Maui: Olowalu Plantation? Wedding coordinators? White Orchid Weddings?

Styler83 · April 2010

Hello!

My fiance and I have been engaged and researching wedding locations for some time. We've finally settled on Maui.

We're expecting to have about 20 guests. Is it necessary to have a wedding coordinator? I've been in contact with Stacey from White Orchid Weddings, but she hasn't given me any estimated expenses just yet. If we went with them, we would probably get married at the White Orchid Beach House. Has anyone else been married there or have any experience with WOW?

However, I am very very interested in having our wedding at the Olowalu Plantation House. It seems to be exactly what we've been looking for. Will we need a coordinator for this location? Is anyone also having their reception there? For those brides who aren't having a reception there, where are you having your reception? What type of budget would we be looking at for this location?

We would have a weekday wedding and have a reception at a nearby restaurant if that really kept the cost down (although I would prefer to have brunch at the same location). I've tried to do a fair amount of research, but I'm just really unclear on what the cheapest options would be to get married at Olowalu.

Any information/experiences/whatever anyone can share with me on this location would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!

nahokulele · April 2010

Hi! Alyson/Kaesha got married at Olowalu and coordinated everything on her own. I'm sure she will have some excellent advice for you.

As far as I know, brides who get married at Olowalu also have their reception there--it would be too expensive to rent only for a ceremony.

If you wanted to do a restaurant reception, there are several options--you could get married on a public beach and then head to a restaurant, or choose a place like Gannon's (formerly Seawatch), which is a restaurant that also has a few ceremony locations to choose from.

GL!

kaesha · April 2010

Welcome! I got married there and it's GORGEOUS. There are lots of brides here who use the location. It definitely isn't cheap though - I can't imagine spending the money to rent the place for a ceremony and then heading off to a restaurant to eat. That would be a total waste of money! As for coordinators - I didn't have one, though I did get my caterer to book Olowalu for me (and wasn't charged a fee for that service) because Olowalu requires an insurance policy and someone to clean the place up once you're done. I didn't want to be responsible for that!

As for WOW, it's been a loooong time since we've had a WOW bride here. The location is stunning, for sure, but I know the last girl (I can't remember her screen name) who did had some issues with her coordinator and the fact that she brought in her own photographer instead of going with theirs. I didn't like their expense + the lack of customizability.

Styler83 · April 2010

Thanks Kaesha. Which caterer did you use? What type of budget do you think I would be looking at if I did all of the coordinating myself?

I feel so lost! I don't know where to start. Did Olowalu help you with any of your vendors or were you responsible for finding them all? I really love the location and I'm not too excited about the idea of paying for a wedding coordinator when I could put that money elsewhere.

kaesha · April 2010

No, Olowalu won't help you with anything. It's just a rental venue, nothing more. But, don't freak out - with a bit of research, it's easier than people think to find what they're looking for in the way of vendors. I did contact coordinators, but I just didn't want to pay money for their ability to organize when I have it, you know?

Because seriously, on the day of the wedding, there's not that much to manage. The priest handles the ceremony, the caterer handles the food and the dj handles the dancing (we didn't use a dj - we went the ipod route).

Okay, so I used Celebration Catering - they're affiliated with Bev Gannon's restaurants. The coordinator I worked with there is gone, and their head is abrupt in emails (but totally detail oriented and focused in person), but if they're within your budget, they're really, REALLY worth it. The food is amazing! And that was the most important thing for me.

Styler83 · April 2010

Did you do a lot of the set up for the day yourself? As for chairs, the bamboo arch, tables, etc... did you have to find a separate vendor just to supply these?

Our budget is about $12,000, so I don't know whether or not I'm being ridiculous thinking I can afford this venue! I guess I'll have to contact caterers and go from there?

lwav8176 · April 2010

Hi! Congratulations on your decision to get married in Maui. I am getting married at Olowalu this July and am working with Lori Lawrence of Tropical Maui Weddings. If you end up going with a coordinator I would recommend looking into her.

kaesha · April 2010

We got the rentals through the caterer, so we weren't responsible for set-up/take down, etc.

FWIW, I started with a budget of 10,000$.... and then realized that was just not going to cut it. We spent 11,000$ on renting Olowalu, tables, chairs, linens, lighting, sound system, food, drinks (for 31) and staff (2 waiters, bar tender, 2 chefs, catering coordinator) + coordination fees (for arranging lighting & rentals). Olowalu IS pricey, because you have to bring everything in. You have to light it, you've got to bring in tables, etc... so really, on top of the 2500$ site fee, you're looking at another 2000$ in other rentals alone. It adds up very quickly.

Now, I was paying 90$ p/p for food, so you can definitely do that cheaper.

All said and done, we dropped 23,500$ on everything - that includes renting condo (1 week), activities and the rental car (2 weeks), our outfits, paper goods, OOT bags, welcome BBQ, flowers, rings, buying presents for parents and wedding party.

Styler83 · April 2010

Thanks so much for sharing so much information. It sounds like your caterer played a huge part in supplying and setting up which much have made it much more simple. Is there anything else major you had to get from a separate vendor? We have more in our budget for the hotel, car rental, little stuff, so I won't give up on the idea completely just yet.

Apparently Olowalu does allow midweek ceremonies in a 3 hour time slot for just $750. Would it still not be worth it still to just have the ceremony there and have the reception elsewhere? If we did have just the ceremony there, how would we go about chair rentals and clean up then?

I'm sorry I have so many questions! I just want to try to make it work. I've been googling for days now. lol

kaesha · April 2010

Perhaps it would be - 750$ for site rental only still strikes me as pricey, but it's your money, so you're entitled to spend it however you want!

You'll have to get the rentals from a company - there are quite a few on Maui. Here are a couple:

http://www.mauirents.com/
http://www.islandrentsmaui.com (this is the one my caterers used)

they can do the set-up and take down for you (for a fee, of course).

If you go elsewhere for the reception, you have to think about transportation for both you and your guests. Also, check out to see if your second location has a site fee as well. And, if you only have three hours in which to do all the set-up/take-down, guest arrival, ceremony and pictures, and everyone leaving that can be a tight schedule. If you're well organized, totally possible. If you're not, it could be totally chaotic.

I think the real joy with Olowalu is the site - I know people do the quicky in-and-out thing, but it's just sooo beauitful, I'd want to soak it up all day.

azulskies · April 2010

I am having my ceremony there and then having a luau reception elsewhere. I disagree that it's a waste of money..it's exactly what we wanted. Something private, romantic and oceanside. Then we're having a stress-free and fun reception for less than $3K. It's way more expensive to have both the ceremony and reception there so I don't feel like I'm wasting my money. Just my two cents. Good luck with all your planning!

Styler83 · April 2010

Thanks for your input, azulskies. That is something I will definitely keep in mind... it may end up being the best option for us!

Kaesha... If I were to try to do a lot of it myself to keep the cost down, how would I then manage the required insurance policy and clean up?

I've been trying to think of creative ways to make this work! I've spent so long trying to find the perfect location for our wedding, so I'm determined! lol

kaesha · April 2010

azulskies - And if that's what your perfect day looks like, then that's awesome! For me, it would have been a waste of money - the day would have been totally rushed and the vibe all wrong. And, I totally couldn't justify spending 750$ on a ceremony that lasts only 20 minutes long. But again, to each their own.

Styler - I have no idea how you'd go about getting insurance yourself and doing the clean-up. It would be a pain - the clean up anyway. Realistically, the best way to save money on any wedding would be in the food costs area. I know Cafe O'Lei has a fairly resonably priced menu - something like 40-50$ p/p - but if you went the Hawaiian BBQ route, you could probably save even more money! Perhaps get an untypical supplier... I know the Aloha Mixed Plate does catering at something like 20$ p/p.

http://www.oldlahainaluau.com/catering/

If you bring in your own booze (I only spent 200$ on booze - bought it all at Costco - wine + beer and ), forgo the dj and do an ipod reception, that can be a great way to save on money too. We re-used our ceremony chairs and used them as reception chairs and that was another 60$ saved. There are definitely ways you can do it - forgo on flowers - or pick up arrangements from Costco (order through Maui Floral). That's what Nestie Pugrolls did!

sckityvet · April 2010

I've also been looking into olowalu for my wedding (July 2011) and have run into similar issues. I totally agree that a wedding coordinator is probably not necessary, but might make likfe easier, and havent decided either way myself yet....
As far as booking insurance, my mom looked into this for me and her home owner's insurance provider would provide the necessary insurance for about $50.. Seems crazy reasonable, but they said they do it all the time and they can do it at very short notice (State Farm)
Did anyone have a great idea of where to go about getting wholesale flowers? that is one aspect I would like to arrange myself

Kaila

ETweet · April 2010

Olowalu is simply stunning. To us it was worth every penny and more. You won't regret the venue!

kihei777 · October 2011

Kaesha,

Where did you rent the music system that you used for your wedding to plug in your IPOD? Also, did you use a tent? Thoughts? I have 125 guests in December, and we're trying to decide if using a tent is a good option for weather contingencies...it just costs alot.

Maui: Olowalu Plantation? Wedding coordinators? White Orchid Weddings?

Re: Maui: Olowalu Plantation? Wedding coordinators? White Orchid Weddings?

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