ShellS's reviews

We had a luncheon reception here, just after it was taken under new ownership by Bev Gannon and we were so pleased with everything! They allowed us to set up a meeting 2 days before our wedding to discuss details and set up- everything was set up as requested. The food and cocktails were great and the wait staff was AMAZING! My true test is making sure that I always have pleanty of beverage, and they were very attentive, always filling up our water and asking if we wanted anything else. It was such a memorable day and we were very pleased to have chosen such a wonderful location with beautiful views and awesome food!

We ordered our cake with Celebrations and communicated with John- he was awesome! Our cake was EXACTLY what we had requested, the style and flavor. They even allowed me to mail my instructions and ribbon ahead of time so that everything would be taken care of on the wedding day. They delivered our cake to our reception location and it truly was THE BEST CAKE I have ever tasted in my life. It honestly was so moist and so flavorful that everyone just raved and ranted about it. We even had leftovers that we continued eating 2 and 3 days after and it still tasted amazing! Absolutely loved our cake (which is such a memory to have)!

Brendan was our videographer and he was AMAZING! He captured EVERY detail of our day and PERFECTLY edited our video to our music preferences and style choices. Our video is beyond amazing, we watched it almost everyday, more than once, the first week we received it. Initial communication was awesome and the day-of-contact was great, he seemed to get all the right shots, yet we went about our day and hardly noticed him (not intrusive at all). WE ABSOLUTELY could not have imagined anyone else having made our video, HVM was a perfect choice!!!!! And Brendan was an awesome dude for sure!

Della is AMAZING! I only wish I had a chance to meet her- she worked with me by phone and email for our Destination Wedding in Maui and perfectly created everything we asked for......and more! She set a beautiful tablescape for our reception that was above and beyond my highest expectations and provided the best petals for our ceremony aisle. I have recommended her to a few brides getting married in Maui and I will continue to do so, as she really is a shining angel who can work magic on your special day!!! Thanks Della- you rock!!!!

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME VENDOR!!! The best of Maui's wedding talent lies with APDW!

Our wedding day was one of the most memorable days of our lives and we could not be happier with A Paradise Dream Wedding for helping shape our perfect wedding. The coordination from the get-go was great, by both phone and email, our Coordinator Joanne Earles was fabulous and so patient with all our requests. She relly went the extra step to allow us to include all the details important to us within our wedding, as well as meeting with us the day before to review it all- as per our request.

We were drawn to APDW by the photography on the web site and it does hold true to the end result- Ian Shepherd, our photographer, was beyond amazing!!! He truly captured our day as we had imagined and he went above and beyond for our wedding. His emails were so attentive and genuine, and his amazing work proves why he is a part of such a talented group. He took his time shooting our requested shots and had awesome follow up communication.

Kimo Kirkman was our minister and we truly believe no one else was meant to perform our wedding. His genuine words and calming voice set for a perfect ceremony! Tim O'Hara, our guitarist was just right! Jean Muldoon did awesome on hair and makeup- she was wide awake at 6 AM and ready to go, she executed the look I requested even better than the inspiration photos I provided to her- just fabulous! The flower bouquets requested were right on, and the petal aisle and reception decor by Della Peacock were amazing! She was such a shining angel in the mist of flower planning frustration and her gorgeous table arrangements surpassed my highest expectations- I smiled inside when our day had finally arrived and all my "interior designer obsessive decor" nerves were calmed by the beautiful table Della had set!

Our day was so special to us, not only for our personal commitments and having had such a perfect wedding, but because of the people who helped make it happen. We'll always remember "our Maui spot" and all the individuals above who were a part in our very memorable day.

THANKS APDW!!!!!!

I worked with Jordana for a boudoir session taking photos as a gift for my fiance. I found her here on PW and was so jazzed to work with her. From the initial contact, she was so helpful, offered suggestions, and even met me closer to where I lived (even though it put her in 3 hours of traffic) for the shoot. She has an amazing talent and exceeded my highest expectations! I truly believe people are put on this Earth for a reason and hers was to bless others with her amazing photography talent. I found her at the perfect time to help me acheive the perfect gift for the person I love most- a big task that Jordana accomplished in the most awesome way!

Jordana has a quick turn-around time, replies promptly to emails, and has the most positive spirit. Thank you J- I love every shot you took!

I hired Jessica for her calligraphy services for addressing my bridal shower invitations. She is beyond professional and has such a fun spirit! Jessica considers your thoughts and ideas while offering her own professional advice and expertise. She is understanding when it comes to working with a bride's budget and offers affordable prices, yet executes such amazing results/products. She was accomodating by setting up a meeting, since I was local to her location, to review the materials and design. I highly recommed her services.

This is where I purchased my dress and I had a great experience- it was the 2nd bridal store I had visited! I'm not sure if they require appointments, but the day I went there I went as a "walk-in" with my sister and they gladly greeted me and immediately set me up with a consultant who was gracious and was so pleasant to work with. She asked me to explain the styles I liked, where my wedding was going to be, what I didn't like in terms of styles and materials- all the important things that should be considered. She allowed me to look through all the styles and select anything I'd like to try on, while she also looked through to choose styles for me as well. Also, there was a trunk show scheduled for the afternoon of that same day, but it didn't stop them from allowing me to choose any of the dresses to try on that were to be in the show! So with a room full of options, I knew I found THE ONE from the first dress I tried on. I walked out and I could tell from my sister's face that she thought so too! And since it just happened to be on the day of the trunk show, I got 15% off!!! The lead time for my dress was 6 months, but it came in within 4-1/2 months. It looks great, fits great. I did not use them for alterations. My only glitch (why I did not give 5 stars) is that when my dress came in, I didn't even know because the phone number they had down for me was one digit off (so its a good thing I called to check up on it)!

I wasn't pleased with DB overall, which is why I did not purchase anything from their store. Before even stepping foot in the store, I had read several reviews online and most did not have good things to say. Furthermore, I tried to remain neutral until I had a chance to experience them for myself. I happened to be in an area of a DB one day while shopping with my mom at Trader Joe's and we decided on a whim to go in to peek an maybe even try on some dresses. Soon after we walked in and began looking at dresses, an associate came over and asked if we had an appointment for the day. When I said no, she informed us that we must have an appt. to try on any of the dresses and that if we wanted to continue to look at dresses that "I guess that would be okay." I have to be honest, by looking around, the store did not seem to be busy (enough so that my mom even made a comment about it). We immediately left and I called later on that week to book an appt. (why? I have no idea- I never should have gone back!)

When I arrived for my appointment, the "greeter/assocaite" immediately asked for all of my contact info (which I didn't feel confortable with) so I only gave my phone #. She started showing me package deals with invitations, bridesmaid options, and all these little "extras". I was there to try on dresses, not lose focus on other elements of my wedding. When asked the type of dress I was looking for, I got out a few words when I was then instructed to go to the fitting room and wait for the dresses pulled). I thought it was a joke that I didn't even have an initial opportunity to walk the floor and pull what I LIKED. A was also bummed that they hadn't even taken the time to ask the location of the wedding, an important factor (at least for me) when choosing a dress style. Anyhow, I tried on several dresses, but didn't receive a WOW factor from any, as the consultant continued to bring in styles/cuts of dresses I specifically mentioned that I weren't fond of.

From the time I left the store, I received 3 phone calls all within a week from DB. Even their "Men's" line re: Tux's called me. Week after week I received more calls and I was so irritated that I called them back several times before I asked the manager to remove my name from their listing and to contact their automated customer service center and remove my name from their list too. Don't give your phone info to them, it will turn out to be a big headache!

I'm glad that some girls are able to find their dresses here, but it was not for me. Actually, now that I think of it, I don't believe their prices were that impressive and the fact that you get the dress off the floor or transferred from another store irked me- it's not even new.

*Edit* 3-7-09
I got ANOTHER phone call from DB last week asking if I was still looking for a dress, after the manager assured me that my name was taken off of their calling list 2 months ago. My whole experience with them has been extremely annoying.

I bought my MOH dress for my sister's wedding here. It was beautiful and fit perfect! I believe if you check the size charts and stick with your dimensions, ordering online is pretty simple. Although I found another dress elsewhere that I liked more and wore for the wedding, I used this one for the reception and it was perfect!