Nov 22

A Day of Wedding Planner is a Must!

A wedding is one of the most exciting days in a couple’s life, but it can also be the most stressful!  A lot of planning and preparation goes into making sure nothing is overlooked and every detail is perfect, but without an on-site coordinator, who is left to make sure it’s all property executed?  Without a coordinator, the wedding couple and well-meaning friends & family are left to deal with any issues that may arise when they should be getting ready & enjoying the day. 

  No matter how well an event is planned, there is almost certain to be some unexpected hiccups along the way. From power outages, traffic delays, tardy vendors, and weather causing havoc, it’s important to have an experienced coordinator to handle the unexpected, relying on their knowledge, vendor list, emergency kits & experience to sort things out. This is especially true when planning a destination wedding! 

The “day of” or on-site coordinator duties usually begin months prior to the actual event with helping to create a detailed schedule to ensure the proper flow of the couple’s special day.  Vendors are reconfirmed for both timing and details of what is being provided to make sure everyone is on the same page.  This is a great way to prevent any misunderstandings & catch potential mistakes before they happen. 

A rehearsal & site inspection is done 1 to 2 days prior to the wedding day.  This is a great opportunity to reconfirm any details with the bride & groom and fine tune the site diagram.  I always have my clients bring all items that they would like me to be in charge of for the wedding day such as favors, guest book, name cards, seating charts, etc.,  so that I have a time to go through everything and see if I have any questions.    It’s also a chance to address any questions from the bridal party or family that maybe hasn’t been a part of the planning process or to address issues the couple hasn’t thought of.  I have found that having a rehearsal can ease a lot of undue stress for everyone!   Once we have met in person, I like to reach out again to all the vendors, reconfirming all the details and to go over any changes. 

On the wedding day, the on-site coordinator is the main point of contact for the guests and vendor questions.   The day of the wedding, I am fielding calls from vendors way before ever arriving on site.  The rental company is usually the first call, and I send the set-up crew exact placement photos, that we have taken at the rehearsal.

The wedding couple should be left to get ready and enjoy their day without any interruptions.  As the coordinator, I’m helping with the caterer, florist, photography, musicians and additional vendors to ensure that no detail is overlooked and the vision that the couple has worked so hard to plan comes to life. 

With over 23 years of experience in wedding planning on the island of Maui, I have had the pleasure of working at hundreds of wedding venues and with thousands of wonderful couples.  I feel so blessed to have been a part of so many special events and helping to create some of the most cherished memories in our clients’ lives. 

Contact us at www.aperfectparadisewedding.com to request a custom day of coordinator proposal for your special day!

Maui Photographer: www.dmitriandsandra.com

Florist: Tersa Sena Designs

Rentals: Let’s Entertain Maui

Maui Wedding Venu: The Ka’anapali Westin

Sep 10

Love at the Kukahiko Estate, Makena Maui

I had the pleasure of planning Janet’s daughter’s wedding in 2019 at the Olowalu Plantation House. Shelby & CJ’s wedding was amazing, so when Janet & Troy got engaged, they knew the wedding had to be on Maui and they wanted A Perfect Paradise Wedding to plan it!

The couple reached out to me to find a wedding venue on Maui as lovely as the Olowalu Plantation House, but obviously they wanted an alternative venue. The top wedding venue criteria being Ocean front and intimate for a group of 40 guests. The Kukahiko estate in Makena was the perfect fit! One of our absolute favorite wedding & reception venues, not just because I was married there in 2011, but because it’s just steps from the ocean, beautiful photo ops at every angle and it has an intimate, romantic vibe.

Janet & Troy came to Maui to see the venue in person, talk about their vision and have a trial run with the hair & make up stylist, Meli Autumn. It was so fun to reconnect with the sweet couple and talk through the logistics of making their bright, elegant and tropical themed wedding a reality.

The wedding day was a dream come true! Janet’s daughter Shelby was her bridesmaid, and 2 beautiful grandbabies were part of the processional. Janet’s son walked her down the aisle to troy, where their good friend performed a wonderful ceremony filled with love, laughter and kisses.

Dellables created amazing bouquets, arch pieces and centerpieces in bright, tropical tones that were just gorgeous. Mixed with pineapples and woven plates on the farm tables, the elegant tropical vibe was a hit!

Janey & Troy found the cutest cake topper of wooden beach chairs, with some props & sand (raw sugar) then Janet’s favorite flowers, Plummerias.

After a lovely dinner under the stars, catered by Food for the Soul & cocktails flowing from Maui Bars, the group was ready for some special dances in the estate, what a wonderful night!

I loved being a part of Janet & Troy’s beautiful day and reconnecting with our past clients Shelby & CJ! It was so nice to see how their sweet family grew! I often get asked if being a wedding coordinator is fun…truthfully it can be very stressful, as you want everything to be perfect, but I have to say I have one of the most amazing careers! To be surrounded by so much love, on one of the most important days of a couple’s life together is so fulling! The connections made with our clients from around the world is such a blessing that still amazes me after 23 years in the wedding industry!

Maui Wedding Photographer: Maui Professional Photography

Maui Wedding Venu: The Kukahiko Estate

Maui Wedding Planner: A Perfect Paradise Wedding

Florals: Dellables

Caterer: Food for the Soul

Bar Service: Maui Bars

Sound: Take Three Events

Bakery: Maui Wedding Cakes

Hair & Make up: Meli Autumn

Aug 06

A Perfect Dream wedding at the Olowalu Plantation House, Maui

We are excited to share the beautiful love story and photos from Katie & Bryce’s amazing wedding at Maui’s most sought-after wedding venue, The Olowalu Plantation House!

Katie & Bryce had been to Maui numerous times and felt a deep connection to the island, they knew that this was the place to say their I do’s after 15 years. They contacted us at A Perfect Paradise Wedding and planned a scouting trip to Maui to see the wedding venues in person. We started at the Olowalu Plantation House and they were immediately in love. We continued the tour of 2 additional private estates and 1 restaurant, but their hearts kept circling back to the Plantation House.

After the Maui wildfire of August 8,20023, Katie & Bryce reached out to us to make sure we were safe and to check if we needed anything. They also wanted to assure us that they were still wanting to come to Maui which was wonderful to hear. With so much uncertainty, conflicting media messages, a lot of visitors were canceling their trips when we needed the support of tourism the most. The Olowalu Plantation House stepped up and housed Red Cross workers that had arrived to assist fire victims, briefly closing the wedding venue, unsure of the duration.

One of the most difficult phone calls I have ever had to make in my 23 years of planning weddings was to tell the couple that we had to move their wedding venue or postpone. Katie & Bryce were amazing, although disappointed, they pivoted and we again explored other Maui wedding venues that would embrace their vision.

Within a week we had secured a new venue and notified all of the vendors of the change. The next week Olowalu made the decision to allow Katie & Bryce’s wedding to be the first wedding & reception after the Maui fire at their venue, the couple was ecstatic!

The wedding day was a dream come true! Perfect weather, sweetest couple, a fun group and wedding vendors excited to do what we love!

White Lotus Maui Photography started photos of the lovely bride & her wedding party in their adorable matching silk PJ’s. Katie did a first look with her dad which is one of the sweetest captures! White Lotus captured pre wedding photos of Bryce and his grooms men, then it was time to start the ceremony!

After a heartfelt ceremony performed by Pastor Valentine Rosette, the guests were treated to appetizers from Cafe O’ Lei & cocktails from Maui Bars and we got the party started! As the couples cute bar sign said “We’ve waited 3,754 days for this, party accordingly”.

Katie & Bryce’s wedding was such a beautiful event to be a part of. The bond that is created when working closely with our couples for such a long length of time is special and we are emotionally invested in creating the best memories and experiences possible. A special Mahalo to Mr. & Mrs. Thompson for trusting us to help guide your through the planning process!

Maui Wedding Coordinator: A Perfect Paradise Wedding

Maui Wedding Venu: The Olowalu Plantation House

Photographer: White Lotus Photography

Flowers: Dellables

Caterer: Cafe O’ Lei

Bar: Maui Bars

Arch: Aloha Wedding Arches

Rentals: Let’s Entertain Maui

DJ: Take Three Events

Wedding Cake: Maui Wedding Cake

Signage: Miss B Calligraphy

Jun 11

SURPRISE WEDDING! 

From the moment Eric first contacted me and explained his vision, I was excitied!  After 23 years of doing weddings, this would be my first surprise proposal & wedding!  Eric was grateful that after speaking with several coordinators, he finally found someone who not only saw & understood his vision, but was enthusiastic about the details!  Considering Eric and his partner, Steven, had been together 15+ years, the chances of him saying yes, were pretty solid and honestly, that would have been my only hesitation. 

Disguised as a family photo session with Steven’s immediate family, they met with one of our favorite photographers, Nicole from www.behindthelensmaui.com at Po’olenalena beach.  Unbeknownst to Steven, Eric had arranged for a small group of their close friends to also be on Maui to be a part of the special occasion.  I had a fresh flower circle set up on the opposite side of the beach where the family stayed out of view until we were given the signal.

Nicole met with Steven, Eric and family and began strolling down the beach getting shots near where we had arranged for a guitarist, David Wolf & videographer, Stephan Broker to be.  When the moment was right, David began to play a special song he learned just for this occasion!  The photographer & videographer captured the moment when Steven realized this was for him, that was my cue to have the family walk down and surround the couple with love.  Eric then asked Steven’s parents for permission to ask for his hand in marriage.  After a beautiful proposal, lots of happy tears & hugs, we all walked back down the beach to where we had the circle of flowers and officiate waiting. 

The couple presented leis to their parents and then exchanged rings, leis and kisses during a heart-warming ceremony performed by Charles Nahale.  It was beautiful, their personal vows had us all laughing & crying! 

May 28

DREAM ELOPEMENTS, MAUI STYLE!

From halfway across the world, Liam & Philipe dreamed of being wed on a beautiful beach on Maui! The elopement was carefully planned to include their closest family & friends, all traveling from England.

They wanted something very simple and memorable, fresh Hawaiian flowers & an Officiate that embraced the essence of Aloha! Pastor Charles Nahale performed his heartfelt ceremony with the blowing of the conch shell and sharing of the leis, which couldn’t have been more perfect!

Photography was very important to the couple! They made sure to get photos with each person, as they were relocating to Germany after the honeymoon. White Lotus did an amazing job of capturing the special day and making the group feel at ease.

After the beautiful ceremony & family photos at Po’olenalena beach in Makena, the guests were invited to head to the reception at Morimoto’s restaurant at the Andaz hotel.

Liam & Philipe said they were so happy with their decision to elope to Maui! It was a once in a lifetime experience and loved being able to enjoy the island with their favorite people.

Maui Wedding Planner: A Perfect Paradise Wedding

Photographer: White Lotus Photography

Flowers: Maui Blooms

Officiate: Pastor Charles Nahale