Hawaii Maui Venues

[Cynthia Peralta]

A bride-to-be with a little frustration-

 

At the moment my fiance and I are reviewing the following venues for a wedding:

 

-Fairmont Hotel Kea lani

-Hotel Makena beach resort & golf

 

We been doing a lot of research and decided on these two. Our wedding date is for May 24, 2014 with a total of 20-25 guest. I want both ceremony and reception outside with the beautiful ocean view. After talking with couple of wedding coordinators they've mentioned Fairmont is a beautiful hotel but they don't focus on wedding vs. Makena resort. They've more experience and organized as far as planning. 

 

What do you guys think?? anything helps at this point. 

 

Thank you very much!!!!

Cynthia 

[FutureMrsHudson]

Yay another Maui bride! I wish there were more Hawaii brides on this forum but I understand why there are so many for the Caribbean/Mexico. 

 

I would say it might depend more on the vibe you want, as, in my opinion anyways, the Fairmont seems a bit fancier and more luxurious, while the Hotel Makena seems a little more casual and laid-back. I would also think Makena is more affordable for your guests, if you're planning on them all staying at the wedding hotel (and if budget is an issue). Also, if you're planning to have a wedding coordinator I would think they would be able to help with organizational details, so I think I personally would consider the actual venue, ocean view, setting, etc. over the organizational skills of the facility (that may not be a good idea, it's just what I would think. The coordinators probably have a better idea).

 

Are you sold on the south part of Maui? I'm currently really interested in the Ritz in Kapalua, and their packages were more affordable than I expected. The setting is breathtaking, and they have a team of wedding specialists that help. They've been very easy to work with so far and very friendly. Just a thought if you haven't already ruled them out. 

 

Not sure if any of that was helpful, but wanted to chime in. Good luck in your decision! 

-Keri 

[WZM2014]

Hi ladies! And Congratulations to Keri and Cynthia! I am new to this forum and newly engaged! My fiancee and I have been together FOREVER and decided to have a small destination wedding in Maui. Neither of us have traveled there so I am frantically reading through this amazing forum for insights and recommendations, as we want to get married in May 2014!

 

We really just want a simple, elegant and beautiful beach wedding in the evening and want to have a dinner reception or go to a luau with our friends and family. We are on a very low budget as we are paying for all of this ourselves, so we are not doing many traditional wedding things (no DJ, no Cake Cutting, no attendants, not planning to do elaborate decorating for dinner). I have been referred to South Maui and have interest in the Kihei-Wailea-Makena areas. Looking for a private or semi-private beach and a nearby Luau or dinner location.

 

Does anyone have recommendations? Are there any other brides out there doing something (or have you already gone through this) similar to this? I feel like we're essentially trying to elope but we are inviting people along with us Simple simple simple. We want to celebrate with everyone and we want it to be classy, so I hoped a beach wedding NOT at a resort would allow us to afford a dinner reception for everyone.

 

Thank you and look forward to researching and learning from everyone! I'll be sure to return the favor to future brides after my experiences

-Whitney-