How much you spend on decorations

Ringer101

I'll have my wedding in Olowalu. I'm wondering how much you spent (or will spend) on the decorations (including ceremony and reception). I really want to save some money on this item (I rather use money on food and drinks). But I don't want to look "obviously cheap". I really hope my wedding will look elegant and romantic. Therefore, I'm looking for a balance between budget and style...

(I was thinking to order flowers from Costco and make some simple centerpieces on my own. But my wedding coordinator suggests me not to do a DIY because it'll bring me extra stress on the big day.)

Please share your experiences. Thank you!!

FSForever

We are spending around $400 if you count every item that would fall into decor. I am still on the fence about flowers. We are talking to a few vendors but to be honest its not an item that is super important to me. We are marrying on the beach with a reception at Gannon's, so I can't comment on Olowalu but from what I have heard from other brides the scenary on the island is so beautiful ,less really is better. 

My daughter married in Jan. and we did a ton of DIY, including Costco flowers, to save them money. Try to do more DIY before the wedding. If you were to do flower arrangements you would need to do them the day before anyway. We found that the arrangements actually looked even better a few days after the wedding. I think if you enjoy the DIY and it doesn't stress you out then go for it. For me its a stress reliever and helps to keep me focused. Good luck and let us know what you decide. 

stephcap32

I'm getting married at Olowalu and my flower budget is around $1500.  That includes 5 centerpieces, ceremony decor, guest book table flowers and all of my bouquets.  I wanted to spend less, but I wanted absolutely no stress the day of.  I have to say I love my florist and what I am getting from them. I wasn't going to have any ceremony decor at Olowalu because the background speaks for itself, but I found an idea I loved and went with it.  If you want cheaper centerpieces, you could contact Mary Ann at Ha'awina Farms.  Many of us here have used her for lei's and she gives incredible pricing and is so sweet and nice.  I am using her for leis as well as a bag of rose petals to line the aisle with.  Her email is haawinafarms@yahoo.com, you can tell her Stephanie referred you.
Good luck!

Kappagurl2

I just got married at the Olowalu Plantation and only spent $400 for flowers decorating the tables and petals and aisles. Maureen from Maui Floral helped me choose flowers that would hold up in the weather and were still beautiful. Cream colored roses, bunches of baby's breath, and one hydrangea in each vase. My friend picked up the flowers at costco the day before the wedding. The tables looked spectacular and the tea lights in the mini glass votives gave everything a sparkly effect. I asked three people to be in charge of each task ( removing petals from stems, cutting flowers for vases and placing flowers on tables) and I wasn't stressed at all. The location is so beautiful that less is more. Good Luck!

annainpolkadots

If you keep it simple doing it the day before doesn't really seem like a problem?

If you want to save money on flowers, you could also order them from a US site that ships to Hawaii (like 1stinflowers.com, there are hundreds of these sites), and have them shipped to your hotel/vacation rental. After looking at price quotes from some florists in Maui, this still seems cheaper.