Amanda81

I had thought of that but I don't know if I'm comfortable enough doing that.

I tried to find a similar topic but couldn't find anything. I like the tradition of giving a gift to your new spouse on your wedding day, but I am having a hard time trying to think of something. I know the most popular thing to give is a watch but my fiance already has a really nice one he barely wears. Any feedback or ideas from other brides out there would be appreciated.

My Fiance and I as well as all of our guests are staying at the Aston Kaanapali Shores. Its a condo complex but does have some resort ammenities like an onsite restaurant and 2 pools. We chose it becuase it had regular hotel rooms, studios as well as 1 and 2 bedroom condos. Our guests could choose what unit type fited their needs and budget. I might be wrong but I think they do provide daily maid service, they just don't do your dishes. Hope that helps!

My Fiance and I as well as all of our guests are staying at the Aston Kaanapali Shores. Its a condo complex but does have some resort ammenities like an onsite restaurant and 2 pools. We chose it becuase it had regular hotel rooms, studios as well as 1 and 2 bedroom condos. Our guests could choose what unit type fited their needs and budget. I might be wrong but I think they do provide daily maid service, they just don't do your dishes. Hope that helps!

Thank you litl_april for the link to view your pics. Your right they did a good job with hair and makeup. Who was your photographer?

I'm also booked with PMW for my October 2010 wedding, and I am also having my hair and make up done through them. I too would appreciate any feedback from someone else that has used them.

Feb 11, 2009: Trish + Bill @ Makena Secret Cove + Kimo's Restaurant Oct 14, 2009: Deb + John @ Kalaeokai'a Estate + Five Palms Restaurant May 22, 2010: Huey + Isaac @ Honua Kai Lani + Spago June 17, 2010: Krystall + Nick @ Olowalu Plantation House + Old Lahaina Luau Oct. 19, 2010: Amanda + Patrick @ Kula Botanical Garden + Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

That is a great idea about cutting your cake after the ceremony when you still have the photographer. I may change my plans and do that instead!

I thought I would let everyone know how I have done with my budget. For the wedding coordinator I am using Deanne from Precious Maui Weddings. I compared her rates with at least 20 others and her rates were the best. At first I was a bit skeptical about using her because her rates were so good, but she has sent me links to the photographers they use as well as shown me pictures of the types of bouquets they include in their packages and everything seems to be of good quality. I didn't want to get married on a beach. So my Fiancé and I decided on a garden. Most resorts charge $450 or more just to get married in their garden. We're getting married in Kula Botanical Gardens. The cost is $8.50 per person if there are more than 13 people attending, and $10.50 if there are less than 13. They will set up chairs for $2.50 per person plus a $50 set up fee. So for 20 people it will cost me $270 including the chairs. For the reception we are going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. They have a private dinning room that sits up to 30. They just require a $1000 minimum spent for having the room the entire night. We have chosen a menu where we pick the appetizer, salad and dessert, but our guests get to choose an entree from a list of 7 options. The cost for this is $68.50 per person, which was one of the cheaper options for anywhere that I could find. I hope that helps for all of the other brides that are frugal like me

I'm also using Deanne from Precious Maui Weddings for my October 2010 wedding. I've looked throught the different photographers web sites and I like Marbelle the best. When I was doing my research everyone was saying to choose a photographer that has a bunch of photo's from the same wedding. Anyone can have a few great shots but a good photographer will get many great shots. The Marbelle website had many photo's for several different weddings and they all looked good. So that's how I decided to go with Marbelle.

Hi Everyone, I want to do Postcards as my save the date cards. But I want to design it myself. I've checked out Zazzle but their prices seems high. Any recomendations for sites would be appreciated!

I think I may hve found the place. Its Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Has anyone eaten here before? They have a private dining room that we can have for the whole night. Its big enough for our group that when we are done eating we can move one of the tables to the side and make a small area to have a few dances. The set menu prices are pretty reasonable too.

I need some help with where to have our reception on Maui. I'm trying to keep the cost under $90 per person. The main thing is that I want to have a place where we can have a first dance as well as for other people to dance. I contacted the Plantation House but you have to book a specific room to get the dance floor and the cost is much more than I want to spend. I was looking at a Dinner cruise with Maui Princess as they have a band and a dance floor on the ship but my Fiancé doesn't like that idea. We'll be staying in Ka'anapali so I would like something in the Lahaina / Ka'anapali area and not in Kihei or Wailea. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where we can go? Any information / feedback will be appreciated.

Wow Your the person I need to talk to. I was thinking of staying at the Aston Kaanapali shores as well. I was in Maui in 2005 but I never saw that resort. The pictures of the grounds look amazing. And I like the fact that there are several different unit types for my guests to choose from depending on their budget. I hadn't though of getting married at the resort, my idea was to go to one of the tropical gardens in the center of the island. But I'll check out the Salon's website. I'm not sure about a lu'au as a reception. I did one before at the Royal Lahina and I was thinking of something more intimate than that. My big thing is to have a first dance. I heard the Seawatch has a dance floor but I was hoping to have something in the Ka'anapali area.

Thanks Everyone. That is great to hear. My mother is a professional cake decorator so I am hoping she will do my cake to save some money. I don't know how she feel's about packing all her equipment though. kstinson1503 where did you get married in Maui? I would like to get married in a garden but it seems like most couples get married on the beach. I would love any feedback you can give on any of the vendors / places you used.

Hi I'm new here to this site and am just starting the planning stages. We're looking at getting married in Maui in October 2010. I was just wondering what type of budget everyone has had for their wedding. I'm not talking about travel costs. Just the ceremony / reception. There will only be abut 15 - 20 people going. I'm estimating $5000 for ceremony, flowers, hair, makeup, photographer, videographer, dinner for guests, and hopefully even my dress. Does anyone think this is doable? Or have a similar budget of their own.