plumeriapal

   
aloha

mahalo for checking out my bio! i apologize if i've snagged your photo and haven't given you credit. please send me an email (plumeriapal *at* gmail *dot* com) and i'll gladly remedy the situation.

thank you, fellow knotties, for your creative ideas!

 

about us

he was the sweet frat guy and i was the newly single sorority chick down the street. need i say more? ;)

over the past nine years, we've survived the quarter-life crisis, living in separate countries and states, buying our first home and renovating it (man, that was tough!), and adopting our lovable but wild cat. we recently relocated to maui, where he's an engineer and i'm a web designer. we've talked about taking the plunge for quite some time and now that we're living in paradise, the timing couldn't be better!


my family is coming from seattle, his is coming from japan. our friends are coming from california, washington, arizona and nevada. so even though we live here, our wedding is more of a destination wedding for everyone else. our wish is that our friends and families spend some time getting to know one another in our favorite place in the world. to help make that happen, we're planning a welcome bbq on the beach, a golf tournament, and a snorkel trip to molokini. the wedding will be the grand finale, which we hope will be fun, casual, and laidback. we can't wait for next september to get here!


quick links
  pre-event   ceremony   reception
e-ring wedding bands cocktail hour setup
e-pics ceremony decor cocktail decor
our venues ceremony setup cocktail menus
other venues we researched reserved seating guestbook
save-the-dates ceremony order card box
wedding website our programs tablescapes
bridesmaid website palm fan favors table linens
invitations memorial candles centerpieces
out of town guest boxes the dress reception diagram
postcards from paradise shoes & accessories table diagrams
water bottles hair ideas place settings
custom cds the groom's attire mini floral arrangements
rehearsal dinner bridesmaid attire place cards
rd invites groomsmen attire table numbers
rd decor bridal bouquet table cards
maui map bridesmaid bouquets our menu
diy flowers on maui leis accent decor
mini moon petal toss lighting
helpful bios   champagne toast
    the cake
 
the ring

we picked out my ring together. we both wanted something different and i really wanted something with a vintage look. we had been eyeing this particular ring for a long time and after trying it on, we both knew it was "the one". we had a variety of choices for the center stone- diamond, aquamarine, pink sapphire, blue sapphire and yellow sapphire. we picked the aquamarine because it reminded us of maui and the ocean.

my engagement ring
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we decided to fly our wedding photographer up to our hometown of seattle for our engagement pics. naturally, it was cold and rainy that day but we're really happy with the photographs. besides, it wouldn't be seattle without the rain!

these are a few of our favorites. our shooting locations varied from my grandmother's house to starbucks to the unversity of washington campus (where we met) to my family's store to pike place market. it was a busy but fun day!



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our venues

ceremony - molokini lookout
reception - seawatch restaurant (buyout)

our reception site
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other venues we looked at

we originally wanted to get married on the beach. but we're expecting close to 120 people to attend our wedding, which would have made a beach wedding difficult. plus, i don't like the idea of not knowing until the day of if there's even room for all of us on our chosen beach!

since we didn't want a resort wedding, we were pretty much stuck with restaurants and private estates. here are some that we looked at:


po'olenalena beach aka love beach
makena/wailea area. one of the few maui beaches that does not have resorts or homes fronting the entire length of it. the turn off is easy to miss. some shade is available.

other venues
hale 'ilima
a beautiful private estate on keawakapu beach in kihei/wailea. holds up to 85 people. ceremony can take place on beach or backyard. band/dj/music must be played in the living room, which is a spacious room with high ceilings. must be catered by celebrations. see website for details.
other venues
pua lea sugar estate
haiku, north shore/east maui area. we really liked this site. it would have been very different for our guests. our pictures don't do the grounds justice. holds up to 100 people. the "altar" allows for a dramatic entrance from the front for the bride. a clear tent for the reception is recommended since it tends to rain more in this area. about an hour drive from the south side. see
website for details.
other venues
sugarman estate
makena, south maui. holds up to 1000 people. must shuttle guests in and rent port-a-potties if count is over 50. includes partial use of house.
other venues
olowalu plantation house
west maui. located on a private jetty. holds up to 500 people. use of house included. located between kihei and lahaina.
other venues
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save the dates

after browsing knottie bios and other wedding websites (gasp!), we decided to make a simple std with our web address and include a photo strip magnet. i picked up our supplies at paper source in seattle during my visit home. to make 80 save-the-dates, it was going to cost us about $100. not bad, right?

well, my sister/moh came to visit us and we got straight to work on the save the dates. fi saw some of the other save the date ideas i found (thank you, knotties!!) and he decided he really wanted to do the boarding pass/airline ticket design. so thanks to a rarely vocal fi, my sis and i slaved over 40 hours on the new save the dates - so much for her vacation in maui! they were a ton of work but i have to admit that i am so happy we did them. i think our guests will be so much more excited about making the trip over here when they see them. as a thank you to my sister for her 1200+ strokes on the paper cutter, i made a special first class ticket for her. i can't wait for her to get it!

a huge mahalo to aims1111, redheadedwoman, and aylee for their templates and tips!

our save the date final product:

our save the dates

the supplies:
1 250 sheet package of 90lb, 8-1/2 by 11 inch bright white card stock from office max
2 fiskars rotary blades - one for perforating, one for scoring
1 rotary cutter from costco
1 light box from ben franklin
1 brass stencil from island paperie in a tiki shape
1 burnisher from ben franklin
1 glue stick
2 packages of size 10, light blue envelopes from office max
1 small pair of scissors

the process:
customized the templates i received from the awesome knotties listed above. printed ticket holders and tickets on home color laser printer. cut and scored holders and folded them. perforated all ticket sheets. then cut all of these sheets on the rotary cutter. trimmed rounded corners on tickets by hand with a small pair of scissors. printed envelopes on home laser printer. held each envelope over a pot of boiling water to steam it open (about 4 minutes per envelope). placed each envelope on light box and dry embossed tiki design onto the front of the envelope. glued envelope back together. allowed envelpes to dry. stuffed ticket holders and then stuffed the envelopes. printed return address labels and used these to seal mailing envelopes. stuck a first class (39 cent) stamp on each and tadah!

tips:
we decided to print and cut ours at home since they were "just" the save the dates. a head's up- my sis and i went through a case of red bull and a case of diet coke with lime and we worked around the clock. if i were to do them as an invite or if i was unable to take some time off from work, i would send them out to be cut next time. we embossed the mailing envelopes because we thought the tiki stencil was hilarious. (too much red bull may be?) we weren't smart enough to realize that we would have to take the envelope apart to emboss them when we bought our supplies. we tried to emboss through the envelope but it looked tacky and it was hard to see the stencil through a double layer of paper. so we had to steam the envelopes to take them apart. it seemed like a good idea until envelope #7. LOL!!! after all is said and done, we created 80 stds for about $120.

if you don't have a rotary cutter at home, i highly recommend one. costco sometimes has them. the fiskars brand has many types of interchangeable blades. we saved some moolah because all we had to buy were blades for our different kinds of cuts.

be sure to check out nicole&brian808's very helpful DryEmbossBio!!!

boarding pass inspirations:

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our wedding website

i built a website to keep our guests posted on wedding details and travel arrangements. pages include ceremony details, reception information, shuttle schedule, childcare services, airline information, accommodations, maui sights and activities, and a signup form for pre-wedding events. here are a few screenshots:

 

new invitation version
when we sent out our invitations, we decided to update our website to reflect the overall theme of our wedding.

old save-the-date version
since we hadn't officially selected the overall look and feel of our wedding yet, we designed the original version of our website to match the colors used on our save-the-dates.

 
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bridesmaid website

since all of my bridesmaids are on the mainland and bridesmaid newsletters aren't my thing, i decided to make a simple website for the bridesmaids. it's an easy way for us to exchange dress ideas - no more clogging inboxes with large attachments! other topics included are hair & makeup information, shoe pictures, photos of their bouquets, ideas for groomsmen attire, and photos of where we'll be getting ready.

bridesmaid website
bridesmaid website
 
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invitations

since i like to be crafty, our invitations were a diy project. they were a ton of work and i did not save a lot of money by making them myself. i could have simplified the design to save even more cash but i chose not to. instead, i opted to use little touches like color ink, two types of ribbon, all metallic papers and envelopes, pre-printed envelopes, cardstock backings, custom stamps, and ultrafine glitter. and although i swore like a trucker throughout the entire 2 month process, i am thrilled with the end result because they are my own.

the finished product

 

the paper
i picked out the paper before i even thought about a design. we actually based our entire wedding around this paper. the colors remind us of the ocean - a soft green and deep aqua with a sparkly metallic finish. i found that our paper is available from a variety of suppliers and re-packaged under various names, which has been very convenient and cost-saving.

color aspire petallics cards & pockets envelopments stardream
blue starburst lichen tiffany caspian starburst
green spring larch - chrysophase serpentine
paper

a special note about printing on metallic paper
initially, we wanted to outsource our printing. i went to four print shops here on maui and all four refused to print on metallic paper, including kinko's and office max. the shops either did not have the proper supplies to do so or they could not guarantee acceptable final results. so locate a professional printer before you buy. naturally, after we had printed all our invites, i discovered that pixel in kihei will print on stardream paper.

since we could not find someone to print our invitations, we printed them on our color laser printer. we have a lexmark 520c. it prints wonderfully on the text weight stardream paper but it curls the cover weight paper. however, when it came time to print our envelopes, our printer crapped out on us. so we bought a new hp color laser. the ink did not hold as well as the lexmark's. after doing some research online, we learned that stardream paper almost always smears when printing with hp printers. also, metallic paper almost always smears with inkjet printers. so do a test print before you buy all of your paper.

 

the supplies
8.5x11 text weight paper in stardream opal (off-white) from paperzone
8.5x11 cover weight paper in aspire petallics starburst lichen (blue) from paperzone
5 x 7 landscape pocketfolds by envelopments in chrysophase (green) from olio style
3M's atg-700 adhesive tape gun from framingsupplies.com
additional 1/4 inch attachment for the atg-700 from framingsupplies.com
#908 1/4 inch tape from framingsupplies.com (3 rolls for 100 invites)
#908 1/2 inch tape from framingsupplies.com (3 rolls for 100 invites)
1 acid-free glue pen from island paperie
ultrafine transparent art glitter in spring mint from ben franklin
4-5 swiffer sheets (see below)
2-3 paper coffee filters (see below)
scissors
friskars rotary cutting board with an extra blade from costco
tri-mar sheer wired ombre ribbon in shades of turquoise from floral supply syndicate (3 rolls)
comex double satin faced 1/4 inch ribbon in mint from ben franklin (2 rolls of 100 yards)
7.5 inch by 5.5 inch outer envelopes in stardream opal from envelopemall.com
5.5 by 3.5 inch 4bar envelopes in stardream starburst from paperpresentation.com
custom stamps from zazzle
1 ultra fine tip sharpie pen in aqua blue
color laser printer by a brand other than hp (see below)



the fonts & colors

fonts and colors

 

the look
fi insisted we keep the palm tree monogram that appears on our website and on our save the dates. i wanted something more intricate for our invitations. we came to a happy medium on the use of a palm frond.

i snagged an inspirational graphic a long time ago- nearly a year - and happened to come across it again in my files when struggling for an invitation design concept. i recreated parts of the graphic in freehand and saved it as a vector image so that i could adjust the design elements and colors as i added it to each invitation insert.

to keep the beachy/tropical/zen vibe we're going for, we decided to keep the fonts fairly simple and the use of one color - aqua - in various shades. to balance the cleanliness of our fonts and colors, we went a little more whimsical with our graphics. the "whispies" remind fi of fern curls but my inspiration came from the breeze and the rip curls of ocean waves. some of the variations of the palm frond graphic include plumeria blossoms as a nod to my knot name and the fact that the plumeria is known as the flower of love. (you have full permission to barf now!)

the look

 

the dimensions
since the pocketfold itself is 7.5 inches wide, the main panel and inserts are all a uniform 7 inches wide. however, the rsvp card is folded in half to form a width of 5 inches.

the gap between the card stock backing layers (in blue) and the text weight printed layers (in off-white) is a quater of an inch, all the way around.

the gap between each insert is half an inch in height.

 

the pocketfold
although more expensive, i went with the pocketfolds by envelopments. i did so for one major reason. the pocket panel of the pocketfold is almost the exact same size as the main panel. this factor was key for my landscape pocketfolds. although i love cards & pockets, the pocket panel of their pocketfolds was too short by at least an inch and i could not fit all the information i needed to include on my inserts.

i have to take a moment and plug peggy at olio style. she was quick, responsive, and very sweet. i got my pocketfolds within days of emailing her. if i didn't have time to make my invites, i would have hired her in a heartbeat!

 

the components
in addition to the main panel, we included 3 inserts plus the rsvp card. one is a map with driving directions, the second is a list of activities and events, and the last one is information on our guest shuttle.

all of the information included on our invite was not included on our save the date, with the exception of our web address. we chose to include these three inserts because we found that some of our guests - even our tech savvy ones - were not visiting our wedding website.

invitation components

 

the main panel
cardstock backing layer - 7 inches wide by 5 inches high
printed layer - 6.75 inches wide by 4.75 inches high
print 2 copies per sheet

as an extra little touch, fi colored in the circles of our graphic element with a glue pen and sprinkled ultrafine sheer glitter in mint green on to them. it matched our green pocketfolds perfectly and added a subtle sparkle to the heart of the invite.

a few tricks for the glitter - coffee filters make the perfect containers when adding glitter to a project. the ridges of the filter and the filter's flexibility make it easy to pour excess back into the jar. also, after shaking off the excess, use a swiffer sheet to gently remove loose glitter. the swiffer easily grabs excess and doesn't harm your materials.

click the images below to enlarge them. recognize the names on the digital mockup? :P

main panel

 

the first insert
cardstock backing layer - 7 inches wide by 5 inches high
text weight printed layer - 6.75 inches wide by 4.75 inches high
print 2 copies per sheet

i created 2 maps for this insert - a smaller map of the entire island and a larger, zoomed in map of the wedding venue area. to make my maps "glow", i added a gradient fill with a radial edge in adobe fireworks. the gradient prints nicely, unlike what's showing on the digital mockup below. i made sure to include our guest accommodations on the map as well as major landmarks. i also included a blurb with detailed directions for those guests not using our guest shuttle service.

Click the images below to enlarge them.

 

 

the second insert
cardstock backing layer - 7 inches wide by 4.25 inches high
text weight printed layer - 6.75 inches wide by 4 inches high
print 2 copies per sheet

we decided to include an activities & events insert because we never included this information in our save the date. it is posted on our wedding website but the locations and times had yet to be announced. the hawaiian images are actually from a dingbat font called "tropicana bv", which is available for free download at dafont.com.

please note that i changed the names and dates for privacy reasons - so please don't ask me where mystery beach is on maui :)

 

the third insert
cardstock backing layer - 7 inches wide by 3.5 inches high
text weight printed layer - 6.75 inches wide by 3.25 inches high
print 3 copies per sheet

this insert sucked. our ceremony venue requires us to shuttle all guests up to the lookout. plus, we want to provide an optional shuttle between our designated guest accommodations and the wedding. wording was tricky and thank you to everyone who helped me. a big mahalo to mrsnicole&brian808 who nailed it on the head!

click the images below to enlarge them.

 

 

the rsvp card
text weight printed layer - 10 inches wide by 3.5 inches high
when folded in half, measures 5 inches wide by 3.5 inches high
2 copies per sheet, printed front and back
envelopes - 4 bar size with euroflap

because a majority of our guests are traveling to our wedding, we needed to collect more information than your average rsvp card. we asked the following: names, which events they will be attending or not attending, meal choice, how they will get to the wedding, if they will need a nanny, when they arrive on maui, and where they are staying.

a last minute addition we decided to add was the line "we have reserved blank number of seats in your honor". i am so glad we did and here's why: we don't have an inner envelope and this was our way to curb unexpected add-on guests and to let our single guests know they can bring a date. it has worked really well for us so far - there's been no confusion or awkward conversations. yay!

the only events we asked our guests to rsvp to on our invitation were the wedding itself and the beach bbq. this is because we are covering the cost of these two events. however, since we can not pay for everyone to attend the snorkel excursion and golf tournament (i so wish we could!), we are asking our guests ro rsvp for these activities on our website. naturally, all the non-wedding activities are optional for our guests.

a little note about our rsvp envelopes- they were stardream euroflap 4 bar envelopes in starburst. although cute and shimmery, they were a pain in the butt to print on. most printers can't print on something this small. we finally got it to work by taping each envelope to an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. but we almost used clear address labels from office max. gee, that just goes to show you how anal i am about my diy projects.

click the images below to enlarge them.

 

the belly band
2 layers of ribbon, one 2 inches wide and wired and the other a quarter of an inch wide
cardstock backing layer - 2.5 inches wide by 2 inches high
text weight printed layer - 2.25 inches wide by 1.75 inches high
print 15 copies per sheet

this was a little tricky and my atg-700 tape gun was very valuable at this point. i used 1/4 inch tape and adhered the two paper layers together. (liquid glue curled the paper.) i then took the wider ribbon and cut it to a length so that it would wrap all the way around the folded pocketfold. i applied tape to the top of one end of the ribbon, wrapped it around the pocket fold and secured the other end, pulling tightly. i also cut the edges of the ribbon to clean it up a bit.

i then took the thinner ribbon, wrapped it around the pocketfold tightly so that both ends were at the bottom of the pocketfold, and tied a knot by wrapping both ends around one finger and pulling both ends through. i snipped the ends so they weren't too long.

next, i did 4 rows of 1/4 inch tape vertically on the center backside of my monogram tags, making sure not to get too close to the sides. i then stuck a thin piece of paper between the wide ribbon and the pocketfold and pressed my monogram tag down firmly on top of both layers of ribbon, near the point of the pocketfold flap. i removed the paper and made sure no "glue boogers" came in contact with the pocketfold so guests could easily slide the belly band off the invitation.

 

the envelope
7.5 inches by 5.5 inches outer envelope with european flap.

using our new color laser printer, we first printed our return address in the center of the back envelope flap. we then printed a palm motif on the front of the envelope, low enough to not interfere with the stamp. i then hand printed our guest addresses in all caps using an extra fine tip sharpie pen in aqua blue. the sharpie did not smear once. finally, we lined our envelopes with text weight aspire petallics paper in spring larch, using paper source's envelope liner kit. note that you have to have euro flap envelopes in order to use their kit.

i'll get straight to the point and tell you that printing on stardream envelopes was hell. the print shops refused to do it and our old color laser printer squished the envelopes so flat that every crease from the envelope folds showed through. our new hp laser printer took the envelopes just fine but the ink smeared every dozen or so. but bridezilla in me would not let it go. a million hugs and kisses go to my fi who sat there and hand fed each envelope two times over.

 

 
 

the custom stamp
due to the postage rate increase during the week we mailed our invites, we played it safe and ordered custom stamps. i lucked out and found a coupon code for 20% off your entire order at zazzle.com. we looked at stamps.com too but they were about a dollar more per sheet of 20. so zazzle it was.

we decided to throw a lei on our kitty, buster. buster is a holy terror- he hunts geckos non-stop, always wants to play, and only enjoys cuddling his mom and dad. check him out on catster. anyway, all our family and friends are very familiar with our cat- before we moved to hawaii, he usually traveled with me between la and seattle. we thought featuring him on the stamp was a great way to include him in the wedding planning.

we chose to place our custom stamp on our outer envelope instead of the rsvp envelope. we always save our letters with the envelopes- it's neat to see where and when they were postmarked. after receiving old letters written by my great grandparents as a gift, i have a new appreciation for these kinds of things :)

we ordered the medium sized stamp for our 5.5 by 7.5 envelopes. The proportions were perfect.

were the custom stamps worth it? yes and no. about half our guests noticed them and the other half we had to clue in. regardless, everyone raved about them once they saw them.

the stamp
the stamp

 

inspirational pics

invites
invitations
invitations
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out of town guest boxes

diy contents
1 information booklet containing a welcome letter, maui information, and the schedule of events
1 cd favor consisting of our favorite hawaiian tunes (blissweddingsmarket.com)
1 postcard set with pen and stamps (kahului wal-mart and costco)
2 bottles of water with custom labels (costco and labelsbythesheet.com)

food contents (all from kahului costco)
2 snack size bags of maui chips, one maui onion flavor and the other in original
3 snack size packages of chocolate macadamia nuts in assorted flavors
3 snack size packages of roasted macadamia nuts in assorted flavors

misc contents
1 kraft gable box (papermart.com)
2-3 sheets island striped tissue paper (floral supply syndicate)
2 mini beach balls (orientaltrading.com)



about the postcard set
inspired by knottie zoegirlTX, we will ask our guests to send us a postcard to tell us their favorite thing about their trip to maui. to do so, we will include two hawaiian vintage postcards in each oot box, one addressed to us and the other left blank, and stamps affixed to both. a glassine envelope will hold the postcards and a pen. matching stickers will seal the envelope and labels stuck on the front will contain directions.

once we receive postcards from our guests, we'll stick them in an album that has clear pages so we can see both sides. i stumbled across the perfect photo album at wal-mart in kahului- the cover features vintage postcards, similar to the ones we're giving our guests!

by the way, if you are looking for the island art postcards, they are cheapest at the kahului wal-mart - $3.98 for a pack of 10!

our postcards & book:

inspirational pics:

postcards
about the water bottles
some say personalized water bottles are a little extreme. i sort of agree, but they're an affordable way ($1 for 5 labels!) to personalize a wedding. so i took a panoramic photograph i had of our ceremony location and played around a bit with some photoshop filters. i then slapped on our monogram and ta da! i ordered waterproof labels from labelsbythesheet.com and found that the best way to avoid air bubbles is to pull the label as tight as possible, starting at one end and wrapping around the bottle. this has been the easiest diy project yet!

about the cds
we decided to create a soundtrack of our time living on maui. we used one of our favorite music resources, mele.com, to compile our song list. it is our hope that our out of town guests will pick up a couple of the albums we feature and support the local music scene.

in addition to the cover art, we created an insert with descriptions about each song and how they reflect our time in hawaii.

our song list (in order):

about the boxes
since we had to make a few special boxes for our guests with nut allergies or limited english skills, we decided to make personalized labels for each recipient. i created a label design and saved it as a jpeg. i then opened word and used a template that matched the dimensions of my labels. i inserted my label design as a background image into each label. i then mail merged the first names of our guests over the label designs. when we sealed the boxes, we made sure the ribbon ends were underneath the label to keep possible sticky fingers out of the contents. i'm not sure this was really necessary but hey, better safe than sorry :)

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rehearsal dinner

venue - mulligan's on the blue

with a very limited budget, it was hard for us to find a restaurant with great food and views. after convincing the future in-laws that it would be impossible to feed 36 people japanese food for less than $1000, we were very lucky to remember mulligan's. we often stop by here for pupus and drinks and it never dawned on us that we could hold a private event there. since our ceremony celebrates my fi's heritage, i am excited to be able to include mine. although i originally pushed for a traditional irish menu, we compromised with a japan meets ireland menu.

for a $200 non-refundable deposit, we were able to reserve the lanai, which has awesome sunset ocean views. as an added bonus, mulligan's often has live music. in addition to meeting our budget, this was the other major reason why we booked our rehearsal dinner here. mulligan's is also just down the street from our rehearsal location.

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rehearsal dinner invites

folded card in pool (www.paper-source.com)
flat card in white
envelope in sage
vellum (www.paperzone.com)
floral punches in two sizes (www.impressrubberstamps.com)
hole punches in two sizes
leaf punch
thin satin ribbon (www.benfranklincrafts.com)
acid-free adhesive (www.framingsupplies.com)
bone folder

earlier this summer i got the chance to meet up with fellow knottie hapahaole. we went to the paper source store in beverly hills, where we stumbled upon a card that became the foundation of my rehearsal dinner invitation.

to make the invitations, i first punched out a number of flowers, leaves and dots in shades of pink, green and blue. with my printer, i printed the hawaiian phrase for "come celebrate" in the top right corner of the flat cards. using one flat card, i cut a sheet of vellum about 1/4 inch larger than the card's perimeter. i then trimmed the vellum so it was shorter in height than the flat card. with the bone folder, i folded the bottom and sides of the vellum over the flat card and adhered the newly created flaps to the back of the card. i slid my flowers, dots, and leaves into the front vellum pocket and secured the vellum opening with glue. i adhered a piece of ribbon along the top of the now closed pocket to give it a more finished look. lastly, i glued my finished flat card to the front of a folded card.

for the inside of the invitation, i did my layout in publisher and then printed directly onto more flat cards. i added an assembled flower for an added touch and taped the card to the inside of the folded card.

we decided to hand address our rehearsal invitations but we did use an embosser for our return address. we had to pay more postage due to our square dimensions.


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rehearsal dinner decor

kit - paper source
extra floral wire - ben franklin
extra floral tape - floral supply syndicate
assorted paper - island paperie
lauhala boxes - kahului wal-mart
adhesive - atg-700 adhesive tape gun

to keep with our paper flower theme, we made over 40 paper flowers in two different sizes. my sister and i slaved over this project and it was tedious and took forever. we decided to only do one layer of petals per blossom and only yellow centers so the flowers would resemble the hibiscus. we kept to shades of our weddings colors, which are blue, green and pink. to add interest, we also used patterned paper with island designs. my girlfriend curled the petals, which made a huge difference. we made arrangements with the flowers by trimming the stems and inserting them into lauhala baskets filled with floral foam. we had fun making them but i wish we had just ordered fresh flowers from costco.

i ran out of time but i was also hoping to make paper flower bouquets for my bridesmaids to hold during the rehearsal. i bought cute paper to match each personality but as time became more of an issue, i quickly had to bag this idea.

rehearsal dinner decor
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our wedding bands

fi has never worn a ring and after trying on a few platinum and gold ones, he decided he liked titanium the best because it is so lightweight. he picked a ring with a koa wood inlay to remind us of our hawaiian wedding. it was made on the big island by tropical grains.

i opted to not get the band that matches my engagement ring. instead, i picked a band that compliments it. i don't plan to wear my engagement ring everyday and because we are always at the beach or traveling, i wanted something simple and small.

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ceremony decor
i think we'll try to keep things simple. we've reserved a bamboo arch with draped, white material. we'll line the aisle with loose orchids - i can't decide if they should be all white or a mixture of green and white. our chairs are the white, foldable ones. the palm fans we are doing will be placed on each chair along with the programs. here are some other ideas that inspired me:
ceremony ideas
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ceremony setup

we've arranged for a refreshment table at molokini lookout while two rounds of shuttles drop off our guests. although we love the entire lawn area, we've decided to angle our ceremony towards the far corner so our guests won't be staring into the sun.

click the image below to enlarge it.

click to enlarge
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reserved seating

this was a last minute project. using fireworks, i created a template with a green background. i customized each card according to roles, so my dad's reserved sign said "for father of the bride", our reader's said "for ceremony reader", etc. i printed these on white card stock. i was short on time (and frankly too lazy) so instead of cutting slits and feeding the ribbon through the backing layer of the sign, i simply taped the ribbon to my backing layer and then taped my printed sign over the adhered ribbon. this was yet another project where my ATG-700 gun came in handy.

tip:
i used about 3-3 1/2 feet of ribbon per sign. why so much? my ombre ribbon frays at the edges and i wasn't sure on the dimensions of my white, wooden chairs. i asked my doc to tie the signs and trim the excess. better safe than sorry, right?

reserved sign
inspirational pics:
reserved signs
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fi's father is a reverend in the nichiren buddhist sect so we are having a buddhist influenced wedding. this has been somewhat of a challenge because there are no set guidelines. in general, a wedding ceremony is considered a secular act, not a religious act.

my family is catholic and a majority of our guests either don't practice an organized religion or are christian. knowing that most guests won't be as familar with our ceremony, we face the challenge of best explaining the traditions, symbols, and words that will be present on our wedding day.

to pay tribute to my irish catholic roots, our reading will be an irish blessing. to honor our island home, we'll also exchange leis.

the information listed below is our current draft of our ceremony order with brief explanations. we'll be tweaking it and adding to it with the help of my future father-in-law as the year goes on. i hope that fellow brides participating in buddhist ceremonies find this information helpful. i know I have found it very difficult to find information - there seems to be very few of us on the knot!


Our Wedding Celebration - draft

Seating of the Families

Candle Lighting
Mothers light candles in memory of our grandparents and friend

Prelude
Maunaleo

Bridal Processional
Lei Pikake

Presentation of Ojuzu
Rosary of two different colors, 18 beds represent the couple, two represent each family, and one represents the Buddha. The beads tied on one string symbolizes the uniting of the families and the realization that no one is alone in life.

Incense Offering

Invocation

Welcome

Exchange of Leis

Reading
An Irish blessing -tbd

Sutra Chanting

Exchange of Vows
We'll write letters to each other before our wedding day and read them aloud at this point. This is our way of personaling our ceremony. We'll follow this with the standard non-denominational vows heard at many weddings.

San-San Kudo or Exchange of Sake
(Three sets of three sips equals nine)
The first San represents three couples- the bride and groom and both sets of parents.
The second San represents the three human delusions or failings: passion, hatred, and ignorance
Ku - or nine, a number of great potential, the last digit before the numerical sequence turns into double digits.
Do - to deliver, the couple's dedication to rid their lives of those human failings.
The exchange of sake unifies all three couples in this quest.

Exchange of Rings

Pronouncement and Blessing

Presentation

Recessional
Music to be determined.

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our programs

the programs are very important to us and we like to think of them as a special keepsake of the day. here's why this project quickly became a production:

  • many of our guests have never attended a buddhist ceremony. we made sure to include descriptions of the various customs and traditions that we are incorporating in our ceremony so our guests don't feel confused or lost

  • over a dozen of our guests speak limited english. we included our entire reading in the program so they can read along and hopefully better understand

  • we picked many of our songs because of their meanings. since most will be sung in hawaiian, we included the english translations of the lyrics

  • it was really important to my fi to include brief stories of why we chose each attendant. i think it's a nice way to involve them too.

  • molokini lookout has such an amazing view that it would be a shame not to know what you're looking at. so we placed a panoramic photograph in the center of our program and pointed out the different islands.

  • many of our friends and family members were integral behind the scenes so we included a page of thank yous

how we made them
i spent many hours laying the design out in publisher. we printed the entire program at home on our color laser printer using a lightweight cardstock. i then had the pages cut by the wonderful people at pixel maui.

we lined our program with a printed sheet of vellum as an added detail. our cover was made with the same stardream paper as our invitations. finally, we added ultrafine glitter to the graphic for interest and tied the program together using thin, spring green satin ribbon. we did not punch holes.

the dimensions
cover - 6 in x 11 in, folded in half
pages - 5.5 x 10.5 in, folded in half

8 pieces of paper per program (not including vellum or cover), printed double-sided

programs

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favors

palm fans - www.orientaltrading.com
silk orchids - www.usifloral.com
hang tags - diy

my FI does not want the cute paper parasols i've always pictured having because he thinks they'll block people's view. palm fans are our compromise. i'm worried about the heat so i hope these help our guests during the ceremony. i love the addition of an orchid. we plan on adding a small tag with our monogram.

about the silk orchids
usi floral's silk cymbidium orchids were the best quality i could find. i tried michael's, joanne's, ben franklin and wal-mart. their orchids were always the wrong color, more expensive, or the wrong kind of orchid.

the colors i ordered were beauty (fuschia pink) and green. The pink orchids are available by the head, which is very convenient. when i ordered my orchids, the green was only available by the spray. i simply snipped the green ones from the spray with wire cutters and used an xacto knife to slice the plastic stem cover lengthwise. i "unpeeled" the plastic stem cover to reveal the thin wire that is similar to the wire pick of the orchids that come by the head. it was much easier to place the green orchids on the fans without their plastic stem.

the process
first, i measured and cut all my ribbon. be sure to do a test run with a fan with a larger handle before you cut your ribbon.

next, i started to wrap the ribbon around the handle of the fan, starting on one side of the handle, just below the flat base of the handle (the part that is embedded into the fan itself). you have to hold your starting point down as you go along- no need to glue it since you'll be wrapping tightly.

as i wrapped the ribbon around the handle, i made sure that the ribbon was always flat and never twisted (this is where wired ribbon comes in handy!). when i came close to coming full circle, i trimmed my ribbon of excess length and folded the edge over by about a quarter of an inch. i dabbed a very small dot of e6000 glue (this is to temporarily hold your ribbon down until the next step) on the flat base of the handle and secured my folded ribbon end, folded side down, and at an angle to match the "diamond" shape of the handle base. i completerly covered the angle base so that you could not see it and you could not see the starting point. i'm sorry i didn't take pictures!

once i wrapped all the handles, i trimmed down the orchid wire picks to about an inch and dipped them into e6000 glue and slid them underneath the folded ribbon edge that i had lightly glued down in the previous step. if needed, i used a toothpick dipped in e6000 glue to help me secure the ribbon end over the orchid pick.

finally, after making my hang tags (see below) and stringing them with smaller width, non-wired ribbon, i tied them onto my fans using a double knot, just below the orchid. as an added bonus, this helps secure the wrapped ribbon and orchid even more.

tips
after making a few of these, i found that it's easier to wrap the handles with a wider ribbon, around 1 1/2- 2 inches wide. e6000 glue is easier to use than a hot glue gun because it doesn't leave those annoying strings of glue. just be sure to use it in a well-ventilated area or you'll get a serious high. my technique seemed to change with every fan i picked up. the first few took me awhile but after some practice, it probably took me less than 10 minutes per fan to wrap them.

about the hang tags
i purchased two circle punches, one 1-1/2 inch and the other 1-3/8 inch. as a side note, it's much easier to use a circle punch with a lever instead of the old school ones that have a button. in microsoft publisher, i designed a circle version of our monogram that matched the width of the smallest circle punch and printed it on white card stock paper. i then took the smaller circle punch and turned it upside down as I slid my sheet of monograms into it. This enabled me to see my printed monogram while i lined up the edges of the punch with it. after punching the monograms, i used the larger punch on colored cardstock to make my backing layer. i then used PVA glue from paper source and a small paint brush to adhere the monogram circles to the larger circles. finally, i used a small 1/8 inch hole punch to create small holes at the top of the tags. i attached the tags to the palm fans by stringing smaller width, non-wired ribbon through the hole punches and tying them just under the silk orchids, using a double knot. as an added bonus, this also helps secure the orchids.

final product
final product!
trial run
palm fan trial
inspiration pics
palm fans
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in loving memory

to honor those who are no longer with us, we made memorial candles. we've asked our mothers to light them during the processional. after our ceremony, we plan on displaying the candles at our reception.

i picked up novina candles at the kahului wal-mart for about $2 each. i cleaned the outside of the glass to get rid of any dirt or grease. i then ceated a template in word for each candle and printed onto vellum paper. i used double stick tape to adhere the vellum. i wanted to give each candle a slightly different look so i used two different widths or ribbon and paper flowers to do so.

tip
be sure to burn the candle down about half way. if your ceremony is outside, this will hopefully prevent the wind from blowing the candles out. it also allows the flame to burn directly behind the names.

memorial candles
insprational pics:
memorial candles
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the dress

i found my dress! i purchased it from the bridal garden in kirkland, just across the lake from seattle. it's called "paulina" by melissa sweet. the dress is made of ivory silk charmeuse with an ivory embossed organza overlay and is an a-line. the bodice has a simple satin ribbon criss cross design. the dress is very airy and lightweight, exactly what I envisioned.

the dress

inspiration pics

the dress
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shoes & accessories

mystique mother of pearl sandals - sandalworld.com

i had a really hard time finding sandals that i liked. sandalworld has a great selection but their customer service is horrible. my mom never received the sandals she ordered.

i've decided to keep my accessories at a minimum since my dress is so simple:

my somthing old: my grandmother's diamond ring
my something new: husky garter from bonniebelle garters/ebay
my something borrowed: tbd
my something blue: blue topaz briolettes and white gold earrings from na hoku


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hair ideas

below are some hair ideas i like. i prefer something loose and natural. i would love to have green orchids in my hair. i originally wanted gardenias but discovered that they are really expensive in hawaii.

i did do a hair trial with dan and i loved how it came out. he did a fantastic job - it was exactly what i wanted!

my hair trial pics:
hair trial
inspirational pics:
hair ideas
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the groom's attire
the battle over a suit has begun! i think a khaki suit with a nice, subtle aloha shirt from sig zane would look nice- FI says no way! he prefers something more casual. stay tuned to find out who wins :)
the groom
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bridesmaid dresses

after ordering swatches and visiting a few shops, i figured out my priorities for the bridesmaid dresses.

1) comfort - i'd like my bms to feel good in their dresses! i'd prefer to go with a line that allows the girls to each pick a style 2) color - aqua blue 3) natural fibers for breathability. i like how textured, exotic, and luxurious silk dupioni looks and feels 4) tea length - our wedding is pretty casual and it'll be hot out

the big decision
i am very blessed that my family friend agreed to make our dresses. instead of spending hundreds of dollars per dress, i am able to get exactly what i want for a third of the price!

during bm dress hunting, all of my bms liked the watters dress pictured below. we managed to find a similar pattern in the new look line by simplicity. the girls will each be able to pick their own variation.

the fabric was very affordable at $14.99 a yard. strangely enough, lynn lugo has nearly identical fabric. click here to see a comparison. the aqua color (paradise) is the color i always envisioned and the accent color (sea) is much richer in person than in the image below. depending on how you look at it, the color changes from green to blue- just like the ocean! the dresses are lined with a lightweight 100% silk for comfort.

the final pick

dress pattern

 

inspirational pics:

bridesmaid dresses
bridesmaid shoes
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the groomsmen

FI picked up a new aloha shirt at costco to wear to work a few weeks ago. he left it on the kitchen table next to some wedding supplies and i noticed it matched our ribbon and paper perfectly! so we ran up to costco and bought out all their mediums and a couple larges. it's a beautiful silk shirt in light green with a subtle banana tree design.

jcrew has wonderful lightweight khakis at the moment called "summerweight chinos". they're available in a few different fits. we picked up the regular fit in khaki for our guys. we also ordered slippers by hawaiian designer olukai. they are a soft leather in brown and green with a whale hook design element. love 'em!

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bridal bouquets
i'm not a pink girl but i really love all these bouquets! i would like my flowers to pop and not get drowned out by my dress. plus, i like the idea of using the official color of maui in my bouquet. i may even add some pink roses, the island's official flower.
bridal bouquets
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bridesmaid bouquets
green is my favorite color and i want to incorporate it somehow. so why not have my favorite girls carry my favorite color? their dresses will be blue. i still can't decide if i should add some white to their bouquets...
bridesmaid bouquets
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leis

every single guest at our wedding will have a lei. here's how we're going to work it:

bride & groom
we're having a lei ceremony to acknowledge our island home and love for each other. my lei will be a triple strand of pikake and his will be a maile lei intertwined with white dendrobium orchids. we plan on wearing our leis during the reception too.

groomsmen
the guys will have maile leis that they'll wear during the ceremony and reception. we're debating whether or not the best man's lei will be intertwined with green dendrobium orchids.

bridesmaids
the girls will not wear leis during the ceremony since they will be carrying bouquets. i thought about ditching the bouquets all together but i know that i get really nervous when standing in front of a large group and i don't have something in my hands. i'm hoping the bouquets will act as security blankets :) i plan on giving my bridesmaids their green dendrobium orchid leis after the ceremony as a way to say thank you for their support.

VIP guests
we're ordering custom leis from paradise flower farms for the parents of the bride and groom, grandparent of the bride, ushers, and guestbook attendants. we will present their leis to them prior to the ceremony.

all other guests
once guests arrive to our cocktail hour (which is after the ceremony), they'll be greeted by our ushers with leis. i think this will be a festive way to start the party and make everyone feel welcome. we're ordering single strand orchid leis from costco.

lei key
1- triple strand pikake (bride) 2- maile intertwined with white dendrobium orchid lei (groom) 3- maile lei (groomsmen) 4- single green dendrobium orchid lei (bridesmaids) 5- maile intertwined with green dendrobium orchid lei (fathers) 6- lokelani aka lei of maui (mothers) 7- purple micronesian ginger (female ushers and guestbook attendants) 8- kukui nut and mock orange lei (male ushers and guestbook attendants) 9- single purple dendrobium orchid (all other guests)
leis
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petal toss

i have always pictured walking through a shower of petals with my new husband as we exit the ceremony. i think it's a festive way to kick off our marriage and start the celebration. it'll also make for a great kodak moment :)

we were originally going to order the sinamay bags from blissweddingsmarket.com. but since we need about 140 bags, it became an expense that was hard for us to justify. so we decided to make paper cones.

the supplies
8.5 x 11 inch paper in text weight or lightweight cardstock, 1 sheet per cone
rotary cutter
xacto knife
double-stick tape or pva glue
double-face ribbon

the process
i turned once again to the uber-resourceful knottie aylee and downloaded her petal cone template. after tweaking it so the cuts matched the width of my ribbon and turning it into a one-page print, i then printed the template on an 8.5x11 sheet of metallic turquoise paper (aspire petallics in starburst lichen, text weight) and used a rotary cutter and xacto knife to make the proper cuts. next, i rolled the paper into a cone and secured it with double-stick tape, making sure that the tape was not visible. i used about 16 inches of 1/2-inch double face satin ribbon in a soft green and weaved it through the slits i made around the top of the cone, starting from left to right. i then tied a bow to finish it off. we plan on filling the cones with a mixture of green and white loose orchid heads and fuschia plumerias and hanging them on the back of the ceremony chairs.

tips
if you use aylee's extremely helpful template, be sure to shorten or lengthen the ribbon slits to match the width of your ribbon. otherwise, you'll see the printed lines. i found that by rolling the paper into the cone first and then unrolling it to apply the tape and re-rolling it prevented unwanted creases. this size cone holds about 16-20 dendrobium orchid heads.

about our cone
the inside of our cone reads: After "I Do", please shower the newlyweds with love and flowers as they take their first steps as husband and wife

our trial petal cone
petal toss trial
inspiration pics
petal toss
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cocktail hour setup
we've elected to not use the seawatch's lower lawn area. instead our guests will enter the premises through the upper pond entrance, where they will be greeted with leis. then they will continue on to the lower pond area to sign our guestbook. servers with mai tais, water, and passed appetizers will be waiting on the lanai and a hawaiian trio and hula dancers will be performing.

click to enlarge
click to enlarge

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cocktail decor

square vase - floral supply syndicate
black river rock - walmart
flowers and foliage - tbd
floating candles - floral supply syndicate

our cocktail centerpieces are a diy project. i wanted something simple and tropical and something that could provide additional light as the sun set. Another priority was to cover the slightly sun damaged lanai tables at the seawatch.

assembly tips
i used one bag of river rock from wal-mart per square vase. this nearly covered the entire bottom of the vase. the longer you cut the cymbidium orchid head stems, the better. this will make it easier to anchor them into the rocks- i did not use a fishing weight or any additional tools to hold the orchid heads into place.

mockup pics
cocktail mockups
inspiration pics
cocktail decor
cocktail decor
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cocktails

diy menus -layout done in fireworks. to be laser printed on cardstock and possibly framed. fonts are scriptina, century gothic, and lil' tipsy.

since we are getting married in our adopted home, we thought we'd use a popular drink from our hometown as our "something borrowed".

thanks to lisakeiko for finding a similar cocktail dingbat - and it's free!

cocktail menu
inspirational cocktail menus:
cocktail menus
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polaroid guestbook

polariod cameras - walmart
film - sam's club
guestbook and blank pages - island paperie
tiki - local vendor
props - oriental trading company and kahului walmart

instead of a traditional guestbook, we've decided to do something different. we are renting a giant tiki statue from a local artisan and we purchased a number of cheesy hawaiiana props. the plan is to ask guests to pick what they'd like to wear (think grass skirts, coconut bras, giant sunglasses) and what they'd like to hold (painted ukuleles, blow up fish, giant flowers, etc) and to pose in front of the tiki statue. our attendants will snap their photo with a polaroid camera. they can then add their picture to a blank page and leave us a note.

inspirational pics:

guestbook inspirations

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cardbox
since a majority of our guests are traveling to our wedding, we think it's necessary to have a cardbox. i am currently too overwhelmed to even think about making one so we purchased this hand-carved, wooden box at pottery barn. we both really like this box because it is something we can display in our home without it screaming "wedding!" and the carved floral design reminds us of a hawaiian quilt pattern. plus we got it on sale!
cardbox
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tablescapes
I have a hard time visualizing the big picture and envisioning how colors and textures will come together. The process usually involves lengthy trials and errors for me. I found the inspirational photos below extremely helpful. I hope they help you too.
tablescapes
tablescapes
tablescapes
tablescapes
tablescapes
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table linens
we've decided to rent linens from bbjlinens.com. we picked shimmery lamour in tiffany blue for our tables, which is darker than the image below. i think we're going to save some money and use the seawatch's white polycotton napkins.
linens
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centerpieces

first it was the guestlist. then it was the accommodations. now it's the centerpieces that are giving me a tough time. i can't decide if i want tall centerpieces or squat centerpieces but i'm worried that the chandeliers at the seawatch in combination with tall centerpieces will make the room feel cramped. my colors are primarily blue and green but i'd like to add some deep pink but i'm afraid it might look more 80s than fresh and tropical. the other thing that makes my situation difficult is that my tables will be various shapes and sizes so i'm wondering if a centerpiece comprising of 3 vases in varying heights will give me the flexibility I need. whatever vases we end up not putting on the tables can go on the bar or in the bathroom or in the lounge or on the cake table.

must have flowers
orchids, orchids, and more orchids. lots of tropical foliage and green anthuriums thrown into the mix too.

the look
zen with a tropical twist. clean and contemporary. natural yet somewhat structured, but nothing too architectural. 2-3 variations in style - nothing uniform.

our final picks:


 

inspirational centerpiece photos:

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reception diagram
the seawatch supplied us with a blank diagram and their standard setup diagram. we used both to come up with our floorplan. click the image below to enlarge it.
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table diagrams
below are our table diagrams that we plan to give our doc and helpers. i really recommend that everyone take some time to do this - it really helped us figure out what supplies still needed to be purchased and what things we had overlooked. plus, it makes it really easy to communicate with our vendors. click the images below to enlarge them.
click to enlarge
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place settings

monstera leaves - maui floral
plumerias -
paradise flower farms

our place setting
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mini floral arrangements

mini cymbidiums - hawaii blooms
buri boxes - kahului walmart
oasis - floral supply syndicate
cellophane - long's drugstore

we are hoping to make a mini floral arrangement for each place setting since i was lucky to find a great wholesale price on mini green cymbidium orchids. each arrangement will cost about $3-$4 dollars to make. we plan to have our materials ready to go prior to the wedding week and to receive the orchids 2 days before the wedding so that we have plenty of time to add the flowers.

to make our mockup mini floral arrangement, we lined buri boxes with cellophane and inserted floral oasis that we cut to size and soaked in water. each buri box makes 2 arrangements - i used the lids and bottoms. we used 5 mini cyms per arrangement, which stand less than 3 inches tall. this mockup lasted over a week without refridgeration and with a little fresh water every day.

mini arrangements
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place cards

we've decided to make place cards because our head table seats 24 people. so since we have to make them for the head table, why not all the tables?

to go along with our starfish table cards, we ordered a hundred natural sea urchins from seashellcity.com. they range in size from 1.5 - 2.5 inches. when you order the natural color, they are mostly white with a little bit of pink.

using a dremel handheld rotary tool, my fi drilled slits into the top of each urchin. it took less than an hour to drill 100. it does create a lot of dust so it's best to do the drilling outside or in a garage. about 5-7 out of our hundred cracked while drilling.

once the urchins were done, i set up a label template in word and mail merged our guests names. my sister and i got overly crafty one night and wrapped thin satin ribbon around each name card and attached it to a layer of green cardstock. overall, this was a really easy project- i'm sure you could do the same with sea shells or starfish.

our place cards
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table numbers

inspired by knottie mauidjenn, i picked up 20 or so bud vases on clearance at ben franklin. i filled each 3/4 of the way with sand. my dad crafted wire holders with a wide base to sink into the sand and a small curl on the other end to hold our table numbers.

like fellow knottie hapahaole, we also decided to name our tables after common pidgin words and phrases. we included the english translations on each table number. we plan on posting our reasons for choosing pidgin names in mother of pearl frames next to where our guests pick up their table assignments.

our table numbers
inspirational pics:
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table cards

5-6 inch pencil starfish - us shell
baskets - ikea, called angelsbo - in-store only

since we're getting married at a restaurant called "the seawatch", it seems like a no brainer to include some beach elements in our reception decor. so we've ordered pencil starfish from us shell to act as our table cards. i ordered the 5-6 inch starfish but i think 4-5 inch would have been better. the baskets i picked up hold about 30 starfish - 2 rows of 15. the really nice thing about my baskets is that they are cloth lined so i don't have to worry about leaking sand. also, the baskets are collapseable, making them very easy to take on a plane.

tips for drying out starfish
i ordered mine months in advance. they come packaged in plastic bags. what has worked the best for me is to open 2-3 bags at a time and leave them out on our lanai for 4-5 days. then i bring them inside. i keep the bags open so they can continue to air out since resealing them brings the smell back. to keep dust out, i make sure the bag is sitting on its side so the opening isn't facing up.

inspiration pics:
escort cards
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our menu

stardream cardstock - papermillstore.com
white cardstock - officemax.com
paper cutting - pixel

printed layer dimensions - 5 by 7.5 inches, 2 to a page
backing layer dimensions - 5.5 by 8 inches, 2 to a page

i designed our menus in publisher and printed them at home on our color laser printer. to save some time, i took them into the wonderful people at pixel in kihei to have them cut. i then adhered the printed layer to a slightly larger layer of metallic stardream paper in starburst.

we plan on slipping a menu into each person's napkin, which will be folded into a rectangular pocket and garnished with a hot pink plumeria.

click the image below to enlarge it.

click to enlarge
our menu
inspirational pics:
menus
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accent decor
in addition to our centerpieces, we also plan on adding flowers and candles to various areas of the room to make our look complete. the arrangements below are relatively simple and will be diy.
accent decor
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lighting

we've asked our rental vendor to hang white paper lanterns in between the palm trees on the course side of the lanai and the ocean side of the lanai. he'll also light up our tiki statue with a couple spot lights. i was able to purchase 300 votive candles wholesale and we'll be using these throughout the reception area.

inspirational pics:

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champagne toast

toasting flutes - island plantations
champagne - hula o maui, tedeschi vineyards
orchid garnishes - paradise flowers

champagne is a big deal to us. we celebrate every holiday, every anniversary, and every success with it. we love sweet champagnes, like asti or spumante, and our favorite is hula o maui, a pineapple champagne crafted here on maui. we even commemorated our engagement with this sparkling wine.

it makes me sad to think of all the glasses that are poured and never touched at weddings. our thinking is that when our guests see that our champagne is something unique to the area, they will be more likely to try it. at least this is what we're telling ourselves :)

inspirational pics:

champagne details
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the cake

i am a HUGE chocaholic but we are actually leaning towards a white cake. i am having a hard tme accepting this but i know a majority of our guests will appreciate a lighter cake with a tropical filling in the humid hawaiian heat. my fellow "crack addict" father might not forgive me so we might include some dark chocolate-dipped pineapple and mango on each plate when the cake is served.

in the past, i've always pictured a square cake in fondant. but as my year of wedding planning has gone by, i'm really feeling the round cakes with varying tier heights. and i've discovered that although i love the look of fondant, i don't care for it too much. ironically, marzipan is my second drug of choice so i'm not quite sure why i don't like fondant.

cake tasting
we were lucky enough to arrange a tasting with maui wedding cakes. i was anxious to see their kitchen and to try some of their other flavors. i've had their white cake with lilikoi in the past and always thought there was a slight plastic taste to it. on the other hand, i absolutely love their chocolate ganache. so the tasting was a good decision on our part because it gave us a chance to sample other flavors and compare them. mike and cheryl are very sweet people (no pun intended!) and it was obvious from our visit that they are passionate about what they do. i am very confident that we are in good hands.

a little side note - there is a $25 tasting fee at maui wedding cakes. i think this fee is rather unfair, especially since the seawatch requires us to use mwc as our cake vendor. and even if we weren't required, who is going to book a cake vendor without tasting their product first?! in the end, mwc waived our cake tasting fee since they did not have the icing prepared for our carrot cake sample.

sample flavor overall ranking thoughts
a marbled cake with tahitian vanilla filling and italian buttercream icing our favorite cake, fi's favorite filling this cake was less dry than the white cake, the icing was rich and tasted fresh, the tahitian vanilla tasted light and sweet
b carrot cake, no icing or filling (see above)   we both liked this cake but thought it'd be too dense for the tall layers we hope to have
c chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganache my favorite icing and filling heaven, absolute heaven for a chocolate lover like me! fi enjoyed the filling but the ganache was a bit too rich for him. this was the moistest cake out of all the samples
d white cake with lilikoi filling and italian buttercream icing   this was the driest cake out of our samples. although we haven't been as impressed by the overall taste in the past, i love the kick of the tangy lilikoi filling.

our cake design
in the end, we picked an all marble cake with two fillings- tahitian vanilla and lilikoi. after much debate, we decided it'd be too hot for something heavy like carrot cake or chocolate cake and we really wanted to give our guests something different and tropical.

 

inspirational pics:



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maui maps
i created a map of maui for our wedding website. we'll also include it in our information booklet in our OOT baskets. i made the map in macromedia fireworks but it can also be done in photsoshop or powerpoint. my map was inspired by the ultra-talented lisakeiko.
map of maui
i've also included a blank map to help those who want a jumpstart or who don't have a graphics program. just click on the map below to enlarge it (maximize the new window to see the larger size) and save it onto your hard drive. (to save it, right-click the image and select "save as") you'll then be able to insert the map in a word document in order to add your own locations and symbols. (to insert into word, click "insert" in the tool bar, then "picture", then "from file" and browse to the location where you saved the map, then click "ok") Have fun and don't forget to check out the map bio!
click to enlarge
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when my mom came to visit in november, we drove upcountry to check out a couple of the flower farms. it was about an hour drive from south maui. most upcountry farms are open to the public and if the type of flower you're looking for is something they normally harvest, the prices are much cheaper than florists and grocery stores. you don't need an appointment to tour the farms.


Paradise Flower Farms, Inc.

331 Ihe Place
Kula, HI 96790
808-878-2591
flowers@paradiseflowers.com
(site)

paradise flower farms is family-owned and operated. the entire staff is friendly and helpful and they were more than willing to share cost-saving tips with us. my mom was a big hit with the lei ladies- they had her dancing and taking pictures. LOL! the daughter, also an employee, was so sweet and she showed me all the tropical foliage, orchids, and loose blooms they carried. she took the time to explain hardiness and to suggest complimentary arrangements.

the farm can special order flowers that they don't normally grow. they recommend placing your order two weeks before the day you want to pick your order up. they do not deliver on-island. they have a lot more flowers at the farm than what they have on their website. one invaluable tip i learned is that they sell loose blooms (orchids, miniature roses, plumeria, etc.) in bulk. the catch is that they offer this for flowers that are normally found in their leis.

speaking of leis, you can also order customized leis from them - you pick the flower combinations and colors.

 

Maui Floral
760 Copp Road
Kula, HI 96790
1-800-543-2727
floral@maui.net
(site)

just down the street from paradise flower farms, maui floral's specialty is the protea. the farm is incredible- it was really neat to walk through rows and rows of protea trees, high above the valley and ocean. there were bins of various tropicals and foliage - monsteras, ti leaves, heliconias, ginger, anthuriums, birds of paradise, orchids, etc.

maui floral supplies costco with a majority of its flowers. you can place an order through maui floral for pick up at costco in kahului and pay costco rates. just remember that you need to be a costco member to do so! they recommend placing your order 1 month before your wedding date.

in addition to bouquets, maui floral also makes basket arrangements for costco. consisting mainly of proteas, these arrangments would make for easy and very affordable centerpieces.

when i called maui floral in early october 2006, these were the rates i was given if i picked up my order at costco:

cymbidium orchids - 1 spray (about 12 blooms) - $24.99 each
dendrobium orchids - 8 sprays (about 8 blooms per spray) - $8.99 each
mokara/vanda orchids - 5 sprays (about 8 blooms per spray) - $8.99 each
monstera leaves - 1 bunch (about 12 leaves) - $8.99 each
ti leaves - 1 bunch (about 12 leaves) - $8.99 each
single strand leis - 2 for $8.99 (dendrobium orchid)
fancy leis - $8.99 each (micronesian ginger, tuberose)
exotic leis - $12.99 each (kukui nut, lokelani/mini rose)
maile leis - $39.99 each
roses - 18 for $16.99
assorted bunches - $8.99 each
tropical bunch - $12.99 each
tropical basket arrangments - $24.99 each

fellow knottie Aims1111 also has information on costco flowers and leis in her bio.

 

 

Hawaii Blooms
HCR 1 Box 5782
Keaau, HI 96749
1.888.982.7744
sales@hawaiiblooms.com
(site)

note that this company is not located on maui and your order must be shipped

i was very lucky to find hawaii blooms. based on the big island, they have great wholesale rates on tropicals and orchids. without them, i would not be able to do our mini floral arrangements, use mini monstera leaves as placemats, or use as many green cymbidium orchids in our diy decor.

since the time i placed my test order in early 2007, they have revamped their website and included special pricing for weddings. my pricing below is for 2006 wholesale rates, which may differ from the wedding pricing.

i placed my test order of orchids and foliage by phone. the staff was very helpful and were patient with all of my questions. while i had them on the phone, i confirmed availability for september. i was required to have a business license to obtain wholesale rates but they didn't seem to care that i did not work in the floral industry. they do have a minimum order requirement and the standard per box charge (about $11). to ship 1 box to maui, i paid $22.

my order arrived in the afternoon (if it's a residential inter-island order, shipments arrive between 2-5 on maui, orders with commercial destinations arrive in the morning). everything was well packed and the flowers were still cool to the touch. my mom and i had so much fun unpacking everything (our cat too!) and were amazed at the quality and freshness.

when you place your order, you might ask them to email you the invoice before placing your order. we just verbally went over mine. i had ordered some ti leaves but they never arrived and i was never charged for them. this was partially my fault since i did not write out my order in advance and i probably didn't remember that i wanted to order them when we reviewed my order together.

also, i learned that they no longer ship phalaenopsis (moth) orchids because they are fragile and have increased greatly in price. i asked about this twice and even though i was only an island a way, they did not want to supply them to me. however, they still have the information on their website.

be aware that certain varieties require advance notice. be sure to confirm when you need to place your order by.

2006 wholesale rates

dendrobium orchids - per spray
deluxe (25 in.) - $2.05
long (22-25 in.) - $1.60
medium (18-22 in.) - $1.35 (typical size at costco)
short (14-18 in.) - $1.10

cymbidium orchids - per spray
note that the shorter the spray, the fewer the blooms and the larger the blooms. so an xtra-long spray is really a spray of mini cymbidiums. the number of blooms noted below are taken from the sprays i ordered and should be used only as estimates.
short (10 blooms) - $8
medium (19 blooms) - $10
long (21 blooms) - $12
x-tra long (23 blooms) - $14

specialty orchids (vandas, oncidium, etc) - per spray
long (26+ in.) - $3
medium (20-25 in.) - $2.50
short (under 20 in.) - $2
phalaenopsis (10-15 blooms per spray) - $4

tropicals
anthuriums - depends on color and size, prices range $1.25 - $2.85
birds of paradise - $1.35
ginger - depends on color and size, prices range $1.25 - $2.75

foliage
areca palm - $1.35 - $2.35
fern curl - $0.60
lauea fern - $1
lauhala leaf - $0.65
monstera leaf - $1.35 - $2.25
phoenix palm - $0.80
ti leaf - $0.25 - $0.30



 
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our minimoon

our plan is to hop over to the big island, the only island in hawaii we haven't been to. we'll be staying in a quaint bed & breakfast the first two nights just outside of volcano national park. we plan on exploring the park and the hilo side of the island before heading over to the kona side, where we'll be relaxing at the four seasons hualalai. thank goodness for that kama'aina discount!

special thanks to knottie MrsNFB for all her help with accommodations, restaurants, sights, and travel tips!

the big island
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our vendors

ceremony venue
molokini lookout
the seawatch
wailea, maui
808.875.8080

reception venue
buy-out
the seawatch
wailea, maui
808.875.8080

rentals - lights and arch
pacific isle rentals
mike werner
808.280.9686

photography
aaron willcox
san diego, ca

videography
director's cut package
hawaii video memories
808.871.8366

cake
maui wedding cakes
1.866.537.8888

ceremony musician
jamie lawrence
guitarist
808.875.6700

reception dj
007 productions
ron tolbert
808.385.0224

linens
bbj linens
via seattle office
tiffany blue lamour
1.877.810.5700

florist
maui blooms
1.800.451.0618

vip leis & loose blooms
paradise flowers
808.878.2591

guest leis & foliage
maui floral
1.800.543.2727

orchids & foliage
hawaii blooms
1.888.982.7744

transportation
akina aloha tours
808.879.2828

makeup
jessica waite
808.283.7837

hair
dan sanchez
808.268.8258

day of coordinator
tropical maui weddings
lori scott lawrence
808.875.6700

guest accommodations
maui banyan
via resortquest
kihei, south maui
808.875.0004

guest accommodations 2
pineapple inn
maui meadows, south maui

808.298.4403

guest travel
hawaiian airlines
via wedding wings

shave ice rental
desert snow hawaii
steve grimm
808.879.3536

snorkel charter
the leilani
via pride of maui
808.242.0955

golf tournament
elleair golf club
kihei, south maui
808.874.0777

rehearsal dinner
mulligan's on the blue
wailea, south maui
808.874.1131

her rings
tiffany & co
e-ring: legacy setting w/ aquamarine centerstone
band: novo setting

his ring
tropical grains
6mm titanium band w/ koa wood inlay

the dress
the bridal garden
kirkland, wa
425.889.2151

 

 

handy links

invites
kinohi designs
mygatsby
savvy d
elum designs
emi ink
ilee
little q
island paperie
invitation consultants
renaissance writings
jean m
textstyle designs
white aisle
funny buggy
michaels
party + papier

olio style
kenzie kate
uncommon envelope
one blossom
ceci new york
april studio

paper supply
paper presentation
cards & pockets
envelope mall
paper source
paper zone
paper mart
paper mojo
paper and more

letterpress
iloveletterpress
mercurio bros.

paper source
mackenzie press
miemiko atelier

fonts
dafont
myfonts
house of lime
linotype
dingbat depot
fonts.com
font garden

high fonts
jr's personal stash
simply the best fonts

graphics
clipart.com
microsoft
istockphoto

graphics factory
stock.xchg

stampscapes

calligraphy
funny buggy
ilee
astrid elizabeth
artichoke ink
a fine letter
the blooming quill
little q

paper goods
my wedding labels
for your party
custom wedding
the party block
paper mart


dw dresses

jenny yoo
nordstrom
jcrew
saeyoung vu
galina at db
watters
alfred angelo
winnie couture
maggie sottero


aloha attire

hilo hattie
sig zane
tori richard
blue ginger
cinnamon girl
quicksilver
tommy bahama
lava hut
manuheali'i
hawaiian moon
poppy
mamo howell
princess kaiulani


linen options

bbj linens
les saison
designs by hemingway
chair covers & linens
cloth connection
bright settings
linen effects
fashion fabrics club
covered affairs maui
custom linen service
dove linen
linen n stuff
us linens


vases & votives
jamali garden
ikea
pier 1
crate & barrel
cb2
west elm
wal-mart
k-mart
save on crafts
cudge
a candle co.
nj candle
crafts etc
eastern leaf
the home port

illuminations
candle craving
armour products
etch world
romantic flowers
candles 4 less

loose orchids
paradise flowers
blooms of hawaii
hawaii tropical flowers
alii flowers
with our aloha
aloha flower leis
hawaii flower lei

loose plumerias
molokai plumerias
aloha flower leis
paradise flowers

orchid sprays
hawaii blooms
the flower exchange
blooms of hawaii
hawaii tropicals
maui floral
baron's orchids
frugal flower
flower bud
orchids direct

shells & starfish
us shell
seashell city
shell shopping
shell bazaar
seashell world
seashells.com





maui links

maui rentals
event designers international
808.875.6030

envisions entertainment
808.874.1000

maui rents
808.877.5827

pacific isle rentals
808.280.9686

royal hawaiian rentals
808.877.7684

 

guest lodging
aa oceanfront condominium rentals
1.800.488.6004

crh - condominium rentals hawaii
1.800.367.5242

drh - destination resorts hawaii
1.866.384.1365

resortquest/maui condo & home
1.800.822.4409

vrbo.com

outrigger hotels & resorts
1.800.OUTRIGGER

ka'anapali resort association
1.800.245.9229

 

maui florists
maui florals
1.800.543.2727

maui blooms
1.800.451.0618

maui sunset florals
808.879.9923

asa flowers
808.249.8845

anny heid
808.572.7033

ohana floral shop
1.866.298.6617

dellables
808.344.1811

petals n blooms
808.357.1312

flowers by cora
1.800.339.0419

bella grace flowers

floral designs maui
808.572.6262

maui elegance
808.870.2147

 

fave bios

hawaii knotties
artzgg
Surfrider~bride
mrspresley
lisakeiko
MrsStephanini
MrsBabySalute
SumnerBride
bohlerry
mrs.pbandj
day-z
mizcoco
Aims1111
nicole&brian808

hawaiibride2be
MrsNFB

 

other knotties
WeezerMonkey
Beatka
AvaLikeLava
KristiT2003
LoveHimSoMuch
Chrysallys
BeachBride2
TossedRice
academybedlam
MrsJeffsWife2B
LeCirage
LadyRed7
kathyriya
zoegirlTX
MrsJohnny
MissAliKay
mrsH-2006
proud_bride
lau1126


 
   


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