Obama's golf outing forces soldiers to relocate wedding

The president called the bride-to-be to apologize

U.S. President Barack Obama puts his putter in the bag after he and Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak played on the 18th green in Kaneohe
U.S. President Barack Obama puts his putter in the bag after he and Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak played on the 18th green at the Clipper Golf course on Marine Corps Base Hawaii during Obama's Christmas holiday vacation in Kaneohe, Hawaii, December 24, 2014. REUTERS/Hugh Gentry (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) (REUTERS)

President Barack Obama's golf outing in Hawaii forced a pair of soon-to-be-newlyweds to relocate their picturesque wedding, Bloomberg Politics reports. Natalie Heimel and her fiancé, Edward Mallue Jr., both captains in the Army, were scheduled to be married Sunday near the 16th hole at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course, located on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Knowing the Obamas spend their Christmas vacation there, the pair had invited the president to attend their ceremony. Not surprisingly, they received a letter on Saturday morning from the White House saying the commander in chief regretfully could not attend and wishing them well. More troubling, however, was when hours later, during their wedding rehearsal, the couple was informed they'd have to move the ceremony because the president was playing there.

“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 Politics. “It was emotional, especially for her — she’s the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned.”

But President Obama came to her emotional rescue, placing a personal phone to the bride, an officer with the U.S. Army's 29th Engineer Battalion in Haleiwa.


“He apologized and congratulated them,” McCarthy said. “We were all there, it was perfect. Made their day.”

Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr. receive a call from President Obama, whose golf game forced the relocation of their wedding ceremony. (Instagram/@Runalicious)
Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr. receive a call from President Obama, whose golf game forced the relocation of their wedding ceremony. (Instagram/@Runalicious)

The wedding was relocated to another spot on the golf course: "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 a venue unless you're an avid golfer,” Naile Brennan, manager of K Bay Catering, told the news service. “It's more secluded and there are no golfers yelling, 'Fore!'”

According to the White House, the First Foursome on Sunday included Greg Orme, Mike Ramos and Bobby Titcomb, friends from Obama's high school days in Hawaii. According to pool reports, their round lasted about five hours.

Through Sunday, the Daily News notes, President Obama has golfed six times in the nine days he's been in Hawaii.