XO,

Belle

I first met Kristine & Hisashi on a very exciting skype session in January 2011.  Kristine, and American, met Hisashi while working in Tokyo. It was clear from the very beginning, that these two shared an intense love and enthusiasm for each other.  Hisashi exhibited an extraordinary eagerness to marry the woman beside him, and the plan was to bring their families together in one place for the celebration.  The couple chose Maui as the spot to seal the deal, and the planning began. The wedding planning went on hold for a bit after the March 11^th, tsunami.  Even riddled by frequent aftershocks, the two remained dedicated to the idea of marrying in Maui, not letting the events that had just unfolded affect their dedication to each other. Kristine’s style inspiration for the wedding was all about bright pastels, playful designs, and the idea of a wedding being a celebration of their union.  The inspiration to use ribbons surfaced, and we ran with it.  We personally crafted multi-colored ribbon table runners (much harder than they sound), curtains of ribbon for displayed photos of the couple, ribbon wrapped place card boards, the list goes on.  It became such a crafty, love-filled event, we had the best time putting it all together!  Gina Meola and her husband Marcus of Gina Meola Photography flew in from Arizona  in to capture the event.

Event Planning & Design: Belle Destination Wedding & Events

Location: Olowalu Plantation House

Photography: Gina Meola Photography

Flowers: Bella Bloom

Catering: Aloha Events Catering

Bar Services: Garnish Events

Wedding Cake: Maui Sweet Cakes

Favors: Theo Chocolate

Hair & Makeup: Mira Carman

Furniture Rentals:Pacific Event Group

Lighting: Pacific Isle Rentals

In the beginning of the planning process, when Carol shared with me her vision of their wedding, she said she wanted it to be “sweet like candy” and it sure was!  The wedding decor was inspired by a vintage Alice and Wonderland tea-party, which made it really fun and playful. Stacked vintage books and flower filled tea-pots made up the centerpiece decor along with tiered teacups and saucers. The wedding stationary, made up of playing cards was very reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts. “Drink Me” tags adorned cocktail straws and “Eat Me” tags attached to  mini candy favors brought everyone back to the well loved story and adventures  of Alice in Wonderland. Carol and Nan’s dream fairy tale wedding came true and they are surely on their way to live happily ever after.

Vendors:

Event Planner:  Belle Destination Weddings & Events

Floral Designer:  Bella Bloom

Musicians:  Don Lax Violin,Vance Koenig Guitar

Reception Venue:  Gannon’s Restaurant

DJ:  DJ Dan Viola

Linens and Coverings:  Pacific Event Group

Makeup Artist:  Maui Make up Artistry

Officiant:  Alapaki Terry

Okay, admittedly, I know that I am supposed to love bridal shows, but to be perfectly honest, sometimes they can be a bit outdated and cheesy. So you can imagine how refreshing it was to come across “The Cream”. The Cream is an exciting and fun showcase of some of the best and most creative vendors in the Los Angeles/ Southern California area. Put together by the lovely ladies from Bash, Please, this was a treat….

The show took place at the fabulous Book Bindery  in Culver City. All I can say is when I walked in; the beautiful lighting design and styling of each individual booth WOWED me. There were a TON of great vendors, too many to name, so let me tell you about a few that stole my heart!

The Flashdance  Oh, how my new obsession for this DJ has taken over! His mixes fueled one of the most amazing dance-off ‘s in history. The dance-off prize, a fabulous trip to Paris for two, all expenses paid, furnished by EA Honeymoons ! You better believe contestants were dancing their heads off! So much fun, think about adding a dance-off to your wedding! I am sure guests will love it!

TIP: Don’t get confused by the link, The Flashdance is a collaboration of some of southern California’s most creative minds in the industry including Smilebooth, Shark Pig, Our Labor of Love , whom Belle recently had the pleasure of working with on the Big Island.

Antiquaria: What a genius idea! A gift registry for the vintage hungry. They offer assistance with compiling a vintage collection for your wedding or special event, and also offer custom stationary design. Gorgeous!

The lighting installations were so unique and fun, furnished by The Lighter Side.

The food and drinks were flowing out of many wonderful vendors; there are two that stole my taste buds. Sweet Lucie’s  provided an antique organic Ice Cream cart, so cute! The mint chocolate chip ice cream with locally produced dark chocolate and crushed mint leaves- was to die for! Also, Sno-Con Amor  was passing out samples of their all-natural handcrafted snow cone creations to cool down the dance crowd. They make their own syrups from herbs, flower extracts, fresh fruits, and vegetables. REFRESHING!

Twig and Twine put together some gorgeous floral creations! Putting an edge on the modern day banquet table.

There were so many great vendors- take some time and visit The Cream Event Blog or the visit the girls at Bash, Please for more photos and the goods on more of the featured vendors.
XOXO, Jane

Happy Day!

XOXO,
Jane