which he again declined with a jest about his security needs.
"Everybody would have to be magged," the president said. "Sorry for the change of plans. But sounds like you guys are going to have a great wedding and at least you will have a good story to tell. Congratulations and thank you both for your service."
