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Grand Wailea Wedding - Need advice

mandylllmandylll
in Hawaii
Hi all - I am looking for advice for anyone who has planned a wedding at Grand Wailea. My fiancee and I had been there for vacation a couple years ago and would really love to go back for our wedding. However, we saw some bad review online regarding wedding planning at this property so we are a little concerned. Can someone please chime in?

In particular, I would like to find out:
- Did you use a wedding planner? If so, who and were they helpful in coordinating with the hotel?
- I heard the hotel requires that all vendors carry $2M insurance. Is this a common practice? Does that make hiring vendors (photographers, flowers, cake etc.) very difficult?
- Any other tips regarding working with the hotel staff

Thnak you very much!
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Re: Grand Wailea Wedding - Need advice

  • Tanq&TonicTanq&Tonic
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Welcome to the board!  We toured the Grand Wailea when we went on our scouting trip but didn't end up booking there.  Here's what I recall:

    - I think you get a hotel-provided coordinator / point of contact
    - I believe they allow more than 1 wedding a day on their property, so there can be some contention over space / photos / overlap
    - Requiring insurance is not uncommon, $2M sounds high.  I think our venue (private estate) required $1M
    - They were really not that friendly when we visited
    - I might reconsider the venue if only for the fact that most of your guests will not want to pay $400+ a night for a room there, even on a group rate.

    Hope that helps!
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  • breanessbreaness member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_grand-wailea-wedding-need-advice?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:d1495874-7e9f-4ff7-9270-dbaf94834ae6Post:800bd556-0782-4c69-bd95-fd982a102b6f">Re: Grand Wailea Wedding - Need advice</a>:
    [QUOTE]I might reconsider the venue if only for the fact that most of your guests will not want to pay <strong>$400+ a nigh</strong>t for a room there, even on a group rate. Hope that helps!
    Posted by Tanq&Tonic[/QUOTE]

    <div>I don't have anything to say about booking a wedding there since we always knew we wanted it on a beach and went the public beach route, but when we were looking at hotels on the South side of Maui we were looking at Wailea. For the price it's not the best. Especially since all the reviews said it was over run with kids, which we weren't exactly interested in for our wedding/honeymoon.</div>
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  • AKWinterBrideAKWinterBride member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I can second the kids thing - one of my friends went there on their honeymoon and even at the very nice, very expensive restaurants, there were whining, crying kids throwing fits with parents who did nothing.  Not worth the $$ to me. 
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  • stuffedmahimahistuffedmahimahi
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The 2M insurance is common.  Our hotel requires $6,000 alcohol usage and a bunch of other stuff.

    The best they could offer on a room rate for our guests is $363 per night, not including resort fees, tax, etc.

    So, we are getting married in a Church.  Our guests are renting condos.  And, there are plenty of wonderful restaurants in the Wailea (Gannon), and Lahaina area (Lelani's and Kimo's).

    Hope this helps.
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