FutureMrsHudson

Hello! I'm getting married on Maui this October, and we visited last October to do some site visits and planning. We went to the Ritz as well as Kaanapali Coffee Farms, Westin Villas, and the Sheraton. We also considered Merrimans but never visited it. In the end we chose the Sheraton, & we're very happy with our choice! Their grounds are lovely, they aren't outrageously expensive, and it's a great location. I strongly recommend you consider it! We're having 40-50ppl for reference. We're getting married here: http://www.sheraton-maui.com/weddings/weddingvenues/moanalaw and it's even more gorgeous in person! They don't have that ugly white fence anymore either which is great. When we were there, there were dolphins jumping in the water right below this venue. It also has an attached (air-conditioned) lounge that you can use for cocktail hour or a reception if it's a small wedding. Then our reception will be here http://www.sheraton-maui.com/weddings/weddingvenues/coralreefroom which again is a gorgeous space. We chose this for the reception because it can be enclosed & air-conditioned (Not sure when you're getting married, but it might be one thing to consider) and you can also have your reception last until midnight (we even talked them into 1am). You may already know this but if you're planning to have your reception outside, you can only do it til 10pm, it's an island regulation. So, this was a big part of why we went with the Sheraton & the Coral Reef Room, because if we're spending all this money for our big day, we want to be able to enjoy it all night! Back to your original questions. The Ritz was gorgeous of course, & I would still love to have my wedding there, but it ended up being too pricey for us. I don't remember everything exactly, but we were looking at $18,000 for the ceremony & reception spaces & the base food & drink prices (based on 50ppl I believe). So that didn't even include decor, or drinks beyond wine/beer. etc. At the Sheraton we are paying about half that. If you do want your reception to go later they have one ballroom at the Ritz that you can use past 10pm. Now for the wedding planner. We are using the lovely Taryn Wyant of Platinum Weddings & Events http://platinumweddingsmaui.com/ She has been nothing but fantastic! We met with her in person while we were there, she showed us the Kaanapali Coffee Farms, and gave us a lot of great insight. Since we've been back in the states she is super quick to respond to emails, calls, and texts, and will happily tell you detailed information & experiences with all the different vendors so you can be sure you'll make the best choice. Just today I was freaking out a bit about if i'd made the right decision on a photographer, and she was very understanding and helpful. I hope that you'll take my word for it and get in touch with her, I don't see any way you could regret it! Bonus points, should you end up liking the Sheraton, Taryn was the one who started their wedding program and ran it until she left to start her own business, so she's very familiar with the property & many of the staff members. I should also note that we liked the Sheraton before we even met with her, so she wasn't getting a kickback to promote it or anything. I don't know much about Merriman's but I do know they have the 10pm curfew as well, and I think Taryn told us it could be a little small & crowded. Of course that may not be an issue if you're having a smaller wedding. As far as wind, I've heard the same thing, that certain areas are windier and then that the whole island is windy, so who really knows! I'm just hoping it won't be too terrible on my wedding day. Sorry this was so long, but I hope it's somewhat helpful! If you have any questions feel free to message me! I'm excited there are a couple more people in the Hawaii part of this forum now

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

Hello! My fiance & I have decided to get married in Maui next October because we just loved it there and think all of our guests will too. So, we are taking another trip there in a few weeks to check out some locations and meet with planner(s). What i'm debating is whether I should talk to planners before we go & select one, and then they could help us with our site visits/suggest places etc., or if we should check out the venues were interested in on our own and pick one, as well as physically meet with a few different planners, and select one while we're there. I'm torn because I feel like a planner would be helpful in knowing places they've worked with a lot and that have what we want, but i'm also worried they might try to sway us a certain way if it's someone they have a deal with or just their preferred location or something. So, i'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on what you did and/or what you'd recommend we do. Thanks!

I'm barely into the wedding planning process and already going crazy trying to figure out how to do this, with the least amount of offensiveness possible. I honestly would like to have a completely adult-only wedding, but we really should and would enjoy having our nieces and nephews there, and a couple friends may bring kids. So, i'm accepting having children at the ceremony, and some of our nieces and nephews may be in the wedding, but I would like to have an adult-only reception. My fiance & I are willing to pay to provide childcare during the reception, it means that much to us, but I don't know how to word it on the invite/response card/tell people in person. I like to please everyone but at the same time it's my fiance and my day and we want to be able to enjoy it, esp. since we're paying for it all! Looking forward to the responses here!

Daisy is so adorable, I love maltese-poodles!

So sweet & cute! Sometimes it sure looks nice to be an animal & just lounge all day without a care!

We have a 4 year old Yorkie, Bronco, and two cats who are sisters, Chloe & Zoe. They all love each other & cuddle all the time! But especially the bigger cat, Zoe, & Bronco really love each other. They're definitely our babies! When the cats were kittens! Sweet sisters, Zoe & Chloe. I really think Zoe is like in love with Bronco, she is always with him!

I know this post is from awhile ago but we went to Playa Tamarindo in November 2011 and stayed at Hotel Capitan Suizo which had beautiful grounds but the rooms weren't anything too special. Everyone there was fantastic though & we saw a couple get married on the beach there and they seemed to have a great experience having their wedding there. Anyways, we ate at Nibbana once and it was great, awesome food, awesome location, and amazing staff. They were so friendly to us and even took us back in the kitchen to meet the chefs. I bet it would be fabulous for a wedding reception. Another recommendation I have is Dragonfly Bar & Grill. They had absolutely delicious food and a beautiful restaurant. http://www.dragonflybarandgrill.com/index.html While we were there a couple was actually having a wedding reception and it was beautifully decorated and they looked like they were having an amazing time. I believe you can get the whole restaurant but the area these people were in was off to the side a little bit so it wasn't right in the middle of everything. Just wanted to share my experiences. -Keri

Hello! My name is Keri & I live in the Bay Area in California, with my fiance Josh. I'm 24 & he's 26 & we've been together for over 4 years. We got engaged December 6th (our 4yr anniversary) & knew we wanted to do a destination wedding but had no idea where. I've spent hours online looking and am just overwhelmed with all the options but hey at least there are lots of great options to choose from! I was very excited to find this forum, it seems like a lot of friendly & helpful people providing great info! Not much is set in stone yet...we are thinking fall 2014 and somewhere tropical, but we really haven't narrowed down the location at all. We are thinking an all-inclusive for the amenities for our guests but that is not a must. My fiance only cares about beautiful clear water lol, but I'm of course concerned about a lot of other stuff. Anywho that's a bit about me and i'm looking forward to being a part of this great site! -Keri

Hello! My name is Keri & I live in the Bay Area in California, with my fiance Josh. I'm 24 & he's 26 & we've been together for over 4 years. We got engaged December 6th (our 4yr anniversary) & knew we wanted to do a destination wedding but had no idea where. I've spent hours online looking and am just overwhelmed with all the options but hey at least there are lots of great options to choose from! I was very excited to find this forum, it seems like a lot of friendly & helpful people providing great info! Not much is set in stone yet...we are thinking fall 2014 and somewhere tropical, but we really haven't narrowed down the location at all. We are thinking an all-inclusive for the amenities for our guests but that is not a must. My fiance only cares about beautiful clear water lol, but I'm of course concerned about a lot of other stuff. Anywho that's a bit about me and i'm looking forward to being a part of this great site! -Keri

Hello! My name is Keri & I live in the Bay Area in California, with my fiance Josh. I'm 24 & he's 26 & we've been together for over 4 years. We got engaged December 6th (our 4yr anniversary) & knew we wanted to do a destination wedding but had no idea where. I've spent hours online looking and am just overwhelmed with all the options but hey at least there are lots of great options to choose from! I was very excited to find this forum, it seems like a lot of friendly & helpful people providing great info! Not much is set in stone yet...we are thinking fall 2014 and somewhere tropical, but we really haven't narrowed down the location at all. We are thinking an all-inclusive for the amenities for our guests but that is not a must. My fiance only cares about beautiful clear water lol, but I'm of course concerned about a lot of other stuff. Anywho that's a bit about me and i'm looking forward to being a part of this great site! -Keri

Hello! My name is Keri & I live in the Bay Area in California, with my fiance Josh. I'm 24 & he's 26 & we've been together for over 4 years. We got engaged December 6th (our 4yr anniversary) & knew we wanted to do a destination wedding but had no idea where. I've spent hours online looking and am just overwhelmed with all the options but hey at least there are lots of great options to choose from! I was very excited to find this forum, it seems like a lot of friendly & helpful people providing great info! Not much is set in stone yet...we are thinking fall 2014 and somewhere tropical, but we really haven't narrowed down the location at all. We are thinking an all-inclusive for the amenities for our guests but that is not a must. My fiance only cares about beautiful clear water lol, but I'm of course concerned about a lot of other stuff. Anywho that's a bit about me and i'm looking forward to being a part of this great site! -Keri