Share your Open Air Reception Pics!

TomatoTomatto

Did anyone opt to have their outdoor wedding open air? My original plan was to do an open-air wedding and rent a tent the week of, but ever since changing my venue to the Lanikuhonua, I’ve fallen in love with the clear-top tent look.  Next thing I knew, I started adjusting my budget to fit in lavish event décor including dining canopies, lounge areas and capiz shell chandeliers a la Yvonne Florals.  My décor budget went from a modest $1000 to a whopping $8K!!  I’m starting to think I need to fall in love with my original open-air idea.   Help me fall in love with my original plan again and share your open-air reception pics!  Also, for brides who did open-air, but had to get a last-minute tent rental due to weather, please share your stories.     It’s getting soooo crazy!

maui2011

Hi TomatoTomatto, I know exactly what you are going through...i too love the canopies but i am being blown away buy the expense placed on decor. I as well am thinking of going open air...orginally i wanted dinning canopies for all tables (we will not be a large party so will only require 3 or 4)...then i decided to just get one for the bridal party...but know it looks like i may be changing videographers which will cost more so i will more than likely give up my dream of having them. What frustates me is that my budget is not that small...well in my opinion...this wedding will probably cost me the same as at home with less than half the people...this does not include flights and accommodation. How about a clear tent...i really like them but they don't have them on Maui as yet...i would assume they are cheaper? Will you also be renting a dance floor? J. :-) BTW, if i recall you are a follow Canadian...we also have to factor in the exchange cots...

TomatoTomatto

OMG. We’re in the EXACT same boat.  My boss had an april wedding with 150 guests and she spent about the same amount that I am on my 60 guest wedding!  We just have to keep reminding ourselves that we chose a Hawaii wedding for a reason.  Up until 2 months ago, I had never seen a dining canopy and I was soo excited for how beautiful my hawaii wedding would be even without all the frills.. so why should things be different now?Let me know what you end up deciding! 

kaesha

Ours was open air - there's a link to it in my siggy.

maui2011

Shall do...but my wedding is 2 years away :-(  I will discuss options with my WC.  Right now I am leaning towards open air unless I find them on promotion or if the clear tents make it to Maui by then...depending on how much they cost.  The other thing i would love to do is to rent a photobooth but from what i heard they are not available on Maui as yet...this would trump the clear tent and canopies. J. :-)

akbride09

I haven't been on here much recently and am totally out of the loop with everyone's plans. So, I'm not sure if this is even a reasonable alternative for you, but - I saw an absolutely gorgeous outdoor wedding, where the dining area consisted of dozens of round tables with market umbrellas (they're like 10 or 12 ft wide). The umbrellas provided shade and a little extra ambience, and then there were also hanging tealights and mini lanterns hanging from underneath, from the umbrella ribbings, so at night it looked amazing.I think I have the picture saved somewhere - if I find it I'll post it.

TomatoTomatto

AK, i'd love to see the pic if you can find it.  We're doing banquet style tables, but I still love the look of rounds, especially for open air. Kaesha: your wedding was BEAUTIFUL.. that was exactly how i originally envisioned my wedding.  we were supposed to do Ke Iki Beach for the feel of a backyard bbq wedding, but we somehow ended up in Lani. I'm sure my wedding will be everything I dreamed of, it's just a matter of piecing together all the different fragments from my dreams and figuring out which works best for me.

ginajade

How many people do you have at your wedding?  The only thing I will say about Lani is if your wedding is pretty small, you should still do something to define the space.  So if you don't do a tent, then at least string lanterns or something so that it can feel a little more intimate.  Did you ever get a brochure from Lani?  In all of those pictures, they are open are events.I wouldn't worry too much about the weather - plus the canopies don't really provide shelter, they are really just there to look fabulous.  At our wedding, it sprinkled for about 5 seconds right after the ceremony and that's it.

TomatoTomatto

Thanks ginajade.We're definitely going to do lanterns w/ or w/out a tent and the dining canopies would be purely visual.. we expect no function from that fabric!I just had a look at the brochure and I noticed one picture had bright spotlights on the palm trees.  Are those supplied by Lani? If so, I'm cool in the lighting department!  That would work out perfectly, because then I'd only have to worry about ambient lighting!

akbride09

Can't find the pic ANYWHERE, but I've attached a couple examples. Basically, the one I saw had a market umbrella like in the first picture, with votives like in the second picture hanging at varied lengths:[img]http://tinyurl.com/mmhq3l[/img][img]http://tinyurl.com/mn2qcq[/img]

MrsNFB

Ours was open-air, PIB. Good luck!

machan2010

I'm getting married at Lani and debating the whole tent thing too.  This is another pic (hopefully my PIP works!)using the market umbrellas.  Also check out the blog for Events by Evonne.  http://awaysoiree.com/ She has some really good pics of events not using a tent.  HTH![img]http://tinyurl.com/lnvzzx[/img]

NaluJS

Hi Tomato Tomatto!  Thanks for posting this.  I'll definitely keep watching for responses.  I'm trying to decide the same thing.  Still don't even have a location yet, but I have spoken with a planner and they suggested a tent.  A decision I have to factor into the budget if I decide on it!  The clear one is beautiful, but $$$$$!!  Can't wait to hear more responses and see more pix!

maui2011

Hi TomatoTomatto, I've just increased my videography budget and have gone over the numbers again...still slightly over our budget...the bamboo canopies are now out...we will still have a bamboo arch for the ceremony but the dinning canopies unfortunately will not be apart of our decor...nor will we have a tent...we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that we don't have a rainy day...dinner and dancing under the stars! J. :-)

TomatoTomatto

Machan.. thanks for the pics/ideas. I do like the look of the banquet tables with market umbrellas. But I'll probably keep them open, because if the forecast calls for heavy rain, we'll do a last minute tent rental. MrsNFB.. THANKS SO MUCH for sharing! I 've officially fallen in love with open-air again!  What a beautiful wedding you had! Maui: check out MrsNFB's profile. her reception was BEAUTIFUL!

maui2011

Thanks Tomato Tomatto, i just checked out MrsNFB's profile...the reception area was very beautiful...i like the lounge area as well. Have you decided to go open air? J. :-)

TomatoTomatto

So, it's official.. thanks ladies for helping me fall in love with my open air reception again.  I knew I could count on you!!!Special thanks to MrsNFB.. I'm still sooo in love with your reception set-up.

maui2011

Welcome back to da club! I'm sure your reception area will look fabulous! J. :-)

TomatoTomatto

LOL, thanks Maui.  Our weddings are seriously going to rock.