First of all I want to say how the heck do you get back to real life after two weeks on the island? Lol , We are trying to figure out if it is the time change, the lack of sun or the alcohol withdrawl. Now its only been a day so I am sure it will get better but I do not want to work tomorrow.
It was all amazing and I really don't have anything bad to say but I wanted to write the reviews because I know how much it helped us in our planning. I will write our photographers review once we have our pro pictures but I have listed everyone else including our lodging.
Kamaole Sands Condos, (A). I am not giving them a plus just because a few of the condos were not updated but overall this Condominium Complex is very nice, in a great location and the staff that works the grounds are extremely helpful. We worked directly with our owners through VRBO and do not regret it at all. If you don't mind walking in the heat it is very close to town and right across from Kam III beach. We took advantage of their BBQ areas on three of the nights and it became a hang out for many of our guests. The two condos that were not updated were booked through expedia and those guests did not get to pick their condo. I do not suggest this as it just as easy to book with the owner directly and you get more information as to where you are staying in the complex. The free Mai Tai night was a bonus and a great start to our rehersal dinner.
Da Kitchen, (A). We did a catered take out from Da Kitchen for our rehersal dinner and they were very helpful and easy to order from. The food was great and there was a lot of left overs for our guests to snack on the next day. DH and I thought about walking in to town to pick it up but really glad we didn't as we wouldn't have been able to carry it back.
Rev. Tino Rosete, (A++), I should say that I am using DH's reference for Rev. Tino. While waiting on the beach to walk to the site he was very good at calming my nerves but to be honest I really just wanted to see DH and had trouble focusing on what my directions were. Thank goodness for my oldest daughter as she kept track of everything for me. I was so emotional during the ceremony that I really don't remember much. DH and our guests said he was very good at explaining each aspect of the ceremony as he moved through it. Pre wedding his wife Patty was very good at answering emails and giving us information about the beaches and good sites. This was very helpful since we had never been to Maui.
Po'olenalena (Changs) Beach, (A++), We picked this beach based on reviews and pictures off the net. The only thing I was nervous about was the dirt parking lot. It wasn't a big deal and we later found out that a lot of the beaches have dirt parking areas. Patty, Rev. Tino's wife, suggested we visit the beach a few days before and call to let them know which area we were interested in because our date was a popular one. There were two other wedding's schedule on the beach for our time so it was important that we got there early. We never saw the other parties and the guys had no trouble securing our area on the lava rocks above the surf. There was a walkway above the area but my son said everyone was very respectful and stayed out of site or just sat back and watched the ceremony. Again I never noticed.
Gannon's (A++++++), I can not say enough good things about Gannon's. It far exceeded our expectations. Susan was always quick to respond to my emails and never made me feel like our small party of 9 was any less important than the larger weddings that they had scheduled for that day. Two weeks before the wedding I had a little meltdown about the table set up and she never gave up explaining how they could make it work. We scheduled an appointment with her for the Monday before the wedding to review the table set up and give her the decor. We had lunch and I kept telling DH that the food, venue and views were better than I could have dreamed of. I highly suggest meeting or seeing the site before your wedding day. Just to do a pre walk through and think about photo opportunities. On our wedding day they had the table set up just as I had described and placed the flowers just before we arrived. Even though we were a small party DH and I did not want our guests to have the ala carte menus with the prices on them so we printed our own based on their wedding menu and added the Maui Gold Pineapple Bowl for each guest as a starter. Even though we went with the wedding menu they only charged us the prices on the Ala Carte menu. Our family is still raving about the food, the venue and the service.
Wailea Marriott Luau, (A+), We treated our guests to this Luau the night of the wedding. We had never been to a luau, DH and I went to another later in the week, so we didn't really have anything to base it on. We booked through Maui Fun Company and took their advice to have my father show up a half hour before check in and get us a middle second row table and not purchase the premium seats to save money. It worked perfectly but to be honest I don't think there is a bad seat at this luau. The luau faces the sunset so make sure you bring sunglasses and sunscreen for the hour before the show. The food was good and with the tips that DH kept giving the bartender our drinks were very good and strong. The show was good but again none of us had been to a luau so we were all in awe of the whole thing.
Royal Lahaina Luau, (A), I am going to review this luau now just because we are on the subject of Luaus. We received tickets to this luau with our HM package so we figured we should use them. The food and drinks were about the same as the Wailea Marriott Luau. DH noted that they kept bringing out more food for this luau and the Marriott did not. Not sure if that makes a difference. We both agree that the dancers in this luau were a little better than the Marriott. One thing that I did not like about this luau was the space. It was very dated and confined. The Marriott was open and never felt crowded. I think this would be a good prewedding show to do with your guests but I know I would have been somewhat dissapointed if we had booked this for our wedding night celebration.
Marci Guendel, (A+), Marci showed up right on time at 6am the morning of the wedding and got right to work. I wanted my hair down so I just let her pick the style. This was the only thing I wish I had spent more time on. I liked the front but the top back side was teased up more than I really liked. This was more my fault than her's because I really didn't tell her much in the way I wanted my hair done. The make up was nice but I don't really wear a lot so I will be interested to see how it lookes in the pro pictures.
Shelly Young, Mariah's Mane, (A+), Shelly came to do my hair and make up after the morning reception and our TTD. I really just wanted my hair up so I wouldn't be too hot at the Luau. She brought some purple and white flowers, sorry I don't remember what kind and don't have the pictures yet. I pretty much left the work up to her, had a drink and relaxed. She was so outgoing and easy to talk to and because we had already married I was much calmer and just went with it. Again I hardly wear any make up so when she put false eyelashes on me I had so much fun with them. I kept batting my eyelashes to DH all night. She curled my hair and put it up at just above my neck. I am so glad she did because it was really windy and it stayed this way all night.
Royal Lahaina Resort, (A), This is one of the first resorts in Maui. In fact they were celebrating their 50th Anniversay while we were there. We had heard they upgraded the main building a few years back. The room was nice and had a great view of the ocean as well as the hillside. DH loved this because he likes to people watch so it gave him more to look at than just the beach. We had a little trouble at check in as our room was not ready but after a few failed attempts in contacting housekeeping they finally sent us to the beach bar to have complimentary drinks while they worked it out. It didn't take too long and to be honest they were only 20 mins past their 3pm check in. The staff was always friendly and helpful if we needed something. The pools are basic but we really just used the lounge chairs and swam off the beach. It is on Kaanapalli Beach which is a nice long stretch with minimal surf and a small reef at the other end. Its a good swim to the other end of the beach. I finally attempted it the day before we left. We booked this package through Costco for our HM week. We stayed 7 nights, buffet breakfast each day, RL Luau tickets, Ulalena tickets, Mustang convertible, parking, $200 resort credit and 2/1 couples massage (didn't use) for $2500. We are already planning to book this package again next year should it become available. I didn't give this resort a plus but only because they need to do some more upgrading. The staff, food/drinks and rooms are definitly worth the value.
Costco, flowers, (A+), After much discussion we decided to purchase our flowers through Costco and make our own centerpieces. I did over 20 for my daughters wedding so I figured 5 would not be a big deal and flowers were not that important to me. We went to Costco the afternoon before the wedding and found everything we needed. Surprisingly there were a few other brides there. We spent $80 purchasing 7 bunches and one dozen orange roses for my bouquet. It took us about an hour to put them all together. I didn't not preorder them and although this did cause some stress it really worked out fine.
Ulalena Theater Show, (A++++), This show is amazing. I honestly can say we can't wait to go back to Maui and share this with our family. I had trouble finding any reviews on TK and there were minimal online reviews. We decided to chance it based on the review of a friend of my mothers who said she really enjoyed it. The cast is extremely talented and they do a wonderful job of telling the story of the Hawaiian people. I am so glad we chose this as part of our package.
Warren and Annabelles Magic Show, (A++++), This show is also very good. We actually lucked out by calling the ticket office and getting tickets the day we checked into the RL. The locals said it is usually sold out and there isn't any discount offers. Warren was in town so he was our magician which we also heard was a plus. We were a little confused when we purchased the tickets as to how the premium package worked so we opted for the regular tickets. We should have gotten the premium as we ended up ordering eveything anyway. Note to those who are active military, if you tell them this at booking rumor has it that your tickets/package is free. I would check this first but we heard it from a few different locals. I was a little worried about the time length of the show, 4 hours, but it never felt like it was long and even the show, 2 hours, was never lagging. DH and I laugh almost the whole time.
I think I covered everyone. Sorry this is so long but I remember how much the reviews helped us in our planning and I hope these will help another bride. I can't believe it's over but now we have our AHR to finalize and the upcoming holidays.
