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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 04

Rethink the standard Guest book!

I’ve never been a big fan of the traditional guest book, I mean who really goes back through and reads it more than once or twice after the wedding?  There are so many cute ideas that make great mementos & entertain the guests!

My favorite is to have a Polaroid camera at the sign in table with a book for the guests to sign and later have their photo pared with.

Another option is to have something unique such as a ukulele, surfboard, or beautiful picture frame to later be displayed in the newlywed’s house.

 

The wish boxes & messages in the bottle are also very cute ideas and you read them on  future anniversaries,  which I think is very romantic!

I recommend thinking outside the box  or “book” in this case!  For me the key to any successful  event,  is to make it fun & personalize it!

We would love to see any unique ideas you have for a guest book alternatives, send them in!

Sep 26

Top 5 Wedding Ceremony Decor Choices!

The Circle of Flowers:

 

 In Hawaii a circle of flowers or flower lei is a symbol of love, signifying the never ending circle of love & commitment.  What better way to dress up your intimate beach ceremony than exchanging your vows in a beautiful circle of love made from fresh Hawaiian flowers?!

 

The Bamboo Arch with Scrim:

By far our most popular decor request because of its diversity to match any style from simple to extravagant!  The natural bamboo arch can be used alone to frame a great back drop or dressed up with floral arrangements in a variety of ways to create your own custom look.

 

The Driftwood Arch:

The Boho inspired arch is defiantly gaining popularity for those wanting to create a simple, but elegant look and not take away from the natural back drop of your Maui wedding!

 

The 2 Post Modern Arch:

Available in both dark wood or a light natural wood, the 2 post arch gives the ceremony site a more chic feel and is very diverse in how it can be decorated.

 

Tropical Topiaries:

Palm tree inspired bamboo topiaries make the  perfect addition for those wanting to dress up their altar, but not hide the gorgeous ocean view.

Those are just a few of our favorite & most popular request for ceremony site décor, but by no means the only options!  Our florist & rental companies are constantly working on their inventory to keep up with current trends in the ever changing wedding industry!  We at A Perfect Paradise Wedding, love when clients send us photos of items that inspire them and allow us to help create their dream wedding!

Sep 15

Vintage Aloha Style at the Olowalu Plantation House!

Fran & Steve were married on July 14, 2017 at the Hawaiian style Olowalu Plantation House in Maui! With close personal & family ties to Hawaii, it was important to the couple to incorporate Authentic elements of Aloha into their special day!

Upon arrival the guests were greeted by male & female Lei greeters presenting purple orchid leis, to welcome everyone to the special celebration.

Kuhina Alalani officiated the moving ceremony with the sharing of leis, Hawaiian blessings, song & chant.  After the ring exchange the Ukulele player performed “The Hawaiian Wedding Song” accompanied by a beautiful hula dancer.

Fran and Steve choose to have elegant scrim dinning canopies of bamboo for guest to dine under and it really tied together the vintage, Hawaiian theme.  the Lahala favor baskets with Hawaiian sea salts adorned each place setting and were the perfect touch with the simple Hawaiian tropical centerpieces.

 

The couple had their favorite Maui restaurant, Café O’ Lei, caterer their reception and went with their wonderful Hawaiian, Luau buffet menu.  For dessert, Maui Wedding Cake’s Lilikoi (passion fruit filling) cake a huge hit!

Just after the sun set and first dance, Fran & Steve surprised their family & friends with a Fire knife performance!

We ended the night with a sparkler farewell sending the newlyweds off in style!

Thank you Fran & Steve for choosing A Perfect Paradise Wedding to be a part of your special day, it was an honor!

A Special Thank you to Steve Strand photography for doing an amazing job of capturing this special day to share with us!