How to start the venue/coordinator search?

Re: How to start the venue/coordinator search?

• Tanq&Tonic

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  Welcome!  I voted Sugarman because it's where we're getting married.   You really can't go wrong with any of the options you listed.
  
  A great resource is jackcody's Maui Planning Website.
  http://mauiweddingplanning.weebly.com/
  
  Some of the things to consider that will shape your decision making:
  
  1. How many guests will you have?
  2. What kind of coordinator do you want?  One that will plan everything, or one that just "organizes" and allows you to pick your own vendors?
  3. What kind of mood are you going for?  Casual/backyard?  Fancy?
  
  There's absolutely nothing wrong with contacting multiple vendors for information -- they expect it.  Just be clear what you're looking for and what your timeline is.
  

  

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• AKWinterBride member

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  What is your budget like?  I chose the Four Seasons cause dang, I would get married there in a heart beat!  However, some of the hotels have packages to choose from and I am way too much of a control freak to resign myself to a package. 
  You still have lots of time to make these decisions, but it's good to start now!  We got engaged last Valentine's and are getting married in July but I had ALL of our vendors booked by the beginning of March which allowed me a chance to relax during the wedding planning.
  I found my coordinator by meeting another bride who used her and she had nothing but rave reviews and her prices were way more reasonable than other coordinators we spoke with, so I went with her!  So far, so good!

  

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• lyssalou89

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  I'm sorry I never really introduced myself to the forum. My name is alyssa and I am a northern california bride with a love for all thats tropical. My fiance, andrew and I got engaged on December 17, 2010. Before being engaged we've been together for five years. We both graduated this year and and are applying to nearby graduate schools so we can determine where we will be going after the wedding. We are planning our Maui wedding/ small reception for June 2012 and shortly after, are planning to have a larger at-home reception. I look forward to spending more time on this forum!
  
  1. I am expecting 20-30 guests
  2. I would like a coordinator who would help me plan and organize, however would also help me find quality vendors.
  3.I am wanting a mixture of natural/tropical/elegant/ intimate ceremony.
  
  AKWinterBride, I have the similar feeling but didn't think about it until reading your post. Although I think the property is beautiful, I am afraid the packages would require me to have a cookie-cutter wedding. Like you, I love control lol and I would like something a little more personalized which may not be fit for a hotel package.
  
  Tanq&Tonic, the Sugarman's Estate is gorgeous and a venue I am really considering. Are you planning on staying there for your reception as well? From the reviews I've read its a great venue.
  
  The thing about the resorts too is having to work with a resort wedding coordinator and often being limited to what outside vendors can be used. I would like to be able to choose my own wedding coordinator as I am considering working with Deanne from Precious Maui Weddings because her raving reviews. Also, I worry about having limited privacy if I were to choose a resort venue. At this time my budget is around 15-20k which I'm not sure would be considered a budget wedding for Maui lol.
  
  Also, after doing some additional research I realized I could have the option of reserving the sugarman's estate for a sunset ceremony and having a dinner reception at gannon's. That also seems like it would be more budget friendly. The reason I am thinking of gannon's for my reception is because I have heard stories of where setup fees, cleanup fees, and other unexpected fees for having a reception at a private estate often can add up quickly. However, I would still like to have the option for a dj and dancing for our first dance- which is possible with gannon's. Any opinions on this idea?
  

  Our Planning Website- *UPDATED 6/23/2012*
  
  
  

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• fabutan member

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  Welcome to the board and congratulations on your engagement!!  

  
  

  The venues you listed are all very different.  As you said, a resort wedding can be very cookie-cutter - they usually offer a complimentary coordinator, because they want to have control over what vendors you use for your wedding, etc.  I would say the coordinator is more of a "site manager" than anything else. Having said that, I've heard good things about the coordination department at the Four Seasons - I contacted them during my search and they seemed to be very accommodating.

  
  

  There have been a few brides who have had their wedding at Sugarman.  I think having a wedding at a private estate is quite expensive and every detail really adds up.  The upside is you have full control over every detail and vendor...it's like a blank canvas that you can tailor to what you want or dream of.  However, I think there's a lot to consider and less "infrastructure"....you have to bring in everything from cutlery, tables to a tent, lighting, portable toilets, etc.

  
  

  I actually like your idea of having your ceremony on an estate and reception in a restaurant.  It could potentially be cost saving and you could have the "best of both worlds"!  You might want to factor in your day-of timeline, whether you want to provide shuttle transportation for guests, would there be too much "downtime" between events, etc.

  
  

  Gannon's is quite budget friendly and they have this great Lower Lawn area, where you can have an open bar, dance floor, etc.  Another restaurant you might want to consider is Spago's at the Four Seasons.  They have a small oceanview room, which you can block off for a private event (although I think there's a minimum).  That way, your guests could still see you get married on a private estate and end the night off with some fine dining in an upscale location.

  
  

  Just some food for thought....hope that helps!  It all depends on what you want and what your preferences are....

  
  

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• Tanq&Tonic

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  Actually, the private estate + restaurant combo sounds like it could work.  Mala (the restaurant at the Marriott) also has a private Buddha Room that is open air, and the food is supposed to be fabulous!  I can provide personal reviews in about 2 months  
  
  Yes, our reception will be at Sugarman...the lawn there is *so huge* you can pretty much move the group between 3 different areas of the lawn and feel like you're in a different place.  We chose not to stay overnight at the Sugarman, although it is definitely an option.  There are 4 bedrooms, I think, but frankly, we just couldn't deal with being that close to the entire family for a week... a little space is good.  We got a fantastic group rate at the Marriott (about half their rack rate) and held a block of 20 rooms there for our guests.
  
  A couple of thoughts on things...
  
  1) Some resorts allow / hold more than 1 wedding a day, and possibly more than 1 at a time.  You should inquire about the policy and what is guaranteed to be yours, or not.  Also, some of the more desirable areas for ceremony/reception have a minimum -- I think the patch of lawn we liked most at the Fairmont had a food & bev minimum of $45k or $60k just to use it.  Not exactly 'budget'.  I will say, of all the resorts we visited, the Fairmont staff was incredibly accommodating...wonderful customer service and zero judgement even though it was clear they would most likely exceed our budget from the beginning.  They still took us through the full tour, and offered to work with us on negotiating the details to try to fit the budget.
  
  2) The nice thing about a private estate is that you can customize as much or as little as you want.  You can make it fancy, or you can keep it very reasonable, and your coordinators & vendors give you some flexibility to tailor (eg, buffet dinner, or passed appetizers only, etc). 
  
  3) If you want to look at private estates, Sugarman & white orchid are nice, and Olowalu is also popular here.  There's also a lesser-known house in Maalea that is exclusive to Aloha Events catering, but oh so very cute, and perfect for 20-30 people.  I remember them being nowhere near as breathtaking as Sugarman, but also much more affordable, and still very nice.
  
  4) Coordinators...super.long.writeup below.  (OK Brittana, I am officially sending this your way via PM to incorporate into the Maui planning guide as you see fit since it's like the 4th time in 2 weeks I've shared it)
  
  Some coordinators are fixed price - like Lori Lawrence at Tropical Maui Weddings described by Carrie.  Lori is a Knot favorite, and she's been very positively reviewed by Carrie, Mauimandy, and many others.  You pay something like $2500-$3000 flat, and she helps to make everything happen.  Rehearsal time is extra with Lori, and I would strongly encourage that if you want a rehearsal that is not the same day as your wedding, you are upfront with that from the get go.  She is often booked on back to back days, and we actually got to the point of being ready to sign the contract only to learn she was not available the afternoon/evening before our wedding for the rehearsal (she had another wedding booked). 
  
  Other coordinators are variable priced...they charge you 10% or 15% or 20% of everything they help you set up.  Fran Roloson of Aisles in Paradise has a checklist of things you want, and it just shows up (you don't have to bother with which vendors you want), and she takes a cut of the total.  She is the official planner for the Westin Kaanapali Villas (which I highly recommend to stay at if you're in the Lahaina area).  Fran started around 20% I think, and as part of our discussions, because we were a somewhat elaborate wedding, she lowered it to 10%
  
  Jackcody on the forum used Belle Destination Events and reviewed them very positively.  They have a few models, one is more full service where they book everything for you, and I think they take 20% on top of it.  The other is a la carte, where you pay a fixed rate of $2000, and they recommend vendors, take 1 or 2 calls with you, and you book your own rentals/vendors.  I have heard really good things about Jane, but we were working directly with Lena only, and found her to be a bit flaky in getting back to us in timeframes she committed.
  
  We ended up going with Ron & Debi Wickler of Pacific Island Weddings.  They have a very reasonable upfront coordination fee - $500.  They add a small uplift on each of the items, but it's negligible -- eg, Debi charges the same prices for chairs as Fran, but Fran charges you 20% on top of the chair price.  We had some communication snafus at the beginning, but now we're pretty happy with them.  Debi has preferred vendors, but for things I want my own vendor for (eg, my bouquet, photographer, etc) she's completely accommodating.  And for things I want that her vendors don't provide (eg, lounge furniture), she sends me recommendations of companies to call and she'll add it to our invoice. 
  
  All coordinators have a set list of vendors they like working with, but most are pretty flexible on substitutions.  Just some are more comfortable with it than others.  You should be aware that Island time is really frustrating at times-- 5 days to 1 week for a reply, especially after you book with them, is not out of the ordinary.

  

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• fabutan member

  

  January 2011 edited December 2011

  Wow, splendid reviews about coordinators, Tanq!  This basically summarizes a few of my own experiences with coordinators too.  "Amen" on the comment about the island time with respect to vendor responses...couldn't agree more!  This will be very helpful to other brides  

  
  

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• memegrace member

  

  June 2011 edited December 2011

  wow...this was a very helpful read!!  Thanks muchly ladies! I am curious alyssa, what venue are you going with!?
  
  meme

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