I am writing this as a result of receiving my FIRST one star review since opening our doors, It was like a knife in my chest! I read it over 10 times trying to make sense of the incident. We believe bad reviews are a teachable opportunity, so we take them seriously, but this was a total bash fest.

How do you know when a review is biased? The honest answer is, we never really will. The best advice I can give, is to do your homework. I know I say that ALL the time. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.

If you're like me, when deciding where to eat, see a show, find a place to crash... (especially when traveling) I look to yelp, the bbb, trip advisor and other sites dedicated to business reviews. For the most part, I look at the pictures and the first 3 or 4 reviews. If a review intrigues me, I dig in, so to speak, Narrowing down my choices to 3 or 4 helps me decide. Then all that's left is to experience it myself.

Testing the waters is not an option when it's your wedding. Reviews become our window into a company's soul. Having said that, reviews tell us three things, 1-who the consumer is, 2-who the business is and 3-what customers SAY they have experienced. It is your job to find out if the gripe is real, perceived or was handled satisfactorily.

I say... TRUST that you can find intel from reviews. Prepare your questions and contact the business. Express your concern over negative reviews and listen to what they have to say. Sometimes a business won't even know the review exists until you tell them about it. Like in my case. 

For the record I disputed that review and it was subsequently taken down by the blog it was submitted to. It was determined that the reviewer was never a customer of ours, nor did they have proof they ever contacted us. They also mentioned in their review how wonderful our competitor was and that everyone should go to them instead. OUCH!

Ideally you would have all the time in the world to personally meet and collaborate with each vendor. But since we all live in  the real world,
we NEED the "go betweens".
Design requires a meeting of the minds.
The island is rich with planning talent,
who will work with us to create a breathtaking display for you to enjoy.
***
At Nanea, Terry and her team are skilled at soaking it all in and unfolding your creation so that you are in awe of what you created through them.
Annie's of Bliss in bloom produces florals that fill you with happiness.

If a vendor tells you they are THE exclusive provider of their service at a venue...RUN!  
It speaks volumes when you have NO choices.
There IS a difference between exclusive and preferred.

Just two pieces of advice-

• Do your homework, or better yet, have your planner do his/her homework.
• Ask to see samples or photos of their products and/or services
  

Not to be pigeon holed or anything....it may OR may NOT be the price that determines what kind of service you get.
Say you're perusing Pinterest or one of your favorite Bride's Magazines and you see a beautiful Twinkle Light Canopy. Your heart screams "I WANT THAT"  ....so you take it to your planner at the venue and ask "who did this and can I get this for MY wedding"? It is NOT uncommon to be told YES, we can do that, yet NOT be told that you did not book the creator of that design.

CREATING is what we do here.
You're not going to get a pre-packaged, identical design from Hawaii Island Events. Hours of consulting, planning, site visits, measuring and brainstorming by our talented team results in something beautiful, designed to fit YOU is what you can expect.