MauiBrideToBe

Hi Aleedoc17, Congrats to you and your upcoming wedding! Our wedding has come and gone now it was last October and although we had an amazing time, and it was a lot of work, it's sad that it came and went so quickly! As they say,all good things must come to an end... We wound up having it at a house we rented near Lahaina which was stunning. We rented the house for us and 18 guests (it was more of a mansion than a "house" lol), and there was plenty of room for all of us to stay there. There was also additional family/friends staying close by and we had 35 guests total at the wedding. It was really nice to have it on the property so we didn't have to worry about driving at the end of the night. We just drove down to the beach at the bottom of the street for post ceremony pics and everything turned out better than I imagined! The south side of Maui is beautiful too, so it's just a matter of what tickles your fancy! I wanted to make things convenient and it really kept the cost down to be able to have the estate as our venue Gannon's is a popular and gorgeous location, so I'm sure it will be a dream come true! If you need any other advice for contractors (hair, makeup, catering, etc) let me know and good luck with your planning! Try to ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!!!

Hi jeanniemarieaz! Our wedding has come and gone now but we had an amazing time, and the venue was AWESOME!!!! I'm sorry to hear that you're having a difficult time with your coordinator/venue option and trust me when I say that it can be extremely stressfull, but it will all be soooo worth it! Who is your WC? I just know that only some of the Maui WCs are familiar with this property... and it is a smaller venue, which worked out great for us as we had 35 guests. It fit our group very comfortably, and I believe they stated that their allowance is up to 40 wedding guests. 18 of us also stayed at that preoperty so we got a really good feel for the place! Pics don't even do it justice to be honest with you! And the event fee we paid was $500, I'm not sure if we got this rate because we also booked the house as our accommodation or what the going event fee is now, but also keep in mind that there is a cleaning fee- I think a couple hundred dollars. How many guests are you expecting? When is your wedding??

Hi Ashli, Congrats to you! I can tell you that the VRBO # is 224969. Here's the link to the house on VRBO: http://www.vrbo.com/224969 Or try this one- more pics. If it takes you to a couple houses then just click on the Sunrise House, otherwise it should take you to the right house- this link can be funny to work: http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.aspx?l=224969&k=1 I think I checked out almost every house on VRBO and then chose this one because it slept the most people for the best price- and we liked the location... Also, the event fee for holding the wedding (yes they all will charge an event fee) was the most reasonable. Alot were wanting to charge $3000 just for having the wedding there- and that includes nothing!! The rental agency was easy to deal with and just an FYI that there's also a house behind this one on a different proerty but owned by the same people... must be nice hey!? If you are considering to do have the wedding at private property, just be aware that there are noise restrictions everywhere on Maui, and one of the other reasons I chose this house was because there are no neighbours directly beside the property Let me know what you decide or if I can help in any other way! Good luck!

Thanks for all your input! cojeep17- I have been in contact with Cherise and she sounds really great... I'm happy to hear that you're so involved with the planning!! I'm sure your fiance appreciates your help I'm gonna look into Tradewinds since I haven't heard much about them. Happy planning everyone!

Thanks for that cherylming. I think my brain was a little mushed when I wrote that, and although I'm still overwhelmed, I know that everything has its way of working out I have been in touch with Lori from Tropical Maui Weddings too and she sounds experienced and lovely. I know she has an all inclusive package, but I still worry that there are hidden fees on top of that somehow... I'm sure if you're on top of things that it will all make sense. I'm gonna take my time with these decisions and maybe try to clear my head a bit. Maybe we just have a case of wedding overload lol! Once the important coordinators/vendors are booked, then I'm sure we'll be able to relax a bit Conartulations to you and maybe we can keep in touch or help each other. If anyone else has opinions or wants to help (or vent!)... go for it!!

You are so right kat2012! I'm an esthetician and skin care therapist for 9 years, and I can tell you that having a facial can give your skin a beautiful glow as well as be a real treat before your wedding day (congrats by the way!). You do, however, have to be cautious as your skin may be vulnerable to side effects if you are not familir with the products or treatment. Maybe have a good consultation first, and please go somewhere with a good repution... Also know that it usually takes a few facials in a row to really deliver optinal results Good luck and enjoy!

Okay, so I've been engaged for 5 weeks now and when we decided on a destination wedding on Maui, I was ecstatic! I'm usually super laid back (one of the many reasons I love Maui), and I'm definitely not normally neurotic, but I just want our day to be perfect... Unfortunatley we are unable to do a scouting trip, and we're on a limited budget, so I'm really having a hard time deciding on a coordinator (or if we even need one?) and vendors, etc. It's a pretty big deal to put SO much trust and money into these people, and there are just SOOO many to choose from. We've got our venue down since we have rented an estate off VRBO and we're just going to stay there with our friends and have the ceremony/reception there, or on the beach below it... but I'm struggling to find the right coordinator and caterer, vendors, etc. I've been thinking that maybe I'll just hire the coordinator for a lesser cost if I just have her arrange the officiant and organize the licensing, certificate, photographer, etc. and then I can firm up the other vendors... I've been in contact with a few different coordinators now, but I'm getting such varied quotes, response times, etc. I've also heard some catering companies can be super helpful with the reception portion by setting you up with rental chairs, tables, linens, entertainment, fowers, etc. too. So what to do!!?? I guess I just have to make some judgement calls and decide where to spend the money... This site has already been so helpful, and I really appreciate all the reviews and posts. I sure hope everything works out! If anyone has any advice or comments I'd love to hear them, or if you're going through the same thing maybe we can work together Mahalo!

I agree MauiBride2013!! There's just SO many options out there and it's making me wacko! I'm trying to nail down whether or not I even need a coordinator?? And then trying to connect with a caterer, photgrapher, etc... Doing it from so far away, and having to put all our trust/money into these people is a very overwhelming thought! Our wedding will be on October 6, 2012 and we've rented a beautiful house off VRBO which is also where we'll be having the wedding- this at least has the venue issue dealt with, but all the other details are so tough to decide on... and I thought having a destination wedding would be so much easier! I'm sure it will be once the important vendors are booked. I can say that this site, as well as the lovely ladies that go along with it, have been so helpful I do agree with LSUHawaii and jeks about the Grand Wailea being pricey though... I'm also on a limited budget, so I feel your pain there lol. If I can help, or if anyone can help us with feedback or suggestions, that would be amazing!

Thank you Choeft201! That is so sweet of you to offer your help! I think we have our venue lined up; we are renting a private home in Laniupoko with about 16 friends (it's a large home), and the views, property is amazing... so I think we are going to have the wedding there The owners have given us the ok, so I think I want to work with whoever we choose as our coordinator and dress up the place and make it suitable for the big day... we wanted to have the ceremony on the beach, but I think that may become challenging with our expected 35ish guests? I know Laniupoko is located beside some mountains so I hope the weather holds up for us! We've been to Maui before and really enjoyed staying in Lahaina so this is why we chose the West side of Maui... I just hope I choose the right coordinator and caterer... any advice is much appreciated as I'm wanting to get that booked within the next week or so. I've been speaking with Fay from Aloha Maui Wedding, Lori from Tropical Maui Wedding (she's rather pricy), Kara from Your Aloha Wedding, Co from Marry Me Maui, Deanna from Precious Maui Weddings, and probably a few others! There's just SO many to choose from! And I'm getting really varied pricing, response times, etc. from them all. I have read good reviews for all of them... the caterer I was hoping to work with (Food for the Soul) is already booked But I've been in contact with a few others... Any ideas/thoughts are so helpful as this site has already given me lots of guidance and help! I'm still open to any ideas at this point too

Aloha! I am also getting Maui'd next year (October) and would really love some advice... I'm going a bit loopy as I've been addicted to browsing and contacting sooo many different coordinators and caterers. There's just so many options and I'm really getting varied pricing, response times, etc. I'm trying to do the wedding on a budget as I'm from Canada and our dollar is dropping So I guess I'm asking if you (or anyone) can tell me if there's a price break when you book the caterer yourself? Do coordinators get better rates? Or should I just try to book all vendors on my own? I've spoken with a few nice coordinators, but I can't tell who's best, or if I'm being ripped off... I also don't know how necassary a coordinator is for the cocktail hour/reception since the caterers will bethere?

Aloha all! I am also geting Maui'd next year (October) and would really love some advice... I'm going a bit loopy as I've been addicted to browsing and contacting many different coordinators and caterers. There's just soooo and although I've used this site to get awesome suggestions and reviews, I'm ffinding that with sooo many options I'm really getting varied pricing, response times, etc. I'm trying to do the wedding on a budget as I'm from Canada and our dollar is dropping So I guess I'm asking if anyone can tell me if there's a price break when you book the caterer yourself? Do coordinators get better rates? Or should I just try to book all vendors on my own? I've spoken with a few nice coordinators, but I can't tell who's best, or if I'm being ripped off... I also don't know how necassary a coordinator is for the cocktail hour/reception since the caterers will be there? Any advice would be much appreciated for this slightly overwhelmed bride! I know I have lots of time to get organized, but once I get the important stuff booked I think I'll be much more relaxed