Category — Coordinators

I recently was introduced to Evonne, Events by Evonne, who happens to plan some amazing weddings in Hawaii & San Francisco.  We immediately hit it off and of course, I asked her to be a feature here on Fly Away so we could share her gorgeous weddings with everyone.  If you’re not familiar with Evonne, she’s a very talented planner who was living in San Francisco at the time, planning her own destination wedding in Hawaii.   Now she and her husband reside in Hawaii.

I asked her a few questions about Hawaii as a destination wedding spot, advice for brides planning a destination wedding as well as, a few details about her boutique style event planning services.  But first, here are a few images, shot by Element Studios, from a recent wedding designed by Evonne.

1.    General advice to a bride planning a destination wedding in Hawaii?  Can include age of guests to consider, language differences or customs.

First, a bride should sit down with her fiancé and discuss the budget, then decide on the number of guests they’d like to invite.  Then they should figure out which island they’d want their wedding on since every Hawaiian island has different things to offer.  The Hawaii’s Visitors  & Convention Bureau is a good place to start - http://www.gohawaii.com/. 

A bride should do her homework and research.  The most important thing is to find a reputable wedding planner who can handle all the intricate details of the wedding.  The planner has knowledge of who the best vendors and where the best locations are.  Once you hire the planner, the rest of the planning will be seamless.

2.    What is the % of your clients who are traveling from US?  Many from Asia or Australia?

                Most of my clients are traveling from the mainland U.S and some from Canada, but none from Asia or Australia just yet.  However, a lot of my clients are of Chinese descent, and I have to communicate with their families in Chinese.  My language skills definitely come in handy!

3.    What are some great ways a bride can keep her guests informed of the events when maybe they’ve never been to Hawaii?

Almost all of my brides have a wedding website, which includes all the details and information of the wedding week.  They usually have tons of activities planned throughout the week from a welcome dinner to a rehearsal dinner to a spa day with the girls/golf day with the boys, snorkeling trip, a luau, post-wedding brunch…etc.  Their website also includes travel information such as airlines and hotels/condos recommendations.

In addition to a wedding website, brides sometimes put together info packets and mail to the guests in advance, or they add inserts to their wedding invitations as well.

4.    Challenges you as a planner deal with and overcame when working with a destination bride?

When the wedding couple is from out of town, they are not familiar with the locations and the vendors, unless they fly out to their destination prior to the wedding to scout out the ceremony/reception site and meet with vendors.  They totally have to rely on the wedding planner to help then with all those details.

About 90% of the wedding couples that I work with do fly out to Hawaii to do their scouting trip about 9 to 12 months prior to their wedding.  I highly recommend that because it gives me an opportunity to meet with them in person, get to know them better and spend some time with them while checking out all the locations and meeting with vendors and having food tasting… etc.

5.    Budget wise what are the advantages and disadvantages to choosing Hawaii?

Maui has been voted as one of the best island in the world by the Conde Nast Traveler magazine a few years in a row now.  Every year we have thousands of couples coming to the islands to tie the knot.  We have so much to offer here – the weather, beautiful resorts and beaches, amazing scenery, great activities and wonderful people of course!  The best thing is you don’t need to get a passport or exchange your currencies when you come here, and you can start your honeymoon right away.  A lot of couples choose to have their wedding on the islands because that will give all the guests a chance to plan their vacation as well.  Who doesn’t want to come to Hawaii, right?

The disadvantages is that not a lot of guests will be able to travel to Hawaii, so the guest list is usually smaller than if the wedding is going to be at home (it could be an advantage too)!  Also, we have limited resources here on the islands, and a lot of times we have to fly in certain décor elements or certain types of flowers because they are not locally grown here.  That might add to the cost of the wedding.

6.    Most memorable event you planned and why?

My most memorable event was the one I did on September 15^th 2007 for Anna and Elan.  It was my very first wedding since I branched out on my own, and it was also the very first time I did a wedding at the beautiful Haiku Mill.  The greatest thing that came out of that wedding is that Anna and Elan moved to Maui just 6 weeks before their big day, and my hubby and I have become really good friends with them.  I will never forget being a part of their special day.

 Thank you Evonne for taking the time to answer our questions.  We love highlighting such amazing planners like you and I can’t wait to see more from you & your team in Hawaii.  If you’d like to visit her site and blog, or even contact her, here’s the information:

Evonne Wong, Events by Evonne & her blog 

Talking with Melissa Margarita-DiStefano, owner of Masterpiece Weddings, is so much fun & you’re instantly drawn to her sense of humor.  She has been coordinating weddings in Gainesville, FL for years and has a wealth of information for brides.  So I decided to chat with her about destination weddings in Florida, as well as, some great venues.  First I wanted to share a few shots of Melissa in action, grabbed by photographers during weddings, just to show how much she loves her job.

{snapped by K-Gallery }

{photo by Life Long Studios }

As you can see she’s always smiling and from what I hear she has one killer wedding emergency kit!

I don’t normally post the interview word for word but she is so funny I thought the only way to do her justice was to post it all.  So without further ado, here is Melissa’s advice for brides on planning a destination wedding:

1.       What % of your clients are destination brides to Florida?

 Let’s see – according to Miss Seabreeze at Wedding Bee, the definition of a Destination Wedding is:

Destination Wedding* (děs’tə-nā’shən wěd’ĭng) n. Also known as “DW”.

1. A celebration of love that takes place in a location other than the bride and groom’s current place of residence.

2. An amazingly fun excuse to get your closest friends and family together for a week-long get-to-know-you gathering.

3. A slightly sneaky, but completely gratifying, way for someone who wants their wedding day to last FOREVER to stretch the festivities from the usual 12-48 hours to a deliciously extravagant 168 hours.

* Source: the unofficial dictionary of Sea Breeze-isms

 According to the official definition, we work with a fair amount of brides that are planning out of town weddings, if they live in Chicago or Boston, New York or LA, and using our town (Gainesville) as their Destination. They went to school here and decide to get married here, which I think is super fun! I mean pictures in the Gator’s Stadium are fantastical! Especially the super sleuthy way of sneaking in (but shhhhh… don’t tell anyone!) And we also do loads of beach weddings – we are 1 hour away from either coast, so pick a beach, the Gulf or the Atlantic Ocean, and we are there, both are incredible! Having a Destination Wedding is so much fun, you are extending the time you are spending with your loved ones, making the event so much more special, I know I didn’t answer the question, sorry!

2.       Why is Florida an excellent destination wedding spot over say the Caribbean?

I heart Florida! The Caribbean is absolutely amazing – but think about it, I mean seriously think about it. I am not a financial analyst (I’m a Wedding Consultant…), but unless you own a plane (can I borrow it?) and have a secret stash of foreign currency (oh that too!), with the price of the dollar plummeting- it’s first, much more overall expensive to get married in the Caribbean!

 When you have incredible breathtaking views right here, why go anywhere else. There is history in Florida like no other (Ponce de leon, he found this chunk of rock quite a while ago), have you been to Destin or Sandestin Beach? The white sand on that beach and the smell of the air, if I could bottle it, I certainly would! It’s intoxicating! Florida has more coastline than any other state in the US!! I almost feel like a commercial, but why go anywhere else?

 3.       Some favorite venues & locations in Florida.

Gosh, these questions are getting harder and harder! I feel like I’m taking my SAT’s again! Is there a limit to this question, do I have to stop at 50 locations or 3? Okay… let’s see.

·         St. Augustine is beautiful, you can take some incredible pictures at The Forts where the Spanish originally attempted to “hold down the fort” literally. The beaches are beautiful, the quaint downtown is super fun!

·         Destin Beach (or frankly anywhere on the Panhandle) is amazing! There are several all-inclusive resorts right on the water, so you can save some money and be right on the water, there are award winning beaches, incredible food, did I mention the shopping, and the Outlets!!! Wait back to weddings, Destin is amazing!

·         The Keys are amazing, why not get married at the end of the US… Mile Marker 0… its historic, it’s not something just anyone can do, you can get married on a boat and have a Frozen Drink Station with all the Island fav’s and it’s super casual.

·         Amelia Island is so beautiful! It has a Rtiz Carlton right on the water, with your own private beach, you can be treated like a queen! There’s the Amelia Island Plantation, again amazing!

 4.       With your destination brides, how do you build the relationship with them so they feel comfortable interacting with you on their wedding day?

I love my destination brides, it’s so much fun to chat with them on the phone and with the invention of this new fangled thing called the Internet, it’s so easy! We can talk on the phone, email pictures, send websites to one another. Really with brides working full time I almost get to talk to my destination client more than my local ones. And our destination brides get fun presents from us in the mail, we send them fun wedding DVD’s with bags of popcorn and Wedding Magazines regularly – so they feel loved and know that we are working just as hard for them as we would anyone else.

 I also think that blogs help a lot, because brides get a peek into what we are working and glimpses of my personal life, so we are absolutely BFF’s by the time their wedding rolls around. And I love that!!

 5.       What is the process after the wedding, even for a destination bride?

First after the wedding, I get home, take off my shoes, take a deep breath, pour myself a glass of wine and reflect on the wedding and a job well done.

 Did you mean like after, after the wedding??? So after the wedding, let’s say on Monday – I write a Thank You note to all of the vendors I worked with, and send a card to my client congratulating them and then – we return any times that need to be returned, cake stands, tuxedo’s, left over booze –that sort of stuff. We make sure that any deposits get put back on her credit cards, verify that all of the vendors have everything they need.

 Then I wait a week or so (until the bride and groom get home and settled) and then we talk on the phone and I find out if they need anything from us and if there is anything they need for us to take care of. We’ve even been asked to write the bride and grooms thank you cards! I did – because we are full service like that!

 6.       What’s your advice to a destination bride?

The best advice I can give you is to not forget to breathe. Oh - and Hire a Wedding Consultant!

 I know sounds silly, but with all of the advice flying at you at a bazillion miles a minute it’s easy to forget that this wedding is a celebration of your love, your life together. NOT Aunt Martha’s fascination with Carnations, or your Mother’s Best Friend’s obsession with your wedding having a receiving line. It’s your wedding. Listen to their advice, and let it roll right over. Don’t bash them or tell them that you are or aren’t doing it, just breathe and say thank you, we’ll definitely look at how that fits into our wedding.

 Remember this is your day, and your dream! And it’s our mission to make sure that your dream for your lives most cherished celebration becomes a reality.

So I hope you enjoyed hearing from Melissa as much as we have enjoyed chatting with her.  She really is a pro & please check her site & blog out.  As she said, she puts a lot of her work & self into the blog so it’s a great way to see into her world.  Thanks Melissa!

Mark Kingsdorf of The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants sent over a beautiful Cancun wedding he coordinated recently.  The event took place at the Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa, an all inclusive resort with a Catholic Chapel on the property and a local priest to perform the ceremeony; something that was very important to Michelle.  She and Tony also wanted a resort that offerred lots of amenities to their 125 guests in attendance.  And as you can see, the views from the chapel are gorgeous!

For Michelle, photography was very important, so she chose to hire Laura & Paul Eaton of Laura Eaton Photography, as well as, Drew DeMarinis of Tangerine Media Group for video. 

Michelle & Tony wanted to keep things simple, so the chose to go with the floral services offered by the resort.  Mark and his team designed program fans & floral cones for petal tossing and even brought in perfectly place shells for that warm, beach feel.

I love the colors of the cake and decor! 

Mark’s advice to a bride planning a destination wedding?  Always try to hire a coordinator but if you choose to diy he has three excellent points.  One is make a site visit, don’t depend on websites and pictures alone.  Two is get everything in writing and even do communications initially via email so they have time to review your requests, especially if you’re dealing with language barriers.  And three it’s always, always try to fly nonstop if possible.  You don’t want the stress of multiple connections if you can avoid it.

Congrats to Tony & Michelle!  Thank you Mark for sharing this beautiful Cancun wedding.  You and your team great planning an event for 125 guests. 

Choosing an international destination wedding is a big, exciting decision but can also be a challenging one.  Working with vendors who are in a time zone hours ahead of you plus the language barrier could make it stressful and confusing.  However, hiring a coordinator, who has experience planning a wedding with an international community of vendors makes it go a lot smoother. 

Nicole Kaney of NK Productions is an expert at destination weddings, here in the US and abroad.  In fact, she has not only planned international weddings for clients, she also coordinated her own intimate wedding in Florence Italy.  ( She kindly shared a few pictures from her wedding almost six years ago.  I love the one of them on the bridge! )

Nicole has great ideas on planning an event that may only involve the two of you privately saying your vows or the coordination of 100 guests for several days of activities.  She advises couples to consider their location in regards to language barriers, convenience for guests and activities for them as well.  Keep in mind many of them will plan a vacation around your wedding. 

In regards to vendors, she advises to get as many referrals as possible.  Ask the hotel about florists and DJs.  Even ask for a few past clients since you can’t meet face-to-face with the vendor. 

Another great suggestion Nicole gives is to design a great website with information for guests.  Something elegant yet resourceful that will help them stay informed of your event and the area.  Plus it’s gets them excited about your wedding. 

Something I think that’s great besides the website, is she always recommends doing a welcome packet that has lots of information on the local area.  Pack it full of things like restaurants, sights and local transportation.  Do it up creatively, send it out a month before the wedding and make it even pocket size so they can throw it in their luggage.  

She admits the dollar is low and that might worry some brides considering a destination wedding but you can make it a memorable vacation for yourself and your guests.  Just make sure you choose a place you feel is right for the two of you; that reflects your taste and style.

If you’re planning an international wedding, visit Nicole’s site, NK Productions for advice and assistance.  And thanks Nicole for sharing your pictures and wisdom!