BlondeLlamaTreww

And maybe check this place out as a venue =] Ola at Turtle Bay Resort - Hawaii North Shore Oahu Restaurant

I have a photographer, and I'm in love with her work. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that she was featured in a bridal magazine not too long after we booked her, and her pricing still wasn't outrageous. I'll still give you the DJ as a freebie =] Home Page I'm working with David Asing. He's going to be our guitarist as well as DJ. We saw him in action and were pretty pleased with his performance skills. The dancers are apparently women who have retired from the Polynesian Cultural Center to start families and now just dance on the side for extra cash.

Maybe you can try booking a restaurant? A lot of them will have on-site coordinators, so you won't have to hire one. I'm getting married in 2 months with about 30 guests, and have yet to really need anything but my resort coordinator who is basically just overseeing set-up. My fiance is a German national, and I'm an American. I don't know how it'll work for the Canadian government, but all the Germans want is a certified copy of our marriage license for their records. You can always call and ask your local courthouse. If you have any other questions, just let me know. I have some really great vendors, including a production company that's providing a guitar/dj/hula show package at an incredible price.

If you're looking for something a little more intimate, check out Ola at Turtle Bay Resort - Hawaii North Shore Oahu Restaurant It's my favorite restaurant on Oahu. They do a lot of wedding receptions there. It's an amazing venue- it's basically an outdoor space right on the beach. It is covered, but when the weather is nice, they take down the glass partitions so there's nothing obstructing the ocean breezes. It's perfect for a reception your size. The only thing to take into consideration is that it is on North Shore, so it is 45 minutes from Honolulu.

I'm using Michelle Scotti of I Do Believe Photography. She's really amazing, and has recently had a several page spread in a mainstream Bridal magazine. She's even offering a "Don't Trash The Dress" option where she'll give you a 2 hour photo shoot with your dress if you agree to donate it to Brides Against Breast Cancer. I Do Believe Photography Destination Wedding Photography

Quote: Originally Posted by miamor Hello, My fiancee and I have decided to elope to Hawaii for our wedding/honeymoon. We plan on just getting married at a beach (if possible) where we will say our vows and then take some amazing photos, then go to a beautiful dinner. Very low key and no one will come with us. It is more or less to make it official and also cause I have a beautiful dress I want photos with. I'm wondering if anyone has done something similir in Oahu before, any insights, tips on how to same money and have something memorable will be appreciated! We plan on staying two weeks (most likely a few days here, then a week in another island, haven't decided yet) and our budget is 4000 although our flights will be cheap since I work for an airline. We would rather stay in apartments or cottages near or oceanfront to save money but maybe on the day of our ceremony something nicer. So if anyone has tips on best private beaches for ceremony or a planner that can assist, hotels etc it will be appreciated!! Thanks and sorry for the long post! I'm still getting used to this forum and maybe I posted too many topics in one thread! Try Hawaii vacation rentals,vacation homes,villas,beach rentals,house rental,condos and beach houses in Hawaii. for private condos/houses. There tends to be some pretty good deals. Unfortunately, you're not going to really find "private beaches" that are cheap. The more remote resort locations are pretty pricey because they're sought after for their privacy factor. Your best option is probably to stray away from Honolulu and find a locals beach somewhere. Maybe even rent a house with beach access and get married right outside your backdoor! The residential beaches are not usually very crowded. I'm not sure about the process for applying for a permit, but it'll be a lot cheaper than going through a resort.

If you're looking or a chapel overlooking the water, check out Turtle Bay Resort! The Pavilion is AMAZING. It's not very big, but it's all glass and is right on the water. We're actually having the reception in it because we wanted a beach wedding. But the resort is secluded and quiet and gorgeous!

Quote: Originally Posted by MandyP Please help! I am planning my upcoming wedding January 31st at the Grand Princess in the Mayan. I am just wondering what info is all included and what wording suggestions you may have. Any info is a help! If you have any samples please email me at [email protected]. Mandy It really depends how formal/casual you want your wedding to be. There's so many options out there as far as invitations and save-the-dates. You can go funny or cute or formal. The possibilities are really endless. I think the best thing to do is to send out a save-the-date as soon as possible. Let your guests know that you're planning a destination wedding. Even if you haven't chosen a location yet, it's always nice to start spreading the word that they're going to be spending a lot more than they originally bargained for. The invitation we sent out was from Hello Lucky! and has a beautiful orchid motif on it. The wording is very traditional since my parents are hosting it and are pretty old school. "____ and ____ request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter ____ to ______, son of ____ and _____ on _date_ at __location__. Reception immediately to follow". Also check out Invitations by Dawn. They have some pretty cute stuff too. Happy hunting!

Ask your hotel coordinator for a list of preferred vendors. Though usually a little more pricey, they're a good starting point, and you're less likely to get ripped off.

3 probably will be too hot. May I ask how you plan on occupying the gap between ceremony and reception? An extra long cocktail hour? haha. That's something to keep in mind- traditionally the cocktail hour is meant for the guests to get out of the heat while you and the hubby take your portraits. I wouldn't worry about time to take pics. Especially if there's a 3 hour gap. You'll be able to take amazing sunset pics at 6 when the lighting is great and the guests are hanging out before the reception.

Quote: Originally Posted by jamsjams Thanks for the messages everyone.. it's great to hear so much encouragement! This wedding planning just consume's you doesn't it? gosh I hope i'm not the only one. If anyone of you guys have seen "Up in the Air" that's me and my FI!! Seriously... it's not even funny but its the nature of our jobs. Our mind is set on a wedding outdoors over looking the ocean, ideally have some sort of Gazebo or wedding arch followed by a BBQ reception. Is anyone looking to do something similar in Hawaii? We'll be doing a site visit hopefully in July... Jamie Be sure to check out Turtle Bay Resort on North Shore Oahu. It's where Forgetting Sarah Marshall was filmed if you saw that. I stayed there a few years ago and fell in love with the resort. Now I'm getting married there in August. We love that it feels like old Hawaii. We're having a beach wedding, and the reception dinner in an all-glass pavilion on the water and dancing on the lawn outside. We're having a luau style BBQ complete with hula and fire dancers. I can get you the contact info for the production company doing the entertainment- they can get you an inclusive package with a Hawaiian guitar/singer for the ceremony/cocktail, a 3-5 person hula show, and then DJ for the reception at an INCREDIBLE rate (esp. considering the dancers are former Polynesian Center dancers). Turtle Bay turned out to be more affordable than most places we looked at for what we wanted to do, and since it's on the North Shore, the property is secluded and serene. It's a great alternative to the craziness of Waikiki beaches. You can get basically everything you need through the resort. We're only bringing in a photographer and the entertainment. There's even a florist located in a shop by the pool! Can't tell you how much I love this place! http://turtlebayresort.com/Romance/w...s_overview.asp Hope this helps!

I'm getting married on Oahu, but we looked at the Westin for the honeymoon. Unfortunately, Westins are just well known for being high end and extremely pricey. The photos of the gazebo and pavilion are beautiful though. If you're still in the market, I'd recommend checking out the Maui Hyatt Regency. I stayed there a few years ago, and the grounds are exquisite. There's a pond full of swans and flamingos, and exotic birds roam the gardens. The lobby is a giant koi pond and filled with Thai inspired artifacts dating back hundreds of years. The hard part about the website is that you have to contact someone to get any kind of information about their wedding locations. A little frustrating. Happy hunting!

If you need a website for rentals- Hawaii vacation rentals,vacation homes,villas,beach rentals,house rental,condos and beach houses in Hawaii. it's the site I used. And a lot of resorts will have condos attached to their property which have been privately bought and are rented out. That's the route we're going. It's going to be about the same price, but the condos are a lot nicer than the hotel rooms and we'll be able to cook. Hope this helps =]

My cake's going to be 3 tiers. I'm not sure why, because I don't even like cake...but I wanted the 3rd tier so it'll look cool in the pictures. Haha. We chose a different flavor for each tier to please everyone's palette. The first is chocolate with chocolate mousse. The second tier is a white cake with a fresh strawberries, and the third is lemon with a ganache filling. This is in addition to a dessert bar that is going to be mostly pies and fruits. Good grief! haha

My fiance and I checked out the Outrigger and a couple other places in Waikiki before we decided we wanted to have our wedding in a more intimate setting. We wanted a beach wedding, but the Waikiki beaches are always so crowded (esp. in August), and none of the hotels could promise us any privacy. We decided on Turtle Bay Resort. I highly recommend checking it out. They have several ceremony and reception options. We're getting married on the public beach, which is saving us some money so we could book the reception venue we really loved. The $1000 for the beach includes setup, blocked access to the area for 2 hours, chairs for up to 50 guests, and tables for the marriage license. The reception location we chose is actually what couples commonly use for their ceremony. It's an all glass pavilion and lawn that feeds into the ocean. We got to go in February for a tasting and to tour the area, and we're so excited. The food is AMAZING, and from the chefs at their 5star restaurants. But the best thing is that the buffet option we chose is under $100/pp. The bar is $55/pp and that is for the upgraded option and 4 hours of mixed/blended and wine/beer. http://turtlebayresort.com/Romance/w...s_overview.asp

Hey! I've asked my florist to supply me with a white orchid aisle. She can order them wholesale for pretty cheap. You can also order them online and have them overnighted to your hotel or venue. There are a lot of different sites that offer this, but here's one I just found Fresh Flower Loose Orchids from The Little Grass Shack You can find almost any kind of flowers. Here's a rose petal provider if you're not into the orchids. Rose Petals - Fresh Wholesale Rose Petals by Fiftyflowers.com Hope this helps!

Quote: Originally Posted by pinktigerlily I have been trying to come up with a memorial idea and I am stumped. My situation is a little different... My FI and I had a stillborn son (April made a year ago). We actually postponed our wedding previously because of this. This is still a really fresh wound but I really would like Dylan's memory to be a part of our special day. I don't want to have a tearfest though. I am actually crying now that I am thinking about it. Any ideas? He had Trisomy 13 so I thought about adding the awareness pin in my bouquet or maybe one of the mini frames with his footprints. Pinktigerlily- I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss. I can't even begin to imagine how devastating that must have been, and still is, for you and your fiance. I think either of those things would be a beautiful tribute. What about instead of favors/OOT bags, donating that money to a nonprofit for Trisomy 13 or having a tree planted in his honor? You could just include a little note in the programs or place cards that explains why you chose the charity. That way you don't have to directly address it the day of (so your mascara will stay intact) but you will still be able to honor your son's memory.

Quote: Originally Posted by BlondeLlamaTreww We're going to have an acoustic guitarist for the ceremony. I've chosen two songs that are a little old school, but sentimental to me. We're having him play instrumental versions of them since I decided that I didn't want singing while I'm walking down the aisle. For the procession: The Hawaiian Wedding Song- Elvis's version but Jim Reeves arrangement (we're getting married on Oahu) YouTube - Jim Reeves - The Hawaiian Wedding Song While my dad's walking me down the aisle: There is Love (The Wedding Song)- Paul Stookey (my parents had this played during their wedding and I love the song and the idea of using it as well) YouTube - Peter Paul and Mary: Paul Stookey, The Wedding Song I think the best thing about having instrumental versions is that it doesn't matter if we have to cut them short. He can just stop playing at the end of a verse. I think we're going to use the Plain White T's "1,2,3,4" as the recessional...and actually have our guy sing it. We've chosen Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" for our first dance. I like these because they're upbeat and have cute lyrics. We're not much for the uber serious love songs.

My fiance lost his mom a couple years ago. It's a tricky situation because I never met her, and he was extremely close to her. We've agreed that we don't want to have pictures or "In memory of" poems because we want the day to focus on us, our families coming together, and our new future together. However, we didn't want to completely ignore the situation. This was our compromise: Since the wedding is in Hawaii, and my mother and his grandmother will be wearing leis instead of corsages, I'm going to have a lei draped over the chair where his mother would be sitting. Then his grandmother, father, and he will place a white rose on her chair (her favorite flower) before taking their places. I'm also going to make sure the the minister includes a prayer in remembrance of all of our lost ones before beginning the ceremony. I'm hoping this will be an appropriate tribute. Any feedback?

We're going to have an acoustic guitarist for the ceremony. I've chosen two songs that are a little old school, but sentimental to me. We're having him play instrumental versions of them since I decided that I didn't want singing while I'm walking down the aisle. For the procession: The Hawaiian Wedding Song- Elvis's version but Jim Reeves arrangement (we're getting married on Oahu) YouTube - Jim Reeves - The Hawaiian Wedding Song While my dad's walking me down the aisle: There is Love (The Wedding Song)- Paul Stookey (my parents had this played during their wedding and I love the song and the idea of using it as well) YouTube - Peter Paul and Mary: Paul Stookey, The Wedding Song I think the best thing about having instrumental versions is that it doesn't matter if we have to cut them short. He can just stop playing at the end of a verse.

Hi everyone! My name's Nikki. My fiance, Alex, and I are getting married on August 12 at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu. I've been checking this website out for a while, and browsed the forums for ideas. Thought it was about time to get an account =]