Neither my fiancé nor I had ever been to Oahu (or Hawaii period) so we thought a trip prior to the wedding was a must – boy am I happy we chose to do so. We just returned on Thursday from a very productive trip as we have decided on our date, location, WC, photographer, hairstylist, and dinner reception.
As this was my first trip there, I must admit that I personally would have been disappointed had I planned my wedding (blindly) and chosen the Waikiki area. The North Shore is much more “the Hawaii†I had mentally envisioned whereas I found Waikiki to be too congested and touristy for my liking. That said, the area does have its own charm and there is some great shopping to be found there! =)
I am pleased to say that everything (accept for the weather) was smooth and went our way. We chose Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings and Events as our WC. She is very nice, accommodating to our wishes/desires, and has a calm demeanor about her. Hawaii Weddings and Events
For our photographer, we decided on Adam Palmer. Again, very chill and accommodating to the fact that it is our special day …and his pictures – they say it all with a great price and picture rights attached. Adam A. Palmer - Hawaii Wedding Photographer, Scenic Hawaii Photography
I decided on May Nguyen with Beauty by May as my stylist and make-up artist. Like the WC and photographer, she has a soothing & accommodating vibe about her – great work w/ a nice price tag too. Her website is beautybymay.com - Makeup Artist, Eyelash Extension, Nail, Airbrush, Massage, Flower, Honolulu, Hawaii – has a good size portfolio of her work to view.
As for our reception, we are going to have a dinner at 21 Degrees North located at Turtle Bay and afterwards just see where the evening takes us - our wedding will be quite small with only around 15 people.
Oh! Last but not least, we have chosen September 17th as our wedding date. We thought a weekday would be better because the beach will be less crowded and decided on Thursday so our guests could extend the trip through the weekend making it a vacation for them too. =) As for the location, the ceremony will be held at a more secluded beach (recommended by photographer) – you wouldn’t really know it’s there unless well, you know it’s there. =)
Sooo, now I just have to decide on my dress which I have an appointment scheduled this Saturday at Nicole Miller. I absolutely love her designs – very clean, simple with a beach ceremony feel. Nicole Miller Official Store.
Sorry for the long post but I’ve stalked all of yours for some time now and am appreciative for all I have learned and thought it was my turn to add to the masses. =)