jocemae's reviews

We used Molokini Lookout for our ceremony location. After we saw it on a scouting trip a year before, we knew we had found the absolute perfect place to get married. We were looking for a place that would be ultra private and overlook the water but not be in sand. My DH did not want to stand in the sand and he made that very clear from the very beginning. Well when we saw it, our jaw literally dropped. It has the most incredible view. The day of our wedding, our guests were soooo in love with the view that they couldn't contain themselves. We had the entire space to ourselves. The only con is that you have to pay for a shuttle for guests to travel to the site but other than that, it really is an A+ all around!

The Marriott was the perfect place to host our large wedding party. We went on a scouting trip a year before our wedding to check out all the locations and we decided on the Marriott because the price was great, the service was great, it was absolutely beautiful, it had a shopping mall area that was a 5 minute walk away and it had all the amenities that our guests could ever want and need. We were absolutely blown away by the service our 60 guests received while there. They had a great time and will never forget how amazing it was.

Victoria was one of the most important vendors to me because I always had this dream of what I wanted to look like as a bride. It included tons of adjectives: elegant, bohemian, natural, Hawaiian and the list goes on and on. I was originally just going to wear flowers in my hair but I just couldn’t totally get with it. I saw Alicia Key’s headpiece during her wedding and something similar on another bride and knew that it was the look I was going for. I scheduled an appointment and my mom and I met with Victoria, and together we were able to collaborate and create the most amazing hairpiece and matching earrings, better than my wildest dreams. Victoria is so incredibly talented. She is expensive but well worth it. She also makes the most stunning dresses! When she becomes world famous, I will always remember what a sweet person she is and how much fun it was to work with her to create my dream wedding accessories.

Wow is all I can say. Pia was extraordinary. We had him co-officiate with my grandfather, and he was just so amazing and accommodating. He did a Hawaiian chant at the beginning of the ceremony that was just so beautiful and unique. We couldn’t have made a better choice for an officiant.

We had a few issues with Joseph A Banks but in the end the suits turned out wonderfully. Originally, DH and the groomsmen were going to have slightly different color suits but when we placed the order and they came in, the color was totally different. Turns out the color online isn’t the color in real life. When we attempted to change the color, they said they would not be making the suit any longer since they were officially out of stock. We searched high and low for a replacement suit there and found one that worked out well. The only other issue we had was that when the suits arrived from tailoring, my brother’s had pen mark stains on the front and we were nervous that they wouldn’t be able to get it out before the wedding which was a week away!!! Thank God they were able to fix them.

After finding an Enzoani dress that my mom would look absolutely dynamite in, we scoured every store to either find a trunk show or a discount on the dress since it was quite expensive. We were able to find it at Pearl’s Place and got it for much less than we could have gotten even at a trunk show. We save well over $100 bucks on the gown and we received right around the time they said we were. It was in absolute perfect condition. I would recommend using them in a heartbeat. In fact, I wished I used them to purchase my own gown.

I had an absolutely horrific experience at Macy's Bridal Salon. Everything outside of my consultant Theresa was pretty bad. Theresa was a pretty good consultant and was worked with me three different times to find the dress of my dreams, which I did find at Macy's during a trunk show. However, I didn't feel the service was the greatest. I saw many brides being given accessories to try on while they dress shopped and several were showered with attention that I just didn't seem to get. We purchased my Marisa during a trunk show and my mother had to pay the complete amount in full. She was never told why. When the dress arrived, it was absolutely huge!!!!! Massive on me and would have to be taken in several sizes. When we began the alterations process, we were quoted an initial price by the head alterations director of $650. When we finally began alterations, she told us $800 with an additional $60 per hour for adding beading and said that I had several fittings before (not true, only tried the gown on for my mother and friend to see) and thats why there was an additional charge and it would have to be paid completely in full. This was said with a complete attitude as well. My mother went ahead and paid for the alterations in full but I was able to swing a miracle and get another AH-MAZ-ING seamstress to take on the dress at the last minute. Of course, after being faced with potentially losing our business, they offered to do the alterations for $650. We of course said no thanks but to this day, my mom is STILL WAITING for her refund. It has been at least 3 months now. She has called several times and it is still in the works. A very bad experience overall. I seriously wished I would have purchased my dress from Pearls Place or Netbride instead. I would have saved way more than the actual trunk show discount.

Using Antonietta was such a great decision. After trying on veils at the bridal salon, I found a cathedral length one that was simple and elegant but the cost was $400 bucks. Seriously, for a piece of silk tulle and a comb? So I searched high and low for someone who could just make my veil in Chicago at an affordable cost. I contacted Antoinetta after seeing her amazing work online, and I came to her condo to view veils and try on several different lengths and styles. I originally ordered a cathedral veil with blusher in regular tulle for $100 after I found out the cost of the silk was much higher but when she left me a message saying my veil was ready, she told me that she used the silk and threw it in for free!!!! It was seriously the most special thing I ever heard!!! She does the most beautiful work and you cannot go wrong with using her! She is also as sweet as pie.

Goodness gracious, Cherise was such a life saver. Because I plan events, I knew that I would need someone to hold down the fort in Hawaii and give us insightful knowledge of things. From day one, she gave us so much support in every possible way. Planning a destination wedding is always a huge risk. You have to find someone that you can trust and rely on to give it to you straight so you can make the most informed decisions possible. During our scouting trip, she took us around the island to look at the locations we were interested in and also introduced us to our florist even before we gave her any money!!! She responded within 24 hours on any question that we had and was incredibly organized. Believe me when I say I would recommend her in a heartbeat. This is coming from a event producer myself who is type A all the way. She impressed me beyond belief!!! And she is an absolute beautiful soul! I adore her. She is an unbelievable pro, and you can’t go wrong with using her at all!!!

Michelle was one of the best decisions I made regarding my wedding. When it comes to décor and pulling a vision together, few people rarely understand how important the paper products and graphic design elements are in achieving such a cohesive event. From the first day I contacted Michelle, she was an absolute joy to work with. She understood right away my vision, and she literally took it to a whole different level of excellence. Michelle designed our invitations, menus, chair signs, programs and bar menus, and she knocked it out of the park on everything!!!! She is so amazing. You are crazy if you don’t book her right away!!!