Destination Wedding in Maui

by Esther K. Choy

I had a great wedding photographer. He had a great personality, which is very important for a wedding photographer. He was able to get people together, and inform them of when and where they needed to stand for the photos. He was also a good improviser. Even though my wedding location was completely new to him, he was able to create beautiful memories. He captured the light of the rainbow overarching the crystal blue ocean above our heads during the ceremony.

Unfortunately he forgot all the specific instructions. He didn’t remember that I specifically asked for black and white photos. He asked me to look through magazines and clip examples of photocompositions that we liked so he could take similar photos for our wedding.  When we got the proofs, we didn’t see anything that resembled what we showed him. Luckily, we still like the pictures that he took.

Wedding Coordinator

If I had the chance to do it all again, I would definitely set a larger budget for a wedding coordinator. But, I would be very careful with my selection. The mistake I made was that I went with the most affordable wedding coodinator who gave me the best deal possible. Why would that be a mistake? Because it turned out that my wedding coordinator had very little experience in the industry, and often didn’t have the ‘heart’ to say no to me when she needed to. So she made a lot of empty promises, which she didn’t keep. In the end, she never even thought of a plan B in case of rain, even though we were getting married on the side of Maui that receives more rainfall during the summer. She was running out of both time and resources before the wedding and started ordering my friends to run errands for her. She kept saying to them, “Please, it’s for Esther!”

Take away

As a bride, your wedding is the most important event. All your vendors will do their best to make you feel that they are here to serve you. Unfortunately, that is only part of the truth. For a business to thrive, vendors need lots of brides.  They think all of their events are important, so it is up to the vendor to prioritize. If you don’t have a wedding coordinator or a competent one, it’s your job to make sure that your vendors stay on top of everything.

For a once-in-a-lifetime event, it really is not worth it to spread your attention over all of the details of the wedding. Things will come up, but good vendors will help you enjoy the special moments that will occur throughout your day.

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Esther K. Choy is a regular contributor for Wedding Chicago. During her engagement in 2000, Esther and her then-fiance’, Bernhard Krieg, were presented with a unique challenge. How do you plan a wedding if your friends and family are scattered in different countries around the globe? After weeks of research and deliberation, they chose to celebrate their wedding on the beautiful island of Maui.

Esther believes that “honeymooning” is a state of mind between two people, rather than a first vacation after the wedding. Honeymoons reflect the love between a husband and a wife and can occur many times throughout the marriage. Her adventures will guide you as you plan your first honeymoon.

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