Its been almost a year since my wedding in Maui, July of 2011. Please find below my reviews for the venders we used Wedding Planner - we didnt use anyone. After months of research, we decided not to use one, to save expenses. Plus, it was easier to get rid of the middle man. The only thing we had to depend on was the reveiws we came across. Location - This was a hard one. We orginally were going to go with the Five Palms, however a few months after we put our deposit they up'ed the pricing minimum. Even though we put our deposit before the Minimum was increased, we were still required to meet the new minimum. We decided to cancel. It was a good thing that happened, because it allowed me to stumble upon Merrimans. Unlike Five Palms, I found Merrimans to have a more elegant style. Plus. the food reviews at Five Palms were not the greatest. Merrimans truly deserves a A+++++.We worked with Danielle Kuck, who always got back to us immediatly, unless of course she was working a wedding and even then she would apologize. There was a total of 15 people that attended our wedding. We rented the Cabana. The restaurant has everything one would want in regards to backdrops for photos. They have a grass section that overlooks the ocean, they have black rocks that sit on the ocean, they have a fire pit; we incorporated all of this into our pictures, it was just astonishing. Food was great, drinks were great, atmosphere was definitely great. I highly recommend getting the cabana, you will enjoy the privacy and intimacy it provides. Flowers - We used Dellables. Plain and simple arrangements did not come out the way we requested; appeared to be a rushed job. She deserves a B due to being somewhat cheaper then other florist, and coming through with the flower arrangements. (Remember, I went in this blind hoping no one would run with my money). Music - Ginny Morgan, Harpist. Ginny was kind enough to allow us to book her last min. All day it was sunny, however, when our ceremony began it began to rain. Due to the rain she was unable to play due to her insturment possibly getting destoryed. With Danielles quick thinking, she rushed back into the restuarant to obtain an umbrella to provide her with some shield against the rain. She did play to the best of her capability, we were only able to hear bits and peices, which sounded lovely. She deserves a A++++ as well. She was truly a trooper. Hotel Accomedations - We used VRBO.com. We stayed at the Honua Kai at one of theMaui Blue Properties locations. They provided everything we needed. They had towels, pans, plates, utensils, boogie boards, washer/dryer, etc. It felt like home away from home. VRBO Listing #230549
Revern - Rev D De Rego was who we used. I would give him an A++. He was so kind, and polite. He brought his daughter, who was just adorable. Hair- Oh man I wish I remember who I used so I can warn all of you to avoid her. She was a disaster. Pictures - Our Photographer was Ian Shepherd. Let me tell you something about Ian, he was a blessing. He is sincerely, the most nicest person one can ever hope to work with. Out of the 12 days we were in Hawaii, the only day it rained on was my wedding day. As I mentioned earlier, the lady who did my hair created a disaster. IT looked as if a child did my hair, my mother ended uptrying to make the best of it. I wish I would have just did it myself. My curly hair, mixed with all the hair spray that lady put on it plus rain just made me want to cry. Ian, witnessed all this and felt so bad, he told me that he would do another photoshoot on another day at no additional charge. So not only did he worked with us on our wedding day for a few hours, we also were lucky enough to head out to Makena Cove on another day for another couple hours. He was so kind, and asked for nothing in return. Knowing that we had a at home wedding reception planned when we got home, he quickly worked on the photos, corrected them and got them back to us within 10 days of shooting.