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I recommend Tamiz Photography!! Rebecca is so talented and really has that "eye" for catching those moments! http://www.tamizphotography.com/

Justice, I feel your pain on the guest list! I thought we'd have 25 guests tops and then it turned into 40! I would definitely recommend having your ceremony on the South Side of Maui. Because it's an arid climate, you're more likely to get sunny, cloudless skies in South Maui with only late morning/early afternoon winds. The west side is generally very windy and a much greater chance of rain and cloud cover. Have you booked your rooms yet? Was there a reason you went with the West Side?? South Maui has a lot of great places to stay and I'd definitely recommend it over staying in Lahaina or among all the resorts in Ka'anapali. All the best beaches are in Wailea and Makena, and overall it's more fun down there. We're staying at the Aston Maui Hill which is about a 5-10 minute drive to everything in South Maui! Since you have a good number of guests, I'd look into the possibility of staying on the South side just because there is more to do (i.e. beaches, bars, shopping, casual dining). Kristi Kahai from the Aston Maui Hill can negotiate a group rate directly with that resort and the savings are huge! Other resorts in Kihei and Wailea will vary in price from $150-600 a night so it's all about preference. Hope that helps!

We looked into Makena Golf and Beach Resort as well but were turned off by their astronomical site fees ($2600 just to use Makena Point for the ceremony). And when my Aunt when by there she said it wasn't all that great. The gazebo they picture wasn't even there anymore and in it's place was this white lattice archway on top of the old gazebo foundation. Not sure if they plan on rebuilding it but I definitely wouldn't pay that much for the site. Their beach front sites along the public beach were nice but again, not sure if you get a good value. If we hadn't gone with Olowalu, I also considered Gannon's since the site fees and menu options were really affordable and I've heard they do a great job on the food and set up. Also, the Five Palms Restaurant is a great open air restaurant with amazing ocean views. We had a friend get married on the island earlier this year and they had their reception at Five Palms and said the food and service was wonderful. Hope that helps!

I am using Ku O' Lani Floral + Design, and I must say Darren is amazing! If you're looking for quality and creativity at an affordable price tag (True Bliss and Dellables are pricey), check him out! He's participated in the last to annual bridal fairs and his work is awesome! He is also really great at responding to all my emails within 24 hours, which was not my experience with Dellables and True Bliss. Good luck!

I am getting married at the Olowalu Plantation House on July 30, 2012 and when I saw your question about florists I HAD to reply! I originally was looking at Dellables but I found a treasure! Ku O' Lani Floral Design has been AMAZING so far! Darren is so knowledgeable and creative with our flowers and I love everything about our plans! He has been incredible about replying to my (many) emails back and forth and his prices are AWESOME! Dellables and some of the other more advertised florists have much higher costs for the bridesmaids bouquets and centerpieces and I think the reason is because they had shops in Kihei = higher overhead. I would definitely recommend Darren at Ku O' Lani to any Maui bride who needs someone who is creative, affordable, and a great communicator.

You're very welcome! If you couldn't tell, I loooove South Maui haha. My parents actually suggested we look at condos in Lahaina since we are thinking of getting married at the Olowalu Plantation House and I shot them down haha. South Maui just has too much to offer to pass up! But, I will say that Lahaina is most definitely worth experiencing one night, perhaps before or after your trip to the Old Lahaina Luau. I recommend going to Kimo's for a nice dinner, it's awesome and not as pricey as Mama's Fish House. If you have any other questions about that area, feel free to ask me! -KCD

Aloha Lees! It might be a little late for recommendations, but I thought I'd still give you some tips about Maui! My mother's family is originally from Oahu, but my Aunt currently lives in Kihei in Maui and my fiance and I have visited her there twice. We actually recently got engaged on our trip to the island just last month! Like you, I'm planning a wedding in Maui and have been dealing with a lot of the same questions and concerns you have. But, I will say I that I wholeheartedly agree with choeft201 that South Maui is definitely the way to go! You're right that Wailea is more expensive, but Makena and Kihei have much more affordable options for hotel accommodations. As of right now, my guests and I are likely staying at the Aston Maui Hill in Kihei which has fantastic pricing for condos, but any of the Aston resorts are a good value and are really well-managed! The problem with West Maui (Lahaina and Ka'anapali) is that you're more likely to encounter days of cloudy or rainy weather because of the mountains and wind on that side of the island. Also, the beaches in my opinion are more crowded (due to all the resorts), not as pretty, and very windy. So, although there are resorts and hotels a plenty, South Maui actually is the better place to stay (and get married for that matter) if you're worried about weather because it rarely gets rain or prolonged cloud cover. Also, the nice thing about South Maui is there is SOO many things for your guests to enjoy! Kihei has great beach bars, casual restaurants and shopping and it's only a 5 minute drive to the absolutely stunning beaches of Wailea and Makena. Makena Beach (or Big Beach) is rated the most beautiful beach on Maui and they aren't lying! Makena is relatively undeveloped so there are times where you can have a beach all to yourselves! Also, since renting a car on Maui is a MUST (no reliable public transportation on Maui), you could still travel up to Lahaina and it's only a 35 minute drive. It may sound like a trek if you're used to staying on Oahu, but the drive is stress-free and the scenery is so beautiful you'll forget you're driving! For people who stay in Ka'anapali, the drive is pretty long to get to all the beautiful locations in South Maui, so they end up missing the best of what the island has to offer! Other than it's proximity to Lahaina, the Ka'anapali area doesn't have as much to offer as Kihei/Wailea/Makena in terms of beaches, nightlife, shopping, and restaurants, so it was definitely the first on my list for places to recommend to you! It's important to balance your pros and cons and every group's needs are different. But, in my opinion, the pros of staying in South Maui and having a wedding there far outweigh any negatives. Hope this helps! As for group activities or excursions, we have thought about chartering a boat to take us to Molokini. The only downside is that if you get a cloudy day, snorkeling is not nearly as amazing as everyone makes it out to be because the colors don't really pop without sunshine! One thing my wedding party and I are going to do when we go next summer is the Old Lahaina Luau. It is by far the most amazing show I've seen in Maui! My aunt also recommended seeing Ulalena but we have not done that yet. Other than that, almost all the bars in Kihei are within walking distance of each other, meaning you can park at one of the Kamaole beaches and have a night out! Most also have nice views of the sunset, Moose McGullicuddy's in particular, and great happy hour specials! -KCD