When I first told my mother that I was getting married, she suggested the Crown Plaza right away. I brushed off the idea, but once Pat and I started counting the number of guests we would have, and when I started looking at venues and thinking about things like caterers and chairs and tents, Crown Plaza was easy to agree to. It was a bit more that I had originally budgeted for, but both our parents offered to help pay with the cost. The first time I went to the Plaza to inquire how the celebration would pan out, I thought the place was beautiful. The hall was empty at the time, but they were able to describe exactly how it would look. They were also very accommodating with the menu (we have lots of friends who are vegetarians). We went buffet style, but also had these amazing little hors d’oeuvres, and upon my request we were able to have fresh fruit along with cake for dessert.

We were able to whisk away at 2am to our wedding suite! This was really beautiful, and our friends and family had rented the room for us until Monday, so we were able to stay in bed until we needed to go to the airport for our honeymoon.

I am not sure if you know of this web site, but you can buy handcrafted goods here from amazing and talented artists. I had previously bought beautiful jewelry from sellers on the site, and bought the most beautiful veil and flowers for my bridemaids. The seller’s name is Brenda's Bridal Veils, and I believe that she has been making veils for over twenty years. My veil and the bridesmaids’ headpieces were beautiful, they each were made with these beautiful Swarovski rhinestones with ostrich streamers. I loved that this very special item would be part of my wedding chest, and I know that my bridemaids loved having this as part of their outfits that day.

We had seen the ads for sandles.com on TV, and thought that it was worth checking out. I didn’t know this at the time, but it’s a really comprehensive website that gives you a list of the sites that will offer you the best deals on vacations and getaways. It’s a search engine, and it is kind of geared towards honeymooners. I had always thought that it would cost thousands of dollars to go to Hawaii or anywhere, but we found an amazing deal! We used Sandles to get the link to Travelocity, which then found us a great package deal (flight and hotel) to Maui for six nights. It was hard to choose, and we felt better knowing that we had gotten a deal because our parents were paying for the honeymoon for us.

Picking a limousine service was easy because my best friend had gotten married the year before and so I just contacted the same person. My husband and I debated over what type of car we should arrive in (he wanted the hummer like car) but I wanted us both to show up in similar looking cars. We compromised. What I liked best about the limo, from both my friend and my wedding, is that the inside of the car looks brand new. It has this crisp, clean feeling, it didn’t smell like smoke, and the driver was dressed up really nice. I thought that having a limo was kind of cheesy, but it was a great way to show up to the church and then to the hotel, and I love the pictures of me stepping out of the limo.

This was my sister-in-law's gift to me! She always said that she loved her wedding pictures, but she would have loved a video. I never would have even have thought of it! The videographers were very professional, and we had a few meetings in person and a few phone calls to discuss all the details. They knew the church that we were getting married in, and already had a good idea of how they would set up in there. They also knew the Crown Plaza, and were able to set up there with ease. We only videotaped the big events, not the times where I was getting ready or anything. Pat and I have only watched the video once, and it’s amazing already watching out faces while we say the vows, and then seeing us during our first dance. It’s a really wonderful souvenir of the day.

I think it was smart to use a website to advertise our wedding to our friends and co-workers. It seemed kind of redundant to send out both save-the-dates and invitations, but I think there is an increasing pressure to do both. Having a website takes away some of that pressure. The directions were easy to follow, and we were able to load some pictures of us and quote the vows we would be saying to each other. This was a good activity for both Pat and I, because he was kind of staying clear from the wedding planning activities, and I think he needed to take a bigger role. Guys are more apt to help if it involves computers, or at least my Pat is.

As Pat’s family was paying for most of the wedding reception, my father wanted to contribute with a wonderful rehearsal dinner. I had been there twice before for lunch with my father when I was in college, and always thought the place was stunning. It was also my parent’s present to me instead of a bridal shower. This evening my father had rented out a room for the two families and close friends, and honestly, words cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the place is. There is an ancient charm in the place, and you feel like your one of the lumber tycoons of the older days. I liked the privacy of the place, and I liked how the attention was really on Pat and I and on the next stage of our life.

This was where my best friend went for her invitations, and I went there as well. We had to set up a consultation time, which is always a good idea, because it would be such a shame to show up somewhere and then have to wait. Our associate was very helpful, she told us she had worked on hundreds of weddings and it showed from her experience and the tips she had for us. What I liked best was how she guided me towards a style of card that was different than what I would have wanted, but seemed to fit right in with my color them. I loved it because they helped us with the wording, helped us choose what information needed to be provided (maps were not used), and then even helped us get together the table markers. It made me feel like I was working with someone who was able to see my whole wedding, from start to finish.

This place was beautiful! It is not right in the center of all the craziness on the island, and I really felt that we were somewhere secluded and special. The staff is amazing with how genuine and sincere they are, they made us feel like family right away. They wanted us to learn about Hawaiian culture, and we had fun trying to learn the hula. I think Pat really loved how peaceful the rooms were, and I loved the beach, which was two seconds away from our door. It was a great time for Pat and I to take in all that had happened just days ago. Even though the staff and other guests were very warm and welcoming, they also knew that we wanted to be by ourselves, and at times we felt like we were the only people at the hotel. They had a lovely going away ceremony for us, and I really want to go back.

If you know Pat and I, you know that we are soda fiends. I like my diet Mountain Dew, and Pat likes his Dr. Pepper. We thought that it would be cute to give each of our guests a bottle of soda with a picture of us on it! I had known that Jones Soda does this for a while, I just never thought I would have this done for my wedding. In the end, we got lots of compliments. Because of the number of cases we were ordering, we selected three pictures, so that all the guests wouldn’t have the same design. We were also able to write something really cute about Pat and I’s love and relationship on the bottle, right above the nutritional value. I hope this is something that people will keep in their fridges to remember our special day, though I saw lots of people drinking them at the party. My suggestion is to order ahead of time.