bridetov

Thanks. It's been 9 months but it still seems like yesterday. FYI- I only jumped on these boards again bc. I was getting a lot of PMs. However, life is hectic and I have a new house to paint! So if you need anything else- feel free to PM me (I'll get notification through my email). Otherwise, I'm signing off for now Best of luck and just know- you wedding will be what you put into it!!

@Pinklilikoi- Eeee!! Isn't she the best?! Tell Della that 'Tami says hi' next time you talk to her. We had THE BEST time planning my wedding. Honestly- Della works magic with flowers... and everything she touches for that matter. I know they aren't for everyone- but you should look into Proteas. Della lives on a Protea Flower farm and has them coming out of her ears. I bet cost on those flowers would be really low. Besides, I think they are such an exotic and cool and Maui-licious flower, it could be really neat and unique. Just thought I'd throw that out there. I wish I'd thought of it for my own wedding. Dellables is also on Facebook AND they have a blog that they really keep on top of. Again, you should check them out. I still stalk her even though we've been married for over 9 months

Again, I'm going to say Dellables. They do weddings ALL over the island and they are very reasonable as far as pricing. It smelled... like nothing you've ever smelled before. Bliss.

Oh- and don't worry about not having a trial if you go with Dan and Jessica. I had a few inspiration photos for them- but on my wedding day, I asked what they thought would look best on me (after all, THEY are the experts) and after seeing my dress, the decor, and everything- they nailed it perfectly. I was nervous about not having a trial at first too. I shouldn't have wasted my time

I believe both Dan and Jessica are in Kihei (which is right next to Wailea). They (and their assistants) both came to me over on the west side in Lahaina on my wedding day. You have to pay a travel fee- which I think if you are down south, is $50.00 (each). As far as their cost, I *think* it was about $100 for makeup, and $125 for hair. That said, I paid 2009 prices (they were the first vendors I booked- 12 months in advance). Hey, besides photography- they were my most important vendors. So on top of what I'm sure are higher prices for 2011, you also have the travel fees, tips!!, and tax. It adds up quickly. But again- they are the best on the island and... you will look the best you've ever looked in your life. AND, you don't have to pay for trials, so that is a savings there. As far as their websites go- I have them (and all my vendors) websites listed somewhere on my planning page. Click HERE.

No, but Cherise from The Perfect Wedding Maui was my coordinator and she was... out of this world. And on top of that- she was the least expensive that I could find on the island. For FULL wedding coordination AND day of, we paid $700.00. Feel free to check out my photos to see how incredible it was. And honestly- my coordinator was the reason it was so great. Don't mind her website- it's a little hokey but it's NOT representative of her work.

We had an optional chartered sailing snorkel cruise (we chartered the entire boat so it was much more private) as, like someone above me said, we found out many of our guests got sea sick. But for those that did come- it was a blast! For our welcome dinner, we all went to the Old Lahaina Luau. It was superb and again, everyone loved it. The Feast of Lele is also nice- it's just not a "traditional luau" and I really wanted my guests to experience that. They are both really great though. Then for the rehearsal dinner we had a very informal lunch at Aloha Mixed Plate.

We (surprise) rented my dad a bright yellow convertible Corvette to have during the wedding. It was more of a joke than anything. But I have to say, it made for a fun drive up the northern edge of the island. If you want something really cheeky (and I think people would get SUCH a kick out of it), you could go for something like this. Personally, I wish I had thought of it but it was only upon our return to the island after the wedding that they had made their appearance. Not for everyone, but the pictures (and reactions) would be priceless.

Dellables is... I'm not even sure I have words for how amazing she is. She oozes creativity, works with you on your budget, is so in love with weddings and anything beautiful you can't helped but to be sucked into her aromatic world. I had a vision for my wedding with dripping orchids all over the place... and she just ran with it. Everything was even MORE gorgeous than I can begin to explain. Click here. You won't be sorry.

I used Dan Sanchez and Jessica Waite as well. It was a no brainer. Are they pricey? Yup. Was it worth it- I would have even paid more if they wanted me too. I looked flawless. How often can you say that about yourself?

Honestly- go with Dellables. Not only does she do amazing work, but she's just FABULOUS to work with. She did all the decor and flowers for my wedding, and honestly- she made all the difference.

Hi there, I'd be happy to help you navigate the treacherous wedding vendor waters. I didn't have anyone to help me when I was planning- so now that I've done tons and tons and tons or research AND had a very successful wedding I'd be happy to help you as much as I can. I seriously feel like I had the Maui Wedding Dream Team working for me. Everyone was beyond incredible. You can message me with your email address and we can communicate that way too. I've helped several Maui brides from these boards and it's worked quite well that way. To (quickly) answer your questions: 1. Congrats on your engagement!!! <I know that's not an answer, but wanted to put it out there> 2. Food for the Soul is, in a word, Ah-mazing. Their food, presentation, communication, and heart... is just top notch. I honestly feel like they made my wedding more special because they were part of it. I know they are "just caterers" .... but with this company, you get a husband and wife team that are in the industry because they love it. Tell Tina I say hi... I just adore her! 3. After a lot of thought, I decided to have Food for the Soul do the full bar for us instead of us doing our own through Costco, etc. At first, I wasn't sure if this was the right call (we were on a tight budget). But in hindsight, I'm so glad we went this route. When you are out on the island for your wedding, expect to be 100% busier and more frazzled than you think you will be. We would have had zero time to go and get all the additional items such as garnishes, ice!!!, containers for ice, mixers, stirrers, etc. etc. etc. And even if we had time- just setting it up and "making it all work" would have been next to impossible. Also- you don't want to put this job on one of your guests bc. it's a lot of work. In the end, we didn't have to worry about a thing and everything went perfectly. FFTS's presentation was awesome too. They set everything up and tore it down- and, I didn't need to know about any of it. When you add up all the costs, I really think it's worth while. Oh- and Tina was so accommodating with special requests on wine and beer types and also had some fabulous suggestions of her own (esp. when it came to pairing the wine with the food, etc). 4. We did order our cake through FFTS. There are certain things that I really cared about- and cake wasn't one of them. That said- I sent a few "inspiration" photos to Tina and she shopped around the best price for me. We picked our flavors and then I just sent them the ribbon I wanted to use, and brought my cake toppers. I didn't really think of anything beyond that. But I have to say, I start to salivate a bit when I think back to it. It was the most scrumptious cake ever!! Everyone was raving about it and wanted the left overs I'm still not sure who Tina went through for the cake- but ask her who she used for my (Tami) wedding and I'm sure she'll be able to look it up. Oh- and it was so nice not having to worry about yet another vendor. FFTS took care of EVERYTHING. All I know is it was there when we needed it and it was perfect! Again, in hindsight, I'm so glad it was such a hit. I consider myself lucky for it turning out so wonderfully and not putting too much thought into it. 5. FFTS provided linens (I upgraded to ivory) and I worked pretty closely with Della on the table decor design (I bought some items and had them shipped over and Della provided some of the items as well). As to who set everything up- to be honest, I don't know if it was FFTS, Della, or my coordinator Cherise (I was upstairs getting ready) I have a feeling it was all of them working together on it though. They are all good friends (which made it even more fun). Della is OUT OF THIS WORLD too. If you are thinking of going with her- DO IT!! (tell her I say hi too) She just oozes creativity and is SO fun to work with. Her energy is contagious and... I just fell in love with her. I made some wedding slide shows recently and just popped them on my blog yesterday. Feel free to take a gander: http://tami-licious-life.blogspot.com/ (click on the "At the Alter" page on the top navigation bar). Again, I'm happy to help you if you need anything! I love this stuff Tami

I went barefoot for the ceremony & reception. But putting on a small heel for our dance worked out really nicely because my dress was shortened (ever so slightly) and made it much less likely that me (or hubs) would step on it.

I'd say MOST couples get married at Olowalu. I've personally known a few and they've all had RAVE reviews. It's set up perfectly for weddings, their staff is super nice, and it's... picture perfect. Just ask Cherise about it- she's done a TON of weddings there.

Dan Sanchez is the go-to guy for wedding hair. I swear, I've never seen my hair look so beautiful in my entire life... and I didn't even have a trial! He's a little pricier than some, but SO worth it!

See... I told you so I knew you would love Cherise... she's just a dream come true, no? Hubs and I are headed back to Maui for Thanksgiving and I can't wait to catch up with her again! And Food for the Soul... just WONDERFUL!!! I'm so happy they both lived up to your expectations. I didn't realize you had some guests stay at Papakea!! You should have let me know as I could have (probably) gotten you a discount. I know the coordinator there... and she owes me a favor But glad you liked it. It's just too bad that they don't let you have music in the cabanas... that's the only reason we had our Rehearsal Dinner at Aloha Mixed Plate. But hey- the cabanas at Papakea are free.. so I guess it's not that bad It can be so hard to know who to hire/trust as a vendor for your wedding. But gals- if you are looking for an incredible coordinator at a VERY good price ... please look up Cherise at The Perfect Wedding. She'll be sure to knock your socks off! They are also on FaceBook too if you want to look them up.

Hey Vaneska- I just sent you a private message!

It's nerve racking planning a wedding from so far away. You can't go about it the same way you would a wedding down the street or even in the next city over. It takes a lot of communication and... faith in the people you hire. And just finding those people, is a daunting task. I am a planner by nature, but I knew I needed a point person on the island to help me with my April 2010 wedding. I had a list of pretty strict requirements when I set out on my search for a wedding planner: 1) They couldn't break the bank (I had a strict budget) 2) They had to *respect* the budget I was working with even after I hired them (I've heard horror stories about this) 3) They needed to be very prompt with their correspondence (I timed them all), 4) They needed to be even more organized than I was (no small feat) 5) They couldn't charge me a percentage of each vendor they booked (that's a racket and gives coordinators no incentive to keep to your budget) 5) They had to be fairly open with vendors I wanted to work with (no strict lists with only certain people I could hire, and 6) I had to get a good "vibe" from them (after all, I was going to be working with them a lot in the following months). I interviewed a lot of coordinators and not a single one met all my requirements. That was, until I met Cherise at The Perfect Wedding. Even once I hired her, I was still dubious because she seemed too good to be true. However, now that everything is said and done and I'm happily married, I can officially say that this business is out of this world and (even with this strict list of requirements) FAR exceeded my expectations. The first thing that really set this business apart from the rest was Cherise's communication. There was never a time when she didn't respond to one of my phone calls or emails within 24 hours. Or, if she had a few events that took her away from the office- she would let me know ahead of time. I always received answers to my questions throughly and promptly (and for any of you that have had to contact vendors in Maui- you know was a rarity this is). I already had in mind a few vendors that I wanted to use and Cherise was open to that. Though, when I needed help with selecting others- she provided me with some AMAZING referrals. In the end, I firmly believe that I had the Maui-Wedding-Dream-Team of vendors working for us on our big day and Cherise was the driving force behind it all. I had an intricate idea of what I wanted our small (25 person) Maui destination wedding to be like. When I explained this to Cherise, she immediately "got it" and really stuck to my vision the entire time. We rented a private estate which meant that all vendors (from chair rentals to caterers to audio equipment) had to be organized and brought in. Even though I thought I already knew what all went into planning for a wedding (like I said, I'm organized to a fault), more than a few times Cherise alerted me to things that I hadn't even thought of. It's this attention to detail that made our event flawless from the very beginning. So planning everything was a breeze- but how did it all turn out? In a word: Incredible. It was amazing to have her there from the first day of planning (9 months in advance) all the way to the day of our wedding. We had the wedding of our dreams. Every detail was attended to with such care and insight. In the end, not a single thing when wrong on our wedding day and I was able to sit back and really enjoy all of it. I would have never been able to do this had it not been for Cherise. Cherise is such a sweet woman, but she also knows how to run a tight ship. There is an amazing amount of people and things to coordinate on the actual day but because Cherise was there, I was able to take in every special moment with my friends and family. That fact alone made hiring The Perfect Wedding worth while. But factor in the millions of other things Cherise did for - priceless. There were NO unexpected "fees" or hidden costs- I received a nicely organized Excel Sheet that broke everything down so I knew the exact cost of everything. Every interaction I had with The Perfect Wedding was a positive one- which made the entire process FUN. I also felt as if my wedding were just as important and special to Cherise, as it was to my husband, our family and friends, and myself. And at the end of the day, The Perfect Wedding far exceeded my expectations (which were pretty high to begin with). There aren't enough mahalos I can give to show our appreciation.

I used Dan Sanchez (hair) and Jessica Waite (MUA). They were OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD. That said, they ARE pricey. It was one of the things I splurged on because 1) I knew their work was amazing (I'd seen their work first hand) and 2) I wanted to look back at my wedding pictures and look beautiful. For me- that was worth the price tag. They work amazingly well together and you definately get what you pay for with them!

Oh wow. Oh WOW!! I'm so sorry to hear this happened to you! What a horrible experience. I just can't believe there are people out there like this. Â For anyone looking for a phenomenal and budget-friendly wedding planner- Cherise from The Perfect Wedding (here is the link: http://www.theperfectweddingmaui.com/) is out of this world. I hired her for my Maui DW 5 months ago and she was more on top of things than I can begin to explain. Not once did I wait more than 24 hours to hear back from her via email or phone (whichever I wanted at the time) and she was such a source of calm and positive energy throughout the entire 9 month planning process AND the day of. I didn't see anyone that offered what she did for the amount she did. Her website is a tad bit hokey- but it's no reflection of the job she did (it's a Maui thing) Â I really can't sing her praises enough. Just for those girls out there that are looking for a planner and don't know who to trust.

Hey there! I just PMed you with my email & phone number. Would be more than happy to answer all your questions and help you out as much as I can. Planning a DW in Maui is a bit of a daunting process and I wish I had some one to talk to when I in your shoes.

I was nervous when looking for caterers for my wedding as I'd never hired a caterer before in my life. Therefore I was exceptionally meticulous when interviewing potential caterers. I wanted someone that was extremely detail oriented, had fabulous food, great presentation, communicative throughout the process, and budget-friendly. A tall order, yes- but I found all of this (and much more!) with Food For The Soul. Â I can't begin to explain how wonderful the owners of this company are. It is so obvious that they truly love what they do and go above and beyond to make sure everything is perfect. The communication with Tina was unprecedented. She answered all (my millions of) questions promptly and walked me through the process so that I felt very comfortable. She made sure every aspect of the catering was covered and pointed out many things that I would have never even thought of. Â I lived in NC prior to the wedding so I wasn't able to do a tasting out on the island- but this was not an issue. All of my guests said that it was the BEST food they'd ever had (wedding or not). From the cocktail hors d'oeuvres, to the salad, the the main course- everything was simply delicious! They even set aside a special package of food for my husband and I because we were too busy taking pictures to eat during cocktail hour. And the bar service was amazing! Their fresh-juice Mai Tais are certainly something to write home about! I still dream of them actually. Â From setup, to breakdown- everything was flawless. They didn't need any direction from me on the day of our wedding and they happily implemented a few last minute 'special requests'. Another thing that sets this company apart from the rest is table/chair/linen/flatware/glassware rentals are included in the price. Since I had my wedding at a private estate, this meant that I did not have to hire (yet another) vendor. I was also able to order our scrumptious wedding cake through them. All of this, and their prices amazing! Tina was able to come up with some creative ideas to keep us within budget. No other caterer on the island could match them on price and at first I thought that it was too good to be true. But now that the wedding is over, I do know that all of this is possible for a great price. Â I cannot sing enough praises for this company. I honestly feel that everything was perfectly executed and our wedding was that much more special because Food For The Soul was there. Â

The organza bags you can find at any craft store- I picked mine up at A.C. Moore I think. And the tags themselves you can get at most office supply stores. I got mine at either Office Max or Staples. They come in packs of 6 I think.

Opps- my caterers link goes to the wrong place (didn't we used to be able to edit??) Anyway- the correct link to the Food for the Soul website is here: http://www.foodforthesoulmaui.com/

I was married to hubs on April 7, 2010. I've actaully been more active on these boards *since* my wedding so just got rights to upload pictures- which, I have now done. So go check out my profile! I categorized them all so they are easier to look through.  I worked really hard to plan my wedding (well, with the help of our amazing coordinator) and it... was more than we even imagined it would be. I did a TON of research on each vendor before hiring anyone- and I think that made a huge difference too. I honestly feel like I had the Maui-Wedding-Dream-Team working for us on our big day. It's amazing to say- but our entire day went flawlessly and everyone worked SO hard to make sure everything was perfect... and amazingly special. I still look at our pictures daily and live through the day over and over again. Maui weddings.... yeah, they rock!!  If you need a reference for any of these vendors- let me know and I'll tell you more than you probably need to know Or- if you need any advice about destination weddings on Maui in general- I'd be happy to help. I've been to the island over a dozen times so am really familiar with most things there.  My wedding dream team:  Wedding Coordinator (The Perfect Wedding Maui): Website  Venue (Lahaina Oceanfront Estate): Website, Facebook  Photography (Melissa McClure): Reviews, Website, Blog, Facebook  Caterer (Food for the Soul): Website  Florist/decorator (Dellables): Reviews, Website, Blog, Facebook  Live music/guitarist (Wilmont Kahaialii Jr.): Website, YouTube  Officiant (Rev. Laki Pomaikai Ka'ahumanu): Website  Hair Stylist (Dan Sanchez): Reviews, Website, YouTube  Makeup Artist (Jessica Waite): Reviews, Website, YouTube  Much aloha!   Lahaina Oceanfront Estate Maui, Hawaii April 7, 2010 *All wedding photos taken by Melissa McClure Wedding Coordinator (The Perfect Wedding Maui): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Venue (Lahaina Oceanfront Estate): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Photography (Melissa McClure): Reviews, Website, Blog, Facebook  Caterer (Food for the Soul): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Florist/decorator (Dellables): Reviews, Website, Blog, Facebook  Live music/guitarist (Wilmont Kahaialii Jr.): Reviews, Website, YouTube  Officiant (Rev. Laki Pomaikai Ka'ahumanu): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Hair Stylist (Dan Sanchez): Reviews, Website, YouTube, Facebook  Makeup Artist (Jessica Waite): Reviews, Website, YouTube, Facebook Wedding Coordinator (The Perfect Wedding Maui): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Venue (Lahaina Oceanfront Estate): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Photography (Melissa McClure): Reviews, Website, Blog, Facebook  Caterer (Food for the Soul): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Florist/decorator (Dellables): Reviews, Website, Blog, Facebook  Live music/guitarist (Wilmont Kahaialii Jr.): Reviews, Website, YouTube  Officiant (Rev. Laki Pomaikai Ka'ahumanu): Reviews, Website, Facebook  Hair Stylist (Dan Sanchez): Reviews, Website, YouTube, Facebook  Makeup Artist (Jessica Waite): Reviews, Website, YouTube, Facebook