Destination Wedding: Maui

Looking for a warm, tropical location lush with palm trees and colorful flowers for your wedding venue?  Maui may be your ideal location.  Planning a wedding here may seem like a daunting task, but with careful preparation you can have the Hawaiian wedding of your dreams.

Step 1 - Visit the location
When planning a destination wedding, one of the first things you will want to do is visit the location.  Make a list of places that you want to see and vendors that you want to meet and make appointments with as many of them as possible.  This trip to Maui may be more work than vacation, but the fun part will be coming after the wedding.

Step 2 - Think of where to hold the ceremony
The first consideration on your list is probably the ceremony location.  Many Maui hotels offer wedding services.  If you book your ceremony at a hotel, you may also be able to have your reception there, and book a block of rooms for your guests.  This will solve three big decisions at one.  Often, these hotels are located on the ocean so you can have your ceremony on their private beach.

The Grand Wailea Hotel Resort and Spa offers a seaside chapel, gazebo, or beach wedding.  The resort also offers various options on their property for a reception and has caterers to provide everything from dinner to the cake.

For a more private setting, look into smaller wedding companies such as the Aloha Cottage. This beautiful and secluded location offers a variety of ceremony options as well as a location for your reception.  When deciding on a location, you should keep in mind that the beaches in Maui are public.  Therefore, a wedding on the beach will not be a very private event.  In peak seasons, there may be more than one wedding happening along the beach at once.

Step 3 - Determine if reception can be held in the same location
If your reception will not be held in the same venue as the ceremony, you will need to look into additional locations and caterers.  One easy option may be to hold the reception at a nearby restaurant.  Maui has a variety of locations to meet your needs.  Consider ahead of time what kind of meal you want to serve.  For a Maui destination wedding, you can easily go along with the Hawaiian theme and serve mahi mahi, roasted pig, or poi.

Step 4 - Choose the right wedding attire and accessories

Once you have your locations booked, it’s time to get down to the details. Selecting your attire may be next on the list. When selecting your wedding gown, it’s important to keep location in mind.

If you are getting married on the beach, you will want a light and flowing material and although shoes are optional, wearing  barefoot sandals will add beach elegance to your wedding.  For other locations, you may opt for a more formal dress.  If you will be outside at all, keep in mind that the weather will probably be sunny and warm, so you won’t want long sleeves or very heavy material.  For a Hawaiian wedding such as this, the groom and groomsmen have several options.  While you can go with the traditional tuxes, you can also have them wear khakis and colored shirts, casual suites, or a number of other options.

Step 5 - Don’t forget the marriage license

Last but not least is your marriage license.  In the state of Hawaii, you must be present to obtain your marriage license.  It’s good to plan several days ahead for this to avoid any complications.  Contact officials in the state of Hawaii several months before your wedding to double check on their current laws and regulations regarding the marriage license as these may change.

Photo Credits: Maui Destination Wedding Photo from Maui Wedding Photos Gallery;  Left Wedding Gown from The Dessy Group ; Right wedding gown from Claire Pettibone; Barefoot Sandals from Bridal ‘N Beauty

Catering Your Own Wedding Reception

Giving your wedding a little taste of home.

There are a variety of reasons you may decide to cater your own wedding.

• If you are having a small, informal wedding, having a potluck reception may be just the thing.
• If you can’t imagine your wedding day without special cultural foods or some of Grandma’s famous recipes, then doing your own catering may be the right way to get the exact meal that you want.
• For most, the reason for self-catering is ultimately the cost. Hiring a professional caterer can run anywhere from $40 to $200 per person. By doing the catering yourself, you cut these costs by as much as half.

Planning Your Catering Success

There are some important facts to take into consideration before you decide that doing your own catering is right for you.  First, if you plan on the bride or mother-of-the-bride overseeing most of the food preparation, you should expect for this responsibility to significantly take away from the other wedding day experiences.  The stress of making sure that the meal is executed perfectly can also be a lot to handle.  If you have other friends and extended family willing to take on this responsibility, self-catering may be much more achievable.  You should never plan to cater for more than 125 people unless you have access to a large, professional kitchen.  The smaller the guest list, the easier it will be to do the catering yourself.

You should plan for about three cooks/servers for every 100 people.  If you are preparing the food fresh for the reception, then your cooks and servers should not be people who will want to attend the event.  You may want to consider ordering the cake, desserts, and even the main dish from a caterer and simply providing your own side dishes if preparing the whole meal seems a bit daunting.  A buffet-style meal will be much easier to self-cater than a plated meal, since a buffet only needs to be set out and replenished, rather than served to each individual guest.

Another way to keep things simple is to focus on cold finger foods.  Plates of cheese and crackers, cocktail shrimp, sausage slices, vegetables and fruits with dip, and a variety of salads are all menu items that can be prepared in advance and served with ease. If you want to add a few warm dishes, consider soups, stews, or casseroles that can be set out and kept warm in large crockpots.  If you are having a casual, outdoor reception, consider firing up the grill for a wonderful self-catered meal. You can marinate chicken and steaks ahead of time and all you’ll need is someone to man the grill!

The Proof of the Pudding …

Once you have selected the menu and assigned a staff of friends and family to cook it, arrange for a sampling. Your cooks may be tempted to try new and fancy recipes for your wedding.  This can be a fun idea, but your wedding day should not be the very first time the recipe is executed.  Leave plenty of time to adjust the dishes to your taste and try again if the dish doesn’t seem quite right at first.  Your best option is to select foods that have been prepared again and again and so are less likely to fail.  With practice, planning, and preparation, you can cater your reception like a pro!

Photo credit: The Vault Catering Company

Greek Orthodox Wedding

Our cultural wedding for this week is the Greek Orthodox Wedding.  The Greek Orthodox ceremony is very traditional and has not changed much in many years.  It is a very unique event, full of symbolism and tradition.  Watch the video at the end of this depicting a Greek Orthodox Wedding.

Ceremony:
Prior to the ceremony, the guests and groom stand outside the church, awaiting the arrival of the bride.  The groom usually holds a bouquet of flowers to give to his bride.  The ceremony itself takes place in two parts.

• First is the Service of Betrothal.  The priest will bless the rings, which are then exchanged by the bride and groom.  The Koumbaro  (the couples sponsor best man, maid of honor) may then swap the rings three times from the bride to groom.
• Next is the Sacrament of Marriage.  This part of the ceremony consists of several prayers.  The bride and groom join hands throughout this part of the ceremony, symbolizing their union.

In a Greek Orthodox wedding, the bride and groom do not exchange vows.  Their presence is considered to be enough proof of their intention. There is also much symbolism throughout the ceremony.  Actions are often repeated three times to symbolize the holy trinity.

After the Sacrament of Marriage, the couple is crowned (the crowns are exchanged three times by the Koumbaro) symbolizing that the two are now one.  Once the couple is crowned, the priest chants several Bible verses about the duties, responsibilities and holiness of marriage.

The bride and the groom then drink three sips from a glass of wine symbolizing that they will share the cup of life together.  The priest then lead the couple around the altar three times signifying that they will be following the word of God as they start their lives together.  The circle also signifies the eternity of marriage.

At the end of the ceremony, the crown is lifted from the heads of the newly weds indicating the end of the marriage ceremony and the beginning of their life together as husband and wife.

Traditions:
Koufetta is a popular Greek Orthodox wedding tradition.  Koufetta are fresh almonds, which are bittersweet to the taste.  This symbolizes both the good and bad in any marriage.  The almonds are coated in sugar, however, to emphasize the good.  Traditionally, the wedding bed is sprinkled with these almonds.  Each guest is then given an odd number of almonds to symbolize that the two are now one.  The more popular name for these sugar coated almonds is Jordan Almonds.  Unmarried women will place these almonds under their pillow that night in hopes of dreaming of their future husband.

Menu and Reception:
The most important consideration when planning a Greek Orthodox wedding is the timing.  The wedding cannot be held during any fasting holiday because food is such an important part of the wedding celebration.  Sourdough breads are an especially common inclusion.  These breads will be decorated, and some may have coins and rings baked into them.  The menu may feature Greek dishes such as lamb kabobs, orzo, and stuffed grape leaves.  The wedding cake is traditionally made with honey and quince.  The reception is usually a huge party with lots of food, drinks, and dancing that may last well into the night.

Here a short video that depicts a Greek Orthodox Wedding

Photo Credit: Agni Travel

Surviving the First Year of Marriage

How to build a foundation that will last.

It is common knowledge that the first year of marriage is usually the hardest.  Many couples think that they can bypass this situation by living together before marriage.  While this may help you when it comes to getting to know your partner’s daily habits, there will still be some sticky situations after you’ve said “I do”. Whether you’ve lived together for years, or this is your first time under the same roof, here are some sticky situations that newlyweds often find themselves in – and tips for getting out of them.

Redefining your daily life.

Whether you lived together before marriage or not, there is still a certain rosy glow that is bound to wear off of your relationship eventually.  The last several months, and maybe even years, before you got married were probably consumed with wedding planning.  Now that you’re back in the real world, it can be a disappointing shock to realize that daily life isn’t the fairy tale you thought it would be.  If you find that you and your spouse are getting into regular fights over small issues, there are a few steps you can take to try and solve these problems as early as possible.

• Define your roles. It may be that you both figured the other person would be responsible for dishes, laundry, or making the bed, but neither one of you said it out loud. Be up front and honest about your expectations so that your spouse knows what you want from them, and can work toward making you happy.

• Take time apart. Now that you’re spending every day of your life together, it’s going to be important to let go of the “let’s spend time together” feeling.  You will both want some time alone. Don’t be offended if your partner wants to go in the bedroom and have some quiet time alone, and don’t take it personally.

Managing Money Issues.

One of the biggest sources of conflict for a married couple is money.  While you can’t do much to avoid this problem, there are some easy ways to deal with it.

• Be honest about debt. It is important to be 100% up front about any debt that you carry.  After all, you’ll now be sharing the financial burden.  Set up a plan to deal with your debt as soon as possible, so that it won’t come back to haunt you when you want to buy a house or car.

• Discuss your plans. It’s easy to get into fights about money when the bank is suddenly empty and you both blame each other.  The best way to deal with these types of conflicts is to plan ahead. Decide whether one or both of you will be responsible for managing your money.  Define how much you can spend on a weekly and monthly basis and decide where it will go.

Dealing with friends and family.

After you tie the knot, your social life is going to take a turn.  You have a whole new family of in-laws to deal with for one thing.  With all of the newness of married life, it can also be easy for your friends to get swept under the rug.

• Decide how to handle the in-laws. Dealing with in-laws is something that you and your spouse can easily tackle together.  Decide as a couple how often you want to see them and how much input your want them to have in your life. Agree not to discuss your personal matters with them, no matter how tempting it may be.  Though your mom will probably be very sympathetic and infallibly on your side when you fight with your partner, she’s not the best person to turn to because she might remember the disagreement long after you’ve forgive and forgotten.

• Make time for friends. As a married couple, it’s tempting to gravitate toward your married friends and going out as a couple.  While this is great, don’t forget your single friends, too.  Make time to go out alone and have girls’ and guys’ nights.  Neglecting your friends for too long can have a devastating effect on the relationship and leave you lonely when you find you really need them down the road.

Topiary Wedding Centerpiece

Wedding Reception Decoration

No doubt, your wedding reception centerpiece adds ambiance to your special day.  You can spent several hundred dollars for the centerpieces or save money by making them yourself.  One of the floral arrangements that can be easily made by almost anyone is the Topiary.  You can experiment with an infinite number of combination or adapt them to the seasons or theme of your wedding before choosing a final design.  Another plus to making topiary is that they can be made several months in advance and all you need is to ask someone to bring them to the reception venue.   The images above are pre-made topiaries that we have included in this post to give you inspiration in designing your own topiary or, if you’d rather buy than make them, follow these links:

Top row, 1st, 2nd and 4th topiaries: “Honolulu”, “Mini Rose” and “Romance”: Unique Topiaries
Top row, 3rd topiary: “Stargazer”: Etsy,  Second row, 1st topiary: “Rose Topiary Centerpieces”: Stump Prom Second row 2nd and 3rd  topiaries: “Rose Tree” and “Champagne”: Unique Topiaries

Container and Flowers

The first step in creating your topiary is to decide what type of look you are going for.  This will help you choose the right container for your wedding centerpiece.  For traditional topiaries, the most common container is a clay pot that is spray painted or wrapped in fabric  to match your wedding colors.  For a Victorian theme, a tea cup container could be used.  One important requirement for the container is that it is sturdy enough to support the balls or flowers without tipping over.  Once you have chosen your container, decide on the type and color of flowers for your topiary. You can choose one type of flowers and/or one color as in the “Rose Topiary Centerpieces” above.

Ball-Type Topiary

For the ball-type topiaries like most of the pictures above, you will need to buy foam balls or cones,  wooden dowels, glue or a low temperature glue gun, green moss and, of course, your chosen flowers.

• Insert a wooden dowel into the foam and then place the stick into a pot that is filled with florist clay.
• Using a low temperature glue gun you can then stick the silk flowers onto the foam until the foam is all covered with flowers or foliage
• Wrap the dowel in pretty ribbon that match your wedding colors or, for a natural look, leave the dowel in its original color and loosely wrap an Ivy garland around the dowel.
• Cover the florist clay with green moss and add smaller flowers on top of the moss for additional accent.
• Tie a ribbon around the top of your container for a finishing touch.

Real Easy Topiary for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Brides

Here is the direction for one of the topiaries I made for a wedding reception.  For each of the topiaries, I

• Stuck the stem of a large blue silk hydrangea flower into a painted terracotta pot filled with florist clay.
• Covered the clay with moss and stuck small Queen Anne’s Lace flowers in the moss.
• Tied a pretty blue ribbon around the top of the container and I am done.

The trick is the hydrangea is already round.  With a flower head that measures 8″ in diameter and stands 27″ tall, I did not need a dowel, a styrofoam ball or glue. It is that easy!  If I can do this, you can do this to.  All you need is a little inspiration and a touch of creativity.

Matching Wedding Favors

Once you have chosen your topiary centerpiece, complete the ambiance by bringing Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card Holder to your wedding reception tables.

Each of these miniature topiaries can hold an engagement photo of the bride and groom or a place card with the name of the guest and the table number to guide him or her to your elegantly decorated reception table.

Have a happy wedding reception!

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