Receiving a wedding invitation elicits a mix of emotions.  Whether it’s friends or family, you’re happy and flattered the couple wants to include you in their celebration.  On the other hand, you’re faced with the daunting task of choosing an appropriate gift.  Sure you could pick up something listed on their registry, but truth be told, you want to commemorate the occasion with a special, one of a kind gift.  And finding one that’s unique, valuable and frugal at the same time seems a mission impossible.  Consider more personalized gifts that you can make yourself.  Here are some creative ideas for gifts that carry more meaning than one that was merely selected from a list. Read more »

Want to incorporate a new tradition into your Hawaiian wedding that’s fun, ecologically sound and enhances the environment?  If so, then you understand the value of releasing butterflies and doves at your wedding.  Throwing rice, birdseed or confetti makes such a mess that many churches, rental halls and wedding chapels have recently banned throwing it.  Add meaning and magic to your ceremony by releasing butterflies and doves instead.  Trust us, when your guests see the great photo opportunities butterflies and doves make at your wedding, no one will miss throwing rice. Read more »

Choosing the right wedding coordinator can be one of the most important decisions you make regarding your destination wedding. Yes, all of the information is on line, and you can easily contact and book all of the services yourself. And yes, you may save some money doing it this way. But, is it worth it? There are probably a few things you haven’t thought of.

For instance, as you can imagine, 11/11/11 was the wedding day of the century. We alone had 4 weddings, and turned down at least 2 others. One of our brides, the one getting married at 7:30 am, decided at the last minute she wanted a professional to do her hair and makeup. She was able to find someone on line that would take her. However, she didn’t find out until she was on island that she had made an appointment an hour’s drive away. She arrived at her wedding looking beautiful but totally stressed at having to get up so early, travel so far, and rush to get to her wedding on time. Read more »

For too many travelers packing for a Hawaiian vacation is a nightmare, especially in the winter.  Should you take your winter coat and sacrifice space for bringing home chocolate macadamia nuts and Kona coffee?  What should you wear dining out?  Packing light means packing smart.  Here are some guidelines:

• Pack shorts, T-shirts and comfortable tennis shoes, sandals or hiking boots for daytime sightseeing.
• Don’t waste time or luggage space packing suits or fancy dresses. The majority of restaurants have a “resort wear” dress code, meaning men can wear dress-shorts or khaki trousers while women can wear casual shirts, dressier shorts, capris, skirts or sun dresses.  Read more »

Coming up with ideas for wedding favors, and then actually getting the wedding favors done, is a seemingly small element of wedding planning when you’re trying to find the right wedding dress, reception venue, caterer, and photographer, but it can quickly turn into a big deal if it’s been left to the last minute!

Some couples intentionally give wedding favor planning a backseat in favor of more “important” things, but it’s also important to remember this seemingly small way of honoring and thanking your guests for their attendance and being a part of your celebration.

But what if you are factoring time in for wedding favor planning and have a desire to honor your guests with something memorable to take home, but you can’t think of any wedding favor ideas? Or maybe you have some ideas, but they’re either too generic or too complex. Read more »

Planning a wedding? Worried about how expensive everything is becoming? You’re not alone—many engaged couples end up surprised at how expensive weddings can be. The good news is, you don’t actually have to spend a fortune to have a beautiful wedding. Here are some great money-saving tips for your wedding if you’re on a budget.

Determine Your Budget

First, you’ll need to figure out exactly how much you can afford. Once you have your overall budget, break it down into the different categories (wedding dress, venue, food, photography, flowers, etc.) so you have an idea of how much can be allotted to each section. Read more »

Hawaii is one of the most beautiful island destinations in the world for a wedding.  If you’re like most couples planning to marry in Hawaii, you’re sure to include the flower garlands known as lei in your ceremony.  But why not embrace even more Hawaiian wedding traditions while you’re embracing each other?  Whichever ones you choose, you’ll give your wedding aloha feeling and style.

Hawaiian Language

The Hawaiian language is a romantic one and whether you are native Hawaiian or visiting for the first time, you’ll want to know some of its romantic phrases.  Weaving a few of these into your invitations, favors or in your toast will add even more Hawaiian touches to your special day. Read more »

Thinking about having something inscribed on your wedding rings? Whether you’re engaged, newly married, married five years, or married for decades, adding a wedding ring inscription is a neat and trendy way to personalize your rings and add a fun, sentimental, or unique “touch” that says something meaningful about your relationship.

Naturally, as with most anything else, wedding ring inscriptions come in all kinds—traditional, romantic, spiritual, sexy, humorous, unique, etc. You might want to stick with something simple and “tried and true,” such as your names, your names with the year you were/will be married, your anniversary date, “I love you,” or a Scripture reference.

Of course, you might rather be looking for “cool” wedding ring inscription ideas, and maybe something unique. However, people define “cool” differently, so your best bet is to take a look at a wide range of wedding ring inscription ideas to find something “cool” that is also personal and meaningful to you as a couple.

Traditional and Romantic Wedding Ring Inscriptions

• Your names
• Your anniversary date
• I Love You
• Till Death Do Us Part
• Forever Yours
• Always Yours
• Always and Forever
• Love Conquers All
• Eternally Yours
• Love, Honor, and Cherish
• One Life, One Love, One Heart
• Today, Tomorrow, Forever
• Truly, Madly, Deeply
• As You Wish

One cool idea that is also romantic is to use the title of your wedding song for your engraving!

Religious

• Your favorite verse (either the whole verse or just the Scripture reference)
• Joined Under God
• God Bless This Marriage
• Two Shall Become One
• A Cord of Three Strands
• Unified in Christ
• I Am My Beloved’s; My Beloved is Mine

Humorous

If you two prefer humor over tradition, romance, or spirituality, then why not go for something a little on funny side? Humor can make for very cool wedding ring inscriptions. Some ideas:

• May the Force Be With Us
• Non-Refundable
• A Deal’s a Deal
• Ball and Chain
• No Guts, No Glory
• No Pain, No Gain
• Game Over
• Stuck Forever

Using Other Languages

A cool and trendy wedding ring inscription idea that is also very romantic is to use another language! This way, you can choose a romantic/sentimental saying without sounding overly cheesy. This is also a chance for you to honor your heritage or the heritage of your partner, if possible.

Latin is a popular language choice for romantic wedding inscriptions, but other languages you could consider are French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as Hebrew. Of course, you could also choose the native language or your or your partner’s family.

Not sure which foreign language saying to use? Here are a few ideas:

• Amor Vincit Omnia (Latin: Love Conquers All)
• Deus Nos Lunxit (Latin: God Joined Us)
• Semper Fidelis (Latin: Always Faithful)
• Je t’Aime (French: I Love You)
• Mon Amour (French: My Love)
• Amore Mio (Italian: My Love)

Something Unique

Of course, some couples prefer their wedding ring inscriptions to be unique. This means you need to come up with something yourself in order for the engraving to be truly unique. One cool idea to consider is using an inside joke between the two of you—this would make your wedding ring inscription unique, meaningful, and personal.

Same or Different?

Something else to consider is whether you choose the same or different engravings for each of your wedding bands. For some couples, each person chooses the engraving for his/her partner’s ring as a surprise. While this can be fun and romantic, it can also spell disaster—what if you choose something sexy or humorous but your partner chooses something romantic or spiritual? You want to be careful with this decision, so it’s recommended to make it together.

If you’re considering a longer engraving on your wedding band, but it doesn’t fit, consider putting half of the message on your band, and the other half on your partner’s band. This is a great way to symbolize your togetherness and “coupledom.”

You’ve chosen the date, booked the venue, picked your wedding party, figured out the catering, found a photographer and florist, and have even found the perfect wedding dress, an often challenging task. The big day will be here before you know it, and now that you have your beautiful gown all picked out, it’s time to start thinking about accessories and jewelry that go well with your wedding dress.

Don’t Wait

First, keep in mind that this is not something to try to put together at the last minute. Don’t just think you’ll “figure it out” down the road. Finding the right accessories and jewelry to complement your wedding dress takes time and careful planning. But don’t stress about it—this is one of the more fun parts of wedding planning! Make a fun girls-only shopping day of it.

Don’t Overdo It

This is a very important rule when it comes to accessories and jewelry that go well with your wedding dress. Read more »

Your wedding day is going to be one of the most special, memorable days of your life, and you’ll want to relish those special memories for a long time to come. One way to help make sure this happens is to ensure you hire a professional who will be able to “capture” all those moments—both little and detailed as well as big and significant.

However, some newlywed couples going through their photos post-honeymoon notice that one or more moments was, unfortunately, missed. The couple had assumed the photographer was going to capture everything, or at least the important moments. Read more »