Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Re: Decisions, decisions, decisions...

• jessj336 member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  As far as a WC goes, you want someone that you get along with and can work well together. I spoke to many WCs and while lots were nice or knowledgable I didn't necessarily picture myself working with them. I immediately clicked with my WC Lori personality wise and all the vendors, knotties, wedding reviews spoke very highly of her & her work. I chose her not just for her personality but for her work ethic and how she was very honest and upfront with me about vendors etc. 
  
  I think it is very important to choose a WC that you can see yourself working with from now until your wedding day. Lori has been a delight so far and I know that our wedding day will be stress free for me as she will handle any glitches and shield me from them :-)
  
  As for venue, you need to be able to visualize your wedding day there. If you can't picture yourself on your wedding day at the venue then I wouldn't choose it. There will always be pros & cons to any venue so you need to pick the one that fits you  & your FI best.
  
  We fell in love with our venue immediately but didn't even think about the fact that we would have to bring everything in but it doesn't matter because in the grand scheme of things no other venue felt as perfect and you only get married in Hawaii once so again you need to like your venue despite the pros/cons.
  
  Hope that helps!

  

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• jtoly member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I agree with Jess, I would definately choose a WC that you get along with well since you will be dealing with this person for one of the biggest days of your life! As far as the venue, is one place more of what your looking for? Like Jess said there will probably be pros and cons for each place you look at.

  ~jenn~

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• amwong22

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  Thanks for the feedback! I know we should just go with our gut feeling in regards to the WC. I may try to schedule one more phone call with each and make sure my gut feeling stays the same and I'm not just favoring the 1st one over the other. :-)
  
  As for locations, I maintain that anywhere we pick in Hawaii is going to be absolutely beautiful and dreamy. I think my big thing now is watching all the costs add up, I am leaning towards the venue that is half the price and just as nice but maybe not exactly what we envisioned, but then we can spend that money on other things. Fiance thinks we should pick Lanikuhonua or Turtle Bay cause all our guests are coming such a long way and we want them to be completely taken away with the breathtaking beauty of our venue... Again decisions, decisions! Perfect way to solve it is to fly there and see them in person!  

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• sparklegirl84

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I would go with Alicia and if you like turtle bay- id go with that since its a package deal. Way less stress on you. Your guests can rent cars, right? All of the venues are away from waikiki so regardless they'll have to travel.

  My Married * Planning * For Sale Bio - Updated 9/29/12
  
  

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• melmac26

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I say go w/ your guts. I will also say that Lani is amazing & on the leward side of the island, we got married there. The venue did take my guests breath away for sure, as well as mine. You can bring everything in w/o being completely insane in price. Just be honest with yourselves about prices & priorities, the decisions will come easily after that.
  
  Bottom line, how much control do you want or not want over the venue & what you can & can't bring in?
  

  
  *My planning bio

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• Sp2012

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  Hi!
  
  Here my 2 cents from a Turtle Bay bride to be.  Of the venues you listed the only one we looked at besides TBR was Loulu Palms.  I thought it looked great, so amazing.  My FI had reservations about having to rent/cater everything in.  So yes, maybe a little less originality by foregoing this (Although depending on which site at TBR, you could be as original as you want - Stables Beach & 18th hole/green are both completely outdoor so you could design as you like)  Also the getting ready area wasn't ideal for him - he really wants A/C and fans weren't going to cut it.  Like everyone else is noting, everything is a pro/con and you pick whichever one tips in your favor. 

  
  

  Our guests will have to drive themselves in from Waikiki if they choose to stay there; we have a block of rooms if they want to stay with us at TBR.  There are the Kuilima estates for a lower cost condo option.  We expect that most guests will make it a vacation and stay for several days and tour the island so will have a car anyways.  Providing transportation is nice but not necessary.  Maybe this is selfish, but I want the least stress/work possible on my wedding day, so we're making things central to the resort.  I'm horrible at DIY (plus lazy) so the more that can be provided for me and the less I have to do and prepare and bring in my luggage the better!

  
  

  Once you decide, all your energy will go with your decision and I think no matter what you choose there will be no regret because you'll make it what you want!  Good luck!

  

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• noreenchiu

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I am also having my wedding at Turtle Bay (didn't look at your other venues so I can't comment on those) and I'm in a similar situation as Sp2012.  We are doing the a la carte option for more flexibility, so really I am just getting the venue and catering from them.  Other than that, I'll be bringing in my own vendors.  We are expecting some of our older guests, like our parents, to stay up in the North Shore for the whole week, since they prefer something more quiet and don't want to be in Waikiki anyway.  But we think most of our friends (and ourselves) will be staying in Waikiki for at least the first half of the week, then renting a car and driving up to the North Shore for the second half or at least for the day of the wedding.  We have also suggested the Turtle Bay Condo's for a cheaper accommodation option.

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• destiny1108 member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  As melmac26 said, go with your gut.     We did end up using Dianna from Hawaii Weddings and Events and she was amazing.  She was more "reserved" and professional when we first spoke, but when we had a chance to meet in person during our planning visit she was down to earth and definitely was the most experienced planner that we had interviewed and gave us honest advice.   She has a couple of other coordinators too, so maybe talk to one of them?

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• amwong22

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  Thank you all for your advice. I am still humming and hawing about what to do, but I'm sure at some point it will come to me and I will have to make a decision. Did you guys hire your wedding planners before or after you booked your venues?

  
  

  Noreen- How is your planning going with Turtle Bay? Which part are you having it at? We were looking to have our reception and ceremony at Kulima Point. 

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• noreenchiu

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  amwong22: Our ceremony and reception are both at Kuilima Point.  We are doing a 4pm-9pm there, so everything will be back-to-back at the same place.  The planning process with Turtle Bay hasn't really progressed - I'm trying to get a conference call with the coordinator to figure out the details.  I can let you know more details once I talk to her!

  
  

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