Location ~ Lanikuhonua Phase II  
Recommend: YES
What else can be said, except “AMAZING!”  I actually did not visit Lani until a couple days leading to the big day.  I actually drive by it everyday, but I had a hard time getting in touch with Nellie to schedule something.  I choose Phase II due to the proximity to the beach. I wanted lots of beach photos.  The only grip I have is that my day was the first day in Lani history, that there was another wedding at the very same time.  I did not notice, but some people told me they could hear the other weddings music during our vows.  I guess I was so nervous I did not notice.

Caterer ~ The Willows
Recommended: Yes
Adam works for The Willows as a property manager so we got a pretty sweet deal. The food was amazing and Keri Ann (manager) is one of the sweetest people ever.  She went way above and beyond what I asked of her.  She set up our tables, place settings and even helped load the mini-van we rented with beer in one of their coolers.  Everyone raved about the food!!  If you want our menu, send me an email.

 
Hair and Make-Up ~ Dorys Foltin
Recommended: Yes
I had Doris do my engagement picture make-up, trial run and day of.  She was amazing.  She brought an assistant the day of to do my bridesmaid and my mother’s hair and make-up.  All my ladies looked awesome. Don’t forget that you will need your hair flowers while Doris is there if you want her to put them in. I forgot all about it, so my DOC did it for me.


Photographer ~ Frank Amodo
Recommended: YES
What can I say, Frank is the BOMB!  He did our engagement photos and wedding day photos.  He was on time, happy, and made me feel like a movie star. So many people said to me at the wedding, “I feel like I am at a Celebrity wedding or something with all the flashes and cameras on you.”  I love to have my picture taken and Frank made it twice the fun!  I do wish that I had made a “must take” list, but I was running behind and never did it.  I do not have all my photos back, but the teasers are to die for.  Frank’s second shooter was his cousin, Alex.  Alex is also amazing and super sweet.  He is from LA and does a lot of commercial photographer for high end clothing.

 
Videographer ~ Video 21 Productions 
Recommended: Yes so far
We have not received a video yet, but Janice and her husband are super sweet.  They did not stay during the entire reception and I did not pay the extra for the getting ready shots.  I will update once we receive the video.
 
Ceremony/Cocktail Hour Music ~ Ebb Tides ~ Due with 2 Hula Dancers
Recommended: Yes if within budget
I really want to have a true Hawaiian experience for my out of town guests and they provided, but I felt they were too far away from everyone.  I understand that they do not want to be the center of attention, but to be honest I never noticed the hula girls dancing.  No one really said anything about them either to me, so I guess it is just a hit or miss for some weddings.  Amy is who I was in contact with the entire time and she is super helpful and sweet.  I took Mrs. Presley’s advice and asked what they would be wearing.  I was not feeling the pink and green look, so Amy told me what they could wear and I chose from there.  I had hired the duo for the ceremony and the due with two hula dancers for an hour (during cocktails).

 
Officiant ~ Kahu Silva ~ we choose the Ka Wai Kapu Wedding Ceremony.
Recommended: Yes
This is another one of my favorite vendors.  Kahu Silva truly spoke from his heart. His wife, Sharon is super sweet too.  I had asked for a copy of the ceremony in writing since we were so touched, but Sharon advised me that Kahu speaks certain portions of the wedding based on the "vibe" he is getting from the couple.  So, no two wedding's are the same.


 
Florist ~ SUV
Recommended: YES
Sue was one of my favorite vendors.  She was sometimes hard to get in touch with but she puts all her concentration and time to the weddings that are coming up.  I meet with Sue in person two times.  The first time, we had a quote together, then I meet with her with my DOC and while I was trying to save money, I ended up spending more.  I called Sue later that week and told her that I wanted to go back to our original plan.  We never spoke again about the original plan, so when I showed up to the wedding, I was in complete AWWW!  I was having a weird nervous feeling that she had forgot our original conversation and that I would not be happy with the flowers. She went way above and beyond what I had hired to do and I could not have been happier! 

 
Rentals ~ Accel Party Rentals 
Recommended: Yes
They are amazing!!  I changed things about ten times, but they never complained.  Keep in mind girls that to bring everything you need, is expensive, and be sure to include this in the budget.  I didn’t think it would have been as expensive as it was, but they did an awesome job and I am more than happy!  I got a slight discount since I went though my DOC.  They dropped everything off the morning of and picked up the next morning.

 
Day of Coordination ~ Sandra from Finishing Touch
Recommended: Yes
Sandra and her assistant Rebecca were the most amazing women the day of my wedding.  I was so stressed while I was waiting on the bus to walk down the aisle.  Rebecca was the one who came to get me when it was time and she totally was calm and relaxed and took deep breathes with me to calm my nerves.  Adam and I were so busy having a good time, that we were off schedule of the  time line she made,  she never gripped and just found us and put us where we needed to be. I could have never pulled off the wedding without her knowledge.  I do have  warning and it has nothing to do with Finishing Touch, but since we had to bring in everything at the Lani, I had originally “guessed” that she would be the one to set up everything (i.e. place settings, etc) which is not part of the package.  Be sure to ask this when you are looking for a DOC.
 
Cake ~ Mary Catherine's Bakery
Recommended: Yes
I changed my cake about two days prior to the wedding.  I did not want them to put ribbon around the tiers, but dots instead.  They were super nice about the change.  The cake was delivered when it was suppose to.  So many people made comments how yummy the cake was too.  We didn’t get to eat any on the wedding day, so Adam got a mini one made for our one month anniversary (thanks lisa)!


Linen ~ Les Saisons
Recommended: Yes
Super easy to work with.  I changed my order once I got the original quote with those fancy tablecloths since it was NOT in the budget.  My DOC recommended them and they delivered.  We ended up ordering napkins, sweetheart table linen and table runners from her. 
 
DJ - Troy from TroyMichael|DJEntertainment
Recommended: Yes
Troy is one of those people who you just click with right away. He is super warm and friendly and offers to help with everything!!!   He has a website that you can add the music you want to hear, the music that you don’t want played, as well as first dance, etc.  I didn’t really use it for anything but the DO NOT play songs.  He didn’t play them and just told people that he didn’t have it.  He is not a full MC so to say, but did do the announcements, etc when it was time to do them.  He also gave me a good point for Adam and I to say our Thank You as soon as we announced.

Rings ~ The Wedding Ring Shop
Recommended: Yes
Helen Lau has to be the nicest person in the world!  My e-ring is amazing and she really helped Adam since he didn’t know a thing about diamonds.  My wedding band was a hard decision, but Ms. Lau was super patient and did not pressure me.  I made three visits before I made a purchase.  Adam’s ring was pricey (Christian Bauer) but he wanted it.  They will be our jeweler for life!

 

Dress and Alterations ~ The Bridal Boutique
Recommended: YES
Best Bridal is one of the high end wedding boutiques on the Island of Oahu.  While I was not looking for an expensive dress, I didn’t tell any store what my budget was.  Well, I tired on a few Paloma Blanca dresses and boy was I hooked!  I feel in love with the one I ended up buying, but after finding out the price tag, I wanted to look more just to be 100%.  The women there are so amazing and helpful.  I bought the dress without hesitation once I made sure I went to every wedding dress store on the island. Cecelia even did an iron on of my dress tag.  She suggested we put it some where different which was awesome.  My dress Paloma Blanca style #3754

Dress tag ~ DJ Chic
Recommended: Yes
Super fast and it was a nice touch for personalization


Escort Cards ~ Starfish from USShell.
Medal trays ~  Jamaligarden.com
Recommended: Yes
They came in perfect condition and were a great addition to the theme I was going for.  We used them also on the tables. The trays were perfect, but shipping was a bit high.

Bridesmaid Dress ~ Used from another Wedding
Recommended: Yes, if you can work with it.
I really did not care what my girls wore for some strange reason.  I didn’t want them to pay an arm and a leg from yet another dress they will never wear again.  As I was looking for a dress for them (both are picky), I thought of my girlfriends bridesmaid dress that they both were in and wore.  I decided right then and there, I like the color so let’s do this!  They got their shoes from Target.

Grooms Attire ~ Banana Republic
Recommended: yes
We wanted the tan suit and Banana Republic had it.  Adam is not into shopping so just getting him into one store was a task in itself.  The lady that helped us made me promise that I would bring a picture from our wedding so that she could see the end result.  I think she thought I was crazy or something.  A week later I went back to browse and they suit was 50% off, they gave me a credit for the difference.

Groomsman attire/ grooms shirt ~ Macy’s and Banana Republic
Recommended: yes
We got the guys shirts 50% off during a sale and the pants at 50% off at the Banana Republic outlet.  Adam and I went during Christmas and the girl remember him and asked how the wedding turned out.

Wedding Day Shoes #1 ~ Shoebuy.com
Recommended: NO
I had ordered a pair of shoes from Shoebuy.com……I received them and they had toe prints when I received them (hello they are satin) and I didn’t think twice about it once I sent them back. They returned them to me and said they were worn!  Hello, did you look at the sole of the shoe?  I emailed customer service several times without a response.  Don’t buy from them!!  

Wedding Day Shoes #2 ~  Zappo's
Recommended: Yes
Zappos has free shipping and huge selection, how could you go wrong?

Favors ~ Big Island Cookies and Lauhala Boxes from Creations by You
Recommended: Yes
I looked high and low for the cheapest Lauhala boxes in the size that I wanted and Creations by You had them in stock.  Could not have been happier.  I went with the dark color which turned out way better than expected.  The cookies were a huge hit.  I put 3 cookies in each box mixed (chocolate dipped and shortbread). I ordered them by the box instead of bulk as it ended up being cheaper for me.

Petal toss bags/Palm Fans ~  Bliss Wedding Market
Recommended: Yes
Fast service.  The petal toss bags (Sinamay Large Bags) were super hard to get as they are always out of them….but I did finally get them after emailing customer service the status of their next shipment. A little pricey but worth it for the overall look I was going for.

Toasting Flutes and Cake Serving Set ~Vera Wang Love Knots--exclusively weddings. 
Recommended: Yes
They are just lovely and we have used the toasting flutes since our wedding.

Engagement Announcements ~ creativemontage
Recommended: Yes
Aimee is so easy to work with.  She creates a bunch of designs based on your theme and colors and lets you pick…if you do not like or what to adjust what she made, she is happy to make the changes.  Turn around time was super fast.

Wine ~ Wine the Experience
Recommended: Yes
We made our very own wine to be served at the wedding. Huge hit!  We put two bottles on each table and they were gone!!
Wine bottle labels -- thank you knottie coco

Invites/Labels for Palm Fans ~ Prim and Pixie
Custom Stamps from zazzle
Recommended: YES
These ladies are so nice!!!  I went back and forth about a hundred times, but the finished product was more than I could have asked for.  They are a little on the higher end in terms of pricing, but they hand do each invite which is nice.  I also ordered the tags for my palm fans from them uncut and just cut them myself which saved a few $$.



Napkins/Coasters~ For Your Party
Recommended: Yes
While I really did not need these, they were one of my first purchases.  I liked the idea that I could design them myself with my colors and saying.  It was completely unnecessary, but I did it and could not return.

Wedding Day Jewelry~ Macy’s
Recommended: Yes
Macy’s is so easy to work with.  I bought a bunch of stuff to try on with my dress and the returns were super easy.

Undergarments ~ Macy’s (Maidenform)
Recommended: Yes
The Maidenform seamless is awesome, but the day of the wedding, I didn’t end up wearing either of the body slimming things I bought.  I can’t return them since I so eagerly ripped the tags off.  Anyone want to buy?

Veil ~ Occansey Designs
Recommended: Yes
So easy to work with.  I ordered I layer (37-42’ finger tip, standard cut with matching pencil edge with a 3 inch clear comb with the standard 72 inches from top to bottom). 


OTT Bags/Goodies ~ Ailana Kai
Super fast delivery.  She actually delivers them to you if you are in Honolulu.  I got the snacks from Costco and Wal-Mart.  Included were: playing cards, a post card with stamp, candies, cookies, and info for the wedding.  They were a big hit.  I passed them out as I saw each guest prior to the wedding.

Parasols ~ Oriental Trading Co
Recommended: Yes
Fast service and easy to order.  They are quite thin, so when me and my Bridesmaids were taking pictures a few got ripped.  Can go wrong for the price though.


Garter ~ The Garter Maker
Recommended: Yes
I ordered both the monogram garter and a toss garter.  Took a while to get, but she does an amazing job and the quality is out of this world. 

Hankies ~ ebay seller mainemomof4
Recommended: Yes
They turned out beautiful and made both parents cry, so yes they are worth it.

Adesso Album: ebay seller grannysbridal
Recommended: Yes
Lori is amazing to work with.  I had ordered one album, then decided that I might need another.  She did a super fast shipment to make sure I had it in time for the wedding.  Her engraver went out of business, but she got me the name plate within days.  Better price than ordering direct.
I got my Polaroid camera from Wal-Mart and film from Sam’s Club (better price than Wal-Mart). It was a huge hit and I am so happy with the way they turned out.  I look at the pics and messages often.

Transportation ~ Royal Star
Recommended: Yes
Super easy to work with.  While not all the guests took the charter bus as I had hoped (and paid for), it was a nice option and I didn’t have to worry about out of town guests drinking and driving or getting lost.  They also picked me and the bridal party up at the Ihilani.

 Hotel ~ Ihilani Resort and Spa
Recommended: YES!!!
One of the best expenses of the wedding.  We got the presidential suite (1102) for the night before the wedding and the night of the wedding.  So worth it!!!  I felt like a queen!!  It was spacious enough to hold everyone needed plus more.  We wanted to stay another night, but did a downgrade to an oceanfront room instead.  They would not let us have a late check outL  We did an after party the night of the wedding and got into a little trouble…hehe.