Nov 14

The Intimate 2nd day wedding shoot in Makena, Maui!

I love the “trash the dress” or popular 2nd day shoot photos, they are always been my favorite of all the wedding photos!

My biggest piece of advice to my couples planning their destination weddings is to get a good photography package!  When it’s all said and done, it’s the beautiful images that you take home to share and cherish! Most photographers offer a 2nd day shoot to their wedding couples at a very affordable price and I highly recommend looking it to it!

 

A 2nd day shoot gives you the opportunity to capture some truly intimate and romantic images and celebrate your love!  Wedding days go by in a blur filled with an emotional high, the 2nd day shoot allows time for just the two of you to relax and enjoy the moment.  You don’t have the worry of neglecting your guests or arriving back at the reception wet and sandy!

I actually recommend scheduling the 2nd day shoot, 2 days after the wedding which gives you a chance to relax, spend time with your family and relive your night!

A 2nd day wedding shoot also gives the couples the opportunity to choose a completely different location such as rainforest, a waterfall or beach to take advantage of the beautiful scenery that Maui has to offer!

The 2nd day shoot is an amazing way to document the beginning of a new and exciting chapter of your lives together!  I promise these are the photos that you will want to enlarge and show off!

Contact www.aperfectparadisewedding.com for additional details on planning your Maui Wedding & intimate beach photos.

Nov 01

Beautiful Elopement at Kapalua Bay, Maui Hawaii

Adrienrine & Stephen traveled all the way from Ohio,  to enjoy an intimate ceremony with their toes in the sand, at one of the world’s best beaches, Kapalua Bay Beach on Maui!

Kapalua Bay beach is a beautiful crescent shaped beach with golden sand, protected by two large lava rock cropings on either side.  The pristine bay is outlined with palm trees and tropical foliage and has a gorgeous sunset year around.  The islands of Lana’I & Moloka’I can be seen in the distance, creating a beautiful view from any angle!

We have several wedding & vow renewal packages located on our web site, but if you don’t find one to suit your personal needs, we would be more than happy to create a custom proposal for your special day!

Maui Wedding Planner: A Perfect Paradise Wedding

Officiate: Pastor Kimo Kirkman

Florist: Kihei/Waileas Flowers by Cora

Maui Wedding Photographer: Nicole Sanchez with Behind the Lens Maui

 

Oct 26

Plan a wedding cocktail hour that your guests will love!

After the ceremony & group photos, there can be a bit of down time for the guests while the newlyweds are finishing their bridal portraits.  Your guests should be mingling, eating, drinking & enjoying themselves!

First create an inviting cocktail area!  The choices are endless, we have done chic couches, ottomans, low & high cocktail tables, cute vintage coffee tables, you name it, and we have a rental company that has it! There should be a clear area for the guests to relax and to be able to put down their belongings and drinks, besides the reception dining tables.   Of course we recommend passed appetizers & open bar, but the cocktail hour is a also a great time to have your guests mixing & getting to know each other!

I have always been a huge fan of photo booths, it dates back to fond childhood memories for me!  I mean who doesn’t love being silly & spontaneous!  It’s also a great gift and forever memory of your special day!  We have everything from the Luxury interactive mirrors to simple backdrops & props available!

Lawn games such as corn hole, giant Jenga, and washers have become very popular among the adults, as well as the kids at our events and is a fairly inexpensive form of entertainment.

Cocktail hour is also a great time to add a little Hawaiian flare to your Island reception, we work with the best Hawaiian entertainment company on Maui!  Whether it’s a Hawaiian guitarist with a few hula dancers to a full cast Luau show with fire knife dancer, they will make sure your guests are having a great time!

We have had wonderful Caricature artists available at the cocktail reception & the sketches made great party favor!

 A Lei making stations, where your guests are provided with all the tools to create their own lei or head piece.

 

There are even some really cute “I Spy” games with disposable cameras (they are collected at the end of the night)  that are fun for the guests and will provide you with “must have” captured moments!

Don’t be afraid to get creative in order to fit your personal style & budget! For more ideas on  how to create the perfect wedding & reception, contact us today! We’d be more than happy to answer any questions you may have!

 

 

 

 

Oct 17

Some weddings you will just never forget!

After 18 years in the wedding planning industry and being directly involved in over 2000 events, there are those that I will just never forget!

Kirsten & Mike contacted me to plan their dream, destination wedding with an intimate guest count of their closest family & friends from Canada.  The beautiful ocean front, Kukahiko estate was selected, date set, and details finalized over a 9 month period.

 About 10 days prior to their October 18, 2014 wedding date, we started hearing reports of tropical storm “Ana” headed our way and was expected to be upgraded to a hurricane, reaching Maui on Saturday, October 18th!  Now Hawaii is very fortunate to be rarely effected by hurricanes due to it’s position in the middle of the Pacific ocean, most storms run out of energy or change course, our last direct hit was to Kauai in 1992.

I let the couple know that we would keep a close eye on the storm, but we had back up plans to consider.

 A: Move forward with the wedding date of October 18th, depending on weather continue with the original plan or move ceremony to the covered lanai & reception in the estate.

Plan B: Move the wedding back a day to the 19th.

Plan C: Move the wedding up a day or two depending on guests arrival, vendor availability, etc.

No one wants to move a wedding date, especially your wedding planner, but for the safety of the guests & vendors traveling to the property, it does need to be considered.

Two days prior to the event, we had to make “the call” & decided to move ahead with Plan A. It looked like Ana was slowing down and would hopefully not reach Maui until Saturday night, rather than Saturday A.M as previously forecasted.

We set up the arch & wedding décor on the oceanfront lawn, but also had a covered area cleared, just in case we needed to move there ceremony before the 4:30pm start time.

We decided it would be best if the Grand dining table was set up in the Kukahiko estate itself, as we would not be able to move the elaborate centerpieces quickly in case of rain. It ended up looking incredibly romantic and most guests had no idea that it wasn’t where we normally had dinner served.

The wedding day was beautiful, a bit overcast, but no rain and very little wind! The couple exchanged their vows ecstatically, knowing how blessed they were!

It’s very important when choosing your wedding coordinator to make sure they are experienced and are able to help you create a backup plan!  Most estates on Maui require a “Maui based” wedding coordinator, they want someone who is familiar with the property & with the Island, so should you!

We would love to be a part of your special day, contact www.aperfectparadisewedding.com for more information on planning your Maui Dream Wedding!

 

 

Oct 10

Personalize it!

My favorite events are those with small personalized details, that capture the essence of the wedding couple!

I think personalized signage to welcome the guests is a must have and also a wonderful way to express the couples taste, interest and style.   When the guests first arrive at your wedding venue, they should feel welcomed and get a little peek at what the day holds!

 

I personally love the simple handmade signs with the couples names, or cute sayings, but we’ve also had the guests greeted by a gigantic “Aloha” or “Love” marquee that worked for endless photo opts later!

One of my past clients were gifted a beautiful,  hand painted back drop of a vintage Hawaiian Postcard from one of their talented family members!  We used the “back drop” for photos of each group of guests when they arrived and they had a great prop table for endless fun photos!

 

Another wonderful way to have your guests greeted is by Hula dancers & presented a flower or shell lei upon arrival. We’ve even had a photographer stationed to capture each individual couple with the dancers and then had the photos ready to go in beautiful, Hawaiian picture frames for the guest favors, at the end of the night!

For great personalized guests book alternatives see our past blog: http://aperfectparadisewedding.com/Blog/rethink-the-standard-guest-book/   It has a lot of great ideas to help inspire our couples!

For the ceremony we have had the ever popular “pick a seat not a side” type signs, the couples names, # info, and my personal favorite a life size poster of one of our bride’s fathers that wasn’t able to attend the wedding!  Our clients have had some very clever ideas and a lot of fun adding their personal touches to their wedding venues!

The bar and cocktail areas are also great places to get personal! Bar signs, cute chalk board menus or table assignments, cocktail names, wedding beverage napkins, or coasters, the list is truly endless!

I recommend also planning a time during your bridal portrait session to include a “Mahalo” or “Just Maui’d sign for your future Thank you cards or announcements!

These are just a few simple tips to make your wedding stand out with a personal feel. Your personalized wedding décor should be a reflection of who you are as a couple, common likes, interests, how you met, or simply your love for each other. Have fun with it and please share any of your personal touches with us!