To start, I want to say I usually don’t write anything about my former clients, even the bad ones.  But this bride has threatened to spread false information about my company to ruin my reputation if she didn’t get the refund “she deserved.”  The bride, Julie Harmon, claims to be very active on social media and will do everything in her power to ruin my reputation.    That’s a very big threat, so I thought I’d take the first strike to get ahead of her smears.

I’m also asking that if you are the former client of mine and are happy with my services, if you can review me on Yelp and Facebook and write your honest opinion, that would be great.  I have a feeling I am going to need a little bit of social media help on this one.

So onto my story.

It had a been awhile since I had a bridezilla and I knew I was bound to stumble upon one, soon.  The odds were in my favor, and on January 14th, 2018 – it happened.    I’m not sure when Julie first inquired with my company, but it was sometime in mid-December that she expressed an interest in my services.    We communicated via text quite frequently on my personal cell phone, which was no problem.  She had a lot of questions, which was also no problem.   Sometimes, one of the tell signs of a bridezilla is when a bride obsesses about her wedding a little too much, but that’s not always the case.  The client could just be lost.  And my responsibility as a planner would be to educate/help my client in whatever way possible.

I thought Julie was just lost.

Julie Harmon agreed on:

• To use the Vow Renewal Package for her wedding, as she didn’t care about photos
• A Maile Lei – for her husband
• A Custom Flower Lei – for her – pink/white to match her dress.

A week before the date she added on:

• Portable Blue Tooth Stereo
• A Bouquet
• Roundtrip Limousine from her hotel to Magic Island

Total cost $777.50

Fast-Forward to January 13, 2018 – a day that would live in infamy.

That date doesn’t probably ring a bell, but you know about it.  That’s the day when The State of Hawaii thought a Ballistic Missile was on its way to the island and many people, roughly close to one million, thought they were going to die.   There are videos of people running on the beaches for cover, parents making their kids go into storm drains, parents crying embracing their kids, it was horrible.  If you want to read about my experience you can click here.  That was one helluva day for a lot of people.  Could you imagine, for about 40 minutes, people thought their lives were going to end.

Consequently, a lot of businesses didn’t operate normally.  When I arrived to the florist, their supplier, who was an emotional wreck, decided not to deliver their flowers.   At the flower shop, there was hardly anyone there working.    Take into mind, just hours before, they were hunkering down in the bathtubs of their houses.    I needed a hand-tied white bouquet for my wedding the next day and there was basically no fresh white flowers to go around.   The florist who did make it in, did put something together for me with old white flowers, but didn’t expect it to last.  And it didn’t.

The next day, the bouquet was dead before Julie’s morning wedding on the 14th.

When Julie arrived, I told her the bad news.  The bouquet didn’t survive.  I apologized and I told her I would issue her a refund of $175 for the bouquet or we could upgrade the package to the Patriot Package.   To be honest, I wasn’t sure what her response was.   Julie kept talking about a million miles per hour, complaining about her nuclear missile experience, how it ruined her vacation, then complaining to her friends about the bouquet.   I chalked it up to nerves.

I knew she was quite nervous because the previous day, she called asking me for drugs – which I don’t do.

She then told my minister to not include anything in the vows about “honor and obey because she just doesn’t do that.”

Now, we’ve omitted the word “obey” from our vows a long time ago.  But this is the first time I ever heard about a bride asking us to eliminate “honor.”

My minister bent over to me and whispered, “Steve-O, I think we’re in for a doosy.”

Still, I chalked it up to nerves.

The wedding ceremony came around, it went well.  My minister, who was in the moment, did mention the word “honor” mistakenly and Julie flashed this evil look to him that I couldn’t forget.  I kinda almost laughed.    But other than that, everything came out well.  I got them their photos right away, but the refund, there was a big delay.  I honestly was not sure on how to refund just $175 from PayPal.   I needed to find the button or something and I just couldn’t get PayPal to answer my emails.

I honestly should have just written a check right away but just didn’t.  I wanted to do it through PayPal.  And for that right there, I am guilty of not performing the best customer service for the refund.  I’m 100% guilty.   I told Julie in a text over the weekend that I needed her address and I would send her a check asap because I still couldn’t figure out PayPal’s refund.

And then, that’s when the trouble started.

Julie Harmon began texting my phone, angrily.  She then called and accused me basically of ruining her day and not delivering to her a “dream wedding.”   She accused me of not only not delivering the bouquet, but also not delivering to her the flowers according to her standard.   She said that the flower leis were not custom-made and that she found the same leis at the grocery store for $12. My leis, were not $40 leis.   I responded, well, they are not of course 40 dollar leis, there is a mark-up to all the leis.   Not to mention,  all services that I provide.  That’s how I make money.    And I tell all my customers that if they go through me, things will be more expensive as I build in my coordination fee with each line item.  That helps subsidize all the time for the extra customer service that goes along before the wedding.

That honesty didn’t sit too well with her.

But those leis, were absolutely not bought at a grocery store, and were custom made.

Julie Harmon on the right.  You can’t get those in the grocery stores.

The groom is wearing a tea leaf maile lei that is much longer, thicker, and more intricate that ones you buy in tourist stores around Waikiki.   Julie is sporting a tuberose lei intertwined with mini pink roses.   That lei is not sold at any drug or grocery store I know, especially for $12.   Julie claimed I left the price tag on the box, but that is probably the price tag of some other lei, possibly just the orchid lei from a pervious wedding.  Man, I wish that flower cost $12.    I’m thinking it cost me about $26 or $27, which left me with a profit of $12 or so after my markup.

At this point, Julie was ranting on the cell.

I asked her how much of a refund did she want?

Julie demanded, “I want all my money back because you don’t deliver.  But I know you’re not honorable to do that!”  She then added that flowers are everything in a ceremony and her day was ruined because she had no bouquet.  Honestly, I thought her husband was everything in the ceremony.    But oh well, to each their own.

I calmly responded, “I will refund you the $175 back, immediately, with a check sent to your mail.”  I also apologized for not being able to refund it through PayPal.

She did not think $175 was enough.

She then demanded a refund for all of the flowers, maile lei and her flower lei, falsely and accusing me of not delivering what I promised on the flowers – again.   But, I did deliver her a custom lei to match her pink dress, and the maile lei.  That flower lei was custom ordered for her.   It was not bought in a grocery store.

The Maile Lei, she exclaimed, “was a piece of crap and not as advertised.”  For the record, it’s the same maile lei used in all my other pics.

A different couple, basically the same leis.  The bride is wearing a jasmine flower lei (seasonal) intertwined with mini red roses.

Between her demands, she threatened to close down my business and to ruin my character if her demands were not met.  To tell the world on social media how I am some type of liar (not sure the exact words but that’s what she was implying).   Honestly, that’s pretty scary because I do get my most of my business from the internet.    She then managed to insult me about my photography, asking me why do I choose to shoot from low angles, and if I feel good about myself because I do it.      That was just a weird comment.

Julie is getting a $175 cashiers check sent to her in certified mail and not one penny more.   I’m standing my ground.    Plus, I’m not sending a company check, which has my account number on it.  You never know these days what type of revenge bridezillas are capable of.   Anger makes people do strange things.

Well, I’ll be probably keeping this post up here for a long time because Julie was very animated about ruining my reputation.

All I can say is read my reviews, you’ll see that I’m good, love what I do, and care about every couple.

UPDATE:

It looks like Julie Harmon is following through with her threats as she is posting fake reviews all over the place.  I have lawyers looking into this.  If I do end up losing business because of fake reviews, she can be sued for lost wages.

She has posted on yelp the following reviews:

She’s such a horrible writer.   I had to laugh when I read, “Steve was snottier each time I didn’t do what he wanted.   BUT I DIDN’T HAVE PROBLEMS OF HIM STEALING FROM ME.”  Wait a minute.  If she didn’t have problems stealing from me, I should get a 5-star rating, right?  haha….hilarious.

Two different id’s, posted from Washington, only one review, lol.  Man, I must be popular in Washington.  Oh, by the way, Julie is from Washington.  She’s also created a fake ID on google and another one on facebook.    The fake Facebook ID though, was strange.  It was from 2009 or 2010.  That means she was catfishing way back then!  Wow.   She could be a catfish!

Why can’t she just review me honestly with her real ID, say her piece, and allow me to rebuttal?   That would be fair.

I did at one time, agree to take down this article if she stayed off of the reviews.  But then she found out that I was venting to my friends and family about having a bridezilla ON MY PERSONAL FACEBOOK PAGE, and then she went nuts.   So apparently, I’m not allowed to talk to my friends and family about my bad experience?  Next thing I know she sent me a threatening text,  basically implying that I should take down my personal status update, or else.  My facebook page is public because I talk about politics on there and invite any good conversation.   But geez, is she that self-conscious on what my friends and family think about me having a very bad client?

Once she started attacking, a lot of my former wedding couples came to my defense.  Here are there responses:

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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So many sportswriters got it wrong – again.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a diehard Eagles fan.   It’s in my bio and posted throughout this site.   I’m also a huge Nick Foles fan.   From the first day the Eagles drafted him, I’ve told friends, family, and anyone who listened, “That guy is going to win us a Championship.”   The dude is just an all-around great guy.  Close to God, moral; and let’s not forget to mention, one hell of a football player.   I thought he had a natural pocket presence, threw with incredible anticipation, and tossed one hell of a deep ball.

• 2013 Nick Foles threw for 27 TD’s and 2 interceptions and made Chip Kelly’s anemic offense under Michael Vick, look like something revolutionary.
• Against the Raiders in 2013, Nick Foles threw for 7 Touchdowns in 3 quarters and could have thrown for more if Chip didn’t pull him.
• That year Nick Foles went to the Pro Bowl and was named the MVP

Despite these stats, sportswriters dismissed him as a fluke, a career backup, basically a nice name for a loser.  It was sad to see Nick as a benchwarmer for the past few years when I knew that he was capable of much more.   It was nice to see Foles back on the Eagles roster, but having him sit behind Wentz killed me.   Hate to sound a bit evil here, but I was kinda happy when Wentz went down – haha.   I said to myself, “Finally, Foles is going to have his moment to really shine.”

The media, as predicted, was not supportive of Foles.   Many sportswriters called for the Eagles front office to hire Colin Kaepernick.    Really?   Sportswriters in Philadelphia were not fans of Nick Foles.  Could you believe that?   They hated him!

Fast-Foward a little…

Nick Foles demolishes the #1 defense in the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings and the media still doesn’t give him credit.  They said he just had a fluke great game.  By the way:

• Against the Minnesota Vikings, Nick Foles had one of the greatest quarterback performances of all time.

Me on Super Bowl Sunday.  I never work on that day beacuse I always said, “What if..”   This time, my “what if” actually applied!

Super Bowl comes around and it’s Nick Foles versus Tom Brady.  And of course, it feels like no one thinks Foles can outplay Brady, except for me,  my parents, and a handful of friends.    Every pundit out there, doesn’t choose Foles as their likely MVP candidate.   No one wants to bet against Brady and Belichick, and I don’t blame them.  They say that it’s the defensive line that will win the game for the Eagles, if anything.    Not Foles.   Foles was the Eagle’s Achilles heel.

The pundits were wrong again.   The Eagles defense didn’t stop Brady.  In fact, the Patriots didn’t punt the ball once.   They had two great plays, which probably won the football game for us, though.

We know the story.  More than likely, you saw the story.  Foles played outstanding, much better than the rest of the team.   Making incredibly accurate throws down the field, between defensive backs, hitting his receivers in stride.  These passes by the way, were balls that Wentz struggles on.

That brings us to the present:

• Nick Foles is the only quarterback to catch a TD in a Super Bowl
• Nick Foles is a Super Bowl winning quarterback, something many quarterbacks in NFL can’t claim
• Nick Foles is the MVP of Super Bowl LII
• Nick Foles is the only quarterback that brought a Super Bowl Championship to the City of Philadelphia

Of course, I need to add, that this was a team win.  When the Eagles need a turnover or a kick, a stop, it happened.  Everyone played a key role.

Now I wonder, what will the pundits say now?   That he was lucky?   Hmmm….. Maybe it’s time for those writers to eat some major crow.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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I bet you’re scratching your head, thinking, that I must be some type of nut for laying out such a bold claim.  But hold your horses, maybe I have a point.  And maybe, I have some statistics to back it up – just maybe.

If you google “size of Honolulu” you’ll find that this Hawaiian city has a footprint of 68.42 square miles and a population of 374, 658 people.   68 miles, I have to admit, isn’t that large.   But what’s missing is a little asterisk of an unknown fact that the City and County of Honolulu’s jurisdiction encompass the entire island of Oahu, not just Honolulu.   The Mayor and City Council are responsible for the maintenance and safety of the entire island of Oahu.    Each of our small towns on Oahu does not have their own mayor, police, or fire department.   We are all under one roof.

Technically, the City and County of Honolulu is 597 square miles.  Just for your information, it’s quite common for cities to be made up of more than one county.   New York City is, for example, is not limited to Manhattan, but also Long Island counties, and Staten Island.

So where does that put Oahu next to the other major cities in the United States?

• Los Angeles is 503 square miles
• San Diego is 372.4 square miles
• New York City is 304 square miles
• Dallas is 385 square miles
• Houston is 627 square miles
• Nashville is 526 square miles
• Atlanta is 134 square miles
• Seattle is 83 square miles

How about other cities in the world?

• Toronto is 243 square miles
• Tokyo is 845 square miles!
• Singapore is only 278 square miles
• Cairo is 203.9 square miles
• London is 607 square miles
• Madrid is 233 square miles
• Paris is 40.7 square miles
• Seoul is 233.7 square miles

The great news is that, while having one of the larger cities in America, we are not as populated as the others.   There are only 1 million people living on Oahu.  Cities such as NYC, have 8.5 million people living in a small footprint – vertically.

On another note:

Like all major cities, we have a mayor and city council that are a bunch of dumbos; certified idiot would be a compliment, in my opinion.  They have no idea how to manage our island; let alone, have the creativity to solve problems.  We have an unfinished rail transit system that threatens to bankrupt our city.  An island-wide sewer system that is under constant repair.   An electrical grid and generator that is severely outdated.  And talk about the homeless problem, it’s pretty bad.   We don’t have crazies like in Toronto roaming the streets here, but we have a lot of homeless.   Don’t get me started on traffic – it’s bad here during rush hour, some say the worst in the nation.  Don’t we sound like your city?  The problem with Honolulu is that we have a government that can’t figure out that we are a big city with big problems.  We have small minded politicians, pea brains, ruining paradise.

So, here are some other cool facts that you need to know about Honolulu.  Even though we are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, this little island tends to make waves that are heard around our country, not to mention the world.

• America’s Entry into World War II was started right here.  Who can forget Pearl Harbor?
• The only Royal Palace in the United States, the Iolani Palace, is found here.  It’s really cool.  You should check it out.

Let’s fast-forward to modern times:

• NCAA Football – Are you a fan of college ball?  Well, local quarterbacks have been all the buzz as of late.
  • McKenzie Milton – the quarterback for UCF, blew out the Auburn Tigers in the Peach Bowl
  • Jordan Taamu – the quarterback for Ole Miss, is the starting QB and looks to be very promising
  • Tua Tagovailoa – the quarterback of Alabama.  I’m pretty sure he’ll be starting.  But who can forget his performance at the National Championships?
• NFL Football
  • Marcus Mariota – the quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, seems to have a promising future (if he gets the right coach).   There are a lot more players in the NFL from Hawaii, but he’s the most notable.
• President Barack Obama – I’m not a fan of his.  But he was born and raised here.  Next, to the Clintons, he’s the star of the Democrat party, make no mistake.
• VeriFone – Ever heard of it?  That’s the credit card swiping machine!  That was invented here.  I bet that guy is enjoying life.
• Cell Phone Wireless Data  – That tech as invented here at our University and was called “Alohanet”  Pretty insane, huh
• Countless Movies are still filmed here on Oahu, most recently, Jumanji and Jurassic World.
• The Rock – Went to school here.  His family also wrestled here.
• Bruno Mars – He’s from Waikiki.  He’s the next Michael Jackson, isn’t he?
• Nicole Kidman – was born in Honolulu… really?  Just googled that
• Jason Mamoa – Aquaman, born right here.  Talk about an alpha male.
• Bette Midler – from Hawaii.  Is she still popular?
• Tetris Owner, Henk Rogers, is here in Honolulu – does anyone stll play that?
• Pierre Omidyar founder of Ebay, lives in Honolulu – Isn’t he named after bottled water?
• Doug Chin – not a fan, but he’s the attorney general who put a stop to President Trump’s travel ban, which was completely out of his jurisdiction.  He was so busy doing that, he failed to recognize that our Honolulu Police Cheif was committing federal crimes, and stealing millions from his family to support a lavish lifestyle.
• Oh, our Police Chief and lead Prosector (his wife) – are extremely corrupt, idicted by the FBI, and are most likely headed to Federal Prison.   I think that’s a 1st in the nation!
• We are also recognized for the BIGGEST BONEHEADED PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES – The worker who thought a military exercise was a real nuclear missile threat and issued a false warning to residents and tourist that an ICBM was headed for Oahu.  For 20 minutes, over 1 million people thought they were going to roast.    It was uncovered that this wasn’t the first time this worker thought we were under attack.  There were two other times!  And why didn’t he get fired then?  Well….who knows.   Yes, he’s America’s greatest idiot and he’s from Honolulu.

I can, of course, keep going down the list of what makes Oahu, notable.  But I think I’ve written enough.   Of course, all of this doesn’t matter.  What makes Oahu notable for most of my clients is that this is where they chose to start the second chapter in their life.   Yes, I’m talking about marriage!  And that’s what makes Hawaii special for them!

Talk to you all again soon :)

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Oh no, it’s another one of those frigging lists!   Don’t worry, there’s no click bait here or a gallery full of advertisements.  You’ve entered Steven’s Hawaii wedding-safe-space.   A nice place where there are unicorns and nothing but free-flowing information that will hopefully “un-confuse” you, when it comes to planning that big day in Hawaii.

So, onto the topic of Four essential ingredients to the Perfect Hawaii Wedding.  If you don’t have these four ingredients, sorry, you’re Shit Out of Luck or you didn’t book with me,  (Oh no!  I swore! Sue me)

1. THE RIGHT ATTITUDE –  A beach wedding isn’t for everyone.  If you or your significant other have a fig tree stuck up your ass, make mountains out of molehills, and have a habit of overreacting, I would pass on the idea of having a beach wedding.  You can plan for the perfect wedding, but mother nature may have something different in mind.  It can rain on your wedding day.  And other than running to another location that’s away from the rain, there really isn’t a plan C.   Then there’s the other God created circumstances that you can’t plan for.  Big Waves, Hurricanes, and the occasional endangered monk seal that decides to take a nap on the beach.   Add fake nuclear missile crisis to that list.Just the other day, I had a perfect couple, with the perfect attitude.   On their wedding day, it stormed; dogs, cats, and elephants.   There was no real safe outdoor venue to run to as the entire island was under a gigantic thundercloud.   The decision was made to have their wedding at their vacation rental.   After we did the ceremony on the porch, the rain subsided for just fifteen minutes and we were able to grab a handful of beach shots.   There were no blue skies, no sunset pics. So, I asked my clients if they would want a quick complimentary photoshoot on another day, where we could grab sunset shots.   They answered no.  The groom pointed out to me, with a huge grin on his face, “Steve, this is our story.   The rain, the running around.  It was a lot of fun.   Everything was perfect.   There’s no need for a shoot, I don’t want to tell a different story.”  This groom and his wife knew what was important.   Not the weather, not the wedding sunset photos, but the journey.
   
2. AN AWESOME WEDDING PLANNER – Let me tell ya, it’s hard to find a dependable wedding planner who knows their stuff.   If you find one (other than me), let me know.  I’ll hire them out.  So what are the characteristics of a great planner?
   1. They’re not lazy.  I’ve encountered way too many planners who take forever to return phone calls and emails.
   2. They are looking out for their clients, not themselves.  If you’re wondering why the majority of wedding planners do their weddings at Waialae Beach Park, it’s because it’s convenient for them.  It’s not the best location on Oahu.
   3. They are honest about their pricing.   Too many wedding companies pad their wedding packages with cheap stuff then mark it up through the roof.  Hey, I’m all for making a profit, but have at least some value to it, right?  By the way, if you’re booking with a hotel wedding planner, don’t think they have to be honest either.   I know a person who got married at a very popular hotel and they were charged $7 per “slicing” of prime rib.   Not per slice…per “slicing…” the action.  They were charged for the prime rib roast, then every time the carver sliced a prime rib for their guest, it was $7.   Total charge, just for slicing came out to $1200!   What the hell right?   Tack on that charge and an open bar tab, slicing charges for their cake, their bill was much more than what was promised.  Oh yeah, they were charged for the set up of the chairs and the transportation of them, even though they were on the hotel grounds.   That’s freaking bullshit.
   4. They know much more than just wedding planning.   To me, wedding planning is very easy.  It’s just glorified order taking.  You want this, I’ll get you that.  But the real art to wedding planning comes when things don’t go according to plan.   Say it rains on the North Shore, what does that planner do?   How do they react?   What happens if the brides dress rips.  What happens if she falls into the mud?   What happens if the groom gets lost?   When I’ve worked as a photographer at weddings I’ve seen planner just crumble under the pressure of chaos.  I’ve seen them panic, cry.  One gal just upped and left.   Hate to toot my own horn, but this where I really separate myself from the competition.  When the shit hits the fan, operating and presenting realistic plans helps.  I’m like the Macgyver of wedding planners!   
3. THE IDEAL LOCATION – The right location for your beach wedding is like finding a good location for a business.  It’s all about the location.  If you have a big wedding party, you need a beach that has a lot of parking.  If you are wearing your hair down, you need a location that isn’t windy.  If you’re looking for a sunset, you need to be on shore that faces the west.    If you’re looking a sunrise wedding, you need to be on a shore facing the east.  Maybe it’s all about convenience for you, and need a location near your vacation rental.     What’s strange is that I find so many wedding companies that only offer locations that convenient for them, not you.   Try asking them if they can do a wedding on the North Shore.  Most would pass.   They want you to get married in town, at a park, that’s very ugly, so they can pound out conveyor style weddings.  Did you travel halfway across the world to get married on a crappy beach behind a condo?  I don’t think so.
4. GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR VIDEOGRAPHER – You’ve traveled halfway around the earth to tie the knot, you better get some damn good photos to make everyone jealous!   That’s what half-jokingly say.  But the truth of it is that great photos are what you’ll have to remember this special day.  Shooting at the beach isn’t too hard (I think), but for some reason, not many people do it right.   They look cheesy.   Book a great photographer to get you those nice shots.  And if you want to document your wedding ceremony, which is great if you have a reception back at home or family who can’t make it, then booking a videographer is also ideal.  Oh, let’s not forget.  BOOK A GREAT HAIR AND MAKE-UP ARTIST.  Hair and Make-Up is basically everythign when it comes to getting great photos and video.By rule of thumb, photography tends to glamorize everything.  A video, on the other hand, tends to document everything.   Technically, you can glamourize video production and make it more cinematic, but when you do that, it tends to be more artificial than real.  It’s like watching a football game.   When you see an NFL game in the movies, it’s glamorized, and you have no idea what’s going on.   But when it’s on TV, you know exactly what’s happening.    As a last note on this topic.  You want to make sure the photographer and videographer that show up at your wedding, is the person you want.  Not some college graduate, not some friend of the photographer who just got a camera at Costco.  I know a dude who runs a video company, charges an arm and a leg for his video services.   He doesn’t show up at his weddings, but these guys he hired out on craigslist do.    I know of a gal who just shows her face at weddings, then gets people she doesn’t know to shoot her weddings for her.    Crazy huh?  This industry is filled with characters.

So, by now you’re probably pulling out your hair and thinking about backing out of the idea of having a Hawaii wedding.  Hey, if you can’t get pass step-one and see yourself turning into a bridezilla or groomzilla, by all means, back out.  But if you’re cool, then definitely take that leap forward and look into Hawaii.   Hawaii’s a magical place.  You’ll love it here.  It’s a great place to start the next chapter in your life.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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I’m a recent fan of “The Bachelor” franchise.   A good friend of mine got me interested in it and I’ve been tuning in for the last few years.    I actually have some loose ties to “The Bachelor” franchise as I had the opportunity to photograph one of the Bachelors years ago.   Cool dude, forgot his name – haha.  Actually I know who he is but it’s a secret.  But he’s very cool.  They are just regular guys.  He paid me a really nice compliment too.  He said the photoshoot with me was one of the best he’s been on.   And he shot with a lot of big name people!

Anyway, if you’re not a fan of the show, let me clue you in on what happens.   A very eligible bachelor or bachelorette gets a chance to find love by dating a plethora of good looking smart contestants.  The process takes around two months and The Bachelor/Bachelorette is expected, not forced, to propose to the woman/man he or she falls in love with.   The world of The Bachelor only exists in reality TV.  Afterall, what type of person would be okay with being in an open relationship with 20 plus other people?  And what type of individual would be okay with being proposed to a few weeks after their dream lover sleeps with two other contestants?   It truly takes a special person who can compartmentalize relationships and operate without any jealousy.   But of course, jealousy, personal agendas, all come to fruition and that’s where ABC gets their drama.  And oh boy, is their drama.

This year, Arie Luyendyk, went into The Bachelor with an open heart and tried his best to find love.   He opened his heart to almost every contestant, compartmentalizing each relationship as though they were individually unique.  His open heart left him with a major dilemma because in the end, he truly fell in love with three women.  It was so bad, even his parents couldn’t help him make a choice.  They, his parents and family, loved both of the women they met.

In the end, he chose one woman and proposed to her.   But after the cameras turned off, and TV reality shut down, he realized he made a mistake, broke off the engagement and chased after the runner-up.

America overreacted, predictably.   The women contestants wrongly labeled Arie as a manipulator and Lauren B, as a victim.   Crazy talk in my opinion.   Currently, there’s still a lot of hate for Arie for backing out of the relationship.  All unjustified.

It just shows us how silly a large portion of our population is.

But what does “Bachelor Nation” want?   For Arie to get married to a woman he doesn’t love?  As fans of the show, we all want the best for Arie.   And if his story took a turn that was more dramatic, then just let it be.   What’s with all the hate and death threats.   It’s not your life…seessh.

Being a wedding planner, I’ve seen a lot of broken engagements.  And the hardest broken engagements happen during the wedding planning process.  I talk to many women and men, who are so excited about getting married.   Then out of the blue, their wedding is off.   But the worst broken engagements happen on the day of their wedding.   I have stories to tell you about brides leaving their groom at the altar or grooms getting cold feet.   It’s horrible, it’s embarrassing.  It’s not a nice sight.

Arie broke off his engagement a month and a half after the show ended.  In real life, that’s not that bad.  That’s actually very good.  If a man or a woman can’t see a future with the person they are with, why drag it on a day further?  Repeat, what Arie did was very good.   Yeah, watching that breakup on TV was brutal.  But what breakup isn’t brutal?   It’s a lot less embarrassing than getting left at the altar.  Let me tell you that.

What many of the angry fans of “Bachelor Nation” don’t understand is the process of the Bachelor or Bachelorette is surreal.  Even with good relationships, engagements don’t come after 2 months of meeting a person, and a just a few dates (some with other people).   Most of my clients live together for years, buy a house, have kids and then decide to get married.  The Bachelor franchise screws with everyone who takes part in it, including the audience.

I truly wish the best for Arie and Lauren.  They’ll be in my prayers for some time.  And hey, if they ever choose to elope or maybe just get some photos in Hawaii, I hope they choose Dream Weddings Hawaii!  But you wouldn’t know if I married them or took pics of them or not.  As with all my celebrity couples who used my services, my lips are shut.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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“What happens on the day of  our wedding, Steve!”  It’s one of of themost common questions I get asked.  Well, here’s a quick rundown.  But before I we skip to your wedding day, let’s back up and talk about what you need to do BEFORE you tie the knot.

There are three basic things you need to worry about when arriving in Hawaii for your wedding:

1. GETTING YOUR MARRIAGE LICENSE – If you want your wedding to be legal, this is a must.  It’s extremely easy to get your marriage license.  If you don’t know how to get it, click here
2. GET IN CONTACT WITH ME – We’ll be in contact before you depart for Hawaii.  But when you touch down, it’s good that you get a hold of me just to let me know you made it here in one piece, with all of your luggage.  Sometimes luggage gets lost (rarely, though.)  Sometimes there are flight delays for you or your relatives.   This could affect your wedding date.  And if need be, we can definitely figure out how to hit any curve balls thrown our way.
3. GET YOURSELF ON-TIME TO THE WEDDING LOCATION – If you hired our limo service, you just need to find our limo, which will be very easy.  Just look for the limo driver with your name on the sign!   If you’re driving yourself, like most of my couples, just get to the destination on time.   Before your wedding, I’ll send you VERY EASY directions on how to get there.   With GPS on every smartphone these days, navigating should be easy, right?

NOW ONTO YOUR WEDDING DAY!

FOR ME:  3 HOURS BEFORE YOUR WEDDING

I usually arrive at the wedding location a couple of hours before the start time.   I like to kick up my feet and relax before a wedding, answer emails on my laptop, watch an episode of Futurama, and maybe even catch a few zzzz’s!

FOR YOU:  4 HOURS BEFORE YOUR WEDDING

Around this time, you’re usually getting your hair and makeup done and your future husband is getting dressed.  You should be out of the door around 2 hours before your wedding.  You’ll want to leave early because traffic can be a horrible.  If you have guests with you, you may want to leave even earlier.  Shiny objects tend to distract guest.

Make sure to bring your:

• rings
• marriage license!  If you didn’t get your marriage license, click here to learn how to get it.
• your fiance!  I never thought I’d had to say that, but don’t forget him at the hotel.  That happened once!
• You don’t have to bring leis, flowers, hakus, or anything.  I’ll have that with me at the location.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE WEDDING LOCATION

The wheels immediately go in motion!  I will be the first thing you see when you hop out that door, hopefully in a good mood!  Navigating to these beaches are very easy, especially with the GPS on every cell phone.  You should not get lost.

• If you arrive early – we can start taking pictures before the ceremony.
• If you arrive on-time – we will start the ceremony, pictures, as soon as we get settled on the beach.
• If you want to do a first look – don’t worry, I have ways to work that in as well!
• If you arrive late – don’t worry either, but we can adjust the timeline to make sure you get married and get great photos.

AND THE REST IS EASY!

• Once the wedding is rolling, it’s really simple from there.   Just listen to me and the minister, and we’ll handle everything.  We’ve done over 6000 weddings, so this stuff really is like clockwork for us.  Customizing ceremonies can be done on the spot.  Coordination of precessions can be done minutes before the ceremony (there’s no need for rehearsals)
• Photos are really easy too!   I have a plethora of poses to use on you two, and if you have any ideas, let me know.   The trick to getting good photos is to just let go and relax.  And laugh.   That helps.   After an hour or two, we’ll be done with your photos and you’re on your way to dinner.

MY WORK JUST BEGINS

• After your wedding, I will immediately start working on your photos and video.   Sometimes I can get them done pretty quick, sometimes it takes a bit.   It really depends on how oily you photograph, haha.   Sometimes I need to do quite a bit of touching up!  Wanna know what the editing process looks like?   Click here
• As soon as I’m done, you’ll get your goodies!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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I guess you’ve heard in the news we have an active volcano in Hawaii and residents are running for their lives!  Well, that’s partially true, but most of it is just sensationalism brought to you by the mainstream media.

The raw full truth is that an active rift zone opened up in a high-risk volcanic zone, Lava Zone One, on The Big Island.  Around the 1990’s, developers were allowed to sell inexpensive properties in active volcanic sites, and residents from all over the world began building their lives there.   The new buyers were well aware that they were building on land that could erupt one day, but they truly never expected it would happen in their lifetime.  As luck would have it, a rift zone opened up in their backyard, literally.   Consequently, there were people who had to pack up and run for their lives at a moments notice.   There’s a huge government failure that is not being reported.  One, that residents were allowed to build their lives on an active volcanic side.  Two, why a residential area was built so close to a geothermal plant.  Lastly, three, if taxpayer dollars will be given to residents to rebuild back on an active lava zone (I hope not).

No one has died.  I believe around 37 homes have been destroyed.   The lava is not as much of a threat as the sulfur-dioxide that has reached toxic levels in that area.

The rest of the islands are 100% safe.   The only effects that we are getting from the volcano here on Oahu are slightly smoggy looking days and awesome blood-red sunsets!

99% of the Big Island is safe to travel too.

There is absolutely no danger to travel to the State of Hawaii.  That is, unless you want to jump hot a pit of lava.  And doing that would take some extreme effort because there are police barriers to cross.

What’s the moral of this blog?

That if you’re planning to vacation in Hawaii or to get married in Hawaii, you don’t have to fear the volcano.   If the Volcano National Park is closed, I wouldn’t think about island hopping to the Big Island.  But if it’s open, I’d definitely recommend hopping over to see Mother Nature at its most awesome.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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On The North Shore of Oahu

Your wedding in Hawaii is booked and you’re ready to hop on that jetliner, dig your toes in the sand, and say your “I do’s.”

You’re probably wondering, “What should I bring?”

Here’s my two cents:

1. AN EXTRA “EMPTY” SUITCASE – There’s a lot of stuff to buy in Hawaii for yourself, family, and a few select friends (who are worthy).   There’s Kona Coffee, chocolates, Aloha Shirts, Swim Trunks, Bikinis, jams, cookies, recipe books, just to name a few items off the top of my head.   And an empty suitcase is what you’ll need to haul all your goodies back home.  Men beware!  If your woman loves to shop, she’s going to be in heaven here!  Everywhere your girl turns, there’s an opportunity for you to go bankrupt!  To my brides who have poofy wedding dresses, the extra suitcase can be dedicated to the safe transport of your wedding attire.  Then, on the way back, your poofy wedding dress can double as packing material to protect any fragile souvenirs you may have collected during your stay.
2. GOOD PAIR OF WALKING SHOES – You’re going to do a lot of walking in Hawaii and if you don’t have a good pair of walking shoes with you, you’re gonna get a few blisters.  And trust me when I say this, a few popped blisters will spoil your trip. If you plan on doing any hiking, make sure to bring shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty.  And if you do any hiking, you may want to bring an extra backpack and water bottles.
3. GOOD HAT, PAIR OF SHADES – The weather is beautiful here all year round, and more than likely, you’ll probably end up spending close most of your day, out in the sun, during prime baking hours.  That’s between 10 am to 2 pm.    Make sure to smack on some good sunscreen, highest SPF. Don’t worry you’ll still get a tan.   A good hat and a pair of shades go a long ways too.  Do not get sunburned here!
4. EXTRA BATTERIES – Do I need to remind you to bring RECHARGEABLE batteries? Well, I’m doing that right now.  Bring extra batteries for your cell phone, camera, laptop, any item you have.   All those pics and selfies you’re going to take in Hawaii is going to drain your batteries – fast.  Along with extra batteries, you may want to bring a cigarette lighter USB charger.
5. GOOD UNDERWEAR – You’re probably scratching your head on this one.   I’m not talking about sexy lingerie.   I’m talking about good underwear.   You’re going to be doing a lot of walking and the last thing you want is underwear that isn’t breathable.   If you don’t listen to me, you’re going to sweat – A LOT – in the nether regions.   I cannot tell you how often I see tourists with butt sweat that is so severe, it looks like they peed in their shorts.   Buy some good underwear – you can thank me later.

~ ONE LAST VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER ~

Don’t forget YOUR RINGS!  Don’t pack them in your carry on.  Wear them on the day of travel if possible.  It’s the safest way.  Do not pack them in your suitcase or carry on.

Wear them – wear them – wear them.

When you get to your hotel you can take them off and put them in the safe until your wedding day.    There are stories of TSA workers ripping off Ps4’s and clothes as they are “checked” for explosives.   I’ve actually heard of wedding rings that went missing.   Don’t be a statistic, listen to the wedding guy.

And that about wraps up this article.  Have anything to add?  Leave them in the comments below.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I'm self-employed, so I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Superbowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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The Big Island Got Slammed, Not Oahu

As I tap out this post, I can hear the rain pinging off of my tile roof here in Kaneohe.  I live on the Windward side of Oahu where it tends to rain almost every day, so I’m used to this.  But the rain falling tonight is not from the usual fronts that move in throughout the night, but the remnants of Hurricane Lane.

It’s been less than 24 hours since Hurricane Lane was downgraded to a depression, and everyone in the State is exhaling a bit.   No one here panicked that much, to be honest.   I didn’t storm into Costco to get any supplies, didn’t sandbag my house, fill up my gas tank, or covered up my windows with plywood.   For some reason, most of the locals, like myself, had a feeling that once Hurricane Lane would hit those cold waters and wind shear, it would break up.  And that’s exactly what happened.

Some locals couldn’t pass up the surfing opportunity.

Here on Oahu, we only got a few showers.   For the Big Island and Maui, Hurricane Lane was no joke.

Did Hurricane Lane affect any ceremonies of mine?  Most definitely.

On the day Hurricane Lane was supposed to make landfall on Oahu, I had a surprise vow renewal.  Meteorologists were expecting the worst, so to be on the safe side, even though I disagreed, I moved the vow renewal three days forward to the 26th.    A client of mine who had their wedding planned for the 28th had a small concern that she wouldn’t be able to fly in on the weekend.  Flights to Hawaii are no longer canceled, so her ceremony is still on.   My last client of the month on the 30th, who is in the military, was scared that his unit would leave Oahu before his ceremony.  They did leave but allowed him to stay back.   So all-in-all, everything worked out.   While Hurricane Lane made its 6mph jog toward our islands, I was in constant contact with all of my affected couples; mapping out unique plans to make sure we could still accomplish their dream wedding.

I wish I could sit here and tell you that I have a plan for your wedding in the scenario when a hurricane scores a direct hit on Oahu.  But other than rescheduling, there’s nothing else we can do.  If a hurricane hits on your wedding day, you need to hunker down in your hotel and be VERY understanding about it.   If you can’t be understanding about that, then I honestly don’t want you as a client.  And yes, I’ve had some unreasonable clients, like a bride who wanted me to move the sun!  It would not be difficult for me to imagine a scenario where a bridezilla would demand that I move a hurricane.  So if you’re that unreasonable, you can take a hike straight to the nearest mental institution.

Direct hurricane strikes on Oahu is very rare, but that doesn’t mean a sideswipe won’t affect us.  High-Winds can blow roofs off and heavy rains can cause flash floods that are so severe, it would sweep your car into the ocean.   In many cases, the weather directly before and after a hurricane is really great.    Rest assured, that if Mother Nature has different plans for your wedding, I’ll devise up a plan that will make you safe and happy.  More than likely, we just have to move your wedding date either forward or backward.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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I’ve been getting a lot of wedding inquiries regarding all-inclusive Hawaii destination wedding packages.  These curious and potential customers are shopping for a package that includes everything.  A package that covers not only their wedding, but their air, hotel, food, rental car, entertainment, and here’s the kicker – unlimited drinks.  They are seeing these packages pop up on various websites to craigslist.

Does it sound too good to be true?  Yup.

Those packages are scams!   If you can get all of what I just mentioned for under $1000 per person, that’s pretty much a miracle, pretty much – impossible.  More so, if any company offers anything similar or close, it’s impossible.   If you see them, run.  Air prices rise and drop like bitcoin, restaurants prices around Oahu are never set or uniformed, alcohol is expensive; how can one company every offer to pay for everything?  It’s impossible.

Cruise ships can offer packages that offer everything because they control the entire economy when you’re out to sea.

With that being said, there are a lot of other scams out there that you need to be aware of.  Such as the wedding company that doesn’t show up, to the wedding company that doesn’t deliver on the quality that they advertise on the net (boy there’s a lot of them out there!)  The best way to swim through all the crap is by looking at a wedding company’s reviews and portfolio.   What you’re looking for is consistency.  Consistent good reviews, consistent good photos, consistent good videos, etc..etc..  If they are active on social media, that also helps.   That way you know they are alive and kicking.

Customer service is a biggie, of course.   Phone calls, emails, should be returned promptly.   If they are slow, there could be one or two reasons.  One, they are just busy.  Two, this is not their fulltime job.   Oh wait, one more reason.  They’re a scam.

Be careful out there!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Look at my round face!  Fat from all that BBQ!

Two weeks, five States, two college football games, BBQ ribs, and 17 pounds later – Now that’s a vacation!

I’m not sure when is the last time I took a vacation.  You know this probably better than I do, but a “trip slash vacation” that had absolutely NOTHING to do with business.  Every recent trip that I’ve taken, there was always some business reason to travel, some excuse to write it off.  Whether it was to do a wedding, check out an investment, or to attend some type of conference/expo.

For this trip, the only thing on my agenda was to watch my first SEC game and to get extremely fat eating BBQ ribs!  I had a blast.

No wonder people take vacations.  LIGHT BULB!

The idea for this vaycay started a few months ago when my father suggested we watch the Ole Miss – Bama SEC game because the two starting quarterbacks were from Hawaii.  Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Ta’amu were born and raised in the State of Hawaii and on our island of Oahu.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity because two Hawaii QB’s never faced off in an SEC football showdown; and in my opinion, both quarterbacks were NFL caliber.   So for the first time in my life, I blocked off two weeks in September and turned down weddings, to make this happen.   My deepest apologies to all my couples who wanted to hire me!

The crazy thing about this trip was that about two months before I left for my trip I received a wedding inquiry from a couple, Rick and Pat, who wanted to hire me.  To add icing on the cake, they were huge Eagle fans and lived in Memphis, the city where we would be staying in!  To add icing on top of the icing, Rick lived on Oahu during a portion of his life and loved it.  Of course, we had to meet up for dinner!  It was written in the stars.

From Right to Left: Rick, Patricia, My Dad, Mom, then me (the guy with the big head)  Outside the famous Rendezvous!

To sum up my entire trip, it was the blast.  I would have to say it was one of the best trips I’ve taken in my short life.   Without further delay, here are some highlights from my trip in bullet point format.  I thought it would be easier to read that way.

MEETING RICK AND PATRICIA

• Shortly before I arrived in Memphis, Rick and Patricia, tied the knot.  That, of course, meant plans of getting married in Hawaii were off.  But that didn’t mean plans of meeting new friends, especially Eagle fans who had Hawaii ties, were off.   We all met at the famous Rendevous BBQ for dinner then headed over to the Peabody for dessert.  Truly one of the highlights of my trip!

VISITING GRACELAND

• I’m not a big Elvis fan, but I do like his music and it seems I can’t get away from him.
  • When I was in my mid 20’s, my production company promoted a touring concert in Hawaii called the 3 Face of Elvis that featured the actual Jordanaires (his backup singers).
• That place is huge, way bigger than any Presidential library
  • Like a presidential library, they give you an audio tour when you walk through Elvis’ house.
• My parents and I paid for the $75 tour, but accidentally walked through the wrong stanchions and got the HUGE package tour instead – for free!  Talk about score!

BEALE STREET

• This is the home of Rock-N-Roll and it’s a lot smaller than I thought!
• The music there is awesome.
  • I’m not much into the Blues, so I don’t think I could appreciate it as much as I should have.  But the talent there is undeniably good.  There was a guy in Jerry Lewis’ Restaurant that could really play.  Holy cowabunga was he great.
• The food was not as good as the music
  • We went to a place called The Pig On Beale and the food was not that memorable at all.
  • I had a shake from a classic toy store called A. Schwab on Beale Street.   It was just like something I could have made at home.  I think McDonald’s makes better shakes.
  • There was an award-winning gumbo place called Kings Palace Cafe that was apparently supposed to be so good, they were banned from competing.  It was good.   But good enough to be banned from competing?   Really?

Above: This great woman invited us into her tent a few minutes after we stepped into the Grove
Below: Great Sorority gals who took the time to chat with us and to tell me how to get the lei to Jordan Ta’amu

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI – OLE MISS vs. ALABAMA GAME!

• The people in this little town are amazing. So far, they are the nicest people I’ve ever met on the planet.
  • Southern Hospitality is real
    • We were stopped in Wal-Mart and had a great conversation with an Ole Miss professor about life, football, and life in Oxford
    • We were invited into so many tents at “The Grove” it was unbelievable.   We were offered food, drinks.  The best part, meeting the Ole Miss fans.  They are the greatest
    • We actually got to meet a student who spent a short time living on Oahu.
• I brought a handful of Kukui Nut Leis and reserved one for Jordan Ta’amu and one for Tua Taivailoa.
  • I was able to give all my leis away to everyone I wanted, including Jordan Ta’amu.  Well everyone except Tua.
  • I only brought 5 leis with me.  I should have brought a 100.
• The game was a bust.  Ole Miss only scored one touchdown while Alabama ran up the scoreboard.  That really sucked.  That one TD play was a beautiful pass, though
  • I’m definitely now an Ole Miss fan!
• I cannot talk about the weather.  Holy smokes is it HUMID!  It’s way more humid than Hawaii.  Still, this is a town I wouldn’t mind moving too because it’s that great.

Lambert’s Cafe!  If you want a bun, put your hand up!

FOOD AND MORE FOOD

• Best place I ate on the trip was a place called Lambert’s.  Not only was the food awesome but the atmosphere was super fun.  They throw buns to you, have cool kids walking around to fill you up on side-orders.  It was just really cool.  If you haven’t gone, you should make it a point to take a roadtrip there.
• We had breakfast in Oxford at a place called Big Bad Breakfast.  The wait is long, but it’s worth it!  The food is awesome
• Memphis BBQ – I went to all the popular places: Rendevous, Central BBQ, etc..etc..  Memphis BBQ is a bit tangy and most was average at best.  The best Memphis BBQ was at the airport at a place called Jim Neely’s Interstate BBQ  They have their original location at the link I provided.  They are really good.
• Elvis’ famous Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich – It’s okay but awesome?   I don’t see how it was one of Elvis’ favorite snacks

Friends in Cali.  From left to right: Erika, Andrew, Beto, and me.

My longtime friend Chad and his girlfriend.   When I lived in California, he was one of the few true friends I had.
When he vacationed here in Hawaii he helped me with a handful of weddings.

FINAL NOTES

• After spending a week in the south I headed over to California to catch up with family and friends.  I didn’t really visit any tourist sites, just spent time catching up.
  • My dad and I did go to a USC game!  That was awesome.   My cousin Brenton and his wife, Sarah are one of the most generous personalities I know.  He belongs in the South, maybe Oxford, not California!
  • I biked in California as well!  The bike paths there are incredible
  • My friend Chad looks like Jesus now (check out the pictures below)
  • Beto was a kid who lived next door when I was a struggling writer in Cali.  He’s now an awesome grown man.
  • Erica, Beto’s younger sister, was just a baby.  She’s now a young woman who serves in the military who is on her way.
  • I wish I had a long time to spend there.  I just couldn’t fit everyone in.  Sorry to those who I couldn’t meet.
• Yes, I did gain 17 pounds!  Anything that didn’t move I ate!  I’m currently working it all off!  You can see my face getting rounder and rounder! haha.
• I love vacationing!  No wonder people do it!  Can’t wait for my next one!   I love doing absolutely nothing!
• It’s good to be back home.  After vacationing everywhere, I can see why people love to live on Oahu.   Even though we live on an island, there are so many things to do here, compared to other cities.  It’s not as though you can’t do a lot of things on the mainland.  It’s just that here on Oahu you don’t have to drive hours to do something unique.  I love the mainland, but you need to do a lot of driving.   Plus, our weather is great.  The humidity in the south can be killers!

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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I am anti-debt, and I think you are too.  I know what you’re probably thinking.  Steven doesn’t know about debt.   Well….that’s wrong.  Back in my mid-twenties, I had so much debt racked up from investments gone bad, horrible business partnerships, and flat out stupid decisions, I had to file for bankruptcy to start all over.   If this topic scares you, that’s a good thing.  Debt is serious.  It “should” terrify you because it can weigh you down, control your happiness, affect future plans, and possibly even ruin relationships.

The reason why I’m bringing this topic to the forefront is because the vast majority of my younger clients are draped in college debt.

If you don’t know anything about college debt, I’ll give you a brief overview.  On average, statistically, students will graduate $37,000 in the hole.  The real figure is much higher.  Their interest rates are horribly high and compounded in most cases.  It doesn’t stop there.  Some student loans compound and accumulate interest while they were still in school.   That means a 20k loan may be 30k when they graduate!   After graduation, many are then pressured to defer their loans, by their lenders, because their job didn’t pay them enough.  THAT’S A SCAM! Five years later, the amount they owed sometimes doubled or even tripled!   So, that 20k that they originally borrowed is now close to 100k.  Can they start over like how I did?  They can’t!  Student loans are not forgivable through bankruptcy.   Even scarier, these student loans can follow their next of kin – yes, after the borrower has passed.

That’s some heavy weight on our next generation.

So what does a couple who’s draped in student loans do when it comes to marriage?

1. DON’T GO MORE INTO DEBT GETTING MARRIED 
   1. PERSONAL LOANS DISGUISED AS WEDDING LOANS – These are handed out by banks and advertised heavily.  Pass on the offer, even if you are pre-approved
   2. DO NOT REFINANCE YOUR HOME – Yes, the interest rates would be much lower, but debt is debt.   Don’t do it!
   3. DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARDS LIKE LOANS – It’s always best to pay off your credit cards in full or as soon as possible.  The interest on there is outrageous and it compounds.
2. THINK SMALL
   1. AVERAGE COST OF A BIG WEDDING is around $40,000.  Hey, that’s almost the same as a college loan!  Except for one big difference.  With a gala wedding, you would be spending 40k in a day, not over 4 or 5 years.  Also, with gala weddings, most of that bill comes down to the reception.  Yes, couples pay for everyone to eat.
   2. ELOPING OR A SMALL WEDDING can cost as little as $175.00 if you’re only booking the minister.   The Patriot Package from my company is only $612.50, around the same cost as monthly college debt payment for some.   That’s a big difference than 40k!
   3. YOU DON’T NEED TO COME TO HAWAII TO TIE THE KNOT – Whoa, are you surprised I said that?   Yup.  Now know you know I’m being real.  If you can’t afford the room, flight, and hotel, don’t come here.   Elope at home, do something small, focus on paying off that college debt because that will give you life long happiness.

Debt sucks but it doesn’t have to shackle you forever.  Don’t make your wedding become a ball and chain on your financial freedom.   If you save, live on the cheap, combine incomes, even live at home for a bit, that college debt can be wiped out real fast (we’re talking a couple of years versus twenty!)

Moral of the story?

If you can’t afford to come to Hawaii to get married – don’t do it.   Don’t call me.  Don’t email me.    Do something in your town, get married in a courthouse or get creative.  The idea is to get cheap.  You don’t need to spend money to be united with the one you love.  I think Adam and Eve did it for free.

Now, if you can afford it – then and only then, may you contact me.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Hey everyone!  Just a quick message to say Happy Thanksgiving!

As every year, as if it’s been a tradition, I am announcing that I have no discounts for my packages over this weekend.   And, just for the record, I never have any Groupon or specials – period.  My prices are pretty cheap already.   I’m a tiny company, can’t afford it – haha (especially with the cost of living in Hawaii being sky high!)

I found out something really strange, though.  Many popular retailers such as Lululemon, didn’t have any Black Friday specials, yet people were lining up outside their store this week.   Isn’t that funny?

Here’s something new I just learned:

TRAVEL DEAL TUESDAY

Apparently the day after Cyber Monday there are great travel deals to be found.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON THAT

And – tacos are still on sale on Tuesday.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Photographed at Magic Island during Sunset

DRESS TO IMPRESS…YOURSELF

Full disclosure – I’m a dude and have never worn a dress before in my life.  Not even on a dare.  Not even on Halloween.

Full disclosure – I don’t design dresses.  That just isn’t my thing.

Full disclosure – I have been a wedding photographer for over 20 years, with most of those years spent photographing and planning beach weddings, so there’s a pretty good chance I could generate a pretty good opinion.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY A WEDDING DRESS?

Technically, there is no such thing as a “right time” to start dress shopping when you are planning a beach wedding.  You technically just need to make sure you have a dress for your wedding and show up with something on, right?  I had a client jury-rigg a bikini with tule, to make into a “wedding dress” the night before she tied the knot.   If you’re wondering, the groom wore white speedos.   I’m not posting those photos, by the way.  My website is family-friendly.

With that all being said – Ideally, the minute you’ve decided to get married, you should start shopping for a wedding dress.  That means back at home before you leave to Hawaii.  If you’re ordering online, make sure you have time to tailor it to your size.

Make Sure it’s Not See-Thru!

You would think this is common sense, right?   I mean, who would design a dress that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.   You’d be surprised.   If possible, take your dress out in normal sunlight to make sure it’s not see through.  I would say about 10% of my brides showed up with dresses that revealed way too much and I ended up having to CGI out things to make their pics G-rated.

Consider The Weather

Hawaii’s humidity is at around 80% all year around, but it’s doesn’t feel that bad because we have cool tradewinds that break up the moisture.  It’s nothing like how the South or North East feels like during the summer.   With that being said, summer is still a lot warmer than other months.   So if you’re planning on getting married during the summer, and closer to noon, you may want to consider a dress doesn’t have layers of material, aka heavy.  It gets sweaty hot under the dress.

Front and Side Angles are Very Important

While the back of the dress is always great, sometimes I feel many brides focus too much time on energy on how the dress looks from the back.  The majority of the photos will be taken from the front and side.  Make sure your dress looks great from those angles too, not just the back.

Over at Ko’olina in the morning.

Make Sure Your Dress Is Comfortable to Sit In

You’re going to be doing a lot of sitting on your wedding day and not just for certain poses.  You’re going to sit in the limo.  For dinner, you’ll be sitting quite a bit.   And if you’re planning on eating some great food, you may want to make sure that dress isn’t too tight around the waist.  Also, you can always change into a more comfortable dress for dinner that’s a lot easier to sit in.

If You’re Plus Sized

Choosing a big ballgown dress does wonders when it comes to photography.  Yes, ironically, a ballgown tapered dress will make you look smaller.    If you are conscious about your arms, choose a dress with nice sleeves, maybe down to the elbow.   By the way, there are little non-CGI tricks to always make you look skinnier in the photos that I always use.

If You’ve Got the Legs, Flaunt it

I’m not talking about sporting a wedding dress that is cut way too short, but aleg slit helps when it comes to photos.   One of the biggest problems I face as a photographer is trying to make sure a wedding dress doesn’t look like a gigantic comforter, especially when we are doing sit-down poses.   Those slits help.  If you don’t have a slit, make sure your dress is light enough where we can hike it up just a little.

Apparently, I’m known for pictures like these, even though I shoot much more than just this pose – haha.

Make Sure You Can Move

You’ll be getting married on the beach and will be without your high heels, but you don’t need to taper your dress to fall perfectly when you’re barefoot.  Taper it to the height of your heels.  When you’re in the sand, it really doesn’t matter.   What matters more is that you can walk freely with one foot in front of the other, and you can possibly sit down.  Some of my past client’s dresses were so tight, it really limited us on what type of poses we could do.   Many were so tight that it was too dangerous to do walking in ocean pics (what I’m apparently known for, I had no idea).

Not Exactly Kahkis, but it does work!

How Grooms Should Dress

All the same rules I listed above also apply to men when it comes to weddings in Hawaii.  Dressing casually does the job.  Khakis with a light-colored long sleeve shirt that’s rolled up, does the job.  If he’s wearing white pants, make sure his pants are not see through.  I hate photoshopping out pockets and underwear lines.

Getting Your Dress to Hawaii

There really is no easy answer on how to do this.  The “poofier” your wedding dress is, the more likely you’ll have to dedicate a suitcase to it and pay the extra baggage fee.  Don’t pack anything else in there that can stain or ruin your dress.   The good news is that if you follow this route, your poofy dress can double as packing material to bring back fragile gifts you may buy in Hawaii.

If you’re wondering how you should get wrinkles out of your dress, the answer is that you’ll most likely need to do it yourself or ask the hotel if they can do it.  I think it’s best to pack a travel steamer that you can purchase through Amazon for around $20.   Unfortunately, we don’t have any company that can do it well in Hawaii.   We used too.  I’m not sure where that lady who did it went, but she suddenly disappeared.

Well, kids, that’s about all I’m writing about, regarding this topic.  I’m honestly fresh out of answers!  If I missed anything please let me know or comment below.

Remember, there are no rules when it comes to weddings as long as you have fun!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Just the two of us

TO GO BIG OR TO GO SMALL,
THAT IS THE QUESTION

According to “industry experts” the average wedding in 2018 was $33,391.  This figure, to me at least, is much higher.  I would say the average wedding couple will spend closer to $60,000 for a traditional wedding.   And to put everything into perspective, that’s $60,000 in four hours, where most of that money will go towards other people eating, and not towards something much more beneficial like a down payment on a house, a high yield mutual fund, a fancy car (Which I may add, even though the price of that car will go down after you dive it off the lot, at least you can own it for the next 10 years rather than 4 hours)

In my opinion, traditional weddings are expensive and huge debt traps.  Therefore, they should be avoided at all cost.

Why are traditional weddings so expensive?

• It’s the reception, mostly.   The fine dining food and alcohol bill.   Oh, and let’s not forget the overpriced cake, the decor, and the entertainment.
• Then you have the overpriced wedding photographers and videographers, whose quality is great, but their services are still overpriced.
  • I’ve seen couples spend $10,000 on these services!  I mean, come on.  Really?

Why are destination weddings cheaper than traditional weddings?

• Destination weddings are only cheaper if you don’t have a big reception.
  • if you have a big reception at your destination wedding, they are just as expensive.

Is a SMALL destination wedding is BETTER than a BIG traditional wedding?

• Hell yes!
• You don’t go into debt.
  • Let’s see.  You can spend $60,000 on a wedding or 1% of that amount to plan a small destination wedding
• If you elope, all the money for your wedding will be spent on yourselves.
  • I know it sounds selfish, but what the hell, it’s your day, right?
• You’ll have less stress.
  • I would say traditional weddings will put your stress level at a level 13 on a scale from 1 to 10.  I’m not lying about that.   And guys, it may turn your bride into a bridezilla (just a warning)
• Talking about planning.  If you keep your destination wedding small, you don’t have to plan much of anything.

Saw this piece of great advice today on the back of a magazine.  Yeah, why don’t you put a second mortgage on that house to plan a big party (aka wedding).   Have fun for four hours and spend the next x amount of years in debt.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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I’ve been in the wedding industry for over twenty years, and have planned, photographed, and also been a part of all types of weddings throughout the United States.  And I can say without a doubt, tying the knot on the beaches in Hawaii, from my observation, is probably the most romantic.   Screw the hotels, the golf courses, or resort weddings – none of it compares to exchanging vows on the beach, with your toes buried in the sand.   If you do it right it can be inexpensive and romantic.  And then, if you do it wrong – well I’ll keep you in my prayers.

Here are my five tips so to having the perfect beach wedding in Hawaii.

#1 REALIZE THAT YOUR WEDDING ISN’T GOING TO BE PERFECT

Isn’t that kinda strange?  To have the perfect wedding you have to realize it’s not going to be perfect?  Well, it’s 100% true.   Your perfect partner in life isn’t perfect, think about it that way.  You can try to plan for everything to go right on your wedding day, but for one reason or another, something may go wrong.  And it’s really not that big of a deal – unless you make it a big deal.

I have two true stories to share.

I had one couple (pictured above) who spent thousands of dollars on an outdoor beach wedding on the North Shore.  Like all my couples, they flew halfway around the world say their “I do’s” on the beach.  They were a bit nervous about the weather reports as a huge storm was scheduled to envelop the island from coast to coast.  We couldn’t move the dates because of their tight schedule so they decided to tie the knot rain or shine.

On their wedding day, it poured; cats, dogs, guinea pigs, lions, you name it.   Luckily, they had a vacation rental nearby and we performed their ceremony on the porch, overlooking the ocean. After the ceremony, we headed to the beach to take photos.

“It was perfect!”

As with all my couples had the bad luck of getting stormy weather on their wedding, I offered a free shoot on another day.  I feel really guilty when mother nature doesn’t cooperate.

To my surprise, they refused.

“It’s perfect Steve.   The rain, the wedding, we couldn’t ask for a more perfect day.  We had so much fun.  This is our story. I wouldn’t want it any other way,”  The groom told me after talking to his wife.

Wow.  What a perfect couple with the perfect attitude on an imperfect day.

Now onto the next couple, featuring Godzilla – uhm, I mean Bridezilla.

Bridezilla didn’t want to spend much money on her wedding and booked a vow renewal package to use for her wedding.  I had no problem with that as sometimes people are just on a budget.   A few days before her wedding she ordered a bouquet and also a limo.   Everything seemed to be flowing smoothly until the day before her wedding when for some reason, some idiot from the government decided to send out a text, warning everyone in Hawaii of an impending ballistic missile strike!

For about 45 minutes, all of Hawaii thought they were going to get nuked – except me.  I was fast asleep.

From what I learned, it was quite the site.  People were hiding their kids down sewers, tourists were charging down the sidewalks of Waikiki as though Godzilla was about to strike.  People were traumatized.

Since Bridezilla’s wedding was in the morning of the next day, I headed to the florist to pick up her bouquet the evening before.  Unfortunately, the florist’s supplier wasn’t working.   In fact, supermarkets were closed down, along with a lot of shops. Hawaii was pretty much a ghost town because everyone thought they were going to get nuked.  They just dropped everything and left.  And after the incident, they pretty much stayed home to comfort loved ones, it seemed.

I called up Bridezilla, to inform her that more than likely, that because of the circumstances, here bouquet was a no go.  She had no problem at all.   On another note, she had placed the order for her bouquet a few days before her wedding day, which in most cases, usually was too late.   My florist usually requires a three-week advance warning so they can fly in fresh flowers.  I had to beg my florist to put something together at the last minute.  They were going to try to string together a bouquet with what they had left over from other weddings, but there wasn’t anything to go around because the supplier had not dropped off any fresh flowers.

About ten minutes after I ended my call with the Bridezilla, she called back up to very strangely asked me if I had any drugs on me that she could have.   The nuke warning had rattled her and she was looking to calm down.  I told her I didn’t have any drugs because I don’t use drugs.  She then made a snide comment and told me that I was surprised because I looked like the type of guy who would use drugs or know a dealer.

The next morning, her wedding rolls around, and everything is great.   Pretty much everything goes off without any problems.  She’s a bit late to her limo, and she is a bit high maintenance, but other than that, we push through and make everything work.  She seems happy that she has no bouquet, everything ended on a good note.

So I thought.

A few days later, I receive a call from her demanding that I give her a full refund for not delivering the bouquet.

Full refund?

She got a refund for the bouquet, obviously – but she wanted a refund for the minister, photography, and limo service, because she felt “emotionally distressed.”   She even had the nerve to blame the nuke scare on my company.  Last I checked, my wedding company couldn’t issue ballistic warning threats to the State of Hawaii. When the Bridezilla didn’t get her refund, she went ballistic, swearing at me, insulting my company, my photography, my minister, and then threatened to ruin me by writing fake reviews on social media (which she did).   I countered by writing a review of her on my website.   Luckily, a lot of my former brides came to my defense (who she called my goons) and flooded Yelp and Facebook with good reviews to offset her bad reviews.   Her reviews were eventually deleted off of Facebook because she used a catfish profile (which was pretty old, haha).

If the Bridezilla would have just accepted the fact that a nuke scare was just part of her wedding story, this would not have been a nightmare for her.  But to make literally make a mountain out of a molehill.

The truth is, the odds are on your side that everything will flow smoothly on your wedding day.   But there’s a 1% chance that something will hit the fan.  You may run a bit late.  Your hair may not look exactly like the way you thought it would.  You may stutter through your vows.  You may even forget your groom at the hotel (that happened before!)  And if it does, just roll with it.  If you roll with it and have the right attitude, you’ll have an amazing story to tell – and it’ll still be PERFECT.

If you want everything to be perfect, you’re going to freak out and turn into an emotional wreck.

#2 LEARN TO LET GO

This is a big step if you are a control freak.   I would tell you right now, flat out, if you are a control freak, you should pass on the idea of a Hawaii Wedding.  Planning a destination wedding requires surrendering a lot of control over to strangers.  Even if you fly down here to meet your vendors, you’re still won’t have 100% control of everything.

If you’re a bride who is easy peasy, then saying your “I do’s” here is a definitely an option.

#3  MAKE SURE YOU CAN AFFORD IT

This is just my personal opinion, but you should not start the next chapter off by going into debt.   This applies especially to university graduates.   If you’re a recent graduate, you more than likely have a huge student loan that you need to pay off.   Throw in a mortgage and car payments, chances are that you’re probably up to your waist in bills.  You don’t need another weight dragging you down.

If you’re planning a Hawaii wedding, make sure you can pay for it, the travel, and the cost of being a tourist in Hawaii in one swoop.

If you can’t afford it, do something very affordable at home.  You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a gala wedding.  A college education can cost $30,000 or more for 4 years.   The average cost of a gala wedding is around $30,000, which you will burn through in 24 hours!  A Hawaii wedding can cost as little as $175.00, by the way.

#4  HIRE A TRUSTWORTHY AND GOOD WEDDING PLANNER

This is pretty obvious, right?

But what is a trustworthy wedding planner?

• Someone who has the brides interest first, not their own.  There are many planners who love to use their “preferred vendors” because they get a hefty commission from them.
• Someone who’s not from Nigeria asking you to wire tax-free money to them in Africa.

What is a good wedding planner?

• Someone who returns your messages promptly
• Someone whose quality is outstanding, not just by their own word, but by their Yelp reviews.
• Someone who is punctual.  If they say they are going to return your call in a few minutes, they better return it a few minutes, not a week from tomorrow.
• Someone who knows their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Be very aware of planners who think they can fill in the shoes for a vendor.  Most planners are not that talented at all.

Also, make sure when you do hire a wedding planner, make sure that they are actually based in Hawaii.

#5 KEEP YOUR GUEST COUNT LOW

Mo people – mo problems – also, mo money!

The reason why weddings are expensive is because the food bill that comes with the ceremony, is astronomical!  On average, wedding couples will spend $130 per guest.  Easy math here.  A hundred guest amounts to a $13,000 food bill, without tax.  Throw in a drunk buddy at an open hotel bar, that food tab comes to $17,000 pretty easily.

The reason why destination weddings are so cheap is because not everyone can afford to travel.

Less people mean less stress, and less drama.  If you want zero drama and stress – elope!  I’m not kidding about that.

So that concludes my five tips to planning the perfect hawaii wedding.  Have anything to add?  As always, comment below!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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“All I can say is wow, this bag is awesome!”

THE COMBAT TRAVEL BAG

Okay, so you’re probably wondering, “What the hell is a product review of a bag doing on this site? This is a wedding site!”

I hear you.

But hear me out.

Give me a chance to defend myself.

This has everything to do with your special day as this bag was purchased from a website that is dedicated to gifts for your groomsmen.  

The site is conveniently called Groovy Groomsmen Gifts and you can go to their site by clicking here.   Purchasing something small for the men in your wedding party has been a tradition that dates back farther than I can remember.   Twenty years ago when I started planning, I wish this website existed because too many brides spent too much time hunting for gifts.   You should be busy planning your wedding, not pseudo-Christmas-shopping, right?  GoovyGroomsmen.com is loaded with the perfect toys for grown men and makes gift shopping – easy.

The prices are fair. The quality of their products are outstanding, and as an added bonus, you can personalize every product, which is a must when it comes to gifts for the men.

Now onto this freaking cool bag.

The Combat Travel Bag by Groovy Groomsmen measures roughly 7 inches wide, 20 inches long, and 12 inches high.   It’s a narrow duffel bag which makes it the right size to function as weekend warrior suitcase, or as a reusable bag for shopping.  Personally, I have used it for my trips to the beach, grocery shopping, and some wedding photography gigs.  The bag is made with canvas, so it’s pretty much indestructible.   I have a lot of bags and this one, I must say, is just the right size for a lot of errands I run around town.  It can fit everything from small tripods, camera bags, and a gallon of milk.  I like it for the fact that it’s not too wide.   Wide bags are sometimes hard to store, hard to carry.

There are 2 large beach towels, 3 medium sized food containers, and a 20oz Yeti in here, with room for more.  I was still able to zip this shut with ease.

There’s a nice pocket in the front that fits my Spider-Man Wallet perfectly.   Other pockets are the perfect size for knives or pens

The zipper is industrial strength!  No weak-sauce here

You can attach any bag strap you want here.

I got my company initials on my bag.  Groovy Groomsmen allows up to 3 initials, which should be good enough for most 

I have to make one last comment about the construction of this bag.  It’s really good.  The stitching looks to be industrial strength.  I have gym bags that are not built this tough and some are already tearing at the seams after only six months of use.  What can I say?  I manhandle my bags.  If you think this bag is a cool gift for your groomsmen, click on this link and it’ll take you straight there.  It runs about $50, so it’s priced reasonably. I’m not getting any kickbacks per purchase, by the way.

If you don’t think this fits what you’re looking for, I suggest you check out their website at groovygroomsmengifts.com and browse their selection of products.   As a last note, before I finish up here, I want to mention that the customer service was outstanding.  I got my custom embroidered bag about a week after I ordered it.   And what I ordered was exactly as it was pictured.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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How can you go wrong with a Yeti?

I first heard of the Yeti vacuum-insulated cups a few years ago when they first started trending.  I have a handful of different versions of these tumblers in my cupboard, so I’m no virgin here when it comes to this technology.  If you never heard of a Yeti, here’s a quick rundown.  The Yeti utilizes double-wall vacuum insulation technology to keep drinks either hot or cold, for an absurd amount of time.   For example on how absurd that time is, I once left my ice water overnight and the next day, maybe 14 hours later, the ice was still there, in the water, in big chunks.   It does wonders for hot drinks as well.  So, if you like to keep your coffee hot, then you should definitely think about getting one.  The Yeti also doesn’t sweat, so you don’t have to worry about condensation dripping all over your desk.

The 20oz Yeti Tumbler from Bridesmaid Gifts Boutique isn’t a knockoff from China.  It comes with all the official Yeti tags. packaging, and even the warranty.  Although, if you do get your Yeti engraved, it does void the warranty.  I’ll be quite blunt, I’m not sure if I ever heard of a warranty on these cups being used, but I guess there’s always a first.

It’s a real Yeti, alright!  Even comes with an awesome sipping lid!  Let’s not forget the engraving!  

What separates this Yeti on Bridesmaidgiftsboutique.com from the others, is that it comes with engraving.   It’s not a sticker, it’s laser etched, and it’s well done.  I got a Yeti with my logo on it!  I washed this cup a few times in the dishwasher and nothing came off.    Click here if you want to check this product out.  If you’re wondering, I don’t get any commission for any sales.

A snapshot of Bridesmiad Gift Bouquet Site

If this 20oz Yeti Tumbler isn’t a good gift for your bridesmaids, then you’ll find a range of cool products on bridesmaidgiftsboutique.com.  It’s a real company, not a fraud like the ones that advertise on social media.  (Geez, do I have stories to tell you about my bad purchases on Facebook).   Their products are great, high quality, and the prices are very fair.   They ship pretty quickly too.   I got my Yeti about a week after I ordered it.  Packing was done very well, I have to say, better than Amazon.   By the way, every product here can be personalized, so each one of your bridesmaids can have something unique.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Runaway to Hawaii!  Not from your bride!

This is going to be a quick message!

I’m not going on vacation this summer.  I’ll be here.   So if you want to get married in Hawaii, on Oahu in particular, I can help you.

Last year, I traveled to parts of the mainland in early fall and I had no idea how humid it was!   Holy Cow!  I’m not sure how some of you people live in that type of humidity!   Missouri, Memphis, Oxford, my God, I was melting.   Here in Hawaii, we have high humidity, but our tradewinds really cool things down.   So that means, even though it may say it’s 85% humidity on the internet, it sure doesn’t feel like it.  Your 85% humidity is no joke!  It’s like walking in a cloud!  Here in Hawaii, it’s still nice and cool as long as the tradewinds are blowing, which is 99% of the time!

If you are getting married in Hawaii, I do still suggest a wedding that starts around 2 hours from sunset, and then ends with photography at sunset.  It’s cool, the pictures are better, and it’s cool… and it’s much cooler.  Oh did I mention it’s cooler?   Trust me on this, when you are wearing that wedding dress and it’s hot outside, it’s about 10 degrees hotter under your dress.

Travel may still be a bit expensive to get here.  So, if you want to get hitched in Hawaii during the summer, you better book fast. If not, there are the other times of the year.  If you want to book me just message me to make sure I’m on island.  I’m not sure if I’ll be traveling anywhere this year.   I may go down to Florida to check out some Star Wars stuff and watch Nick Foles play, still not sure.   But anyway, I’m just rambling now.

Okay peeps!  That’s the end of this post!

Here’s a quick gallery from one of my latest couples.   They are from Canada and crossed an ocean to get to warmer weather.

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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The economy must be really bumping because I’m seeing summer prices to Hawaii from California like I’ve never seen before!   $450 from LAX to HNL?  In the summer!  And to have that price still available in May?   That is freaking cheap!

I’m not sure if this price includes tax or not, but even with tax, it’s a steal!

Here’s what I pulled up from Orlando, Florida.  That’s still freaking cheap.   Mid $700’s?   Wow.  This is in the summer, July.  That’s pretty darn good.

From New York City to Honolulu, I’m pulling up prices under $700.   Wow.     From Texas to the 50th State, you’re getting down to $600.  Sorry Toronto, Canada flights to Hawaii in the summer are still expensive.

If you didn’t book your travel yet, it’s time to get moving!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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