Hawaii

Maui Wedding Vendor Reviews!! (long)

We got married on March 1st and I have to say I felt like I had the wedding dream team on my side.  I was confident in all my vendors and because of them, I had the most amazing day.  If I was to do it all over again, I would not hesitate to have the same team—they were all awesome.  One of the great things about my vendors was that they all knew each other and when each vendor arrived they would greet each other and hug.  It was really cool to see that on my day and started it on such sweet note. 

 

 

Rehearsal Dinner-Old Lahaina Luau

I invited everyone who attended the wedding to the Luau and it was a great way for everyone to meet before the wedding.  I had booked several months ahead and they had several tables reserved for us in the front row closest to the stage.  The earlier you book the closer they seat you.  The traditional seating is in the very front—you sit on mats on the ground with low tables.  I have to say that all those people looked pretty uncomfortable about 20 minutes in—it’s hard to sit for a few hours with no back support.  Anyways, they had a little program made up for us that said congratulations Kate & Dave and everyone were extremely friendly.  It was an open bar, but I have to say I didn’t like many of the mixed drinks—really too sweet, but I was able to switch to wine.  I also am a very picky drinker because I have been a bartender for about 12 years. The food was buffet and I have to say really good!  Everything was fresh and they were constantly refilling so it looked very appetizing.  There was an amazing selection and it was very organized they way they sent each table up.   I have to say that the show was good, but be warned that it is Hawaiian –so there are no fire dancers.  This is the only thing I don’t know if I would do again—it was kind of a long evening and I’m not sure everyone loved the show…but that is only an individual taste and opinion. ..the luau is very professional and well done. 

 

Venue--Majestic Maui Estate—Lanuipoku. 

I rented this 4 bedroom villa that is on the side of the west maui mountains with a 180 degree views of the water.  I wanted to have a backyard wedding in Hawaii, and this was the perfect place!  I stayed there for 4 days with some of my wedding party.  I didn’t want to get married on the beach, (I have an aversion to formal wear and sand) but still wanted have the ocean views.  It was nice that I was able to get ready at the place I was staying and also to have use of the house when the kids needed a place to go and when the adults had tuckered out from dancing and the dj.  It was reasonably priced and the property manager, Caleb, was outstanding at helping me with any requests. 

 

Caterer and Coordinator--Food for the Soul

AH-MAZ-ING! They did such a great job. Based on other reviews,  I knew that I wanted them to cater my wedding from the start.  The staff was friendly and super professional and my guests were blown away by their meal (we had a combo of filet and macadamia nut mahi mahi).  Tina was so great to work with and she was also my day of coordinator.  She and her assistant made the day run very smoothly.  The power went out at my venue and it was not a problem for the team; they found a place to cook the food and had it all done and ready right on schedule!  Tina made sure that the power going out didn’t affect me as much as it could and even arranged to have a back up generator delivered.  She spent a lot of time on the phone with me before the wedding to make sure I had all the details in place.  I had done a ton of research and had picked most of my vendors already, but it is really worth it to have someone make sure you have all your bases covered and to make sure everything runs smoothly day of the wedding.  Don’t hesitate and have Food for the Soul cater your wedding and have Tina as a coordinator. 

 

 

Photographers—Maui Creative Photography-Matthew and Madelynne

I loved these two!!!  This couple is so much fun and were so great at my wedding.  My original photographer had to cancel a month before my wedding (Julian Allen due to some health issues) and I immediately went on the search and thanks to wedding boards I found them.   Included in our package was a portrait session a few days before the wedding.  It was such a great way to meet them and get to know them and for them to get to know us.  It’s also a great way to break the photography ice and get comfortable with people taking your picture.  They picked a really fun location in Olowalu and had us climbing trees and wading in the water…it was a great time!  I haven’t received all the pics yet, but I have seen some sneak previews of our portrait session and wedding on their blog.  If you scroll down you can see our two entries under Dave & Kate:  http://blog.mauicreativephotography.com

I think the pictures are amazing and they were such fun to have around.  It’s also great to have Madelynne be able to be with the girls and Matt with the guys before the wedding.  They also have extremely reasonable prices relative to Maui standards. 

 

Bar-Melissa Panzarini

Melissa did an absolutely great job with my cocktails!  I picked a few signature drinks from her amazing menu and supplemented those with  beer and wine--worked out perfectly.  The cocktails were all fresh and delicious.  Right after the ceremony she hollowed a couple of coconuts and filled them with Mai Tais for Dave and me..so cool and made for some great photos! As I mentioned I am picky about cocktails, and hers were so good!  I have since e-mailed her for her mai tai recipe and I have been making them on the weekends complete with paper umbrellas.  I am still trying to hold on to our hawaiian fun :)  Melissa is currently transitioning her business--I found her becasue she is  friend of a friend of mine who lived on Maui--so I'm not sure if she is doing many weddings right now, but I will keep you updated when I find out. 

 

Dress Pressing--Elly’s Formal Wear. 

I was so impressed with my dress!!  It had a very intricate side train that was a large flower ruffle.  When I brought in the dress they were very concerned about how flat the ruffle was (I bought the dress at a sample outlet bridal shop).  They said they would have to go over it twice.  The result blew my mind.  I had no idea that my dress could look like that since I bought the sample off the rack!!  They were extremely thorough and did a perfect job on my dress. 

 

DJ- Maui Wedding DJ- DJ Del Sol

Del was awesome and fun!  He did every request I had and was so easy to talk to on the phone with planning and gave me some really great ideas!  He brought really fun lighting and made this party a fun party!! 

 

 

Flowers-Dellables

I spent a lot of time talking to Trish, Della’s coordinator, about the feel of the wedding and what I wanted.  I put my trust in them and the flowers turned out beautifully.  I had originally said that I wanted a flower petal ring for the ceremony, but she suggested I have to bamboo poles with vibrant flowers bursting out of them.  It was the perfect idea to frame us and cost the same as the ring.  My bouquets were so pretty and she said that we should do leis for the ceremony and at first I was hesitant about it, but then as time went on I agreed-- she was right.  It was a great tradition for the ceremony and really added to the event.   I think the flowers were beautiful and worth every penny. 

 

Hair—Dan Sanchez

Dan was super friendly, easy to get along with and did a great job with my bridal party and my hair!  I had left for my wedding a day early due to weather in Boston, so I missed my hair color appointment.  I asked Dan if he could do color during my trial and he said no problem!  He did a really cool coloring effect on my hair (that still looks great a month later) and really listened to me on what my hair should look like.  The day of he and his assistant did an awesome job and really listened to my girls with what they wanted.  Everyone was happy and looked awesome. 

 

Make-up—Jessica Waite

Jessica is so sweet and talented!!  I showed her a few pics and she made me look so great!  I did airbrush for everyone and it really was the way to go. My makeup looked flawless all day.  She even gave me one of her brushes so I could touch up my lipstick!  I have never felt more beautiful in my life.  The power went out at my venue so one of my girls couldn’t get the full airbrush, but Jessica worked around it and made it work with the makeup without the machine.   Everyone looked natural and beautiful! 

 

Cake—Maui Sweet Cakes

I think I found Heidi on a wedding blog and loved her website when I looked her up.  My cake was beautiful and delicious!!  We choose a three layer with each layer a different flavor: chocolate salted caramel, strawberries and cream, and raspberry lemon.  My caterer must have packed the to go box I found in the fridge the next morning filled with all the flavors of cake!  Dave and I went to Lanai for the first part of our honeymoon and took that with us…I ate our wedding cake for the next few days and it was soooo good.  I highly recommend doing this because by the time the cake was served at the reception I didn’t have a chance to really appreciate how good it was.  It was so fresh and, like Heidi had said, not overly sweet.   She only likes to do one cake a day so you know that you are getting something that has a lot of effort put into it.  There is a pic of it on the maui creative photography blog.  It was beautiful cake with a cascade of fresh flowers down the side. 

 

 

Officiant-Rev. Laki

When Tina suggested a few people for my officiant I looked them all up and immediately knew I wanted Laki.  Tina had said he was a combo of funny and romantic.  She also warned me that he could be late… and he was by 15 minutes.  Due to the power outage I didn’t really notice it and I’m pretty laid back anyways so it didn’t bother me too much, but that could throw a wrench into the schedule if you aren’t flexible.  He did a really great ceremony and my family still talks about how much they enjoyed it.  Since I didn’t have power and my dj couldn’t play the song I wanted, Laki played his ukulele and filled the void.  Thank goodness!!  He was really funny and I had a great time during the ceremony.  He also very much looks the part for a Hawaiian officiant.  If you want to check him out he was on the Hawaiian episode of Modern Family. 

 

Favors : Shop Toast and Maui Specialty Chocolates

I don’t know how I stumbled across shop toast, but it is a store based in Honolulu that has some really creative hand made items.  I choose to have their tiki woodland warrior heart stumps as my favor filled with a bag of Maui chocolates.  (http://www.shoptoast.com/shopstore/woodlandwarriors.html)  The little containers turned out great and I was able to have ‘Mahalo for joining us’ printed on it along with our names and wedding date.  The chocolates turned out great too…they were bags filled with 2 chocolate covered macadamia nuts that had the shape of Maui on each one.  I had one of my bridesmaids pick up the chocolates before the wedding with no problem. 

 

 

I had the absolute best time at my wedding.  I loved that if was a destination wedding and it worked out beautifully.  We had 25 adults and 9 kids in attendance and I think my favorite part was our dinner.  We put all the kids at their own table and had one long table with the adults.  I was able to sit and eat and laugh with everyone the whole time.  I think I much prefer that rather than a wedding of 150 people and traveling from table to table during meal time.  There were definitely many people that I wish could have come, but it was so intimate and fun that I wouldn’t change anything about it.  If you have any questions feel free to message me…I planned my wedding in about 6 months and had a great time doing it and would love to help anyone out Smile

 

Re: Maui Wedding Vendor Reviews!! (long)

  • Congratulations!
    I used many of the same vendors as you...Food for the Soul, Dellables and Maui Creative Photography.  They were all so amazing!
    I had already seen your photos because I like to keep up with Matt and Maddy because I sure want those two to have a successful business which I'm sure they will because they are so talented and such great people!  Your photos look beautiful!!
    I agree getting married on Maui with a small group of just your closest family ad friends sure was the way to go.  It was so special and wonderful.
  • iwediwed member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Hi! I sent you a private message, but Im not sure if you received it so I thought i'd message you here to bc I can really use some help planning a destination wedding! I read your blog and am so inspired! Im from Ripon, Ca and want to have a destination wedding too, but just the thought of a destination already overwhelms me! I read your blog and it didnt sound too bad at all.  I was wondering if you can give me a better idea of how it all worked out for you? such as how many ppl stayed at the villa with you and if there are other hotels that your guest stayed at since they cant stay there at magestic maui, were there lots of activites for your guest to do, did you bring any of your own decorations? And if you dont mind, how much everything ended up being so I know if it fits into my budget? Thank you in advance for replying and Congrats on your wedding! =)
  • Stephcap32, I told Maddie that you were one of the reasons I choose them and that you are a big advocate!  They were awesome and I told them that they are going to be pretty successful in the Maui photography world:) 

    iwed...sorry I didn't get your message, I will get back to you soon!  I
  • iWed,

    I had a really great time planning my wedding and got most of my inspiration from boards like these and the internet.  My husband says that I have reached the end of the internet and have to turn around and go back :)

    My sister and her family and my brother-in-law and niece stayed with us in the villa. We had a shuttle to and from there for the wedding.

    After some research, I got a block room rate at the Honua Kai resort in Kaanapali. I chose this because each of the rooms has a kitchenette and I wanted my guests to have the option to eat in since many of them had kids.  Many of my guests said it was one of the nicest places they have ever stayed.  The also have really nice grills spread throughout the grounds that get cleaned several times a day. 

    The only planned event was the Luau.  Most everyone just hung out at the beach or did their own thing.  I didn't want to over plan for everyone because I wanted it to be their vacation too and to have time to enjoy without too many obligations.   There are no shortage of things to do on Maui. Some went on whale watches, some went to a magic show, and some toured the island. 

    I brought some of the decorations with me and had all the stuff for my OOT bags sent to my bridesmaids hotel for her to assemble and deliver .  My favors and napkins were sent directly to the Villa.  I am lucky to have a friend that lives on Maui, so I was able to store all the decorations and keepsakes from the wedding at her house until we were done with our honeymoon.

  • iwediwed member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    doggles,
    Thank you so much for responding.  I contacted exotic estate and they just told me that Majectic Maui Estate no longer does weddings. =( So sad! 

    I still like all the other venues you picked out and am still hoping for a Hawaii wedding, but I guess I need to find a new venue.  I had my heart set on majestic maui because we have a baby and it would work out so well and we can have our bridal party stay there too.  

    Any suggestions on other venues?  Im looking for a beautiful wedding of course, but easy to put together because I am so far and cant be there to see and try it first. 
  • That's too bad about Majestic Maui :(  I know the owner was trying to sell the place, so that could be why.  Did Exotic Estates have any other suggestions?  When I was looking I went on VRBO and looked up a few places and asked if they would allow weddings.  Unfortunately the responses are all long deleted.  If I think of anything I'll let you know...
  • iwediwed member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Exotic Estates suggested Kihei Beachfront Villas, but when I checked them out I wasnt too impressed unfortunately. =(  They told me that most owners dont like to do weddings anymore because it's too much of a hassle and a lot of work, so if they do it will probably be pricey to make it worth their trouble.  Well thank you again doggles for trying to help! will try to keep you updated if I find something good! =)
  • iwediwed member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    hi doggle, so I think I found a venue!  We are looking at merriman for our ceremony and reception.  Was wondering if you can help me with a few more questions.  I read that hawaii was also your destination wedding.  Where did you fly into? straight into maui? andwhere did your other guest stay at?  I think some of our guest will only stay a couple of days and was wondering if you have any suggestions on lodging besides maui estate because I know your bridal party did stay there.  
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