If you have a Glam Cowgirl vision like Rachel, of Vintage and Lace, choosing a venue like Kahua Ranch is PERFECT. She transformed the barn into a gorgeous lounge space while still keeping to her Paniolo vision. If she chose a beachfront venue with old Plantation charm, would she have been able to execute this particular vision? ABSO-EFFIN-LUTELY she's a very talented designer.  I think your budget could be better spent on really good food, amazing details and the best in entertainment, rather than trying to fit your vision to the venue.
Plus WHY??? Right?
We say choose an appropriately matched venue for your vision, and not the other way around. 
Hawaii Island has so many gorgeous venues, each with it's own "personality" 

!!! NOT AGAIN !!!
My phone is ringing off the hook ya'll
Clients are concerned, and for good reason. Today the governor stopped all Oahu Weddings for the next 28 days. So far Hawaii Island remains open for weddings with professional mitigation. It's imperative coordinators submit a detailed plan with layout and details that ensure guest and vendor safety. As of today there has been only one indoor wedding associated with an outbreak on Oahu island. The report does not say how many people were affected. I cannot find any cluster linked to a Big Island Wedding. That gives me hope. 

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES WE ARE TAKING
NO dance floors 
(Unless you choose our NEW option)
Tables of 8 family members or less
A minimum of 6' between tables
(This is more complicated than it seems-trust me)
Provide signage and protocol for every area of your wedding 
(we offer a tastefully designed PPE packages that includes everything you need)
Allowing Cocktail and Dining styles that do not encourage congregation
We only work with vendors who are professionally trained and commit to our guidelines 
Requiring everyone, including guests to mask up
(YES, including fully vaccinated because unless you've been living under a rock, you know the fully vaccinated can be infected,  carry, and spread the virus)
 Temperature and symptom checks upon arrival for all
Additional measures are in place for our clients.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help keep you, guests and vendors safe.

Not every planner has the same plan. Consult your planner to see how he/she can help you navigate your wedding strategy.

*disclaimer-at any given time, the rules can change. This is not something we have control over.
Stay distanced, masked up and stay home if possible. 

Here we are 608 days post Pandemic shut down. Hawaii stopped in time on March 25, 2020. For professional eventiers, this was the catalyst that either shot them like a cannonball into another direction, or lit a raging fire that refused to die. I felt real, mind numbing, deafening, painful depression, for the first time in my life. Therapy is always a good idea,
but I am a stubborn soul and basically  
R E F U S E D
to give give up. With no choice but to meet our present need (ie. debt), I spent an insane amount of time researching, experimenting and working my a** off to make what we have BETTER, a still small voice kept saying "you already have what you need" TYJ.

WHAT I POSESSED
DETERMINATION
TENACITY
PURPOSE
SKILL
INVENTORY

WHAT I WAS LACKING 
FOCUS
Because I was paying attention to everything but my business 

FUNDS
Yah sure, we took advantage of the PPP, PPP2 and the EIDL. Who are we kidding....

DIRECTION
Where do I start?

Taking a step back to honestly audit my business was the first step. John and I spent many late nights talking about what we "wished" our business would look like if we could
"live our best life"

We wanted to be AUTHENTIC 
Not to be moved to act/change because its what others needed/wanted. Being authentic means you don't have to compromise your worth, your vision or desire for your business
to stay in business
Solution: Do it our way, in a good way. It might not be what everyone wants, but it WILL be right for the right client

We wanted to offer something DIFFERENT
Unfortunately different is short lived and anything successful will be repeated.
We chose the be the success, that others followed
Solution: Don't look backwards, because we're not there

We wanted to HAVE REACH
Not just to be reached by the public, but to reach our ideal client
But advertising is expensive.
Solution: Up our promotion game and really put ourselves out there with honest information

We wanted to be VALUED
We were the first to do that and now it's being marketed as someone else's design. 
Well Sh**!
Solution: Don't compromise our integrity to "get the business. Clients will see us"  
​
We wanted to be HAPPY
Such a simple concept, yet so ridiculously difficult to achieve in this business
Solution: If we are not representing our true self in our business, we will be chasing the proverbial carrot for the rest of our lives. Time to do what we love, not just act like we love what they want. 

Maybe you're not quite there. Business is very personal, it's not just a way to make money. Preventing business burn out is simply doing what you love, not pretending to love what you do. Re-invent yourself and your business regularly. Attract the right people and happiness will follow.

I'm happy today
And I love my clients

What is ECO CONSCIOUS?
When we think of the term Eco conscious, we think little to no harm to the environment. With over 95% of our inventory falling into the "re-use" category we already minimize the impact on island wedding waste in general.
Wedding waste is a phenomenon that has plagued the industry for decades. It's really tough to get around, because of all the last minute "fixes" and "things" you need but will ultimately, never use again so it makes it's way into the landfill, eventually.

How can YOU change that or at least minimize your contribution to the waste?

LIMIT USELESS FAVORS

• YES, I said it. No one can use a teaspoon of coffee, so give BIG or don't give at all. 100% Kona is best.
• Magnets are for soccer moms and ME!!!!! Most of your guests will toss them or "forget" them in the hotel room for the housekeeper, who's a soccer mom.
• Succulents SUCK. . . No they don't . . . but really, who's going to replant them and care for them or schlep them all the way home and reuse the pot it came in. N O  O N E, unless they're ME. I'm an avid succulent collector/fan. 
• Key chains are personal. I know, I personally, would never use a fake key as a key chain

LIGHITNG

• Our mood creating Up Lights and Fairy Lights are all available in an LED option, which inherently consume much less than it's conventional counterpart.
• Be sure you work with experts that can guide you through the color correction and soft lighting options that are available in this arena. 

FLOWERS

• Beautiful blooms are seldom reused and I'll tell you why. The couple, their bridal party and all their helpers are hella tired and possibly hung over the next day. Everything that can be trashed...will be. I honestly can't blame them. This was the night they've all waited for, for so long. 
• How can we change that? Contact other wedding or event planners, churches, restaurants, heck...anyone who you think could benefit from coming to your venue to pick up the used (but still gorgeous) flowers and make those arrangements ahead of time. Get a point of contact name and number and arrange for a back up because you never know what the business is dealing with on the day of pick up and picking up freebies is a LOW priority. 
• Also ask the venue if the next event coming in might want to re-purpose them. It happened just once in my 24 year career, but let me tell you how lush the following event was with all the extra stuff. I mean wow and they accomplished it for FREE!

PROPS

• Let's talk about an experience early in our career. A set designer had built an elaborate $30K stage set and had planned to THROW IT IN THE DUMPSTER, when someone suggested they call us. We picked it up at 2:00 A M and it sits on our farm as a re-purposed chicken barn. That was the mother load of free wood y'all and free is my favorite price to pay.
• Farmers, craftsmen/women, other designers, kids...there's lots of folks out there waiting for opportunities like this, give em a call 

TABLEWARE

• Renting is typically the same price as "nice" compostables. There are key dos and don'ts when going this route so be fore to use a good planner to advise you. Call us man . . . WE can do that as well as supply an amazing tablescape. 

LINENS

• We offer some beautiful linenless furniture options, including dining tables, cocktail tables, cake tables and more.

TRANSPORTATION

• Ride shares baby! A.k.a. carpooling. We this this is a great way to get to and from an event, but we STRONGLY recommend shuttle services so no one drives under the influence. 

PHOTO AND VIDEO

• These vendors are eco warriors, because for years now have been mostly digital

We can help reduce your wedding footprint in many more ways. Give us a call today!

What goes  IN to your event is what you get out of it.

Event service providers are springing up everywhere these days. How do you know what or who is right for you? This is where doing your due diligence is key. It IS a lot of work but you'll be thankful you did it.
Anyone can look good on paper (regardless of the atrocious spelling and deplorable grammar...sorry a pet peeve of mine), their reviews can even be glowing, but are they prepared and armed with a good plan, insured against mishaps or even seasoned enough to be a good source of knowledge? 

-How long have they been in business?
This should not be the deciding factor, as there are some vendors who are the      
epitome of professionalism and have only just opened their doors. While the
other side of the pendulum is a polar opposite.
-Insured?
This IS the deal breaker. You'll want to be certain the business you use, is insured,          but even more importantly is their staff or sub-contractors insured? Putting up              lights is not just a plug and play responsibility. YOU could be faced with a major 
liability if something goes wrong.
Most venues don't permit uninsured vendors on site. To discover the day of your           event that you have hired an uninsured vendor, and they won't be given access to         your site  is already too late to do anything about it.
-Familiar with venues?
 Knowing the power need and areas that require special attention or preparation, is      vital to the health of your event. It's not in your best interest to hire a vendor with a      just wing it attitude.
-Are they educated/experienced?
 There is more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak. While traditional education        means going to school, there are other ways of learning and perfecting a trade. Pay    close attention to the continuing efforts of the vendor.

• Do they know it all or seem jaded? .
• Do you suspect they may be exaggerating their capabilities or                     experience? Don't be    shy...ask for proof
• Can they produce certificates or evidence of said education?

-Bad Reviews?
Any business who's been around long enough, has had their fair share of bad reviews. In my best Abe Lincoln voice "You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time". THEN there is the time when a business really DID mess up. YES it happens to the best...ALL of them. No single business is immune. The question here, would be how did they handle it. 

​Ask the tough questions, your event (although kind of cliche) is a once in a lifetime event. You don't have the luxury of lessons learned. Paying close attention from the get go will help you find and TRUST the right professionals for you.