Author Archives: Making Magic

~ Lesson Learned, No Panicking ~

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ 4 Comments

Monday February 27, 2012

Dear horrible lady that hates her job at the post office,

There are many things I can handle but you acting like it’s no big deal to “add” an ugly stamp on our wedding invitations isn’t one of them! Especially when YOU told me on Thursday that one stamp would be enough (that’s why I came in and got them weighted so we WOULDN’T have this problem). Now today when I drop them off it’s .65 cents….really? Well guess what …HELL NO I am not adding an ugly ass George Washington, teapot or clock stamp to my beautiful invitations. And NO I am not paying $40.00 for a pack of .65 cent DOG stamps because you can’t do your job… oh what’s that you want to roll your eyes at me? maybe you didn’t hear me? They are my WEDDING invitations… and if I even get ONE sent back with a big “return to sender” on the envelope you are going to be so sorry… ughhhhhhhhhhhh hold me back.

I better not see ONE of these stamps on my invites!

So…today wasn’t such a good day for wedding stuff, which totally stinks because Friday was so perfect.

We finally got our invites and we absolutely LOVE them. They are so perfect for us. We ordered them through wedding paper divas and working with them was so enjoyable. They were so professional, friendly, affordable and timely. They sent me 3 different proofs and each time in less than 24 hours. They also worked with CMYK to match our colors perfectly. Their attention to detail was impressive and once we approved the final product we go them (in Hawaii) in 24 hours (which if you live in Hawaii you know this is almost a miracle especially for an off island company). I was so excited to have them in my hands and I really couldn’t wait to start stuffing!

I had already got really cute return and address labels to spice up the envelopes but Colt really wanted to do something cool to close the backs. We decided to look into the wax stamps and of course we loved them. Since the whole kit with shipping online was almost $100.00 we decided to look locally instead. Maui is the red headed step child for these kinds of things (finding good wedding stuff has been so hard)! I really didn’t think we would be able to find them so instead of running around I text Anu. She works in town and drives right by the mall everyday so I asked her to run in and take a peek so we wouldn’t have to take a pointless ride. To my surprise she was able to find exactly what we were looking for! It was so exciting that we quickly planned a stuffing, wine and pizza party so we could get them done. She also surprised us with the most beautiful “S” stationary. I can’t wait to write her a thank you card with it! Anu really has been my god send during this whole wedding planning process, I am so very thankful to have her as a friend.

Thank you Anu

Since I already had the invites I decided that I better take them to the post office to be weighed. I didn’t want to deal with any postage issues and I wanted to get pretty wedding stamps (my mom had send us a package of 20 and I wanted to get the same ones). I went into the post office that Thursday and got them weighted. The lady at the desk informed me that they would only require one stamp and would be good to go (she also said they were a bit under weight). I asked her for a book of 30 wedding stamps but she informed me she did not have them. I asked if she had anything wedding friendly and she gave some that said “Love.” They were cute and I really liked the color and playfulness it added to the invites so I decided that would be fine and bought them.

Friday was finally here and it was time to stuff! We ordered pizza madness (our favorite) and busted out the wine. We had a great dinner, cleaned up and then started our “assembly” line. We had Anu front and center stuffing the envelopes, Eric putting the return stamps and address labels on the return cards, me doing the big front label with the family and friends address and stamps and Colt waxing and stamping the backs. Eventually Anu finished her duties and jumped in as the “stamper” to help Colt out. It was a true team effort and we got them done in about an hour. The final product was awesome and we couldn’t wait to get them out! On our way home Colt and I laughed about how relieved we were for the help. If we didn’t have them helping we would still probably be on invite number 10 and in the mist of world war III but instead we were happier than ever and popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate (it was 12:30a.m.) which meant it was officially 6 months until the BIG day. We took a cheer, colored more in the wedding meter and hit the sack.

Stuffing Pizza & Wine Party 2.24.12

Saturday morning I was up early and ready to get our beautiful invites in the mailbox. I couldn’t wait to get them out and have everyone start receiving them. I decided to send all the ones going to Maui and Oahu first since I didn’t want the ones going to the mainland to sit in the post office mailbox for two days and get wrecked. The rest would get sent on Monday.

Today I came into the post office on my lunch break, waited in a 15 minute line so I could mail the invites direct with the clerk (can you tell I really didn’t want them to get wrecked in the mailbox) as she took and weighed them she said the postage was fine. As she flipped the envelope over and saw the back she then changed her story and said there would be a .20 cent charge for “stamping” because now because of the wax they couldn’t run it through the machine. I not only didn’t like this answer but I really didn’t understand it so I asked what that meant. She bitchly told me that she was making me apply .20 cents to each invite because she didn’t want to take the time to hand stamp each one of them. I took a deep breath and asked what my “other” option was because adding a stamp wasn’t going to work. She rudely (rolling her eyes) told me if I wanted the invites to be sent that I would add the additional stamp. I told her that wasn’t happening took my box of invites turned around and walked out the door. Annoyance, anger, and yup all the sudden panic, I had already mailed out 8 invitations on Saturday morning, my stomach tightened they were getting returned……

I quickly picked up the phone and started texting Anu like a crazy lady. This wasn’t happening. I didn’t have time to wait for them to get returned, order new envelopes, labels, stamps, wax etc. Since Anu wasn’t home and couldn’t check the mail I quickly text my mum and sister. They would have got theirs today if they went through. My sister wasn’t home but my mom said she would go and check. I anxiously waited for her to text back. My stomach sunk again when the response was “ALL I got was bills want them…” I was so upset. Colt tried to cheer me up with his positive-ness about EVERYTHING and the “nothing we can do about it” attitude but that of course just pissed me off even more! The lady at the post office clearly messed up not me so why did we have to suffer for it? I went into bummer mode and tried to carry on with my work day.

At 6p.m. I packed up my work stuff and got in the car. As I took my phone out to call my mom and tell her all about my horrible day (yes I am 27 and still do this often) I noticed that I had a missed call and message from Jen. As I picked up the message I heard:

“I AM CORDIALLY INVITED THANK YOU VERY MUCH….”

My heart leaped from my chest, could it be true?!!? She got my invite!!!! I called her and immediately began to go through my shit show of a day as she told me that she did receive it! All that stressing, texting, bumming and flipping out for NOTHING! That lady at the post office clearly didn’t have a CLUE! They went through! HIP HIP HOORAY! Shortly after getting off the phone with Jen I got a text from Anu who also received the invite and later from my sister. I got home kissed Colt, got the rest of the invites and put them right in the mailbox, it was such a great feeling after such a crazy day!

So (drum roll please) I am officially officially announcing that INVTIES are OUT…it’s time to start pacing your mailboxes!

~ Another check off of the (dream) list…. ~

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ 1 Comment

Last night while laying on the couch snuggling with Colt he says:

Colt: Why do we love each other so much? I can’t believe we are getting married.

Me: Did you always know you were going to marry me?

Colt: No, I mean not like the first day but I did after we dated for a little while…why did you?

Me: Yup…

Colt: (surprised face) You did?

Me: Yup, I always knew I would marry you.

Colt: (just smiling).

And I did. I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t love Colt.

This weekend we spent most of our time planning and talking about all the “extra” things that we still have to do that can’t get done by Mary-Ann. Finalizing the photographer, finding the jars for welcome drinks and center pieces, all the extra arts and crafts, scheduling hair, makeup, picking out Colt’s ring, meeting with Tammy about the flower girls outfits and getting them ordered, ceremony songs, vows, wedding cake tasting, dress fittings, honeymoon planning, registries, wedding week activities, room block finalizations, the DJ…. oh how I love the DJ from next level entertainment. He was everything I pictured and more but he was also almost double what we budgeted which meant we probably couldn’t swing it. But since we really liked him we decided we should at least try to see if there was any room for negation so Colt left him a message on Saturday and waited to hear back. The weekend came and went and we didn’t hear back. Yesterday Colt got a text from Joe the DJ saying to call him tomorrow so they could talk, I of course had my fingers crossed.

the list that never ends

I woke up to my normal Tuesday morning: 4:45 alarm, gym session, dog walk, shower, run around like a mad woman for 30 minutes, grab breakfast (courtesy of my amazing man) love & thank him, kiss Kailea and run out the door. I got to work at 8a.m. and shortly after my phone rang and it was Colt. I thought he was calling because our rooms girl at the Grand (whom I have grown to dislike very much) was suppose to call him on Thursday with our reservation code so I could finalize our invites (that however wasn’t the case and I am indeed still waiting and it’s Tuesday evening). He instead told me that he had just talked to the DJ. By his tone I wasn’t impressed. I was thinking great he wouldn’t budge. He continued by saying that he went down a little (which in my head meant we still couldn’t afford him) so I quickly replied “how much $100.00 dollars?” Colt than said nope then paused and said he went down $600.00! I almost dropped the phone! I asked if he was joking because if so I wasn’t really in the mood. He said he had talked to Joe and explained the whole situation gave him our number and Joe agreed to do it for our budgeted amount which was a $600.00 discount from his quote he had previously sent! I couldn’t believe it, Colt did it and it was honestly the best Valentines gift any bride to be could possibly ask for!

Baby, I just wanna dance.

We are meeting with Mary-Ann this Saturday to do a cake tasting and sign our second deposit as well as finalize our food selections. I really want to do a rainbow cake but of course Colt thinks I’m crazy. Maybe we can do rainbow cupcakes or maybe I can talk my sister into doing those cone cakes that I love so much. Either way I know it will be delicious. We are 11 days out from the 6 month mark, can you even believe it?

 

~ I have found the one whom my soul loves ~

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

 

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Colors seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to the person you love. You think of them on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken but by opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and soul mate that will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life…..”

I can’t believe a love this beautiful truly exists, and I can’t believe how blessed I am to experience it. Every day I fall more in love and the gratitude because of that is unspeakable. It’s hard to believe that the best is yet to come.

We booked Las Vegas. We are so excited. I really hate to wish one second of this special time away but because we have so many exciting things to look forward to it makes it so hard to live in the NOW. However, I am reminding myself to slow down daily. Our wedding party and friends are amazing and we can’t believe how many of them were up for the weekend trip. It’s a trip that we know will go down in the books and to be honest I am a little scared because of that. Colt just keeps saying “it’s going to hurt” which makes me laugh uncontrollably. Every time any of the girls text me about it I just have a miniature freak out not only because we are going to Vegas but because we are going to Vegas to celebrate our bachelor and bachelorette. It doesn’t get more awesome than that (insert happy dance).

We haven’t really got a whole lot done this week because we have both been working 12 hour days. Leaving at 7am and getting home at 7pm. We also don’t get a day off together until next Saturday. I am going to try to order invitations this week and I can’t wait to get them out to all of you. Jen (Colt’s dad’s girlfriend) is actually buying our invitations for us as a present from her. It is such a helpful and thoughtful gift and we are so thankful.

We have the best family and friends in the world! The simplest of texts, phone calls, voicemails, or written message truly mean the world to us and keeps life beautiful. We feel so connected and we honestly can’t say thank you enough to all of you who continue to go above and beyond to make these months as special as possible for us. We can’t wait to celebrate, thank and hug each and every one of you, xo.

~ 2 months down, 7 months to go ~

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

(disclaimer)

When I started this blog it was mainly to keep our families, wedding party and friends updated on our road to the altar since we all live so far away. It was also so we could remember every detail and feeling in its purity as we went through it. It’s a place I can come back to and feel exactly how I did on the day that I wrote it. A place for Colt & I to go back to and laugh. It’s also something I can’t wait to someday show our children so they too can experience our journey in it’s entirety.

With that being said, I know that during this wedding process not everyone has agreed with Colt and I’s decisions. I also know that we have unintentionally hurt some people’s feelings. I recently found out that there are a lot more people reading this blog than I knew about and although we are extremely flattered some are not doing it for the right reasons.  So we are asking that if that is the case and you have nothing but negative and hurtful things to say then please stay off of our site. This is a place that is reserved for happiness, love, positive energy and the people that support that.

This blog is an outlet for us as we go through this amazing, fun and sometimes stressful process. We want to thank everyone that has supported us unconditionally and put our happiness above their own feelings on how things should or could be.

This is our day and it’s about us!

 

Unconditional love; zero expectations.

 

7 months and counting..check.

On January 25th I got an e-mail from the knot that was titled “7 months to go” and all of the sudden it was that sunken feeling in my stomach were I couldn’t find my breath and my heart was beating irregularly loud. How did this happen? Were we really only 7 months out? Breathe. Think. Breathe.

I can honestly say this was the first time in 2 months that getting married hit me like a ton of bricks. The feeling was almost unexplainable. It wasn’t panic or worry as much as it was holy freaking shit! we are getting married! and then out came the check list.

I thought we were light years behind but according to the knot at 7 months you should have the following:

Your bridesmaids dresses picked out

Your cake baker

Order Invitations

Choose a hairstyle

Well, well, well puffing out my chest and taking a nice long yoga breath. Looky who’s on track. My bridesmaid dresses have been picked out and the majority of my maids have already got fitted and ordered (and I know the others will be soon …right ladies? haha) Colt’s groomsman’s outfits are picked out and the pants and shoes have also already been ordered. Our wedding cake is part of our package at the Grand so all we have to do is send a picture to Maryann , do a tasting and then she will take care of the rest. We ordered invitations and are waiting on our samples to finalize the order (our goal is to have them in everyone hand’s by February 25th which will be exactly 6 months until the wedding ekkk) and I am still working on a hairstyle although I have a general idea.

check. check. check.

Bids.

In addition to all those check marks we also just recently got bid’s from two different DJ’s. One is the obvious choice but he is also much more expensive. His ideas and style gave me chicken skin and Colt made fun of me after the meeting for being such a dork. He said I totally “geeked out” and to be honest I did. But to my credit he was that good! He totally had me in the moment and suddenly I was at my wedding and I could see it all so clearly. I could see Colt, our guests, our families and I honestly just melted. We are going to talk more about all of our options tonight and I hope somehow we can figure out how to make it work in our budget.

 Viva Las Vegas.  

We are also deciding on our bachelor and bachelorette party. We really want to go to Vegas and we found some very reasonable tickets for the third weekend of May which would be the 18th to the 21st. We want to go on the same weekend but do our own thing. Girls and Guys at different hotels, doing different activities, going to different clubs etc., We also think it would be fun to have the opportunity to do a potential dinner and or pool day all together. We really want to spend some quality time with our bridal party before they get on island. We know once they get on island time is going to go by so fast with rehearsals, dinners and then the wedding. Vegas is where we always pictured our parties so it’s kind of hard to settle on anything else. I mean we are only getting married once and we really are the go big or go home kind of couple. Plus I can hear Kahunaville calling my name from here…or maybe that was just Ashley.

Party Bar = Our Favorite Bar

~ Weddingmares ~

28 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

attack of the weddingmares

It’s 5:30a.m. on a Saturday and I’m up. Not because I have anything to do but because I’ve just experienced my first weddingmare.  I’m actually frightened to go back to bed!  It’s amazing how your mind just doesn’t shut down. If I’ve thought about it, then I’m dreaming about it; things like forgetting to book my hair and make-up, Colt not ordering his ring, our wedding planner not answering her phone, the Mason jars for centerpieces and welcome drinks not getting ordered…oh the list goes on ….and on. In 8 hours of sleep I dreamt up every weddingmare I could think of, but the weird part is that I don’t feel stressed at all! Colt & I are really right on track. We are actually a little bit ahead of the game. We have also been doing a great job financially and we will be coloring again tonight!

Opertaion "I Do"

Colt has been nothing short of amazing. He has been so involved through this whole process so I know he would never let anything slip through the cracks even if I did miss a detail or forget to do something. We make such a great team which is why I’m so baffled about all those frightening dreams last night. My sister says they are totally normal and to laugh them off and that it’s just the minds way of keeping us on our toes. Melendy was also right there to remind me of all the unconditional love and support around me. I love that even at 5:30a.m. on a Saturday and hundreds even thousands of miles away they are both still right there for me.

Colt is already at work for the day so I guess I’ll go take the edge off with a nice long run to silently soothe and re-center the mind. Tomorrow is our day off together and we will be filling out our ceremony order, details and special requests for Maryann. We will also be deciding on what we want to do to finalize our room blocks at the Grand. I think we will also order our centerpiece jars and look for Colts ring (just to be safe)… and the list goes on and on!

Our his and her guides to staying on track from Kristen

~ The Gift of a Lifetime ~

12 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

Thursday January 12, 2012

I got one of the best surprises today. I opened up my facebook private messages and there sat a message from my friend Tiffany Price which said “Hey my gorgeous sis! I’m going to be in Maui on a work trip! I get in at 930p.m Friday night (tomorrow) my layover is 26hrs. It would be awesome to see you! Maybe a few drinks on Friday night or lunch the next day?? Hope you are free! Let me know xoxo”

(Background): Tiffany Price is one of my best friends of almost 10 years. I met her when I was newly 18 years old when I was a host at Chili’s in Waikiki. She was one of the senior servers and she always got scheduled section 7 (which in old Chili’s world that section was the shit) 6 tables, 3 two tops and 3 four tops. It was a turn and burn money making section and Tiffany loved to keep it full. Being a host (a young 18 year old host at that) I was naturally a little intimated by the servers since they could be very nasty. If you didn’t seat them in the right rotation, sat them the wrong kind of people, didn’t seat them enough, sat them too much and the list goes on. Tiffany however was always so nice, she would come up to me at the beginning of my host shift with her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and say “slam me.” As she would walk back up to her section her long ponytail would sway back and forth and it would always remind me of a beautiful unicorn. She would never complain about anything. I eventually looked forward to working with Tiffany and she quickly took me under her wing. She made sure the other servers weren’t mean to me and if they were she would stick up for me. She was one of my first friends on island and at Chili’s; we worked together for 4 years and during that time we became very close. So close that guests often thought we were sisters which of course we loved!

Tiffany & I 6 years ago in Oahu

Eventually after I graduated from HPU I moved off island and Tiffany also moved shortly after to take on a new opportunity as an airline attendant. We kept in touch and saw each other at one of our best friend Shauna’s wedding (which is probably some of the funniest memories I have of us). After Shauna’s wedding we kept in touch via facebook, text and through other friends but never got the opportunity to see each other. Needless to say when I got that inbox message and did the math I couldn’t believe that 4 years had passed since we were last together.

(Fast Forward): Tiffany in the past 4 years has been traveling the world (literally). She has been blessed with so many opportunities and trips as a flight attendant and it just so happened that on January 11th she got a call to make the trip to OGG, hence the unexpected above message. I couldn’t believe it and that night when I got home I excitedly reminded Colt all about Tiffany. I couldn’t wait for them to meet!

Friday was a busy day for all of us, Colt worked, Tiffany worked/flew for 12 hours and I worked 12 hours since I had an event. Finally after what seemed like forever Tiffany arrived to meet Colt, Eric and I in Lahaina at Moose’s at 11:15 p.m. Of course the second we saw each other it was as if we just got off a work shift at Chili’s 8 years ago. Time wasn’t an issue and we talked, laughed, drank and danced the night away.

4 years later and we never missed a beat.

The next day Tiffany and I spent our morning catching up. We talked about her career, my career, life, friends and my wedding. Since she had spent the night with us in Kihei we decided it would be a good idea to go take advantage of some pool time at the Hyatt where she actually had a room. We picked up Colt from a job he was on with his Dad and drove down to Lahaina. Since it was a Sunday and later in the afternoon we grabbed some chairs at the outside pool bar while we watched the Pats smack the Broncos (love that!) We were getting sad since our 26 hours were coming to an end so we decided to talk about our next adventure which was our wedding. Tiffany would be flying in and we could not wait for her to come back! As we talked she explained that it would be easy and as long as she got the time off she could fly in for free and stay a couple nights. We were so happy that we already had another planned visit. As we continued to talk Tiffany wanted to know more details about our wedding and honeymoon. We told her all about the Grand and how excited we were. We told her our dreams and plans of a honeymoon in Bora Bora or anywhere overseas since Colt got comp nights at any four seasons in the world. We also told her that at this rate with us getting married at the Grand we would probably have to go somewhere closer to Maui since we were slightly over budget on our wedding and tickets to Bora Bora or anywhere out of Hawaii were close to $2,000 a piece. Without even as much as a blink of an eye Tiffany calmly says “Oh, I will give you buddy passes to anywhere in the world, where do you want to go?”

Wait, What…Wake Up!

I thought I might have had a little mini dream or maybe a temporary moment of insanity. Colt and I just looked at each other, looked at Tiffany and started laughing. Once I came back to reality I asked her if she was serious and with no hesitation she said she would be happy to do it and research it for us to make it happen. All she needed was a destination. I seriously felt the tears coming how could we even begin to thank her.

Colt and I talked all the way home, where would we go, what would we do and how could we ever thank her enough. We had just recently learned of a Four Seasons in Thailand that only has 15 luxury tented camps and Four Seasons employees can only request them if they are on their honeymoon. To make matters even better you get to tame and ride your own elephant while you are there. I couldn’t think of a better once and a life time opportunity especially on our honeymoon! We haven’t made a final decision yet but we are just out of our minds that we were even given such an amazing gift and opportunity. We truly have some of the best friends this world has to offer and Tiffany is living proof of that. We love you Unicorn ~

The Golden Triangle

~ Officially, Official ~

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

Rewind:

Colt and I live a very fast pace life style. We work hard to play hard so that means that our Monday – Saturday schedules are usually jammed packed with 50+ hour work weeks, work outs, errands, meetings, appointments etc., so it’s no surprise that Sunday mornings are Colt and I’s special time. It’s usually the only guaranteed day we get off together so we always try to enjoy it to the fullest. Whether it’s waking up early and watching football, packing up and going to the beach, laying lazy in bed all day, going on an island adventure, hanging out with friends and family or just enjoying each other’s company it’s always a great time.

Playtime with my best friend.

Sunday January 8th

With that being said Sunday is also the only day we can both physically be together in the same place during normal business hours. So the fact that this Sunday we were meeting with  MaryAnn in the lobby at 9a.m. to sign our contract and paperwork was becoming the “norm.” (We are really so lucky that she has been so flexible and is always willing to work around our schedules).

She greeted us at 9a.m. on the dot with her always confident and beautiful smile. Her energy was high as usual but today she was particularly excited. She quickly motioned for us to hurry up and told us she couldn’t wait for us to see the ballroom. Hustling through the grand she talked and laughed the whole time about how excited she was that we were able to work out such  a great space and how much we were going to love it. She took us on the path our guests would use and pointed out the bathrooms, private areas and smoking sections that they would be able to utilize. As we rounded the corner to the ballroom we came up to a banquet table set up and beautifully draped with linen with breakfast and refreshments waiting for us. She was always going above and beyond and making us feel special. We thanked her and then walked over to the ballroom which sits directly behind the outdoor space. The ballroom was beautiful and offered high ceilings with constant flow. She visualized the set up and of course it was perfect.

As we moved back to the outside area we sat down and began to eat while she talked about some new ideas she had. She had been thinking and she knew the only thing that wasn’t sitting right with me was the indoor / indoor space so she created a new space and we were sitting in it! Right outside the ballroom doors where that beautiful breakfast table was set up was actually a mock set up for us to see where we would be hosting our dinner. I could hardly believe my eyes it couldn’t have been more perfect! A chapel ceremony, followed by an outdoor cocktail party / dinner and a ballroom reception!

Dreams really do come true.

All the pieces were fitting perfectly as we nervously and excitedly signed the dotted line and agreed to our fairytale dream wedding.

Signing our contract for our fairytale dream wedding on 8.25.12

~ Fairy Tale Dream Wedding in Progress ~

30 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

In 2008 I began traveling to Maui and fell in love. (Sorry baby) but no it wasn’t with Colt. The love affair was with the Grand Wailea. I fell in love at first site inspection. It was everything I needed in my life and more, the most amazing spa I have ever seen and smelt, views that blew my mind, a breathtaking seaside chapel, pools with endless slides, a rope swing, the world’s only water elevator, hot tub after hot tub and the most beautiful swim up grotto bar with the funniest bartender in the world Rickie Ricardo. It was Disneyland for adults but better. It was the happiest place on Maui and every time you checked out it left you longing for more and wondering when your next date would be. I’ve had the pleasure of staying at the Grand Wailea with some of the best people I know including Colt (several times) my sister, Kristen, Margaret, Eric, Ashleigh & Ashley. I can honestly say some of my fondest memories with these amazing people are the times we spent at the Grand.

one of my first visits to the Grand Wailea

Did I mention…I love the Grand?

I can’t tell you how many times I have stayed at the Grand Wailea and dreamt of my wedding.  I have sat in the chapel while mediating and visualizing and would instantly be covered in goosebumps because the amount of spiritual energy in that chapel is out of this world. I remember just recently when one of my best friends Margaret was here visiting we were walking down the beach path and I looked her dead in the eyes and told her “we are going to get married here one day”. As she giggled, I knew she knew I was right.

Bad business:

As Colt and I began to look at places to get married it wasn’t a huge surprise that the Grand Wailea was at the top of our list and even though I knew in my heart it was “the place” to be fair and realistic I had called several different wedding planners, site locations and hotels. Not even a week into dealing with other companies I can honestly say I was quite embarrassed and upset with the lack of professionalism, work ethic and responses. It was like I actually had to chase these people around to take our money!! What was worse, I do this job for a living and if someone calls you to book your location you call them back day of or no later than 24 hours later. This was certainly a huge eye opener in regards to who I will refer my clients to moving forward and who I will not. The lack of work ethic on this island is a joke to say the very least.

Going to the Chapel and we’re going to get married:

One night we went on a sunset walk through Wailea with Kailea and as we were walking by the Grand Wailea we decided to stop in the chapel. To my surprise Colt had always admired the chapel from afar but had never actually been inside! As we walked up to the chapel we were of course blown away by its quaint but fairytale beauty all over again. From the beautiful clock that sits perfectly towards the top, to the bells and immaculate koi pond that makes it look liking it is floating on water you can’t help but be blown away. Once inside the beauty continues to deliver with the cutest little set up that sits about 100 people comfortably. The artistic and cultural stain glass windows radiate the perfect amount of light to make the chapel feel warm. As we stood at the front of the chapel (in the same spot we would be standing as husband and wife) and admired the beauty we could feel the energy sweeping over us and in that instant we just knew, this was it.

The Grand Wailea SeaSide Chapel

Meet our Wedding Angel (aka MaryAnn Bowman)

Since we had walked down to the Grand Wailea on a Saturday evening of course there was no one in the Sales and Marketing office for us to talk to. So we walked to the concierge desk and requested some general information for 2012 weddings. Once Monday rolled around I was anxious to get on the phone and talk to a sales manager. Of course I was hoping and praying on every ring that I would get a better response from the Grand Wailea than anyone else I had come in contact with thus far.  Once on the phone with the wedding department I gave them my “general” information, tentative wedding date, expected amount of people, etc., and then thanked me for my interest and told me that someone would be in contact with me shortly, I hung up the phone crushed and thought here we go again.

Later that day while at work I received my first glimpse of my fairytale coming true via e-mail:

Aloha Ms. Carvalho,

Congratulations on your engagement! The Grand Wailea is absolutely fabulous for weddings and receptions.  It is perfect for honeymooners, and is also a premier destination for friends and family to vacation while attending your nuptials.  The grounds are absolutely stunning, and the overall experience here is unforgettable! I do have your preferred date of Saturday, August 25th, 2012 available for 70 guests at either 3:00pm Lei Aloha Wedding Celebration or a 7pm Candlelight Ceremony.  I can help you create an amazing ceremony in our romantic Seaside Chapel or our lush Chapel Gardens.   I can also assist in selecting a special menu for your Reception and Wedding Dinner, as well as linens, flowers and décor. I have attached some photographs of Chapel Overlook, just one of our most beautiful Wedding Dinner and Reception sites, to think about for your special day.  We also have banquet room space available if you would like your Wedding Dinner indoors. I have attached additional information about our Dream Weddings Promotion for 2012, Wedding Ceremony packages, and also guidelines for Reception Dinners and Private Functions. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. We look forward to being a part of your special day!

 Mahalo nui loa,

MaryAnn M. Bowman

Senior Social Catering Manager

Grand Wailea | A Waldorf Astoria™ Resort

Finally! Someone that gets it! I’m pretty sure she had me at congratulations. I quickly picked up the phone and we talked as if we were long lost friends. She was so helpful and I just knew that I had found the right person to help us make our dream come true!

Site Inspection, December 18th 2011:

After talking with MaryAnn for about 2 weeks we had set up our first site inspection for December 18th at 9:00 a.m. I could barely sleep that night as visions of our wedding danced through my head. I couldn’t wait to see if it was really possible, I mean could we really swing getting married at the GRAND? We met MaryAnn in the lobby and she was all that I wanted her to be and more (bubbly, positive, confident, well spoken, pretty, smart and she knew how to hustle, she walked faster than me which is a hard pace to keep). I found myself trying to keep up with her as she marched us all over the hotel and then sat us down insisting on buying us breakfast. She laughed, engaged and asked questions the whole time. She was genuine and invested and she made us feel like we were the only two people at the whole resort. After breakfast she walked us to each location and gave us a visual of our wedding as she pictured it. It was absolutely beautiful and I knew there was no turning back. We left filled with hope, excitement and our fingers crossed that we could somehow make it work in our very tight budget.

Is she for real?

Over the next couple weeks after the site inspection MaryAnn was in contact often. Sometimes she would call 3 or 4 times a day just to keep us in the loop or let us know what she was working on and how she was going to “make this work”. She would call me and tell me how she was going to “cut this cost, or wave this fee, or make this work” she was determined and every time she said was going to do something she came back with a yes and made it happen. One of the main things I expressed to MaryAnn during our site was that even though I LOVED everything about the Grand I was feeling weird about having our ceremony indoors as well as our reception (we live in Maui so of course we wanted to have our reception outside but Maui laws doesn’t allow outside DJ’s in public areas and you can’t have outside noise after 10p.m.) so it left us with the banquet room. And although the banquet room was beautiful it just didn’t flow the way I had hoped for I needed more open air but I figured it was a small sacrifice in the big picture. MaryAnn feeling this pain called me one afternoon with great excitement in her voice she told me that the ballroom was open and wanted to know if we were interested. I explained that even though that would be great it really wouldn’t fit our budget. She quickly said let me worry about that do you want it? I couldn’t believe she was going to try to make it work in our budget so I said I guess we can try. Within a few hours my phone was ringing and my e-mail was dinging and sure as hell she had pulled it off. We were booked for the chapel and the ballroom and it fit right in our budget, I almost dropped dead.

The Grand Wailea Ballroom

~ Count Wisely, Our First Blunder ~

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

When you do sales and marketing for a living it’s funny how easy it is for you to jump into planning your own wedding since you are constantly “planning” for others. So of course it was only natural that November 20th (one day after getting engaged) we set a date, registered for theknot, started planning colors, sites, guest list etc., We decided to have a fairly small wedding (we made a rule that we could invite all family but we could only invite friends that knew us as a couple) who really wants to be introducing their husband/wife to people on the day of their wedding? Personally, if you don’t know “us” I just don’t think you need to be there. We made our list and believe me it wasn’t the easiest thing and of course we felt bad about the people that didn’t make the cut. We finally got it to 85 guests (statics show that only 55% of the guest you invite will actually show up, and since we are a destination wedding it will probably be even lower that that). 50-60 people is what we are planning on which is personal and intimate, just our style.

Since we had our guests list buttoned up we started to look for our save the dates. We looked on several sites and decided that a picture magnet in our colors (yellow and grey) was the look we were going for. Since our count was “85” (we had talked about the count several times in the last few days) and 85 was just stuck in our heads it was only natural that we ordered 100 save the dates. Why because we had 85 guests coming, duh!

After ordering 100 (because of course you have to order in clusters of 25) and paying $45.00 dollars for 2 day FEDEX shipping to Hawaii we were scheduled to get them in 5-8 business days because of production time. Needless to say I was pacing the mailbox with anticipation.

Finally December 20th FEDEX showed up at 8:30 p.m. with our save the dates! I couldn’t be more excited to rip them open and start stuffing! So Colt and I ordered pizza, put on Christmas carols, poured some wine and got to stuffing! We were having a great time laughing, and playing until boom it hit us (the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach) why do we have so many magnets? Yes you guessed it we ordered one magnet per individual rather than per household, couple, family etc.,

Talk about a waste of $87.00 dollars especially on a wedding budget! Needless to say the party was over. Although we have had a few good laughs about it now and they are really really cute it was an easy mistake to catch but because of all the excitement it got completely overlooked.

So WARNING all brides & grooms to be in all your fun and glory, stop breathe and count your guest list wisely….lol

~ Yellow and Grey ~

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in The 9 month road to marrying the man of my dreams

≈ Leave a comment

Wishful Thinking:

As a woman planning your wedding you really think you have it all figured out. Colors, place, styles, people, what you would and would never do. Reality check…you don’t know anything! As a girl I always thought I would have a BIG wedding on the beach with my toes in the sand and a big tented backyard reception with 100 + people with a never ending supply of good times. And while all that still sounds wonderful (minus the 100+ people) it’s the exact opposite of what has come to be my reality.

As Colt and I started discussing ideas, themes, colors and places it was clear that he was going to be a very involved and vocal groom. There was no “whatever you want babe” but more like “really you like that”, “no what about this”, “well I really like that”. I think most brides would be scared and surprised at how very involved he is. He has a never ending flow of ideas which really is fun and a little stressful and took some getting used to. Our first decisions and direction was that we were going to have a sea foam green and tan wedding with starfish and invitations in a bottle. The colors were perfect, our invitations were adorable, the girls dresses were to die for and the guys were looking sharp. I also really loved the incorporation of the starfish to tie in the whole beach theme. It was perfect until… groomzilla showed up (hahahaha I am so kidding babe) but he did. Colt wasn’t sure that he loved “tan.” It wasn’t his color and he started looking at other ideas. I really didn’t love that but I wanted my man to feel good so I thought why not take him to the wedding store and have him try on the tan and really “sell” him on it! I had no doubt he was going to look amazing. We went by two wedding stores and out of respect I won’t mention the names of these stores but they were horrible and I feel really bad for brides that get married in Maui and can’t travel off island to get their stuff. Since there wasn’t any other wedding stores we drove home annoyed and bummed out.

rawrrr.

Grey in, Tan out.

A few days later we decided to go up to Macy’s to look around and see if they had some suits Colt could possibly try on. We were finally over the previous bad experience and thought it was time to try again. Surprisingly enough they actually had really good options. I found a really nice Kenneth Cole tan suit and was so excited for him to try it on. What I wasn’t excited about was that they made the same suit in grey and that’s the one he was very excited to try on. Long story short we didn’t walk out with the tan suit. Grey was in and my sea foam tan wedding was drifting out to sea.

New colors.

Once I got use to the idea of the new colors I really started to love them. It was the best fit to fit our new location. The beach got replaced by the chapel and the grand quickly became our playground for the reception. The new colors grey and yellow fit the style and became the theme. The more I looked the more I loved. It was edgy but modern, warm but very summer time.

out with the old and in with the new

New Wedding.

Since the colors, location and styles changed it was only natural that the people would too. My original dream of a large wedding was quickly replaced with the longing desire of a very small one. I made a promise to myself on the day we got engaged that nothing would become bigger than us. Fun and love are the fundamentals of everything our relationship is built on and I am determined to keep it that way no matter how stressed we get, how much money we don’t have, how stupid other people act or anything else that is bound to come up! This is our wedding and at the end of the day it’s about us. so..Learn it. Live it. Love it.