Saturday, December 15, 2012

Maui Destination Wedding - Planning Your Maui Wedding

By Stefanie Riedel


Organizing your Maui wedding from a distance can seem like a challenge, especially if you've never actually visited Maui. There are many options on the tropical island of Maui for ceremonies and receptions, but how does one begin to plan the tropical wedding of their dreams from the mainland, or distant country? This article will help as a guide so you can begin to plan the wedding of your dreams.

Before you can even begin planning your wedding you have to be realistic about your budget. Knowing your budget is a crucial starting point in planning your wedding and will determine what type of wedding you can actually afford. Once you've figured out your budget you can then move on to actually planning your wedding.

There are many options on the island of Maui, whether you are looking for a resort wedding or private estate, Maui has many venues to choose from ranging from less than $1000, for a simple ceremony to upwards of $40,000 for a dream, magazine worthy wedding. Many people turn to the resorts as a place to start planning their wedding, since many of the resorts have in-house wedding coordinators who can hep you take care of every last detail. Some of the more popular resorts on Maui include the following:

1) Honua Kai Resort & Spa

2) Honua Kai Resort & Spa

3) Honua Kai Resort & Spa

4) Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

5) Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa

The above listed resorts are definitely some of the more expensive resorts on Maui, however Maui is also known for being a resort destination, so you may have already expected to have some pricier options.

The Four Seasons Resort at Maui Wailea, located in Wailea which is on the south east side of Maui. Wailea is best known for its posh resorts and the Four Seasons just so happens to be rated the number one resort on Maui by Trip Advisor. The Four Seasons offers three wedding packages with the most simple package being the Plumeria Package. This package takes care of the basics of any wedding an includes the arrangement of the marriage license, a non-denominational officiant, flowers for both the bride and groom, seating for guests, a musician, along with a photographer who provides a limited amount of photographs. All of the wedding packages at the Four Seasons require you to book a minimum of three nights stay at the hotel. The resort offers a team of in-house wedding specialists who can help you plan out every detail of your wedding.

If you are looking for inexpensive options, Maui has several options including other resorts as well as private estates that can accommodate both the ceremony and reception. One private estate is the Sugarman Estate which is located near the Wailea area on the shores of the Ahihi reserve. The Sugarman Estate is located on the beach, and the property boasts a beautiful ocean backdrop. The property also features a lush garden area that can be used for the reception portion of the wedding. The estate can accommodate up to 150 guests, which should be plenty enough for a destination wedding. There are pricing options for weddings with less than 75 guests as well as weddings with 76 - 150 guests. The venue can be rented for under $4000 total. If you plan on having your wedding at a private estate like the Sugarman Estate, you will have to employ the services of some vendors in order to make your wedding complete.

If you do decide to have your wedding at a private estate on Maui, you will want to consider some vendors. In all reality the most important vendor is most likely to be a photographer or videographer. Since this will be one of the most memorable and cherished days of your life, you will want to preserve the memories in the form of photographs. After the wedding is all said and done, there's not much left to remind you of your special day, other than the photographs that you had taken on that very memorable day. Maui is home to many professional photographers whose work has be featured in many national and international publications.

If you plan on having your wedding at a location other than a resort, here is a short list of some local Maui vendors that you may want to consider hiring in order to make your wedding complete:

1) Photographer - Absolutely Loved Photography

2) Videographer - Aloha Videography

3) Entertainment - Next Level Entertainment

4) Entertainment - Next Level Entertainment

5) Entertainment - Next Level Entertainment

Your dream Maui wedding can be planned from afar even if you've never visited Maui. Once you've come up with a realistic budget, you can begin to make a few simple phone calls, that will get your wedding planning process rolling. Whether you decide to have a posh resort wedding, or opt to wed at a private estate, Maui has many venue and vendor options all of which can help you in planning your dream wedding.




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