Hey ladies,
Well, we have been married for almost 4 months now so I thought it was time I sat down and did some reviews!
First, if you chose Olowalu, you will not be disappointed. I had known of the property for years but didn't see it in person until our rehearsal the day before our wedding. It is absolutely spectacular in every way and I am so glad that we were able to be married there.
I couldn't have had a better wedding team to help make all of our wishes come together. Seriously, there is not one single thing I would change about our wedding - including our vendors. Everything was top notch and I didn't have to worry about a thing the day of, which is exactly what I wanted.
So, on to reviews...
Coordination: Cherise @ Perfect Wedding Maui. A++++
I was not a high maintenance bride during the planning which I think made Cherise and I get along even better. I knew what I wanted, I knew who I wanted it from and I just left her to work out all the details with the vendors. She kept a budget spreadsheet that she shared with me to help see the breakdown of costs, which was very helpful. At the rehearsal I bought with all of our goodies and favors and handed them off to her and she worried about all of that, I never touched a thing. She is super sweet, very well organized, affordable, and just an all around great coordinator. Would use her again in a second!
Officiant: Tino Rosete A++++
I had never met Tino nor talked to him before our wedding day. When the wedding was about to start he came into the bridal suite and introduced himself and he is just a great guy. One of those people you meet and feel like you've known him forever. And, he did a beautiful ceremony. All of our family and friends raved about him, and he blew a conch shell which I initally did not want but oh girls - it made it sooooo special. I love our wedding video when I hear the shell going off, I can remember my exact feelings at that time.
Hair & Makeup: Dan Sanchez & Jessica Waite A++++
I have raved about them so much on these boards I don't think I need to go too much into them. I'll just say this: both are simply fabulous. I even went and had Dan cut my hair a few days after the wedding. They are both so sweet and fun, I loved them!
Catering: Food For the Soul Catering A++++
Tina and Rob are so great, and OMG is their food good! We opted to do a sit down plated dinner with Filet Mignon and Cajun Seared Ahi. Everyone raved about how great everything was, and my filet was perfection! Since we were taking photos during the cocktail hour they made sure to make us a plate of the appetizers and it was waiting for us at our table when we sat down. The appetizers were out of this world and I was so happy they thought to take care of that. Another great thing about FFTS is that all the tables/chairs/linens/dinnerware/drinkware are all included in the cost of catering.
Cake: Maui Cakes A+++
I know there has been some bad reviews about Maui Cakes on here recently but we loved our cake. It was moist, beautiful and most importantly super tasty. It was so good that my aunt & uncle immediatly booked them for my cousins 11.11.11 Maui wedding.
Videography: Marbelle Photography A+++
Frederick and Jennifer are really great to work with and are very unobtrusive while they are filming. They shot the ceremony and then followed us as we did our photos after the wedding. I love, love, LOVE our video and watch it all the time. I love to be able to relive the day because it went by in such a flash. I am so happy I got the video cause pictures just aren't enough. I love being able to see and hear people, and in the future I know I will love it even more. They don't do the super cinematography that some of the other videographers do, but they are also affordable and I didn't need a motion picture, I just needed a wedding video, and what we got is exactly what I wanted. It's beautiful.
Photography: Melissa McClure Photography A++++++++++++ to the moon!
I booked Melissa when my original photographer wound up pregnant and due to have her baby the day before our wedding. When Natalie let me know she could not longer do it I started contacting Hawaiian photographers and was really just unhappy with the packages they had. They were for short amounts of coverage and were in some cases twice as much as Natalie. Melissa had shot a Maui wedding that I really loved and I contacted her just to see what her rates would be to fly over to Maui from San Diego. Her coverage was AMAZING and her prices were too! I got probably 10 more hours of coverage thatn I would have from a local photog for less money and her work is phenomenal. We did our wedding day shoot, and the day before we went to Iao Valley and to the beach to do our TTD pics. She was awesome and I love her work so much that our house is going to look like a shrine to ourselves, there are just too many that I love!!
DJ: DJ Boomshot, aka Jay Langworthy A++++
I was very, very adament that I did not want a typical wedding DJ who plays the chicken dance and makes jokes over the microphone. I just wanted someone with experience who could handle the job. We talked with Jay on the phone and felt comfortable right away with him. Since he did our ceremony music as well I had specific start and stop points on our songs and he followed them to a T and when our reception started our dance floor was full until the end of the night. He did an amazing job, and was exactly what I had hoped for!
Rentals: Pacific Isle Rentals A+
I can only give them an A+ because I didn't deal with them at all. Cherise did everything, but what we needed was there and set up beautifully so I am still a huge fan but can't give the extra +'s because I didn't directly deal with them.
And, I think I covered all my bases! Just know ladies, you have made an amazing choice to get married in Hawaii. It was such a special time for us, having friends and family from all over the US surrounding us with their love while we pledged ours to each other. I am, and always will be a destination wedding fanatic, it was perfection!
So, onto the pics!
Ladies, this is Jessica applying my makeup, she is so FAB!!
And this is our guestbook! It is a piece of art my MIL made of 2 sea turtles (our fav) with their fins making a heart. Our guests signed in and left us good wishes and we are now framing it to hang up in our house - love it!
Me and my first love, my Dad.
Getting married - WOAH!
Husband & Wife!
Portraits:
I will try to do another post with some of our TTD and detail shots, but the picture resizer site I'm using crapped out on me! Hope you ladies enjoy!