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White Orchid Wedding Planners/ White Orchid Beach House

hgundyhgundy
10 Comments
in Hawaii
Any of you lovely ladies have any experience working with White Orchid Wedding planners? I am also looking at their cermony/reception site at the White Orchid Beach House. Any reviews?  Or if anyone has any other wedding coordinator reviews and suggestions I would love the help! Thanks!
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Re: White Orchid Wedding Planners/ White Orchid Beach House

  • tiggy5555tiggy5555 member
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I loved the look of their house and when I first started my planning I contacted them and got a quote.

    Here is the deal...they are picky on their vendors and you have to choose from their list. Although they have some good choices, we didn't like being limited and actually had our heart set on a photographer they would not approve.

    Next...I told the coordinator my budget and she basically said ok sure we can work with any budget...well the quote came in $6000 above my budget.

    Lastly, after reviewing the quote and comparing it to what I know things cost it's way overpriced. Plus they tack on a 20% service charge which I think it money better spent on upgrading food, video, photography, etc.Just my take on things. I'm very frugal and this company was not for me.

    Depending on your budget and the must-haves for your wedding you can do anything you want on Maui. Once I really sat down and thought about what was important I was able to decide which path to take. Along the way I fired a coordinator and connect with some girls on here who really got me going in the right direction. Congrats on the engagement and stick around these girls rock!

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  • maui2011maui2011 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I contacted White Orchid early on in my planning as i really wanted my wedding in the south side and also really liked their beach house. However, since my wedding was about 2 years out they didn't have much time for me...i received a quote and a bunch of promises to call me back but that never happened so i just moved on. Also their 20% coordination fee is crazy! Unless you have your heart set on their beach house I would mos def consider other venues. HTH! J. :-)
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  • Tanq&TonicTanq&Tonic
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I have to defer to the ladies above.  I briefly looked at WOW but our guest list quickly grew beyond it.  I remember recommending the WO beach house to a bride a few months back and a number of Knotties raised these same concerns.  If you have a flexible budget and really get along with them, and don't might paying extra and reducing some flexibility in vendor choices, it seems like a nice way possibility.  However, you can also recreate a pretty similar feel at Olowalu or other locations and have the flexibility to choose your own coordinator and other vendors.
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  • motoLynmotoLyn member
    2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary 100 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    I was recommended WOW by one of my older sister's friends that used them and was married at Olowalu.  I have to admit they annoyed me they have a coordinator in Maui and one based in Southern California.  I didn't know this so I dealt with the Maui based WC and she gave a crazy quote and told me that things that my sister's friend did are not possible, it wasn't until I was talking to my sister that she told me I had to specifically talk to the SoCal WC.  At this point I was pretty much turned away from WOW and their 20% fee.  I am sure that if you want someone who will do all the planning for you then WOW is great, but I rather have the power to make the decisions with guidance from my WC. 

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  • AKWinterBrideAKWinterBride member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I agree with the gals above.  WOW tries to position themselves as an exclusive company, but all that is exclusive about them is their pricing and the house that they rent out.  Their prices are ridiculous and I could not get behind them. 

    I ended up having a gorgeous wedding that had all the vendors that I liked and chose with a coordinator with a flat fee.  If I had signed up with WOW, I would not have been able to have such a fabulous wedding cause my money would have been going to their ridiculous fees. 

    I am sure they are good at what they do, but to me it is throwing away money when you can get the same result with another coordinator who is more reasonably priced. 
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  • kaeshakaesha
    Eighth Anniversary 2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    We haven't had a WOW bride on here in more than two years, I think. She got married there while I was still in the planning stage. And, while she had a beautiful event, I remember there were a lot of issues with the company.
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  • hgundyhgundy
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thank you all very helpful posts!
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