Da.Shmoopies Maui Wedding Planning Thread Long with Pics, of course

da.shmoopies · September 26, 2009

Two weeks until the wedding! AAAHH!! First off, I want to thank all the BDW Brides for all their wonderful ideas. You all are very creative, and I loved stealing from you all.

How it all started:

Match.com, baby! We really did. Some people are ashamed of admitting this (Oh, the horror!), but we are proud that we did it. In the Bay Area, if you are single, you are most likely on Match.com. It gives you something to do while you are bored at workâ€¦ and most of us work at a PC in our cubicle-hells (mine is Split Pea Green).

He kept looking at my profile (he had too many gals on his plate at the timeâ€¦ whatever. ), and I finally just winked at him! We emailed for a couple weeks and then had our first Date. We went to the Stanford Theatre and watched â€œHow to Marry a Millionaireâ€ (John says he was setting me up for disappointment), then we had dinner and then went to CafÃ© Fino to have Lemon Drops and watch a fantastic three piece jazz band. Our first meeting lasted nine hours! He held my hand while walking around Palo Altoâ€¦ and that was that.

How he asked me to marry him:

In bed. Iâ€™m not saying anything more. (This really does make it difficult to answer the How-Did-He-Ask-You questions!)

Our Rings:

Hereâ€™s the eRing, wedding band, and the ring that Iâ€™ll most likely have the diamond set in later (Sorry so blurry):

Mark Scheiderâ€™s Mystic

John wanted a plain gold band, and he got it!

da.shmoopies · September 26, 2009

Wedding Attire:

What the Bride is wearing:

I wanted something simple and easy to wear. It’s an evening gown I purchased from Nordstrom. I purchased it the day we got engaged; it was exactly what I was looking for. Kodos to Nordstrom who refunded half the price when it went on sale a few days later!

I have two pairs of shoes… high heeled and flats (Just in case). The heels are Naturalizer Missy, and the flats are Seychelles Getting Out of Town.

What the Groom is wearing:

I gave John the choice between island wear and formal wear. He wanted to wear a tuxedo. He owns the Ted Baker Party Animal Tuxedo Tux (it’s waterproof). He’ll wear the tuxedo with a Thomas Pink tuxedo shirt. I just want to note that just John’s shirt costs more than my dress and BOTH pairs of shoes!!

I got him a Bulova Watch and a pair of Fleur de Lys Cufflinks from Etsy seller Dedalo as a groom’s gift, because he’s my Boyscout.

What the Grooms“men” are wearing:

John’s best man is also wearing a tux.

John’s best chick is wearing a Black Bandeau Jumpsuit… it should match the black tuxedos nicely. It’s from ShapeFX, and has some kind of shapewear built in.

What the Bridesmaids are wearing:

I have a MOH and Bridesmaid and they are wearing Wtoo Dress Style #532 in Cognac. It’s chiffon and should be lovely in the Hawaii weather.

I’d like the girls to have some kind of updo

They will also be wearing Jewelry made by my sister (Diana Gabriel Jewelry). (John took the picture... couldn't he have straightened it a bit? My sister won't be happy about that! )

da.shmoopies · September 26, 2009

What the Ring Bearer and Flower Boy is wearing:

My nephew and John’s nephew will be wearing “Island wear.” I couldn’t subject them to wearing a suit!

Classic Hibiscus White Hawaiian Aloha Shirt

GAP Cargos

My Nephew the Ring Bearer loves Star Wars. I told him he could choose what he’d like to carry the ring in. He chose the Millennium Falcon. The top lifts open. WE LOVE IT!!

What the Flower Girl is wearing:

The Flower Girl is wearing Vera Wang. She wore it to another wedding earlier this year. She looks darling in it. We’ll use a chocolate brown sash instead of cream.

da.shmoopies · September 26, 2009

All the Paper Stuff:

Invitations:

We used the Boarding Pass Invitation Template from Alyee Designs (I created my own boarding pass holders though):

DIY: Boarding Pass Invitation / Save The Date - Aylee Bits

I used Card Stock purchased from Cards & Pockets. I loved their paper.

Cards & Pockets

Boarding Pass Invites

Pre-Wedding Newsletter that went with the Invites. I used the template from Raychel, whose post I can’t for the life of me find!

OOT Bag Newsletter:

These will go in the OOT Bags for all the guests. I used the template from Ayita as an outline and used Microsoft Publisher to create it: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t41189

My Hawaiian Version

Wedding Programs:

I made a little booklet and my own monogram sticker. I used A2 sized cardstock and cards from the Paper Source. It cut down on the amount of paper cutting I experienced with the invitations. It really helps to create an account with them. You’ll get emailed discount offers.

Reserved Seat Signs:

da.shmoopies · September 26, 2009

Wedding Ceremony:

Our Wedding Coordinator is Lori Lawrence, and her husband, Jamie, will play guitar at our wedding. They are Tropical Maui Weddings (and they are way too pretty! ). Lori has been awesome.

Tropical Maui Weddings provides Maui Wedding Planning Services

We are getting married at the Kalaeokai’Estate in Kahana. When I was doing all my research, it was one of the most reasonably priced choices (1000 bucks for two hours). Having it here, rather than on a public beach, allows us to serve alcohol to our guests, and we do so love the bubbly. It’s a bit of a drive from Kihei, but most of us are from the Bay Area and are use to the commute! Unfortunately, we will be the last couple to get married at this lovely estate, as they are no longer renting it out for weddings. I hope this will change in the future.

Kalaeokai’a Estate

Reverend Kenneth K Hoopai Jr will perform the ceremony

Refreshment Table will include POG (Google it), Cheez-it cups (It’s an inside family joke), bubbles, Tears of Joy packets, and sunscreen for the sun-challenged guests.

You can find the instructions of how to make the Fans and Tears of Joy packets here:

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t42217

After the ceremony, we will be having a champagne toast.

Flowers:

Lori recommended Maui Elegance Floral Designs for all our flower needs. I love the Mokara Orchids! She is creating our Reception Centerpieces also.

da.shmoopies · September 26, 2009

Five Palms Restaurant Reception:

We are having our reception at the Five Palms Restaurant in Kihei. We wanted the dinner to be on a patio near the beach.

Patio at Five Palms

As place cards, we are using chopsticks. I’m half Chinese and John is half Polish, so hence chopsticks and the polish eagle on the card! (John tied the ribbon. Can you tell a boy did it??)

The restaurant provides menus, but I wasn’t crazy about them, so I made my own. You can find the template for them here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t42522