Why only the first two?

Due to the amount of time that we devote to serving the client in this package, we limit the number of full service packages to only two per month/per Hawaii Weddings and Events coordinator.

Why would you offer another $500 savings off a package that already is super-value added?

1. We would like to reward couples that reserve their wedding date early.

2. From experience, we know we can be of better service to you if we are assisting from “beginning to end” as we can help avoid costly mistakes, ensure what you envision may be done within the set-up time allotted time and keep your stress level down during the planning process so you may enjoy your engagement.

Through the planning process we are able to get to know more about you and incorporate “special touches” into your wedding day that bring out your unique personalities.

3. We love to assist clients with their event design!

What are the applicable dates of this promotion?

We will starting reserving “First Two” packages on May 1, 2012 for weddings that are between January 2013 to August 2013.  We may also book September-December 2013 weddings, but we do not start working on files until 15 months in advance of wedding date.

What are the restrictions of this package?

The “For Sanity’s Sake” package is limited to two bookings within a given month, so please contact us directly to check current availability.

How many weddings do you do in a month?

It depends on the scope of services that we are providing, Hawaii Weddings and Events believes in quality, not quantity, as we want every bride to experience a beautiful Hawaii wedding.

We offer beach weddings, day-of wedding management, partnership planning and also consulting services such as budget review and event design.

Photo courtesy of Jose Roces (please note that some picture were taken before reception was completely set-up which is why one table does not have flowers yet as they were transferred from ceremony)

What is your target pricing?   The answer to this is going to be different for each and every on of you.  These are the things to consider:

1.   What is the value of your experience?    Are you relatively new to the field with limited experience or do you have years of experience under your belt?

2.  What is your market?     In weddings, there are those that focus on very simple beach weddings, those that only serve the luxury market, others that have the capacity to do weddings and other social and/or corporate events.

3.   How do you measure up to your competition?      So you’ve heard that your competitor charges $500 more for their services than you do.   Does this mean that you should automatically increase your pricing?    The answer is NO.     Why?

Let’s use the example of a DJ/Emcee.     There are various levels of DJ and emcee services.   One may be a higher priced, but keep in mind that they also use a Bose system, they have a special covering for their DJ booth to cover the cords, are a much more polished emcee who rehearses pronunciations in advance of the wedding day,, annually attend DJ conferences to keep abreast of current trends, offer extra services such as remixes, voiceovers, games and other activities, etc.       If you are not providing any more in terms of services, time or upgraded equipment, how can you justify increasing your pricing to match theirs?

Our rates and planning packages have evolved over the years.   We are not the lowest priced, and we’re definitely not the highest, but have developed our pricing based on what is fair and reasonable for the experience that we bring to the table and the amount of time we devote to the success of each and every event which is reflected in our reviews http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/hawaii-weddings-and-events-honolulu/20e45160b6edc0ab.html

This year we actually decided to focus more on full-service planning which allows us to better serve our valued clients by saving them from costly mistakes while still being able to keep a roof over our heads.

This new direction was the best decision we could make as our company’s core philosophy has always been ”service excellence” and when you’re doing back-to-back events you’re just not able to give everyone 100%.

By splitting our events between Dianna, Wai and Ramona, we’re all able to give the time and attention that our couples deserve.  We’re also able to keep a balance in our own personal lives which makes us more productive and fosters creativity which in turn better serves you.

As we are purposely not running at full capacity, we are usually able to help couples that realize less than 2 months out from their wedding day that things aren’t quite coming together as much as they thought.   We do still offer  “day of” wedding management which still includes 20-30 hours of pre-wedding work to cross check all details, review contracts, ensuring your timeline is realistic, reconfirming vendors and of course being your “go to” person on the wedding day.

When interviewing and hiring your vendors, please be sure that they have the a Certificate of Liability Insurance and verify if they have one on file with the venue(s) you are considering.      The simple question about insurance will also give you an idea if the vendor you are considering is a reputable company or not.

What will happen if you still want to hire them and they are not insured?    Vendors that do not already have their insurance may obtain “special event” insurance for one time events to meet the needs for your event,  but they generally will pass on this fee (starting at $150) to you.

Hawaii Weddings and Events currently has a Certificate of Liability of Insurance on file with the Turtle Bay Resort, Moana Surfrider, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Sheraton Waikiki, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Aulani Resort and Spa, Oasis World Estates, Hawaii State Art Museum, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (required for beach permit) as well as the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.

To celebrate we are offering six (6) different specials which is limited to ONE of each package and must be reserved by March 23, 2012 (our company anniversary date).

This special anniversary offer is ONLY valid for weddings held in 2012, is subject to availability of date, may not be combined with any other offer.

1.  $100 off our “Lanikuhonua” 60-day countdown package (may be used for Kualoa Ranch) (**BOOKED**)

2.  $200 off our “Oasis Living the Dream” 60-day countdown package

3.  $200 off our “For Peace of Mind” 90-day countdown package (for hotel venues only)

4.  $300 off our “Lokahi – Unity Expressed with Harmony” partnership package (for hotel venues only) (***BOOKED***)

5.  $400 off our “Laulima”  Working Together pckage (for off-premise events) (***BOOKED***)

6.  $500 off our “For Sanity’s Sake” package (for any venue) (***BOOKED***)

Please mention HWAE6 when completing our “contact us” form http://www.hawaiiweddingsandevents.com/contact_info.htm

We’re so very grateful to all of our “Knotties” who have taken the time to write reviews about our services and have continued to support us by helping other brides understand what “Amazing, Fun and Stress-Free” really can mean for them.

We know that trusting someone with one of THE most important days in your life, especially our destination brides that we often do not have a chance to meet until the week of the wedding, is not easy, so we do consider it an honor to serve you.

The best part is being able to share this award with our past Knotties, many of which have become friends, some have started their families, and others are following their dreams by starting their own businesses.

We love exchanging holiday cards, keeping in touch via Facebook and knowing that we’re always there to support and inspire each other.

Onf of the biggest lessons that I learned is that you need to not only educate your team, but you also need to empower them and most importantly support them.

I remember when I was Director of Catering and Conference Services at The Kahala Mandarin, Oriental and one of my staff came into my office with her tail between her legs (figure of speech of course).    It had taken her all day  to muster up the courage to come see me and let me know she had misquoted something.    When she approached me I asked her “what’s the matter” and she said “I made a mistake and misquoted a rate  to a new client.”  Much to her surprise I told her “okay” and she was like “okay?!?”    I replied “yes, everyone of us has misquoted something at some point in time.  What you need to do now is call the client back and let them you misquoted a rate but you will honor it for them only.  This special rate will not be extended to any friends or family members, only you.”     She was still in shock and said “I was so worried, I’ve been sick to my stomach all day.”   I told her “the important thing is to learn from your mistake.  If you come in next week and do the same thing then you’ll get a different response.”

Over time, I ended up starting my own event planning firm and the young lady explored opportunities in Singapore and Hong Kong and came back to Honolulu.   We reconnected and I’m proud to say she started with Hawaii Weddings and Events as a coordinator and was promoted to Special Events Manager last year.    There have been many events that she has taken on that I know was “way beyond” what she thought she was capable of handling, but she successfully rose up to each challenge as she knew that I believed in her and was always there to support her and guide her.

Like a butterfly, she came out of her cocoon and gradually learned to spread her wings with grace and confidence.

Some of the ways I “pay it forward” is:

• Teaching a “Wedding Management” class at the University of Hawaii for students from Japan
• Having students from Ka`piolani Community Colleges’ event management class gain practical experience by working with us on events.
• Offering a non-paid internship program
• Continually developing my Hawaii Weddings and Events team to help them achieve their dreams and goals.

We encourage you to “make the time” to mentor someone who has a passion in your industry.  Imagine what would have happened if nobody took the time to mentor you?

I’ve had this same conversation about “response times” with a couple of florists as well.  One florist took my “words of wisdom” to heart and has since added on administrative support a couple of days a week, trained the staff to handle the smaller orders and their business is flourishing.  The second florist still continues to try and do everything on their own and is losing potential business as a result.

How do you raise the bar?     Hawaii Weddings and Events has always been known for its high standards and dedication to service excellence.    This core principle is exemplified in the many kind reviews that we receive from our valued clients http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/hawaii-weddings-and-events-honolulu/20e45160b6edc0ab.html.

As a professional planning firm, we also expect the vendors that we refer to have the same standards of excellence and genuine concern for the guests’ experience.

By taking the time to “coach”‘ others we are raising the bar so that vendors know they need to continually strive to improve their services and products to meet the ever changing needs of our clients and we will not settle for less.

By taking the time to educate interns about the true “ins and outs” of event planning we are teaching them the things they will not learn in a classroom, set the expectation bar high and teach them how to use a Visions Board to visualize their goals and create the stepping stones to achieve them.

Raising the bar may only be achieved by continually educating yourself and always finding new ways to exceed the expectations of your clients.

“Hawaii Salute to the Congressional Gold Medal Veteran’s” banquet which will   be held at the Hawaii Convention Center on Saturday, December 17, 2011.    This “once in a lifetime” celebration is to honor the Nisei veterans from 100th, 442nd, MIS and 1399 who served in World War II.

We’ve been very busy finalizing details with the Congressional Gold Medal planning committee which is comprised of many dedicaetd sons and daughters of the veterans, Go For Broke, BAE Systems (the title sponsor), volunteers from the Japanese Women’s Society Foundation and students from Kapi’iolani Community College event management class assisting on the event day.

Please visit www.congressionalgoldmedalhawaii.com for more specific details regarding the Victory parade and banquet to honor the veterans.

As the peak of our 2011 wedding season draws near, our Hawaii Weddings and Events team will be putting together our 2012 vision boards for both personal and team goals.

Moving forward…..

- Dianna will be handling a limited number of full service and event design packages. She will continue to develop new concepts and is developing “value added” options with business partners for our valued clients.

- Wai will service full service and partnership-in-planning packages.

- Ramona will be handling our day-of wedding management packages, beach weddings and a few full service events.

We invest alot of time, hard work, devotion and long hours to ensure the success of each and every event. This dedication to service excellence is continually reflected in our positive reviews from our past clients.

We realize that our new direction will result in taking less events, but we feel it will be in everyone’s best interest.