Today we feature our lovely bride Lorelei, who got married last year at the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa – one of our favorite venues on Oahu. Lorelei absolutely loved every moment of the planning process, and we just knew from the very beginning that she will be a great bride to feature and to provide some candid feedback, tips and advice for future brides. So here it is, in her own words….
Tell us about your wedding look. I envisioned an elegant and romantic wedding, so I chose a classic and romantic flute/mermaid wedding dress. Beaded crystals and dramatic floral and ivory vines embellished the slight sweetheart neckline and the chapel length train of my wedding dress. The overall look of the wedding included warm and inviting colors of amber, gold, peach, ivory, taupe and olive green. Sandra helped us to develop and complete our wedding look in a cohesive manner. After describing the previous details to Sandra, she was a great help in recommending a suitable venue to execute the look of the wedding. We wanted a family focused reception, something that made our guests feel welcomed.
Tell us about the ambiance of your wedding. Mike was born on the East Coast with an Italian/European heritage, and I was born and raised in Hawaii. To portray our backgrounds, we decided to have our ceremony in the oceanfront of Ihilani to represent Hawaii, and a vintage-chic Tuscany themed ballroom to represent the Italian/European side. The ceremony site was quite simple – long, flowing rose strands hanging from two trees, and the peaceful and breathtaking view of the ocean was all we needed to symbolize Hawaii. As the guests entered the lanai area in front of the Ocean Ballroom for cocktail hour, the escort card table displayed a tall vase filled with flowers located in the center. Small golden frames used as favors and escort cards surrounded the centerpiece. Beside the escort card table were our engagement pictures and a picture collage of friends and family. Taupe damask crushed linens covered guest tables and guests were seated in golden chivari chairs that were located in the ballroom. The table scape consisted of a medium sized amber glass vase filled with peach and ivory roses, white ranunculus, yellow stalks, and olive leaves. Votive candles surrounded the centerpiece to give the table a romantic feel. Inviting, warm and romantic amber lighting illuminated the entire ballroom. Our initials LBM were centered on the dance floor. Lastly, as the focal point, our sweetheart table was decorated with an ivory fabric backdrop behind us, and a trellis of cascading phalaenopsis and olive leaves. Beside the sweetheart table was our simple, but elegant 3-tiered white butter cream cake trimmed with golden damask ribbons and embellished with phalaenopsis and white roses. The entire ballroom was breathtaking, elegant, romantic, and exactly what we wanted. Mike and I were both blown away at how Sandra and her team were able to use their professional touch to pull everything together.
Tell us about your best wedding finds. I found several discounts on trustworthy websites for wedding invitations and the golden frames that were used as favors and escort cards. Craft stores such as Michael’s (located in the mainland) and Ben Franklin are great places to check out for sales and coupons. We purchased ribbons for our wedding cake, flower girls’ baskets, and materials for our money box at the craft store. We made our own ceremony program using paper we bought in bulk for an inexpensive price at a paper store.
What did you enjoy most about the wedding planning process? It’s a simple answer – planning the wedding itself! I could not stop looking at wedding/bridal magazines and looking at the many and different styles a wedding can have. I had so many ideas in mind, and if I could, I would have had several different wedding themes. However, I only had to come down with one! Sandra helped me get all my ideas together and put them into one cohesive wedding theme. Communicating and planning with Sandra was so much fun! I loved playing with colors, looking at different linens, and talking about different designs. I learned so much about planning and designing a wedding. Finishing Touch helped my ideas to become a reality. Thank you Sandra!
Any tips for future brides? Your wedding day happens once, and you want to enjoy it to the fullest. Hiring a wedding planner was the best decision we made for our wedding. We didn’t want to burden our friends and family on the wedding day; we wanted everyone to enjoy the wedding with no stress and for them to have fun! Mike and I were also stress free during the wedding day because everything was taken care of by Finishing Touch. Hiring a wedding planner ensures wedding details are taken care of during the planning process and on the wedding day. Also, your wedding is a special day that focuses on the bride and the groom. Make sure that the wedding depicts who you are as individuals and as a couple. The best thing about planning a wedding is that you can do anything; there are no rules (but only to keep within your budget and making sure the wedding look is cohesive!). And, although you can’t have everything you want, and ideas change throughout the planning process, being flexible makes it easier to make a successful wedding happen.
All images by Shawn Starr.
