PEONY FLORAL DESIGNIn an earlier post, I wrote about our decision to let our florist "go crazy" with the design of our floral arrangements. Not wanting to box her in with any heavy restrictions, we really wanted Nikki Lomas to use her creativity and have enough flexibility to do what she does best...and she did! Peonies, viburnum, tulips, roses and ranunculus...the flowers that she chose for us were simply breathtaking. Our vendors had only a limited amount of prep time, but Nikki and her husband did a fantastic job setting up our ceremony and reception spaces. From the stunning bamboo arch arrangement to the gorgeous bouquets to the beautiful centerpieces on each table, the florals were just amazing!!
LES SAISONSWOW! The beautiful chair covers and sashes provided by Naomi Lee at Les Saisons left me speechless. I caught a glimpse of our reception room moments before I walked down the aisle and my jaw literally dropped open. If you think that something as simple as covering your chairs and adding organza sashes couldn't possibly transform your room, think again. I was completely floored by the end result and it left such a wonderful lasting impression on our guests!
MARK NOMURA PHOTOGRAPHY
We wanted natural looking photos that captured each special moment of our day and Mark delivered ten-fold. Mark was so pleasant to deal with and responded right away to any questions we had in anticipation of our wedding. Through all of the formal photos, he put everyone at ease and was competely unobtrusive during our ceremony/reception (I actually remember telling my husband that I didn't remember seeing Mark once the processional started). We couldn't be happier with the fabulous job he did with the photos (many of which I eagerly included in today's post)!
PUMEHANA DAVIS
There's not much to say about hearing beautiful strains of music from an über-talented harpist like Pume, but I will share this little tidbit... You know how people always tell brides to try and stay "in the moment" as much as possible during the ceremony? Well, just as my bridesmaids starting walking down the aisle, I reminded myself to listen to the music that my husband and I had so carefully selected. We asked Pume to play a few classical songs for our processional that weren't your typical ceremony selections, but had special meaning to us. I'm so glad that I remembered to listen to the music because it sounded more beautiful that I ever imagined it could be and it made my walk down the petal-strewn aisle that much more surreal. Pume continued to play for our guests during the cocktail/dinner hours, adding such an elegant touch to our celebration!
WEDDINGS BY GRACE AND MONA
Seeing Mona Hirata and Mika Yasunaga in action on our wedding day was like watching a well-choreographed musical...minus the dancing...and the singing. They were the designated contacts for all of our vendors which meant that my husband and I were free to just enjoy the day and not worry about a thing. Mona and Mika not only kept us on schedule and helped with the placement of all my handcrafted goodies (i.e. place cards, food tags, programs, etc...), they ensured that we had all of our bases covered a full two weeks before the wedding. Every minute detail you can imagine (or not imagine), was addresed by Mona and Mika. There's a reason why couples hire wedding coordinators...and they were worth every penny.
HALEKULANI
What was most important to us in choosing a venue, was the ambiance, the food, and the customer service. What we ended up with was the perfect open-air location for our ceremony (with beautiful views of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head), a charming, intimate space for our reception, fantastic food, and outstanding service provided by Joel Nishimoto and the staff at the Halekulani. Yup, we're still patting ourselves on the back for choosing this spectactular venue!
STACEY LEE DESIGNS
I just had to include Stacey Lee in my vendor list. I own so many pieces of handcrafted jewelry by Stacey Lee, that I could probably be decked out in her earrings, necklaces and bracelets for a whole month without any repeats. Naturally, asking Stacey to design my bridal jewelry was a no-brainer for me and she took one look at my dress and came up with the perfect design: a double strand of wire-wrapped seed pearls with a drop pearl pendant and simple pearl earrings to match. I also purchased necklaces for my bridesmaids from Stacey, each similar in color but different in style.
THE DIAMOND SPECIALISTS
Excellent diamond education. Custom designs. Top-notch customer service. 'Nuff said!A HEARTFELT MAHALO to the entire "cast and crew" of our fun wedding production:
Advanced Visual Arts
Alison Hayashi
Halekulani
Les Saisons - web site coming soon!
Mark Nomura Photography
Peony Floral Design
Pumehana Davis
Stacey Lee Designs
The Diamond Specialists
Weddings by Grace and Mona