New to the board - planning a Maui wedding

jenthefen

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the board and looking to plan a Maui wedding in May 2011. I actually grew up on Maui, but I now live in Washington DC. My family still lives there, which will help with housing guests, but they know as little about wedding planning as I do, so I thought I'd come here for help. We're just in the initial stages, so we're mainly concerned with venues and coordinators for now, but any and all recommendations and advice would be much appreciated!

First of all, regarding venues, we are considering Olowalu Plantation House, King Kamehameha Golf Club, and Maui Tropical Plantation. We would love to have the ceremony and/or reception outdoors if possible. Many people on this board seem to have had their weddings at Olowalu. Did you guys have a good experience there? Also, any suggestions for other places to consider?

Second, does anyone have recommendations for wedding coordinators? I would like to do some of the legwork, but especially for an outdoor event that requires a lot of preparation, I think we'll need a professional.

Thanks very much!

jenthefen

I forgot to include that the guest count will probably be around 150.

Jen

mauidandy

Hi, congrats and welcome to the board....you've come to the right place! A lot of us are getting married on Maui.

I'm getting married in June at Olowalu and using Lori Lawrence from Tropical Maui Weddings. I can't recommend the location and Lori enough!!

It's definitely a more expensive decision to book Olowalu, since you have to bring in everything from chairs to linens to catering, and pay a hefty amount just to use the grounds. It's very private and gorgeous though

I would also suggest checking out the Sugarman Estate, it's beautiful and private (but expensive as well).

Browsing through everyone's planning bios really helped me get a feel for what I wanted when I was just starting out. You've got lots of time!

kaesha

Welcome to the boards! Olowalu is gorgeous. Though for that many people, I think you'll need to bring in extra toilets too (just to add to the list of things you need). There's a link to the Hawai'i Brides bio in the welcome post at the top of the page, in case you want to peruse. Bobride28 just had her gorgeous wedding at Sugarman - another great local. Personally, I'm dying to see the results of the Haiku Mill weddings coming up...

nahokulele

Hi, welcome!!  I'm another June Olowalu bride.  I had always know that was the place for us, so I don't know much about the other options out there, but I'm sure there are some great ones.

We've also hired Lori of Tropical Maui Weddings.  We hired her husband (Jamie), too, for our cocktail hour and dinner hour music.

There are a lot of Maui brides out there, so feel free to ask us anything--the ladies on here are fabulous!!!

lissamarie30

welcome...
I am getting married at the Sugarman Estate and couldn't be happier with my decision.. I also loved Olowalu..
i am also using Lori lawrence from Tropical Maui weddings. She is great and I couldn't recommend her enough. if you decide to contact her she is on a 3 week vacation right now.
Happy Planning and the brides on here are all very helpful, I couldn't plan my wedding with out them.

BoBride28

Congrats!! Olowalu is gorgeous but I am biased towards Sugarman!! I looooove that venue! I personally think that if you are going to have 150 people, Sugarman may be a better option for you because I found it to be more spacious then Olowalu. If you are going to have your ceremony there as well, you can really define the space between your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception area. You will also have to bring in porta potties (nice ones!) with that many people. In the end it will all depend on the look you are going for and what part of Maui you want to be in. My planner was Evonne from Events by Evonne and she was THE best from beginning to end! I highly recommend her. Good luck and have fun planning!

carrieoz_76

Congrats on your engagement, and on deciding to get married in Maui.  Aside from some of the issues you can have in tracking down details from afar (and we actually haven't had any, but I hear of others' issues), I think you'll find that you'll only be happier over time to have made that decision.

As for Olowalu-related decisions, I can't help.  We decided to go with Lori, also, but our wedding is much smaller and more casual, so I don't know that it's comparable.  Whoever you hire, make sure that you understand their payment structure (what you pay them for and when), any additional fees that can result, and ask how often they've planning weddings your size.  I think that size is fairly uncommon for Maui (at least for most destination weddings...), so I'd want someone who was experienced in planning a wedding that size.

ETweet

Welcome to the board! Feel free to ask us questions anytime. There is no way I could have possibly planned my wedding without the great girls here. They are the best.

FI and I are getting married at Olowalu next month and am using Lori Lawrence as well. I have never heard a bad thing about Olowalu and many say that the pictures don't do it justice. With the amount of guests you are having Sugarman might be a better option. I love the uniqueness of that location.

Lori is great, but like Melissa said, she just left for a vacation on Friday and won't be back for awhile. Her assistant, Jackie, is very helpful so try calling her. When I was interviewing coordinatiors, Lori was on vacation then too, and I spoke with Jackie. We ended up going with Lori without even talking with her due to the good vibe with Jackie.

Hope some of this helps! Good luck and happy planning!

HappyGoLuckyGal

Welcome to the board! I'm not a Maui bride, so I'm not much help for most of your questions.

I did want to throw in another recommendation for Evonne. She's such a sweetheart. She made an awesome impression on FI and me, and we almost paid extra to fly her to Oahu to plan our wedding. She was always responsive and helpful when I contacted her, and she was gracious and understanding when we decided to pick a different coordinator.

Good luck with planning. Hope to see you around.

sandyhorne

Welcome to the Board!  Everyone is awesome here and have vistions that I only wished I had.  I'm getting married in Oahu so I'm not much help but good luck!

jenthefen

Thanks everyone! I can't believe how supportive you all are. We'll look into Sugarman, Lori Lawrence, and Evonne, and in the meantime I'm excited to read everyone's bios and create my own.

islandparadiseweddings

IPW, which is located on the island of Oahu has changed their services from wedding planning and coordination to provided every type of service that our customers need for a one stop shop.
For brides, grooms, or guests that are coming to Hawaii for whatever reason we are offering all of the following services to make your trip that much easier.
Weddings - Full service planning and coordination, day of coordination or help fulfilling your vendors ( flowers, entertainment, transportation, ministry, photography, videographer, invitations, limo service, local wedding favors, gift baskets, etc ) we have a wide variety of wonderful vendors to choose from that will work wonders on your special day. We will all work within your budgets and make sure your day goes smoothly. We also work with fabulous bridal boutiques and tuxedo companies for those of you who need attire to rent, purchase or having your attire pressed before your big day.
High end serenity spa and retreat - for those of you who want to spend a few days at a secluded spa and resort we have packages that will work for you. Come join us at this spectacular resort on the North Shore and feel the relaxation and enjoy the organic treatments, full lunches, massages, yoga, one on one personal treatment and onsite chefs. This is a great place for bridal parties, for guests who want a high end venue and to obtain that special treatment. A magnificent place to relax, enjoy your time and sink in the spectacular views of Oahu's gorgeous North Shore.
Inner and outer island activities - For clients or locals who want to make reservations on any islands for boat dinner cruises, skydiving, fishing, luaus, hiking, helicopter rides, or whatever they would like to do while they stay here we have great connections on all islands and pricing is great.

Vacation rentals - We work with a lot of home owners for some pretty spectacular locations low end and high end for those of you who wish to stay at a beachfront, penthouse, or condo while you are vacationing on Oahu. For those of you who want to stay at a rental and have your wedding we do have many homes that will allow weddings from a party of 2 to 50 all over the island. Please note that the rates for those homes have separate pricing for vacationing and the wedding day. Time of the year and day also will determine on pricing and availability. We also have many venue connections on Maui as well for those of you who need a location for weddings, events, or just a private getaway.

Travel arrangements - We can help you plan your trip securing airlines and hotel packages for all islands. We can also help you create a honeymoon package for those of you getting married here on the islands and need a fast getaway to start your life as man and wife. Pricing will determine on airlines, dates and locations.

Corporate events - We have experience over the last 7 years on Oahu for planning large or small corporate events all over the island. With behind the scenes experience working with one of the top catering companies we have grown to learn how to setup, create menus, hiring staff, preparing layouts, hiring security, private celebrity entertainment, producing high-end government events, and so on. From events from parties of 2 to large corporate events up to 5000 people we have all the vendors you will need to create that last night on Oahu after coming to the island for a convention, business trip or just a business get together. From working events such as the USS Missouri, Hawaii State Art Museum, Iolani Palace. Working with Tiffany's, Mercedes, Saturn of Honolulu, The Wedding Ring Shop, Kaiser Permanente, HMSA, Loomis Sayles Financial Corporation, and much more we have vendors for every aspect of your event.
Personal staff for your luxury getaway - If you need a private and secured venue for your stay on Oahu for any type of reason we have many locations that will suite you. We also have staff that will come and take care of all your needs - private chefs, maid service, massages, tours, limo transportation, and personal concierge.
So with all these different types of services IPW is now offering we are sure that we can help you take care of everything.
Please email us today and let us know how we can help your trip to the islands fun and relaxing.
We look forward to hearing from you.
IPW