Where to begin ...

FutureMrsBrandonLucas

Hi Ladies! My name is Peggy and I'm fairly new to TK. I had no idea how interactive the community is. I love it! I've been reading like crazy lol

We have offically decided Maui March 10 of 2013 will be our special day! Yay! So excited!!! I'm sure this will be my first post of many

My question is where to I begin? What should I do first? I know the typical timeline, but for planning from Indianapolis IN for Maui I'm certain things are slightly different... right?

Should I secure a minister first? Wedding coordinator? I talked to Lori with Maui Weddings and she was great, but I'm struggling with forking over the nearly 1k for day of. Mainly because I want to be extremely hands on in selecting everything.

So I guess two major questions: What should I be doing first? and Is my money being spent wisely by hiring Lori?

Thanks so much and I look forward to forming this unique bond with each of you!

jtoly

Welcome and congrats!! Im eloping so I don't have much info on planning! A lot of the ladies her have tons of helpful info and I'm sure they will be happy to help you out! Can't wait to hear your plans!

motoLyn

Take a breath first. Congrats on your engagement. How many people are you thinking of inviting. Lori has been used by several of the brides here. There brides here who have planned their own weddings. I think you should think about what your wedding looks like or what feel you want it to have. From there you can figure out a venue and see if you need a WC. The ladies here on this board can be a abundant source of information and recommendations. Checkout the planning bios of each of the members. You can find their planning bios in their signature at the bottom of their posts. Gather info and research around. Make a list of priorities for your wedding. You are still a year away so you have time to figure things out. Good luck and ask for help when you need it.

jessj336

Congrats on your engagement!!!  I actually started planning on my own and thought I was going to plan everything from NYC without help of a WC until I talked to Lori Lawrence of Tropical Maui Weddings. She and I clicked instantly and I realized she would really be my advocate in Maui for wedding planning.

I have been extremely hands on in planning still yet I know she will take care of everything the day of the wedding and if there are glitches I will never know as she will shield me from them and ensure things run smoothly. I am still talking/working directly with my vendors but she is CC'd on all emails etc just in case there are issues.

kimmykupcakes

Welcome and congratulations! I am not using a wedding planner and haven't had any problems doing everything myself. I'd start with figuring out what kind of wedding you are wanting and how many ppl you want to invite. It makes a big difference on what you are wanting and the amount of guests you will be having for which vendors you select. If you have any other questions, let us know. And yes, do check out the planning bios. You'll learn a ton from them!

littlechilds

We use a WC, but I feel like Im doing everything.  I really hope she comes through on the day.  To be fair, our WC has recommended a few good things, so in the end, I hope its worth the cost.  After a base fee and kick-backs (which Im sure all WC take at some point), we will be around $1000-1200 in WC fees.

Our biggest hurdle (because we have over 74 people coming), was transport, venue, caterer, DJ, and rentals.  After that, its all down hill lol.

kaesha

Welcome to the boards!

I started with bio browsing to get an idea of what I wanted, and then we knocked off the three most important vendors (in my mind) - location (Olowalu), caterer (Celebrations) and photographer (Joanna Tano). We booked those about a year out, and then took it easy on everything else. We did without a coordinator. I couldn't stomach the fees, plus mounting productions is pretty much what I do for a living, so I couldn't think of a good reason to spend money on something I could do myself!

I will say though, that if you're the kind of person who can't let go when you're in the middle of a high stress situation, that a DOC can be a good idea. Because I have a lot of experience on stage and working with the theatre, once I'm into performance mode (which is really the whole wedding day), it doesn't bother me if things go wrong (though, they didn't). If you don't think you can let go enough to sit back and enjoy the emotions of the day (who wants to be stressed on their wedding day?), then it might be worth the money to hire someone.

mauidandy

Congratulations!! And you won't regret having a destination wedding, best decision ever

Most of us planned/are planning from the "mainland." It's overwhelming at first, but this board is a huge source of information, so I'm glad you found it.

I agree with Alyson, decide on those big three things and book as soon as you can....popular venues, caterers and photographers are snapped right up. The planning bios are so much fun to browse for inspiration, and everyone here can help you bounce ideas around.

I used Lori with Tropical Maui Weddings, and the money was well worth it to me. She was my set of eyes and ears on the island, and had great recommendations, planning and organizational skills. She thought of stuff I wouldn't have remembered. I was very hands-on throughout the planning process, and was able to ship things to her in advance, which was huge...and she kept me sane the week and day of the wedding. I didn't worry about a thing, and everything went smoothly - it was a perfect day.

Have fun with everything!

LaurenM2013

Congratulations!! I am planning a Destination Wedding in Oahu, but I wanted to welcome you to the board

FutureMrsBrandonLucas

Thanks so much ladies! I can’t get over how sweet and amazing everyone is on here. This rocks! Lol  This is so great to have other brides who are planning and experiencing everything. I don’t feel so all alone in the planning J

As far as our guest count: We are inviting everyone on our "if we had a mainland wedding" list so roughly 220. (Tons of cousins that we never talk to but whose feeling would be hurt if they weren't included ... long story lol) Anyhow know for sure 10 people are coming plus the two of us. I could maybe see four to six more. (most friends are in new house and baby mode so they can't afford the trip) The smart ones who really want to go are putting $50 back a week to save.

I really love the lawns overlooking the ocean or that connect to the ocean. The beach would be great too, so long as it was pretty much only us there. I’ve seen some nightmare stories and photos of random people caught on film in beach weddings. That would really bother me. (I’m afraid my add would flare and take away from the moment)

The photographer and videographer are the most important elements to us because they capture everything. I’m willing to splurge on the best. Ultimately I know that only I can select my two because it’s so subjective. However I would love videographer recommendations. I really love the cinematic looking videos.

We also want an awesome dinner / party after our “I do's”. I have considered a restaurant and a luau as our reception venues. Going to do some more bio reading for sure. I still haven’t got a true feel for how the luau would work as a reception. Would love to see video of this scenario.

I have looked at a ton of your bio already and they are awesome! Great inspiration …makes me even more excited.

I love the plantation, but I can't see spending the money for so few people, ya know. Also I know100% for sure that I want to have a day of coordinator. I will happily pay someone else to sweat the small stuff so I can enjoy the emotions of the day. Lori was great over the phone for our first conversation, but again I can't see spending $950. I am an event planner and enjoy the planning process so I want to do most everything myself. I could totally see having the full WC package if we were having 50+ but since our count won’t surpass 20 I would rather save that money for our trip.

mauidandy

We flew Studio Red over from Oahu to shoot our wedding. They are the best videographers ever. My only complaint with them is that our wedding video took a little more than a year to complete. But, it was worth it. I am blown away every time we watch our video.

Here is the link, if you want to see it:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/24953030

password: hurst

lyssalou89

Welcome! You seem like you already have a good idea of things that you will be looking into! You may be surprised how many people will actually end up trying to come to the wedding. I had planned for only 10-20 people originally but I already have 24 confirmed guests who already have their tickets bought and haven't even sent out the invitations yet! 

We are working with planner Kara from Your Aloha Wedding Company. She has been amazing! I always have 1-3 emails waiting in my inbox from her daily. Her response time is excellent! She also very reasonable when you consider she does not charge percentages of booking fees. 

For photography, we are working with an amazing photographer, Anna Kim, and for videography, Fisheye Media. The videographer is from Oahu, but their work is amazing! (You can see it on Vimeo). 

Good luck with your planning! Time will fly!