First we define what they envision, the number of guests they anticipate, if they have determined a budget and where they anticipate their guests to stay while on Oahu.

The easiest question to answer is what they envision, which often starts with outdoors, oceanfront, private, etc.  The number of guests is one of the hardest questions for couples to answer, especially for destination weddings as it can easily range by 25-50 guests depending on the time of year and where their guests are coming from.    We’ve had some weddings that anticipated 80 guests and ended up with 120 and others that anticipated 125 and ended up with 75.

The reason we ask for the budget is to help guide them to the properties or facilities that are appropriate to their needs.    If a client holds back on what they are really willing to spend for a location, then they are sacrificing the number of options that will be available to them.

Beautiful Lanikuhonua ‘Where Heaven Meets the Earth” (florals by Su-V Expressions)

So, how did we select who to feature first?    With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching I’m quickly reminded of a very sweet and romantic couple from Washington DC who were married in July 2008.

Their wedding colors were a vibrant red and cymbidium green with a hibiscus theme .  They, like many of my destination weddings, used a combination of our virtual consulting time and day-of coordination which helped streamline the process of selecting their remaining vendors,  wrapping up loose ends and finalizing all details prior to their arrival in Honolulu so they truly could enjoy their wedding week.

Frank Amodo truly captured some amazing pictures of Ericka and Jeffrey (some are featured in the gallery along with a few non-pro pictures), including my favorite picture between the long surfboards and he also shot the winning image Swept Away for “Pacific Weddings” photo contest.   Reader’s remarked: “This photo reminds me of how I felt on my wedding day!”, “…a perfect example of a naturally captured moment”, “spontaneous, romantic, classic!”

Their ceremony was held at St. Augustine’s Chapel which was followed by what I heard was a very fun trolley ride with their bridal party prior to arriving at the Diamond Lawn located at the Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort to join their guests.

Her bridal flowers and centerpieces were created by Su-V Expressions.  As usual, given a little creative freedom, Sue went above and beyond when making her centerpieces which were even grander and more beautiful than we both imagined.

Another highlight of the evening was a keiki hula performance and special “surprise” karaoke performances by the bride’s family and their ceremony highlights from the Big Picture which was followed by their own special slide show.

To  this day, we still keep in contact, and in fact, I encouraged them to come back to  Honolulu to celebrate their 1^st anniversary.  Fortunately there were some great travel deals ad they were able to make it.

We had a great lunch at BluWater Grill in Hawaii Kai and started reminiscing about the wedding day.    Ericka asked “did you know about my family’s surprise?” and I told her “no, it was definitely a surprise, and we had to figure out the best place to merge it into the program.”  The other thing I shared was that there was some technical difficulties that delayed their slide show, so we I worked with the other vendors and the banquet captain to make some adjustments in the program while it was resolved.   Ericka said “I didn’t know about that” and I told her “exactly…..that’s why you had a coordinator!”

We ended our visit by going to Bubbie’s Ice Cream which I have a feeling will become a tradition for years to come.   Ericka is very interested in event planning, so we always joke about me opening an office in Washington, DC…..trust me, if I ever do, she will be the first person I call!

I’m very thankful for having the honor of being their coordinator, cherish their friendship and truly appreciate their continued support of Hawaii Weddings and Events.