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                                                                -  lisakeiko's photos

I feel funny giving "advice" on how other people should feel, think, and act on their wedding day. So, FWIW, here are some of my personal thoughts from my wedding day.

It was such an awesome, beautiful day.  I was sad that the day had to end, but am so grateful for the many memories I have.  We have no regrets about anything that happened or about any of the choices we made during planning.  This was my litmus test throughout planning.  If I was faced with a dilemma, I would simply ask myself if I would regret doing/not doing it.  My method was tried and true thoughout the wedding day!

Of course, there were some hiccups on the day-of, a few of which you can read about in my vendor reviews.  However, it was my wedding day and I was determined not to let these things ruin my day.  When these things happened, I allowed them to bother me for about 3 seconds, took a deep breath, and then let go.  I asked myself, "Okay, _______ happened/didn't happen. What can I do about it right now, at this moment, and is it worth it?" The answers were usually "nothing" and "no."  Okay, so I told myself to move on, enjoy the rest of the day and focus on the things that do go well!  And so many things did go well!

In addition to not allowing things to bother me, I also made it a point to be gracious and behave such that I wouldn't upset those around me.  I wanted everyone else to have a joyous, memorable day as well.  I didn't want my family and friends to remember my wedding as the day that Nicole went Bridezilla and had a fit about every little thing that didn't go according to her plan.  That would be awful and embarassing.  I suppose this revelation came to me during a wedding DH and I attended about 6 months before our wedding.  For whatever reason, the bride and groom both looked absolutely miserable throughout the entire reception.  This really set the tone for all the guests.  It was a really strange and awkward reception that seemed to drag on without end, and I'm assuming it felt this way because of the bride and groom.  I definitely didn't want this to happen to our guests.

A couple of weeks before the wedding, I made a conscious decision not to  stake my happiness on how perfectly things went.  I know I did a good, thorough job planning.  At some point, I needed to let go.  I knew things would happen regardless of how well I planned and it was out of my control.  After getting way too caught up in planning every detail of the wedding a few times, I made it a point to focus on what the day was really about.  It wasn't about how perfectly our ceremony and reception music was going to be timed, or about making sure that my table numbers were positioned correctly in their number holders, or about how nicely my corset-back was tied, it was about Brian and I becoming husband and wife and sharing our happiness with our family and friends.  After thinking about it that way, none of the other stuff really mattered and didn't seem so important, afterall.

Lastly, I tried to make every moment last.  The wedding day goes by so quickly!  I've heard many Knotties say this before I got married, but you have no idea exactly what they mean until you're there!  I just tried to soak in as much as I could, have FUN, and truly live in the moment.

I started to feel down, blue, and almost depressed in the days following the wedding.  Wow, I had no idea I would have these feelings and it kind of freaked me out!  I thought there was something wrong with me.  I was sad that the wedding was over.  My wedding day was so amazing to me.  I had never felt as happy or as good about myself as I did on that day.  And I missed it.  Hence the sadness.  But, I was thankful that I had these feelings rather than feelings of relief because my wedding day and wedding planning experiences were so horrible!  Being able to look at photos from family and friends while I waited for my pro pics really helped.   Being able to talk about the wedding with others made me feel a lot better, too.

I also felt a bit lost.  I had wedding planning on my mind just about every day for the last year, and to be completely honest, I really, really enjoyed it.  Although stressful at times, wedding planning was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.  Suddenly it was all gone.  It stopped so abruptly.  Now what do I do?  My brain needed to adjust to focusing on other things.  Making my DIY Thank You cards and photo montage really helped immediately after the wedding.  Not to mention having to write about 100 Thank You Cards in 1 month!  I felt so much better after the Thank You cards went out.  I'm now working on little things around the house, updating my bio, and still Knotting, of course.  :)

Remember how I mentioned above that I didn't let the hiccups bother me on the day-of?  Well, they started to bother me after the wedding, big time!  I suppose I had time to process everything and since I'm such a perfectionist, I found myself picking apart the wedding and over-analyzing everything!  I know it's probably because I'm on the Knot way too much and am exposed to so many different brides and their beatiful  ideas and photos, but I started comparing my wedding to others and started to wish that my (fill in the blank) turned out as well as theirs did.

I know I said I wasn't going to give advice, but this is the only thing I want to stress:
Please, please, please don't ever compare any aspect of your wedding to others, whether it be flowers, hair, or photos.  Thankfully, I caught myself before heading too far down this path.  Why should we wish that our wedding was the same as someone else's?  How boring and uninspiring would it be if everyone's weddings, photos, and ideas were the same?  I'm definitely glad I didn't have a cookie-cutter wedding.  We should be proud of all elements of our own weddings and the things that made them uniquely our own, good and not-so-good.   I know I am.  :)  

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I'm Glad That We...

Had a Day-of-Coordinator
We had a family friend fill this role for us.  I have a little somthing about her in our Vendor Reviews, as well.  She took care of all the behind-the-scenes details such as answering questions from the banquet staff during our reception, arriving early at our reception to do the bar inventory for our open bar, and being the marriage license guardian.  We had full faith in her and I strongly believe this is a big reason why we were able to be (somewhat) care-fee, relax and enjoy our wedding day.

Hired a Videographer
Check out our Videographer Vendor Review.
We've watched our video several times in the last month.  Since we could only be in one place at a time, it was fun to see all the things we missed: family and friends laughing and having fun, the GM being absolutely clueless about where to sit at the head table even though his seat was clearly marked with a place card, and seeing our guests' emotions during the ceremony.  It was also great being able to relive the special moments I do remember, such as the ceremony (obviously :P) and the absolutely touching invocation my baby brother gave at the reception.

Chose Our Battles
I suppose this is mostly regarding family, but it's also applicable to vendors.  I'm a firm believer in sticking to your guns.  I'm glad we were stubborn at times with the things that were most important to us.  However, when it came to some very touchy subjects with our family, I'm glad that we compromised and gave in on a few things.  Afterall, we were all going to be family soon and needed to be able to get along and live with each other long after the wedding was over. Some things were not worth fighting over just so that we could be right and prove our point.

Made It Personal
I'm so glad that we decided to do some non-"traditional"/non-trendy things to make our wedding personal.  From my non-strapless gown to, what some described as, my funeral flower motif, I'm glad we decided to be a little different.  I knew I didn't want to get married outdoors and many criticized our decision to have an indoor, chapel wedding, especially when they found out how much it would cost us.  But, it's really what I wanted and I think it added a unique touch to our wedding.  Our Bamboo (first kanji character of DH's last name) and Chrysanthemum (first kanji character of my maiden name) theme really meant a lot to us and our families.  We were able to incorporate our theme into our invitations, florals, cake, centerpieces, favors, table numbers, thank you cards, right down to our wishing well pens!

Did DIY Projects
Doing DIY projects allowed us to save money and gave us the flexibility to personaize our wedding. Our DIY endeavors included STD magnets, "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" card, thank you cards, table numbers, invitations/RSVPs/map, favors, wishing well, guestbook, and envelope box.

Did E-pics
DH and I were not used to being in front of a camera and thought that doing e-pics would be a great opportunity not only see how it felt to be photographed, but also to work with our photographer before the day-of.  I cannot stress how much doing the e-pics prepared us for the wedding day!  The e-pic session gave us a chance to see how our photographer operated and helped us get used to taking his direction.  DH and I were so much comfortable on our wedding day than we were for th e-pics.  I think we felt less stiff and more natural, and I think it shows in our photos.

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CATEGORY	VENDOR	REVIEW
Ceremony	Best Bridal Hawaii Paradise Cove Crystal Chapel	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Gorgeous venue complete with a breathtaking oceanfront view! JoAnn,our chapel coordinator, was a pleasure to work with and bent over backwards to help make our day fabulous and stress-free!  She was always happy to answer all of our questions and, on a couple of occassions, spent over an hour talking to me on the phone!  She not only took care of our ceremony, but was genuinely interested in helping in whatever way she could by giving me advice and talking with me about the other aspects of our wedding day. JoAnn's staff was wonderful, as well!  They were so nice and polite and were always willing to help.  They took care of all the behind-the-scenes logistics (music, ushering, etc.) and accompanied us on our post-ceremony beach photo shoot to help with purses, shoes, (wedding gown) train management, etc. JoAnn even came to my hotel room at 6AM on the morning-of to deliver our bouquets, bouts, and corsages.  She was nice enough to pick them up for me from the florist the night before.  I feel that JoAnn went above and beyond.  I have absolutely no regrets about this splurge.  It was my dream come true! |back to Vendors|
Reception	JW Marriott Ihilani Resort Malolo Room	Would I use this vendor again?  YES We worked with Terri Hyden, an event manager at the Ihilani.  She was awesome!  She made sure everything was just as we wanted it and made  sure all of our questions were answered and that we were all on the same page.  I can be indecisive and a bit of a control freak at the same time.  Terri was so patient and helpful.  She sent us a bottle of champagne the night of our wedding, which was totally unexpected.  She also pulled some strings and got us a last minute reservation for a party of 22 at Ushio-Tei for our RD, which was the very next night.  I'm so glad we had the opportunity to work with her. One thing I would like to mention is that the Ihilani will not decorate your reception site for you.  They will put your favors out on your tables and set up some complimentary candle votives, but that is the extent of their involvement.  I'm sure this is for liability reasons so they are not responsible if someone drops one of your centerpieces or if something happens to your decorations,etc.  Make sure you find your own people to take care of this. We did the "A Hillside in Napa" lunch buffet with 3 entrees.  The food was absolutely delicious!  Even our GM, who is a bit of a food snob, raved about the food. Sadly enough, I did not get to eat very much.  Not because I was running around visiting with guests, but I didn't have much of an appetite.  I think it was a combination of nerves and not being able to breathe! LOL, no, it wasn't that bad, but I was tied into my dress and I think my stomach was being smooshed by the rest of my internal organs.  There was no room in there for food!  :P  We were served by Michelle, the Banquet Captain, so I did get to taste everything (not in great quantities, though) and it was yummy.  The banquet staff seemed very friendly and accommodating. I think the Malolo Room worked out well for us.  I was concerned about the non-rectangular shape of the room and the 2 columns in the middle of it, but everything worked out just fine.  This room had 6 ft. (72 in.) rounds covered with 2 offset, square tablecloths. The chairs were a neutral beige color .  I'm so glad I didn't spend money on renting chair covers and speciatly linens. Everything looked fine, and I don't think guests really notice these kinds of things anyway. And kudos to the Malolo Room for being Blue!  How perfect is that?  It was a sign from the start.... |back to Vendors|
Rehearsal Dinner	Roy's Restaurant Ko ‘Olina	Would I use this vendor again?  NO Technically we never "used" this vendor.  We never made it to that point, but I wish I had not wasted my time, energy, and emotions on this one. (I want to emphasize that this review pertains only to the Ko Olina location.) We were extremely disappointed with the customer service and handling of our RD reservation.  First, there was some kind of  mix-up with our reservation and it mysteriously disappeared.  We re-reserved and decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.  We figured that Roy's Restaurant would hold true to their reputation of fine customer service and we were looking forward to their delicious food. We were given conflicting information each time we spoke to our contact at the restaurant.  The day before our RD, I called to confirm our headcount, at which time I was told that a party of our size would not fit in the space we had reserved.  I had been told otherwise when I spoke to this same person just a week and a half earlier.  Instead of being cooperative, I was bascially given no options and a "take it or leave it" attitude. I ended up cancelling our reservation for 22 people 24 hours before our RD.  I just could not deal with the uncertainty and drama 2 days before our wedding day.  Our contact called me the following day to ask why I cancelled.  Upon explaining, I was told exactly the same thing as the previous day--no apology for any misunderstanding or offering of solutions or concessions.   Needless to say, I was more than happy to take my business, and money, elsewhere. |back to Vendors|
	Ushio-Tei at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort	Would I use this vendor again?  YES In the end, I am so happy that things did not work out with Roy's.  That experience truly was a blessing in disguise.  We had a wonderful time at Ushio-Tei.  And it was cheaper than Roy's, too!  Everyone raved about the delicious Tabehodai (All-You-Can-Eat) buffet.  The service was absolutly top-notch, as well.  They were so warm and seemed genuinely happy to have us at their restaurant.  Cheyeanne and Oliver helped us that evening.  When Cheyenne found out it was our RD, she brought out a complimentary congratulatory tempura ice cream dessert for me and Brian!  Yum-o! Since our reservation was last minute, Terri Hyden told me that they could only seat us from 5:30PM-7:0OPM. However, when I confirmed this with Cheyenne, she told us not to worry and to take our time.  We ended up staying until close to 8:00PM and we were never pressured to leave or given the rush act.  We all had such a great time. We went back again a little over a month later to celebrate DH's birthday and we were served by Cheyeanne again!  Yay!  This place is on our list of faves and we'll definitely dine here many times again in the future. |back to Vendors|
E-pics & Day-of Photography	Mark Nomura Photography	Would I use this vendor again?  YES I love our photos!  Mark got so many great shots and captured so many touching moments.  We are so pleased with what he did for us.  His style of photography is just what we were looking for.  I would say that his photos tend to look more on the "natural" side (for lack of a better word), meaning that his work doesn't appear to be as extensively post-processed as other photographers.  We feel that our photos really give us a true remembrance of our wedding day. Mark was always pleasant to work with.  I never had any problems with rudeness or attitude.  My family loved him on the day-of, saying he made them feel at ease in front of the camera.  We felt this way, as well.  I was also surprised at how unobtrusive he was!  I barely noticed him on the day-of.  As I looked through our photos, I often thought, "Wow, how/when did he get that shot?"  His GF usually comes along to the weddings to help with the camera gear and to make sure that everyone looks their best: dress-fluffing, taking care of upturned collars and errant hairs, etc.  She is super sweet.  I love talking to her. Unfortunately, his GF couldn't make it to my wedding so Mark brought his friend, another photographer named Michelle Davies (http://www.idobelieve.biz), instead.  Michelle did a great job helping us!  She brought her camera with her and got some great shots of her own. Mark does a lot of weddings, so sometimes it takes a few days for him to get back to you.  I usually sent an e-mail and he usually got back to me by the next day. If not, I just followed up with a phone call. It took about 6 weeks to get our proofs, digital images, and film negatives back from Mark because he got really sick right after our wedding and was out of commission for a couple of weeks.  Mark provided us with over 1,200 proof prints of all our film and digital photos, 2 DVD copies of all the hi-res digital files, all of our film negatives, and full reprinting rights.  His packages also come with 1 or 2 Kolo albums that you can use to store your proof prints, and some type of print or album credit that you can use towards reprints, enlargements, and/or the purchase of a professionally created wedding album.  I can't really speak for his albums except to say that the samples we looked at were pretty awesome.  We have not yet decided if we will get a "professional" wedding album. You can check out more of our photos here. I uploaded most of our photos, but I left out a good amount of candids/stills with family and friends.  I didn't think anyone would really be interested in these.  :P |back to Vendors|
Videography	Video 21 Productions	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Janice and Davis Lauderdale were wonderful to work with!  They are such sincere people and you can tell that they really love what they do.  The communication during planning was excellent. I was orignally dead-set against hiring a videographer because I didn't think it was necessary and I wanted to cut costs.  However, I am so glad I had a change of heart about half-way through wedding planning!  The day was such a blur and there was no way that I would have been able to take it all in the first time around.   Also, having video highlights to look at after the wedding really helped with the post-wedding withdrawals.  :P We had 2-camera coverage at both our ceremony and reception.  Davis attended our rehearsal and really put us at ease by telling us what to expect and explaining where they would be set up so we wouldn't block the camera shot, etc. We got 2 different video highlights about a month after the wedding, and our edited DVD arrived in the mail about a month after that.  The quality of the DVD is awesome.  They shoot in HD and we got an HDTV as a wedding present.  :D  How perfect was that? Anyway, the clarity is amazing!  We got a custom "Menu" screen featuring one of our pro wedding pics as the background, another screen for chapters/scene selection, background music of our choice, and a custom DVD case, again featuring 2 of our pro pics. |back to Vendors|
Video Slideshow	Scott Nishi	Scott is DH's co-worker and a friend of ours.  We were in a pinch to find someone to do our slideshow.  He totally delivered and then some.  I think we've watched the slideshow with various family and friends (and also alone) at least a dozen times since the reception!  Our guests really enjoyed it and felt it was very entertaining. Scott used to do video slideshows professionally for Video Dreams Hawaii.  Although he no longer does work for the company, I just wanted to give him some props.  :) |back to Vendors|
Officiant	Pastor Greig Porter	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Pastor Porter is contracted with the chapel we got married at.  We really enjoyed him and he performed such a nice ceremony.  It was short and to the point, but I still cried because of his warmth and sincerity.  I really hope that our paths cross again in the future. |back to Vendors|
Rings	The Wedding Ring Shop	Would I use this vendor again?  YES I love Maria Montes!  We got my e-ring and both of our wedding bands from Maria.  She took such great care of us and I absolutely love our rings!!!  Maria is such a warm and sincere person.  She never made us feel like we had no business being in their shop (as some other shops made us feel) and never pressured us to look at something that we clearly could not afford.  She also did a lot of research on different designs, options, and pricing for us. Now that I'm married, I would not have chosen anything different and will never "upgrade" as some folks do.  We were able to get exactly what we wanted and I will cherish these symbols of love and commitment forever. |back to Vendors|
Attire	Vows Bridal and Formals (808) 591-6612	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Vickie and her girls were wonderful!  I really appreciate the personal attention I received there and respect their professional advice and opinions.  I was a clueless bride-to-be and desparately needed some help and guidance on what styles would work best with my body shape and height, time of day, formality, and venue. I especially appreciated the fact that they only showed me dresses that were within my budget.  In the end, I went with a dress that was a little more expensive than I originally had budgted for, but it was reasonable and I absolutely loved my dress and how it made me feel on the day-of.  I went to one store where I told them what my budget was and the first dress they brought out for me was more than 3 times what I had told them I was willing to spend.  Vows didn't do that to me and I really appreciate that. They do come into the room once you've slipped the gown on so they can help zip/lace you up.  So, just a warning, don't wear any undies that you don't anyone else to see.  And, if you normally go commando, you might want to slip something on for this occassion.   :P They don't allow photos before purchasing a dress. They also remove the manufacturer labels from their gowns.  However, I did some sleuthing and noticed that they sometimes leave those other miscellaneous tags on there.  If you really wanted to, like me, you could definitely Google some clues from these tags to find out the dress brand and style. The alterations were done perfectly after only 1 fitting. I loved that I still had a little mini-train after my gown was bustled, too. We ended up getting my gown, veil, headband, bra, the BM dresses, Groom and GM tuxes, and fathers' suits from Vows. So, basically, everything.  Vickie even gave us a little discount on the tuxes and suits.  I'm not sure if it was because we were getting so much stuff from her or if it was because our tuxes took a little longer to come in due to prom season (DH was the one who took care of this transaction and didn't ask).  But, we appreciate the discount regardless!  All the guys looked so handsome! |back to Vendors|
Shoes	Zappos.com Online Shoe Store	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Zappos is awesome!  Their free shipping and return policy prompted me to buy 4 pairs of shoes from them. I found the perfect pair on Zappos: "Odessa" by rsvp. My feet hurt by the end of the ceremony, but they looked absolutely fabulous! |back to Vendors|
Garter	eBay seller beegaboo eBay store Just For Bride	Would I use this vendor again?  YES I LOVE Snoopy (it's a childhood thing) and I stumbled upon a Snoopy garter on eBay made of a Valentine's Day Snoopy print fabric.  I contacted the seller and asked if she could custom make a Snoopy garter for me in my wedding colors.  She said it wouldn't be a problem, however, she didn't have one already made to show me.  I thought about it over the next couple of days and then got distracted with other wedding-related things and never got back to her.  To my surprise, she contacted me a couple of weeks  later and sent me some photos of a garter she made in the colors I had requested.  I was completely sold! Communication and customer service were excellent and the garter arrived in about a week to me in Hawaii.  It's well made and still looks great after wearing it on my wedding day. The garter is made of navy blue organza and the elastic is encased in navy blue satin ribbon.  I just love the Snoopy charm in the middle of the bow!  Too cute! |back to Vendors|
Hair & Make-up	Dorys Foltin	Would I use this vendor again?  YES I loved Dorys and think she made me look beautiful on my wedding day!  My hair and makeup were great!  I asked Dorys for more definition in the curls in my updo on the morning-of and she totally delivered.  The lip stain she used on me did not last. By the time the ceremony was over, I definitely needed a touch up and my lips were really dry and kind of icky looking. For some reason, our styling shedule was a little off.  My MOH, BM and I were all supposed to be ready shortly after 6AM so we could all get dressed and be ready to go for our 7AM pre-ceremony photo shoot.  I was pretty much ready on time, but my girls were not ready until about 6:40AM and I needed people to help me get laced up, etc. Needless to say, it was a mad rush to get everyone dressed in 20 minutes, not to mention trying to get my corset back tied up nicely.  As a result of the rushing, I wasn't really happy with how the corset was tied and Dorys either forgot or didn't have time to do the touch-up on my wrist I requested (I have some eczema-related discoloration that makes me self-conscious). I think what happened was that when my girls' hair was done or had curlers setting, the stylists started on the mothers' & FSIL's hair and then didn't get back to my girls' makeup until after the mothers' & my FSIL's hair was done.  I'm not really sure why this switch occurred. Since we didn't have a lot of time to get dressed, my "getting ready" shots were also rushed and I don't think my photographer was able to get very many pics. BUT, Dorys is extremely talented and I would go with her again in a heartbeat!  She delivered what she was supposed to--hair and makeup.  She's also great with correspondence and is very flexible. In retrospect, I should have confirmed the styling schedule with her again (it had already been confirmed several times via e-mail) on the morning-of. By then, I was trying so hard to keep calm and was so oblivious that I forgot to ask.  On the day-of, you just go with the flow and everything has a way of working itself out.  :) |back to Vendors|
Florals	Ribbons 'n Rainbows	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Annette and her team did a great job!  I presented her with a unique floral scheme and some taller-than-she-was-comfy-with vases and they made it work. My bouquet was a bit more "leafy" than I wanted and my girls' bouquets weren't as full as I was expecting, but they were still very pretty.  They were going to charge me a $35 set-up fee to put the pre-arranged centerpieces out on the guest tables.  I passed on that offer and had a family friend put them out for us instead. Other than these minor things, everything else was perfect!  They did a great job with my centerpieces and made some great suggestions along the way.  At my request, Annette also attached a silver butterfly brooch that belonged to my recently departed grandmother to my bouquet.  I'm happy I went with a "non-wedding" florist.  I think this saved me a ton of money for the same quality! |back to Vendors|
Cake	Tiers of Joy	Would I use this vendor again?  YES Everyone raved about how yummy the cake was!!!  I didn't even get to eat a piece during the reception aside from the 1 forkful I had during the cake-cutting.  :(  LOL, we have since decided to eat the top-tier we froze.  About half of it is gone.  :P We had a 3-tier, square, offset cake frosted with buttercream.  The frosting was finished so smoothly that some people thought it was fondant from afar. All 3 tiers were the same flavor--White Chocolate Raspberry.  There were white chocolate chips and fresh raspberries throughout the cake and white chocolate mousse between the layers of each tier.  It was heavenly. The cake was perfectly decorated with 3 different types of fresh chrysanthemums and candy bamboo. Leigh even decorated the cake table with a few loose chrysanthemums.  She captured our theme perfectly. Communication was excellent.  Leigh also has a full-service design & catering company with her sister. If you inquire about a cake, she'll probably also talk to you about her other services. |back to Vendors|
Day-of Wedding Coordinator Malolo Room Set-up	Family Friends	Aunty Leilani, who has coordinated weddings for many members of her church, agreed to be our DOC. I couldn't see myself paying big bucks for a "professional" DOC.  Our event was pretty low key and straight-forward so I didn't think a "pro" was necessary. Plus, we did a lot of DIY so we didn't have to coordinate with any vendors on the day-of.  She did a great job with all the behind-the-scenes stuff.  I didn't have to worry about a thing and trusted her completely. The only problem was that I needed someone to set up the Malolo Room for the reception.  The earliest we could get into the room was 8:00AM.  Our ceremony was set to start promptly at 9:00AM.  We were worried about finding someone to set-up the room for us since we really wanted all of our family and friends to be at the ceremony.  (The Ihilani staff will not decorate your  reception site for you--see Reception review for details). Our saviors were Fred and Sandie Nagao, the parents of my co-worker and cubicle-mate, Reid.  They like to do this kind of stuff so my co-worker asked his parents if they would be willing to help.  They were so sweet and did a bang-up job decorating and setting-up the Malolo Room.  I'm so glad that they stayed for the reception, too. We visited the Malolo Room before signing with the Ihilani.  It was set up for a small wedding when we visited so I figured I knew what to expect on the day-of.  I was sorely mistaken.  When we made our grand entrance into the Malolo Room, I was in awe and completely blown away.  It looked so great--better than I had envisioned.  I am eternally greatful to Aunty Sandie and Uncle Fred.  :)  Oh yeah, and you too, Reid.  :P |back to Vendors|
DJ	Family Friend	A friend of DH's, Tom Vu, has a DJ/MC business on the side.  He normally only does Vietnamese weddings, but was happy to provide his DJ services as a wedding gift to us.  He did a great job and brought some great equipment with him.  We're really thankful that he offered to help us out on our special day.  I couldn't have asked for better! |back to Vendors|
MC	Family Friend	A long-time friend of DH's family acted as our DJ.  If you have a family member or friend who is willing to fill this roll, I would highly recommend tapping into this resource. Everything went great and we saved a ton of money by not hiring a paid professional.  Since our MC personally knew us, he was able to make our reception extra special.  I'm so glad things worked out the way they did and we are both thankful that our friend was such a special part of our day. |back to Vendors|
Limousine	Duke's Limosuine, Inc.	Would I use this vendor again?  YES We got a great $60 per hour rate at the Bridal Expo for an 8 passenger Lincoln.  The limo that picked us up on the day-of was hot-looking and gorgeous!!!  :)  The driver was right on time with the pick-up, was very polite, and was very helpful with getting me and my dress into the limo. The only hiccup was that the driver told us on the morning-of that he had to have us back at the Ihilani by 10:30AM because he had another job to get to immediately following ours.  My contract stated we would be picked up from the chapel at 10:30AM.  I told the company that we might need to be picked up at 10:45AM, depending on how we were doing with the schedule and I was told it would be no problem and that I could pay for the extra time on the day-of.  We had to shave about 15 minutes off our photo shoot to round everyone up and make it back to the Ihilani in time. This didn't cause a huge problem, but it was just a little distressing on the day-of. I didn't realize it until after the wedding, but the limo that picked us up was not the one we had reserved. Instead, it was a 10 passenger Chrysler 300!  Whether intentional or not, the unexpected limo "upgrade" was pretty awesome. |back to Vendors|
Hotel Suite	JW Marriott Ihilani Resort Ihilani Suite	Would I use this vendor again?  YES OMG, two words: Absolute Luxury!!!  The "Ihilani Suite" was amazing!  We stayed there for 3 nights and are so glad we splurged on this!  DH and I plan to stay in the exact same suite for our anniversary!!!  The suite was more than large enough to accommodate me, my MOH, my BM, DH, the Best Man, 1 GM, 2 moms, 1 FSIL, 3 hair and makeup artists, and 1 photographer.  That's 13 people! Our suite had a huge lanai (which we partied on after the wedding), gorgeous ocean views, mountain views, a whirlpool tub, walk-in closet, 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms...need I say more??? If you're a local, definitely always ask about Kama'aina Rates.  For 3 nights, we paid about what it would have costed us to stay here for 1 night at full price.  Granted, one of our nights was complimentary for a smaller room and we just paid a couple hundred to cover the difference.  But still, can't beat those Kama'aina Rates!!! |back to Vendors|
Invitation Supplies	Creations Unlimited	Would I use this vendor again? YES Norice and the other ladies were awesome.  They helped me come up with designs for my invites and table numbers.  Such inspiration!  They have a wide variety of papers in various colors, thicknesses, and textures.  I got all of my papers, envelopes, inks, etc. from CU.  I'm glad I found them! |back to Vendors|
	Dreamweaver Stencils	I used a bamboo stencil from this company to do the Dry Embossing for my DIY wedding invitations.  It's a great, durable product that I know I will use in the future.
	Tsukineko Ink Pads	I used a couple of different inks from this company for my invites and thank you cards with great results.
	Kodomo Inc. Asian Rubber Stamps	My MOH gave me bamboo and chrysanthemum rubber stamps from this company.  I was surprised at how much detail both stamps had and how well they showed up on paper.  I used these stamps for our thank you cards and table numbers.  They matched our theme perfectly!
Bamboo Stalks (Favors)	Kimi's in Chinatown (808) 524-6698	Would I use this vendor again?  YES I went with Kimi for convenience.  My other option was to order from an online vendor and keep my fingers crossed that the goods would arrive on time, in tact, and not get held up by agricutural inspections.  The online vendor was about 50% cheaper than Kimi. I bought 280 stalks for $112.  The bamboo looked a little beat up, a couple of the stalks were dead, and most had spots and slightly damaged leaves--probably stuff that only a bride-in-planning would notice.  I know she stores the bamboo in bulk and in bundles of 10.  I suspect this might be why the stalks get damaged. However, I have not heard any reports of my guests' bamboo dying on them, and the leftover favors that I took to work are flourishing! I'm  glad I bought from Kimi and not from my online vendor.  The peace of mine was totally worth it. |back to Vendors|
Eyebrow Waxing	Paul Brown Salon Waikele	Would I use this vendor again?  YES My eyebrows looked great the day-of.  They lady who did my brows seemed a little unfriendly, but she delivered.  I actually ended up trimming them a little when I got home because I thought the beginning of my brows looked a little too angular, but that's just personal preference.  I'll go back there again.  :) |back to Vendors|
Manicures	L'mour Nail & Beauty Salon	Would I use this vendor again?  NO Keep in mind this was my first manicure ever.  I had a UV Gel French tip nail enhancement, i.e. fake nails, done.  Also keep in mind that many different nail technicians work at this salon and my MOH and BM both had great results from their nail technicians.  Mine seemed a little unfriendly, but this might be because English was not his first language and he might just be the type whose M.O. is strictly business. My nails looked great the day I got them (less than 48 hours before my wedding), but they already started to lift near my cuticles the very next day, and lifted more and more every day thereafter.  I have since had the same nail enhancement done at another shop (Diva Nails in the Waimalu Shopping Center: 808-484-4508) and  have had such great results!  They are cheaper than L'mour, too! Regardless, the results served their purpose for the day-of.   However, I don't plan on going back here again.  It's just too much of a toss-up for my money. |back to Vendors|

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