Elite Hawaii Weddings Blog

We're Back and we need your help!!!

2009-07-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

You have probably been wondering where we went! We apologize for the lack of blogging, but we are back and ready to give you some fantastic eye candy. However, we need your help!

Please submit your weddings to susie@elitehawaiiweddings.com. We are looking to inspire hawaii brides with your stories, eye candy, and experience.

Looking forward to your submissions!

Featured Vendor :: Toby Hoogs Photography

2009-01-22T11:17:00.001-08:00

I am very excited to announce we have a new featured vendor up! This month we are featuring Toby Hoogs Photography. Toby has been photography weddings for a number of years, and still has the passion he had on his first wedding! Check out our featured vendor page to learn more about this company!

Featured Vendor :: Toby Hoogs

Photo Taken by Toby Hoogs Photography

Happy Almost New Year

2008-12-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

I Know!!!! We have been super slacking on the blogs around here!!! Every year I get so caught up in the holidays that all things "work" get pushed aside. It is one time of year that I remember what is really important in life...FAMILY!

That said, your wedding is also extremely important, and I promise to keep the blogs coming this year on a steady pace to help you better plan your Hawaii Wedding.

EHW New Years Resolution: to post a minimum of 3 blog posts a week all designed to help the Elite Hawaii Bride!!!!

Thanks to our friends at Side by Side Video, we have some more helpful tips! Danielle, just recently got married...well a year ago anyway :) I had the priveledge of being her wedding photographer! It is great when you have a vendor that was recently married, because they are better able to put themselves in your shoes! ...and without further ado...

1. Start Planning Early:
Whether you are planning your wedding two years from now or two months from now, it’s best to start planning as early as you can. Vendors and venues get booked really early especially if you are planning a summer wedding. The sooner you can get your foot in the door, less will be saved till the last minute and the less stressed you will be. Another benefit of planning early is getting a good quality vendor. The longer you wait, the more you will have to “settle” for someone you might not be as happy with or might not have the style you want. When thinking about videography, this is especially true. Once you know who you want to hire, contact them immediately to make sure they aren’t already booked for your wedding date and set up an appointment to meet.

2. Meet your vendors in person:
When hiring your vendors, meeting them in person is a must! Videographers have limited abilities with putting full quality videos online and depending on your internet connection you might not be able to view much. It is very necessary to meet videographers in person to get a feel for their personalities, style and to watch a whole, full-quality wedding video. Many people can edit together a few good clips and make it look like they are good at what they do. What you will want to look for is a videographer who is able to shoot a whole wedding start to finish with limited mistakes and good sound quality (including capturing your vows!). Also, seeing a video on DVD or Blu-ray on a larger TV will give you a better idea for what your video will look like and you can decide if you like what you see. Meeting in person will help you gauge their videography style and ask questions face to face. It is hard to have all the answers on a website or even in an email or phone conversation. Meeting in person will help you feel like you are on the same page with all your vendors, we recommend meeting all of them face to face!

3. Know the Facts:
When you have chosen your videographer, make sure to get all the details. Go ahead, ask a lot of questions! The worst thing that could happen is if you get your wedding video back and it wasn’t nearly what you expected but then you realize that you just never asked about this or that. Make sure that you are on the same page with your vendors about every detail. This goes for all your vendors as well. This is your wedding and you want all the details to be the way you planned. Here are a few things you should ask your videographer about; how many hours will they be at your event, how many shooters will be there (this is important as 2 shooters is significantly better than 1 with video), what exactly does the package you are ordering include, how many DVDs or Blu-ray discs are they including, how much are extras, what is their style (and make sure to tell them what you are expecting your video to look like), how long after the wedding will you receive your video, and what type of equipment do they use.

4. Understand the Equipment:
Ask your videographer what type of equipment they use. If you don’t know much about video equipment, that’s fine, but here are a few things you should find out. Ask if they use high quality professional microphones that will hear the sound of both the bride, groom, officiant and the music. Ask if they shoot in High Definition (HD). Though receiving your video in HD (on Blu-ray discs) usually costs more, having your video shot on HD cameras and then burned to DVD will almost always look better than shooting on Standard Definition cameras. If you are getting your video delivered in HD, understand that it will cost a little bit more but it will also be more future proof. If you don’t have a Blu-ray player now, you might soon. Some videographers will also allow you to keep your video backed up on their computers for some time so you can also upgrade later to HD. You might even be able to have your video in both DVD and Blu-ray so make sure to ask if that is an option as well.

5. Have Fun!
Getting engaged is such a wonderful, exhilarating and overwhelming time and should be enjoyed to the fullest! All the planning and organizing is important for your wedding day but the most important thing is your marriage. Make sure to plan for time to spend together without talking about the wedding and having just some “us” time. Don’t let wedding planning consume you. The process can be stressful but it can also be a fun thing to do together. Just make sure to get some good quality time together and don’t let the little things bother you. If you’ve taken the time to choose good quality vendors you can trust, and friends and family to help out, the little things will fall into place. Remember, you can always ask your vendors for advice, we all know weddings and can refer you to other vendors or just help out with little details. Good luck and congratulations!

:: Tips from Experts ::

2008-11-24T08:33:00.001-08:00

We have another round of helpful tips for you from the fabulous Mona of Weddings by Grace and Mona!

1) Enlist the services of a professional wedding planner as early in the planning process as possible. Your planner can point you in the right direction for just about all of your wedding related decisions and can bring unique and innovative ideas to the table so as to really personalize your special day. While certainly possible to proceed with much of the planning on your own, bringing on a planner early in the process will help to expand the realm of possibilities and ensure that decisions made are wise ones.

2) Understand that while Hawaii’s climate affords some of the most desirable weather year-round, it never hurts to be prepared for inclement conditions. For outdoor weddings, consider a “plan B” in case of a bit of rain. Many areas can be tented (and made even more spectacular with appropriate lighting and décor!), and often times, floral arrangements can be re-set at an alternate location, should a ceremony need to be moved to a more suitable spot at the last minute. Maintaining a positive attitude will make all the difference because on your special day, not even showers should put a damper on what the day is truly meant to be about: your love for and commitment to one another.

3) Consider your location when choosing colors for your wedding. Wedding colors that mimic the colors of the location lend themselves to a subtle, understated elegance, whereas contrasting colors provide a visual “pop,” great for photos. Choosing greens, browns, creams, and ivory tones for a garden setting, for example, create a soothing, cohesive look and feel to the whole setting, but sometimes, such colors can loose their impact if they blend too much into the background. For indoor receptions, take into account existing colors of walls, carpet, linen, etc.. Certain colors may work better than others for that particular setting, and if not, your wedding planner can suggest ways to transform the space to make your preferred colors an integral (and not competing) part of the design of your wedding.

4) If securing your first choice of venue and vendors is important, allow yourself 14-18 months to plan your wedding. Popular venues will get booked sometimes more than a year in advance, depending on the venue. Have your planner start researching options for you as soon as possible so as to lock in your preferred location and vendors.

5) Accommodate guests who may have challenges with mobility, such as those in wheelchairs; with strollers, walkers, crutches, or canes. Locate ramps and elevators in advance; seat such guests at tables which are easily accessible; and request that a guest or banquet staff member plate food for such guests in the case of a buffet or food station type of reception. Going the extra mile for your guests will ensure a memorable occasion for all.

Mona L. Hirata
Weddings by Grace and Mona
P.O. Box 2732
Honolulu, HI 96803
Phone: (808) 524-5331
Fax: (808) 524-4148
www.mgweddingshawaii.com
mona@mgweddingshawaii.com

Featured Wedding :: November/December

2008-11-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

We were contacted a while back by one of our readers interested in having her wedding featured on Elite Hawaii Weddings. After reviewing her photos, hearing her story, and speaking to a few of her vendors...we were sold :) This story is beautiful and romantic and I urge you to check it out on our featured wedding page.

Remember, we are consistently accepting featured weddings! Our only request is that one of the wedding professionals be an elite member of our community!

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Featured Vendor :: November :: Katy Castillo

2008-11-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that our featured vendor for November is the super fabulous Katy Castillo of Katy Castillo Weddings! She just joined our community and now you have the opportunity to learn more about her.

Featured vendor

Introducing....Katy Castillo Weddings

2008-10-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

I would like to welcome our newest member of the Elite Hawaii Weddings Community! Katy Castillo Weddings! Katy is an amazing coordinator with an eye for beauty and detail. You can learn more about her company on her private brochure page, or visit her website to learn more.

Katy, we are thrilled to have you part of our community!

Featured Wedding

2008-10-22T13:59:00.001-07:00

We are still looking for gorgeous and inspiring Hawaii Weddings to feature on Elite Hawaii Weddings. Please email Susie@elitehawaiiweddings if you are interested. You can be a bride or a wedding professional, doesn't matter. As long as your wedding stands out and will aid our current bride-to-be's we would love to feature you!

:: Tips from Experts ::

2008-10-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

We have another round of Tips from the Experts for your Thursday afternoon. This week we are hearing from the super talented Annie Sundseth of Bliss in Bloom....

1. Before you meet with your florist, have an idea of your theme and color
scheme. This will greatly help the florist guide the bride to the right
looks for the florals.

2. Be open and flexible with the actual flowers. Having a destination
wedding in Hawaii requires most flowers to be shipped in and sometimes the
florist needs to make creative changes if the integrity of certain flowers
are compromised during shipping. Sometimes I ask brides to send me photos of
the looks they like, but keep in mind that sometimes your actual flowers may
vary slightly. Don't get too stuck on a specific flower.

3. Don't choose your flowers too soon. If you select your flowers a year in
advance it will give you enough time to change your mind over and over
again. Look at ideas and keep a book of what you like, then consult with
your florist about six months prior to the wedding. This way you won't be
tempted to keep changing your mind.

4. Know your budget before you consult with your florist and don't be shy
about letting them know what you can spend. Because the florist will most
likely be shipping flowers in, the cost will most likely be greater than
something purchased on the mainland. Also, knowing your budget right away
will help your florist in guiding you to the right floral selections that
are in season and the caliber of the arrangements.

5. Don't be afraid to shop around for your florist/vendors. You want to make
sure you feel you can trust your vendor with your ideas and that you have
found a good fit for your creative needs. Don't just find someone on the
internet and commit. Make a few phone calls before you decide on one
specific vendor. If you find a vendor you really like, ask them for
additional recommendations. Chances are, here on the island, vendors will
know just about everyone in the business and they can be great resources!

Thanks Annie for your tips! For more Floral inspiration, check out Annie's website at
Bliss in Bloom

I hope you, find these tips useful. If there is a specific subject you are interested in, have a vendor that you would like us to feature, or want to share some tips yourself, please let us know. Email me at Susie@elitehawaiiweddings.com

Happy Thursday! Mohalo!

:: Tips from Experts ::

2008-10-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

We have another round of helpful tips for the bride-to-be. This week coming from the very talented Tisha Woytenko, owner of Invitations by Kiku.

1. Delegate, delegate, delegate. When it comes to planning this wonderful event, you don't want to be stuck with unpleasant details. Put your matron/maids of honor, and groomsmen to work. Your family usually is more than eager to help you with the details. Have one great brainstorming session with your "team" and get people assigned to their duties.

2. The professionals you enlist to help with your special day are more than willing to give you advice to avoid pitfalls or potentially bad choices. If you are clueless, ask! We expect you to inquire of our experience during this time of planning.

3. Give yourself at least 4-8 weeks prior to the invitation send out date for your invitations. Put time on your side to eliminate the stress. So many times, I have brides coming to me at the last minute because their previous vendor spelled their names wrong or some other costly mistake. Nothing like a last minute rush to increase your stress level!

4. If you want to control the quantity of guests, add "We have reserved _____ seat(s) for you at the reception." YOU fill in that number. If they scratch it out, CALL THEM! You are the host, you are paying, and you need to know who else they are bringing if you allow them to. Some guests are not gracious and don't follow the names on the envelope. These are the ones NOT likely to be invited to your next party- family or not.

5. Professionals don't like to mention it, but constant email inquiries and calls don't get your issue resolved faster. These brides are likely the ones to be most stressed, on a maxed out budget and definitely not delegating. Sometimes, we have to face the fact that downsizing our party, and sending the rest of them announcements, is more practical. There are more important things to come, believe it or not, especially for young newlyweds.... a house? a baby?

You should enjoy the process and just make sure to relax once in a while. The day will come as fast as it goes. All the details you stressed to perfect will disappear beneath each happy year together.

Tisha Woytenko
Owner and Artist
Kiku Kami, LLC
Invitations by Kiku
info@invitationsbykiku.com
808.554.6441

Thanks Tisha! Be sure to contact Tisha for more helpful tips!

Happy Monday!

Featured Vendor :: October

2008-10-01T16:43:00.001-07:00

I am thrilled to say that our featured vendor for October is the fabulous Orchid Isle Events. Cheryl has been splendid to work with, and I highly recommend her to help you plan the Hawaii wedding of your dreams. Take a minute to read her interview and view some photos courtesy of Frank Amodo, from a recent wedding they did together.

Another Shout Out :: Cameron Ingalls

2008-09-26T11:57:00.001-07:00

We have had yet another shout out from one of our fabulous photographers.....The Super talented Cameron Ingalls from N. California. Thanks so much for sharing our community with your readers!

Check out Cameron's Website and stay up-to-date with his blog!

5 Tips from Elite Vendors :: Part I

2008-09-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to say that we have a new addition to our blog: Weekly tips from the community. Every week we will be offering helpful tips to Hawaii Brides from our very knowledgeable vendors. Wedding professionals have seen it all, and they know what to do, what to avoid, and what you all must know!

Our first Elite Professional to offer up some very useful information is Stephanie from Pacific Coast Host, Wedding and Event Planning. She has given us her top 5 tips in planning a destination wedding. I hope you find these tips useful, and feel free to contact Stephanie if you are in need of her services, or have more questions!

1. Hire a local planner – This will be your best investment by far: A professional that works and lives at the destination you plan to wed will save you a considerable amount of money not to mention time. They have the local connections, the local knowledge, and can help you bring your ideas to fruition most effectively… Bringing someone from your hometown might sound great but they will still have the same challenges as you do when planning far away and thus will probably cost you more for their time not to mention supporting the expenses for their trip. Their resources are also limited compared to the relationships that a local planner has and you will want to utilize as much knowledge as you can when making even the smallest decisions for your big day

2. Create a wedding website. This is a must for destination weddings… you can share so much information via your website and you’ll have a great time making it too! Most people are online these days so logging on to your site is quick and easy for them and a site is an efficient event management tool for you.

3.Cut back on postage, “Go Green”: Save the dates need not be expensive: Send a simple postcard with your date and then refer everyone for more info and updates to your website. I have had many clients actually ask their guests to RSVP online at their site… this is a great way to Go Green, just think of all the paper, fuel and postage you will save.

4. Spread the culture of your destination: Having a destination wedding is the perfect way to share the culture of the islands with your guests. The ways to incorporate the culture are endless…here are a few ideas: choose an associated wedding theme like palm tree, pineapple or orchid; Choose local entertainment for the cocktail hour, a hula dancer and ukulele player; Choose a local fruit filling for your wedding cake like guava or lilikoi. The exposure to culture will provide for a more memorable experience that you and your guests will enjoy.

5. Create a guest itinerary. Even if you are not planning on hosting additional events other than those wedding related, you can still plan other fun outings and let your guests know what you’re up to. These casual “come as you are” events are perfect for guests to spend time with you before the wedding and get to know other guests a little before the big event. Some ideas: Plan a volleyball tourney, Texas hold em or a snorkeling/ kayaking adventure.

Thanks again Stephanie for all your great advise!!!

:: Big Thanks to Theorie ::

2008-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Elite Hawaii Weddings is blessed to have found not only the best in the business, but the coolest, as well! Another one of our fabulous photographers has blogged about our Launch, and we are so honored! They are a very successful company and we so thankful they took the time to give us a shout out.

Amy and Maurice Wright are a husband wife photography team based out of So Cal. Their company is Theorie. We chose one of their weddings to be our first featured wedding! You can check that out here!

Thanks again Amy and Maurice!

Don't forget that we are still looking for a couple to be featured on our website, so if you or someone you know recently had a fabulous Hawaii wedding, we would love to feature you. So send them in! You can send all the info to Susie@elitehawaiiweddings.com.

Happy Monday!!!

Do you have our next Featured Wedding?

2008-09-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am looking for the next fabulous wedding to be featured on Elite Hawaii Weddings! If you have taken the time to look around the site, then you would know that each month we feature a new wedding to inspire the Hawaii Brides-to-be. We are looking for a wedding that took place this year in Hawaii that was beautiful, unique and inspiring!

Anyone can submit a wedding as long as at least one of the wedding professionals is a member of Elite Hawaii Weddings. Brides, vendors, or wedding lovers can all submit :) Our last wedding was submitted by the super fabulous photographers Amy and Maurice Wright of Theorie! You can view and read about their wedding here.

Please send a photo and short description of the wedding to Susie@elitehawaiiweddings.com. If we are interested in featuring your wedding, we'll contact you by the end of next week. We will be excepting weddings on-going, so feel free to submit them anytime.

I look forward to receiving your submissions!!!

Susie

:: Overwhelming Response :: Thank YOU!! ::

2008-09-11T09:27:00.001-07:00

It has only been three days since we announced the launch of Hawaii's newest wedding community, Elite Hawaii Weddings, and the response has been overwhelming!!!! I want to thank everyone who has commented on the site. We are so proud of this, and we couldn't be happier with the positive feedback. Please continue to share your thoughts about the website.

We are getting great feedback from our vendors, and many new professionals wanting to be represented as a Elite Wedding Professional.

The most recent company to join Elite Hawaii Weddings is the Grand Wailea Resort on Maui.

They are one of the most exquisite hotels on the island, and we are very excited to have them!

In addition to the professionals wanting to be a part of this community, we are getting a lot of love from the fabulous vendors that are already with us. Heather Moreau of Vallentyne Photography is one of our Preferred Vendors and she did a post on her blog about us yesterday. You can check that out here.

If anyone would like to blog about us we would really appreciate the love! Be sure to let us know so we can tell our readers!

We have a lot of exciting stuff happening around here including give-aways, tips from vendors and many more fabulous featured weddings for all the brides needing inspiration.....so come by often.

We love comments and would love to know what you think so feel free to drop us a line!

Have a fabulous Thursday!

Mahalo,

Susie

Website Launch -- It's Official!

2008-09-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce the launch of Hawaii's newest on line community for Elite Brides!

EliteHawaiiWeddings.com. We have been working steadily at creating this community for the last year, and we are absolutely thrilled you have stopped by!

Why am I so excited about this site???....
Well let me tell you :) ... In the process of putting together this community, we did a lot of research to find the "right" wedding professionals. We know what an Elite bride is looking for, and we know how hard it is to find it! There are so many vendors out there to choose from. I literally searched through hundreds of vendors in order to find those we wanted to be a part of our community.

As I was sifting through these vendors, I kept thinking, "Wow, how do brides have time to do this?" It is hard enough planning a wedding! Who has time to sift through 200 florists only to find the 2 of them are of the quality you are looking for! So, as I was doing this research, I was truly satisfied knowing that we are making the wedding planning process easy and enjoyable. Not only is our website easy to navigate, beautiful to look at, but you don't have to worry about sifting through not-so-great vendors. You can trust that everyone of the professionals on our site is top quality!!!!

All you have to do now is decide which one can fulfill the style you are looking for! The best part about it though, is that we have limited the number in each category to your top 10 vendors. We feel they are all equally at the top of their game, and you are truly given the very best to choose from. We did this so you don't have to spend more time looking through 100's of vendors in each category. More is not always better in our opinion, and we much prefer quality over quantity!

What to expect from this Blog....
We will be updating this blog often to provide you with helpful tips and fun ideas to help in the planning process! If there is anything that you would like us to write about, please leave a comment with your ideas! We have many fabulous vendors on in our community, and we will be utilizing their vast knowledge of Elite Weddings to help you with your planning!

How do you define an Elite Professional....
An Elite professional in our opinion is someone who provides the best quality product and service. If I wouldn't hire them for my own event, then you will not find them on our website. Some examples of Elite professionals we are proud to have part of our community are The Fairmont Orchid, Orchid Isle Weddings and Events, and Vallentyne Photography, just to name a few.

Please take a few minutes and explore our site. We are very proud of this and look forward to helping you plan your wedding with ease knowing that you are working with the absolute best!

~Susie