Overall, I am really happy with a lot of my vendors and will just default to "would recommend" or "not recommend. These reviews will be posted in my bio for future reference
Byodo-In Temple (ceremony): Recommend, however a day-of-coordinator is recommended hand in hand since the event coordinator is pretty hands off on the day of. It was gorgeous and was able to pull off the outdoor wedding with little incident. Mosquito bites were kept to a minimum due to Marikoono's wonderful advice of coming prepared with repellent.Haleiwa Joe's at Haiku Gardens(reception): Recommend, however, make sure you secure you seating arrangements at least a week in advance. Tina Scotty was wonderful in making it work, however there was some scrambling to fit the right amount of people on the appropriate tables. Guests raved about the prime rib and cake; the preferred cake vendor (Cricket Nam) did an AWESOME job on the cake. Cricket has very strict rules with texture and taste and refuses to make cakes with fondant. I was in total awe of the artistry of the cake and how fondant-like appearing it was!!! In addition, if you are avid dessert lovers, make sure you ask Tina for specific dessert options, I totally forgot and some guests were asking where the desserts were. I had cookies for favors which marginally saved me :)Dreammaker Hawaii (photographer & videographer): Recommend, John Lutfey was very easy to work with and was really good at directing us. His prices were extremely reasonable due to his preferred vendor status at Haiku Gardens, but upon perusing his website, his non-discounted fees were reasonable too! I thoroughly enjoyed working with John & Malia and can't wait to see his work!Mia Moriguchi (H&M): TOTALLY UNEQUIVOCALLY RECOMMEND!!!!! She is extremely professional, promptly returned emails and phone calls and charged a nominal fee for travel to my preparation locale ($18) and no early morning fee. Her rates were extremely reasonable ($120 for bride, $100 for BMs) and did a fantastic job, everyone commented how well my hair and make up lasted throughout the hawaiian humidity. Her hair dresser assistant Dawn was totally awesome too. I believe she is based out of Kauai now but does travel to Oahu for her clients. Loved her!Pastor Porter (Officiant): Highly recommend. I feel like my SIL started a family tradition where Pastor Porter does all our wedding officiating. He is associated with Hookipa Weddings and actually has paypal as an option for payment. Although we mistakenly brought the wrong paperwork for the marriage license, Pastor Porter graciously met with us a week later to sign the paperwork. He'll definitely work with you on readings and passages, but I preferred short and sweet
Jay's Limo: Recommend, prompt, polite, reasonably priced. Extremely happy with the service in a nice, clean (on the inside), limo. Very smiley driver too :)Lani Roberts (seamstress): Hands down, Recommend without hesitation. Easily one of my favorite vendors. Very accomodating, sweet, funny, prompt, creative and sympathetic to my needs. I had a lumpectomy under both arms 3 months prior and it left visible scars. Lani crafted a GORGEOUS jacket that added to the dress and covered my boo boos. I had tears in my eyes when she revealed it to me since it was exactly what i wanted! I heart Lani!Always Flowers: Recommend! Todd Yoshiro is just a delightful person to work with and can take whatever idea you have and run with it! He is also reasonable in price, as long as you don't go nuts with the expensive flower species. I was fortunate enough to find my own vessels from Korea when i was there on business, and recommend that if you are not DIY-ing your centerpieces, just find your own vessels. Saved us tons! Concentrate on your head and family tables, that will also be a huge money saver!!Dr. Bernice Hirai (ceremony musician): Recommend, she played beautifully on the koto (japanese stringed instrument) during the ceremony, however, it was my fault for not asking her to play music before and after. She literally played only 2 songs; the Precessional and Recessional and I really wanted to her to play more.Creations Unltd (Favor boxes/invitation supplies): Recommend!!! THe most reasonabley priced in paper and the best variety in stock. The owner is a very pleasant person and a genius in designing a box for you and providing you all the materials to buy. She has die-cuts that are unique to her shop and her designs are very original and distinct. The several trips out to Wahiawa was well worth it.Big Island Candies (Favor goodies): Recommend!! Yummy in my tummy!! Life saver for my lack of desserts (see reception review). 2 boxes of 200 cookie was wayyy too much for my 100 or so guests but I guess I have to bite the bullet and eat some myself, tee hee.Pineapple Cove (Guest Book): Recommend!! ManLe is probably the nicest person ever. She designed and binded my guestbook using her photo design kiosk. She made a work of art from the limited pictures we have of my DH. She was able to create it in a very short time and the results were outstanding. REA Events (linens & reception decor): Recommend. Period. China's company leads the industry on Oahu as far as fabric type, unique patterns and colors goes. She operates out of a warehouse complex that houses mostly industrial type of businesses in Sand Island but has every color of the rainbow in there! China is just starting out on her own stemming from her family's business, but she is extremely personable and hard working. She definitely kept within my budget which was much appreciated. Go here for linens!!!Black Tie Affair (suit/tux rental): Recommend!!! Mike was very knowledgeable of men's clothing in general and made sure everything fit and matched. He is very friendly and set us up with a rental at the last minute. My dad really liked him and made him feel comfortable despite the fact that my dad hates wearing anything constrictive. David's Bridal (dress & alterations): Recommend with caution, if the dress is too big, never ever let them convince you to buy it and have alterations. I was pressured into buying the larger size but simply tried the next smaller size and it fit perfect. Also, I'd recommend videoing the bustling process when you get alterations from them bec it was very difficult to put it in place after I took the dress home. Totally confusing!Natsunoya Tea House (rehearsal lunch): Absolutely recommend! It's up this crazy windy hill, but totally worth it! It's a very quaint restaurant where the waitresses wear somewhat traditional kimono and geta (japanese clogs). We reserved one of the cottages which was very private and cozy. Food was pretty tasty as well.Bridal Boot Camp (pre-wedding fitness): A necessity for sanity! Rec'd based on the fact that working out de-stresses me, not exclusively for weight loss since I only began training a few weeks before. Emily holds several classes in the morning and evening for bridal boot camp on Alamoana Beach. Her rates are very reasonable ($120/month unlimited classes) and it made me relax about wedding planning. For Oahu based brides, I'd give this a try just for a kick-start in your routine. The bonus part? This benefits of this vendor will stay with me beyond my wedding day!Keneke's BBQ (welcome bbq food): NOT recommend. We ordered from the hawaiian catered menu for 15 ppl and a lot of the items were a hit or miss. The kalua pork was dry and tasteless amd the poi (which was powder derived) was chalky and sour. Even the Haupia had no taste! The lau lau, lomi salmon and teriyaki chicken were good but I probably gave this vendor a bad review mostly based on the fact that some of the lomi spilled out of its container and ruined the interior of my car. Even though technically its not the fault of the caterers and we should've secured the food better before driving, the $200 detailing bill left a sour taste in our mouth and reminded us of the foul tasting food. If anyone has a specific question or want me to go into more detail, just page me on the board or email me at kwippy at gmail dot com