One of the most important parts of wedding planning comes down to the team of vendors that will bring your wedding day to life. Finding these vendors can be a little challenging though, especially if you intend on having a destination wedding here in Hawaii! That’s why today we’re going to be taking a look at everything you need to know about wedding vendors. Which ones you need for your wedding, when to book them, and some of my favorites to work with here in Hawaii. Let’s jump right into it!

Planners 

Wedding planners are more often than not the first vendors that you book when planning your wedding.  When choosing a wedding planner, think through how involved you would like them to be in the planning process.  A full service wedding planner will work with you from booking your venue all the way through the wedding day, pulling vendors for you, and taking a hands-on approach in helping you plan your day.  If you’d rather have someone just for the last couple of months leading up to your wedding day you might consider a partial planner, or a day of coordinator. If you’re not from Hawaii and you plan on having your wedding here, I do encourage you to book a full service planner as they will make the process SO much simpler for you and are a dream vendor for your team!

Some of My Favorite Planners Throughout Hawaii

• For The Good Events
• Love Letter Weddings
• All The Deets
• Kin Event Studio
• Rachel Whitney Weddings
• KZietz Weddings

When to Book Your Planner: Soon After Your Engagement

Venue

One of, if not THE most important vendor for your wedding in Hawaii, is of course your venue! Hawaii is home to some truly fantastic venue options, and whether you’re looking for something romantic and intimate, or an epic celebration with all of your favorite people, you’re sure to find it here on the islands! I’ve talked at length about many of my favorite wedding venues throughout the islands on my blog already in articles like this, so be sure to check out some of my other posts for more venue inspiration!

When to Book your Venue: 12-18 Months Before Your Wedding

Florist 

When choosing a florist for your wedding you’ll first want to make sure you have a rough idea of the vision for your wedding day.  Each wedding florist has their own style and craft for creating wedding florals, so you will want to choose someone who can make your specific vision come to life!  Whether you’re looking for a florist who can create show stopping installations, or arrangements filled with texture and unique sculptural shapes, there are SO many amazing wedding florists throughout Hawaii that would be fantastic additions to your team of vendors!

Some of My Favorite Florists Throughout Hawaii

• Lulu’s Lei & Bouquets
• La Flor Events
• Belle de Jour Floral
• Bella Bloom Maui
• Sunrise Blooms
• Milianani Kauai

When to Book Your Florist: 8-12 Months Before Your Wedding

Hair and Makeup 

Much like with choosing your florist, you will also want to make sure you have a vision when reaching out to potential hair and makeup artists.  There are a lot of different styles of wedding makeup, which makes sense as there are many ways that beauty can be expressed on a wedding day! Knowing how you want to look for your wedding day is the key to finding the hair and/or makeup artists that will be able to bring your dream style to life for your wedding day. Do you want someone who accentuates your natural beauty, or are you looking for someone to fully glam you up for the day? No matter what, ensuring that your HMU artist(s) can bring that vision to life is the key to finding this piece of your vendor team for your wedding in Hawaii!

Some of My Favorite HMU Artists Throughout Hawaii

• Reveal Hair & Makeup
• Cheryl Brown
• Perfectly Made Hawaii
• Amelia H&M Co.
• Meghan Daul Beauty
• Glam by Misti
• The Artists Co. 

When to Book Your HMU Artist(s): 6-9 Months Before Your Wedding

Bar Service

If your venue doesn’t have beverage service as a part of their package, then you’ll want to book a vendor for bar service for your Hawaii wedding. Beverage service is often one of the most important aspects of planning your reception. Whether you’re after a bar that has a certain aesthetic to fit your vision for décor, or you want a unique bar experience that combines florals with custom cocktails, there are plenty of mobile bars throughout the islands to help make your wedding reception as fun as possible! 

Some of My Favorite Mobile Bars Throughout Hawaii

• Gazoz
• 1979 Hawaii
• Stir Beverage
• Embellish

When to Book Your Bar Service: 9-12 Months Before Your Wedding

Officiant

An essential member of your vendor team for your wedding in Hawaii is none other than the officiant, as without them you quite literally can’t get married. Officiants play a vital role in the legalities of your wedding, but there’s more to it than that. The right officiant will elevate the experience of your wedding day. Whether that’s through their personability and down to earth approach, or their willingness to help include Hawaiian wedding traditions into your ceremony, there are a few officiants throughout the islands that I am always recommending to my couples!

Some of My Favorite Officiants Throughout Hawaii

• Kelehua Kawai
• Rev Julienne
• Euta Lightsy

When to Book Your Officiant: 9-12 Months Before Your Wedding

Rentals

One of the best ways for couples to elevate the style of their wedding day is through working with one of the many talented rental companies across the islands. This is an area where couples really get to express themselves on their wedding day, as these rentals can completely change how your wedding day looks and feels. From large items like tents, tables, and chairs, to smaller details like tablescapes, lawn games, and even outdoor rugs, rental companies provide an array of items that you can pick and choose from to really create the wedding day of your dreams! Whether you’re looking for something cute and boutique, or charming and vintage, there are plenty of options to choose from on the Islands!

Some of My Favorite Rental Companies Throughout Hawaii

• Aloha Artisans
• Ambient Rentals
• Aloha Fridays
• Kauai Event Design

When to Book Your Rentals: 8-12 Months Before Your Wedding

Wedding Cake

A truly iconic piece to the wedding day puzzle. Having a show stopping wedding cake for you and your partner to cut during your reception is one of the more fun moments of the day. The best part though is that when you work with some of the talented cake artists we’ll look at in a second, the cake is also fantastically delicious too! There are so many different routes to take a wedding cake that it ultimately comes down to your vision when deciding what you want. Does simple, elegant beauty speak to you? Are you after something more extravagant? Maybe a cake with more vibrant pops of color? Think about the look and feel of the rest of your wedding day, and try to match that style with your cake.

Some of My Favorite Wedding Cake Artists Throughout Hawaii

• Mana Cakes Hawaii
• A Cake Life
• Sugar And Poi

When to Book Your Wedding Cake Artist: 6-8 Months Before Your Wedding

Musicians

A part of your vendor team that is sure to elevate the experience of your wedding in Hawaii, both for you and your guests, are any musicians you book. You’ll for sure need music for your reception to get your guests on the dance floor, but there are plenty of other moments throughout the day that could use a little bit of music to set the tone. Having a talented musician provide backing music for your ceremony and/or cocktail hour is a fantastic way to elevate the experience of your wedding day and really bring the emotion of the day to the next level.

My Favorite Musician to Work with in Hawaii

• Kevin Miso

When to Book Your Wedding Musician(s): 5-9 Months

Photographer and Videographer

Last, but definitely not least, you’ll need photo and video coverage for your wedding day! Lucky for you that’s where Olson Productions comes in. We’re your Hawaii based photography and videography dream team who document your wedding day in a way that’s both strikingly beautiful and completely authentic to how your day actually felt. With a talented team of associates covering the islands, we’re excited and ready to be a part of your vendor team for your incredible wedding day here in Hawaii!

When to Book Your Photographer and Videographer: As soon as you have your wedding venue!

There’s a quick dive into the different wedding vendors you’ll need to make your dream wedding day in Hawaii a reality, as well as a look at some of my favorites in the industry! Follow along with the rough guidelines on when to book your vendors, but as a quick tip know that the earlier you reach out the better when booking! Check out some of my other wedding planning tips on the blog, and if you’re ready to book Olson Productions for your photography and videography needs send us an inquiry today!