President Obama forced a couple to relocate their wedding on a Hawaiian golf course because he flew all the way across the country and, dammit, he was going to get a round in.
Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr. who are both captains in the Army, were scheduled to get married at the 16th tee box at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course. The day before their wedding, they were informed that the ceremony would have to be moved to a different location because the President was planning on playing golf that day.
To add insult to injury, the couple had invited the President to their wedding, knowing that he would be in Hawaii at the time, and received a letter declining their invitation the same day they were told to relocate their wedding. Bloomberg reports:
"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, said in an interview. "It was emotional, especially for her—she's the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned."
Ok, so this all sounds pretty selfish and seems to show a complete lack of self-awareness on the part of the President. HOWEVER, there's more. The course is apparently one of Obama's favorite places to play when he's in town. With that in mind, the couple was warned that something like this might happen and had backup locations planned and ready to go.
Still, anyone planning an event at the course when the president may be in town is warned about the potential for last-minute shuffling, said Naile Brennan, manager of K Bay Catering, which was handling logistics for the wedding. Brennan said they had other sites ready to go, and the couple ended up choosing the lush, green lawn near the home of Colonel Eric Schaefer, the commanding officer of the base, which offers an elevated view near the 16th hole.
"It's much prettier and much nicer venue unless you're an avid golfer," Brennan said. "It's more secluded and there are no golfers yelling, 'Fore!'"
Plus, the President later made a personal call to the couple to apologize.
Oahu is not a huge island, and everyone knows that that inconveniences and delays are likely to occur when the President goes literally anywhere. And although I doubt this is the way anyone wanted things to go down, it seems like everything was copacetic in the end. The newlyweds were still able to enjoy a beautiful wedding and the President was able to relax and remember that he has less than two years left to deal with all this presidential bullshit.
Image via Getty.