Celebrate with us in Hawaii

Chris fell in love with Joana when they met at her housewarming and 2016 New Years party. A few days later, he surprised her at work with flowers and lunch, and asked her on a date. Even though Chris was living in Hawaii and Joana in Pittsburgh, they went on a date together and never turned back. Even though they were thousands of miles apart, destiny and a scholarship brought them together when Chris was accepted into Pitt law. Their love, adventures, and family grew over the following few years. Together they adopted 2 kittens that Joana fixed, Picasso and Hanai, followed by a rescued puppy, Zuko. In the Summer of 2020 Chris proposed to Joana under the beautiful 'Ulu tree at the family home in Kaneohe while on a quarantine Hawaii staycation. We celebrated our love and began to bring our families together. It is under the same 'Ulu tree that we will exchange vows. We are excited to bring you a Brazilian-Hawaiian fusion experience to share our journey to matrimony with our friends and family. We hope to perpetuate and honor our relationship and include all our guests in our story of unconditional love.

Joana Barandier Goic Joana is half Brazilian, half Chilean and spent her childhood going back and forth between the San Francisco Bay area and her family's home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Growing up, she always wanted to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and become a veterinarian. Her path started with an undergrad in integrative biology at UC Berkeley. Her dreams were achieved when she graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. Her dreams then led her to complete a residency in Emergency and Critical Care at Michigan State University, and she has since been practicing as a Critical Care specialist outside of Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to helping the animals and their families, Joana enjoys teaching her team of residents and interns, and has grown to become the medical director of the hospital. Although the decision to take a job in Pittsburgh far from where she grew up may seem random, it led to her meeting the love-of-her-life at her house-warming parting shortly after making the move. In her free time, Joana enjoys cooking and baking, eating and wine tasting, horseback riding, taking pottery classes and other experiences with Chris, puzzles and crosswords, and taking the fur family on hikes and walks around the neighborhood. Joana couldn't be happier with the past few years where she and Chris have grown and adventures together, and looks forward to the many years to come! She looks forward to joining the Takemoto-Gentile family, and further experiencing the warm and wonderful Hawaiian culture. Christopher Keli'i Takemoto-Gentile Chris grew up learning about all of his ethnicities, which include Hawaiian, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. Growing up he would go to school in Hawaii and travel to Buffalo, New York to visit family in the summer. Chris grew up playing as much soccer/futbol as possible, even traveling to Europe for a tournament. After that experience, all he wanted to do was travel and adventure. It was this pursuit of family, friends, adventures, and travel that led him to meet Joana in Pittsburgh. After spending Christmas in Buffalo, Chris went to visit friends in Pittsburgh where he met Joana. The first moment Chris met Joana, he knew she could be the one and treated her as such, from that moment forward. Fate stepped in when Chris received a scholarship to attend the University of Pittsburgh School of law a year after meeting Joana and the rest is history. In his free time, Chris likes to Escape from Tarkov, enjoys dueling as a wizard playing magic cards, and going on hikes/walks. He loves being with Joana because she is accepting of who he is and is always ready for an adventure, having friends over, or shopping. Vacationing with Joana is the best though, you should join them some time! Chris is very excited to become a part of Joana's family and friends. Welcome to the islands!