Ceremony Venue.
WAIKIKI BEACH MARRIOTT
GRADE: A+
Everything ran smoothly. The venue was beautiful, Elaine & Charas really worked with us to make sure that we had everything we wanted. We also stayed at this hotel the weekend of the wedding and the rooms were fabulous! The views were amazing, and every single employee was helpful to us.
Reception Venue.
BISHOP MUSEUM
GRADE: A
The folks at Bishop Museum were awesome. After our initial contact left, we were a little worried, but the new guys really came through. They answered all the questions we had and accommodated our requests of site visits. The best thing was that the Dinosaur exhibit was up and our guests were allowed to visit the different halls before the reception.
The Dress.
SC BRIDAL DESIGNS
Grade: F
Shera is a really nice girl, but she missed all the deadlines, and made dresses that were not wearable for me, my bridesmaids, and my mom. We ended up having to take the bridesmaids dresses to other seamstresses last minute to fix everything. As for my dress we found holes in the veil and the back, along with other things and realized that my dress was not in a condition to wear. So 5 weeks before my wedding I was on the hunt for a brand new dress and veil. My mom also had to find a new dress because 5 weeks before the wedding her dress was not completed. We let Shera know of all this, took pictures of everything that was wrong, and even had a second opinion. But she has refused to refund our entire payment, and would only agree to refund 3/4ths of what we paid. We didn't feel this was enough for the trouble it caused and are continuing to work with her to get most of our money back.
UPDATE - 10/17/09
GRADE: A-
The ladies at David's Bridal came through for us. They not only helped me find a dress off the rack, but had my new veil rushed at no charge so that it would be shipped and delivered on time. My only gripe was that I had to wait an extra week to pick up my dress from alterations. But better it be done right!
Caterers.
CREATIONS IN CATERING
GRADE: A
They allowed us to create our own menu, make sure it was within our budget and provided much guidance and help with rentals. The food was AWESOME. So delicious, all of our guests kept commenting on how good the food was! Not only was the presentation professional, but the staff was great.
Photographer.
SHAWN STARR
GRADE: A+
Shawn is seriously the best photographer ever! Not only are his photos great, but he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He is fantastic. Book him now. :)
Flowers.
FLOWERGIRLS HAWAII
Grade: A+
Michelle was great. She answered all of my questions timely, and just really took care of us. The bouquets, bouts, and leis were gorgeous! The colors, flower arrangement, and wraps were beautiful.
DJ.
SOUNDS TO GO HAWAII
GRADE: A+
Laurence was super helpful. Not only did he stay in our budget (he seriously slashed his price, which we are grateful for), but he kept the party moving! We had people young and old dancing up until the last minute - even in the rain!
Cake.
THE CAKE GARDEN
Grade: A
Sunisa was awesome! When we let her know that we wanted something fun, and that went along with the "tattoo-ish theme" like our invites, she was intrigued. She even went to the library to research the different tattoo styles since she wasn't as familiar. The sugar birds and roses were awesome. The cake of course was delicious! Not too sweet, which all of our guests really enjoyed.
The Band.
CANOES FOR RENT
GRADE: A
These guys are FI's co-workers, and they rocked. They really set the mood for the rest of the night at the reception. Everyone was impressed by them and enjoyed their music.
Bartender.
GRADE: A
We followed their recommendations on amount of alcohol and actually had some leftover at the end of the night. All of the guests loved the "Hawaiian Sunset" and the other cocktails they mixed through out the night. No one went thirsty that's for sure.
Hair/Makeup
GRADE: A
Sarah is so nice and so talented. She seriously whipped our hair into shape super quick. All the girls' makeup stayed on the whole night, even in the rain. My curls even stayed the whole night after getting wet! Her prices were reasonable for what she provides. She was on time, even when some of the girls weren't, and she is very clean. She's the best!
Coordinator
GRADE: A++
I don't know what we would have done without Charmaine. She took care of everything! I was so relieved when I was able to hand everything off to her! She was so calm, and organized the day of the wedding. I seriously had no clue if anything went wrong. I was able to enjoy the night! She really knows her stuff and the vendors. I love her!
Limo.
GRADE: A+
He was on time, and got us to the reception right on the money! The limo was clean and packed with ice for our alcohol. He was a huge help!
