I'm still heartbroken over what Blue Ocean Weddings turned my big day into. I wish I could go back and relive that day, with a different company. Living outside of Hawaii, I knew I needed a planner in Hawaii to help me plan. I was hoping for someone friendly and personable, which Gwen wasn't. That was fine, she responded quickly to emails and I thought that was enough. Until I found her trying to sell me on vendors and items that I later figured out would give her a bigger cut, versus vendors that I really wanted - who she told me outrageous prices and stories and, after speaking to the vendors directly felt like Gwen was just lying to me. Ready to fire her immediately - hubby was too anxious to start all over. So from there, I felt like I was doing all of the wedding planning myself anyway, because I constantly checked every single thing she told me. I also started finding that Gwen became increasingly relcluctant to help. As in, emails would be responded to with questions repeatedly unanswered.
Hubby and I arrived in Hawaii and found ourselves literally arguing with her and her on-site coordinator over the phone the day before the wedding because the on-site coordinator didn't want to leave her home a little earlier the next morning before getting to our venue to drop something off for me, the bride, at the hotel. That was fine, we figured it out but I couldn't believe that they were actually conference calling me, to yell at me.
That on-site coordinator, who didn't want to leave early the morning of the wedding, was found sitting in her car doing nothing when hubby and family arrived to set up the venue. She told hubby that I was a bridezilla (in fact, I don't think I was at all, everything considered) to his face on his wedding day. She didn't bring plates or utencils for the cake that Gwen had recommended we let our guets eat as well. In all her spare time of sitting in the car while everyone else set up, there was a neaby store. We were never notified that we'd have to bring our own plastic forks and paper plates. Needless to say, no one had any cake that we paid for.
The limo that we paid for two hours of service? He had to leave after an hour and a half. Hubby and I had to catch rides, in separate cars, back to our hotel room after the wedding. On-site coordinator also threw the cake in its box down in the sand after we took photos with it, not even leaving us the chance to have leftovers. She also never picked up the venue, which we were told she would, and left flowers everywhere - which was cause for a fine.
I hated my planning experience and the majority of the most important day of my life because of this company. We are still considering legal action, for the cake and the limo, but aren't sure if we can afford multiple flights over there for court proceedings. If nothing else, I want to get my story out there so that everyone knows that they should KEEP LOOKING if they find themselves considering Blue Ocean Weddings in Kihei, HI.
They received one star because I couldn't not leave one. They also hired our amazing priest and one of our vendors - who is no longer working with Blue Ocean because of the way she was misrepresented. read more
