Hey all,
Just got back into Sydney after a crazy two weeks and wanted to get my reviews out while they are still fresh in my mind. It may seem like I'm raving about the majority of my vendors, but really, they were all so amazing it's hard not to. When some vendors would ask who my other vendors were, I often got the response that I had a superstar team; and thanks to Cherise, I would say that it was entirely correct. So, here it goes:
Cherise Shulman, Perfect Weddings Maui - A+++
Cherise gets the highest score, because she was responsible for putting most of the team together. She would have to be the best decision we made with planning the wedding. She is incredibly lovely and easy to talk to. Her response time was quick and she was always there to answer any questions we had. My husband (still feels weird to say :-) did most of the planning with her and he cannot say enough nice things about her. I was not the bride who had envisioned her wedding day since she was little and thus, Cherise walked us through all the steps and reminded us of all the details we hadn't thought of. She was never pushy, gave us a list of vendors to choose from and always worked with any ideas/decisions/budgets we threw at her. We had a few vendors cancel shortly before the wedding and she seamlessly replaced them with excellent vendors without worrying us. The day of she was sweet and funny and reassuring. She kept things running smoothly in the background. She is worth many times more than what she charges. She was AMAZING. Honestly, I could go on, but this post would just be way too long.
Olowalu Plantation House: A+
What a beautiful venue. An oceanfront estate with a sweet bungalow, we received so many rave reviews from our guests on the venue. The house was perfect for getting ready in and the rooms are decorated well for photos. The lawn is large enough that you can have separate areas for the ceremony, cocktail hour, the reception and the dancing. The whales that made multiple appearances during the cocktail hour just took everything to a whole new level.
Photographers: Visionari - A+
We fell in love with Visonari after seeing all their photos on their blog. They mainly take photos in a photojournalistic style. Our team consisted of Lisa, Ryan and Johnny and they were fantastic. I had felt really awkward initally having all the photos taken, but Lisa was so sweet and reassuring and talked me through it all that I felt comfortable in no time. They worked quickly and during the ceremony and reception I barely noticed they were there. I can't wait to see the photos.
Officiant: Ernest Puaa - A+
After our first officiant had to cancel, Cherise organised for Ernest to perform the ceremony. We hadn't heard much about him, except that he was ordained by Pastor Laki and performs the ceremony in his style. This turned out to be a fortuitous change because Ernest was PERFECT for us. He was kind, gave great explanations with the ceremony on love, marriage and Hawaiian traditions and he had everyone laughing at just the right times. He was just the right mix of professional, sweet and funny. Turns out he is also a musician as well (look up Da Barefoot Warrior) and we heard him play the next day at the Hula Grill.
Musician: Marvin Tevaga on the Ukulele - A+
What a beautiful musician. From the moment we clicked on Marvin's YouTube page (
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvinTevaga/videos) we knew we just had to have him. We had him play for the ceremony and most of the cocktail hour. He has a beautiful voice and played a mix of songs from modern to old school, and he easily learned a song for our recessional. Guests kept coming up to us to tell us how great he was, and he was such a sweetheart. I just loved him!
Florist: Della from Dellables - A+
Della and Cherise work together on a lot of weddings and I can see why. Della did such a great job with the flowers. Having checked out her work from all the photos on her blog I knew I was in safe hands. I sent her some photos of what I liked and gave her free rein on the type of flowers so she could choose what was in season. When she arrived the morning of she was so lovely and so excited about the arrangements that it was hard not to be excited as well. All the little details from the highlights of yellow to the limes in the centrepieces were just right.
Catering: Food for the Soul - A+
Wow, am I ever glad I made sure that I sat down to eat because the food was amazing. As we were busy with photos and guests during cocktail hour, Tina made sure to sit us down with a plate of appetizers (coconut shrimp, sushi, bocconccini and tomato skewers, and chicken satay) and they were delicious. For the sit down dinner there were bacon-wrapped scallops and lamb cutlets for entree and Ahi and fillet minon for mains, and everything was perfectly cooked. I am still in awe how they could send out over 80 dishes and everything was perfectly cooked! This was restaurant quality food. Some of our guests said it was the best meal they had in Maui, and I would have to agree.
Aside from the fabulous food, the staff were efficient and polite, the tables looked great, and the bar kept the drinks flowing. Food for the Soul obviously take pride in their craft and they really do deliver.
Make-up: Jessica Waite - A+
I just loved Jessica. She was really sweet and funny and we had a good gab while she did my make-up. She did a stunning job. She made me feel really pretty while still looking like myself and my make-up did not budge during all the tears and hugs and kisses on the cheek. She air-brushed my foundation and it did not feel heavy at all. She was amazing.
Hair: Dan Sanchez - B
Dan was lovely and he did a great job on my and the bridesmaids hair. He works really quickly and was open to suggestion. I really loved what he did with my hair. The only reason I'm giving him a slightly lower grade is that he was really expensive. Not just kind of expensive, but really, really expensive. I know I did have a trial and there was the travel fee as well, but I'm still just getting over the sticker shock. If I had to do it again, I would still book him, but maybe I would have forgone the trial or something, just to make it a bit more affordable.
Fire-Knife Dancer - A+:
Honestly, I'm not sure who Cherise booked as our original fire-knife dancer backed out last minute, but they were fabulous. It was a husband and wife team (he did the fire dance and she did the drums) who were both stunningly gorgeous and really entertaining. It was that wow moment that took us from the dinner into the dancing.
DJ: DJ Boomshot: A+
Jay was excellent. We didn't want to be too prescriptive with the music and treat him like an iPod, so we just gave him a list of Aussie artists we wanted him to play here and there and let him fill in the blanks. He kept the dancefloor going from intro to last song and took all requests, mixing them in perfectly. He was such an nice guy and a really great DJ.
Hotel: Honua Kai Resort & Spa - A+
What a great resort. The rooms are huge (especially the 2-bedrooms with huge living rooms and kitchens), the grounds are lovely, and the staff were so nice and accommodating and were always asking us about the wedding. We had all of our guests stay at the Honua Kai (over 80 people) and they did a great job sorting us out. Maureen was such a trooper dealing with all of our bookings and gave us an incredible group rate. We used the penthouse (it was huuuuge!) for the Welcome BBQ and after party, and the views from the huge lani were incredible. Once again, the whales kept everyone entertained. We used Duke's for the Mahalo Brunch and the food was delicious. They set up an buffet and a whole side of the restaurant for us and the food was always fresh and hot.
After leaving the Honua Kai, I must say, the other hotels paled in comparison.
If I missed any vendors, it's most likely because Cherise organised it all with my husband in the background. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better day and a better team.
Mahalo,
-Tanya