CJ and his team exceeded our expectations! His entire staff is friendly and communcative. They…read moreliterally took care of everything so my bride and I could enjoy our special day. The pictures turned out amazing and everything was very professional. We live here on Oahu and researched/spoke to numerous wedding planners. Many were either obviously looking to take advantage of tourists or just plain rude. If you are looking for professional, friendly service look no further and give CJ a call!!

Pros 1. Flexible vendor policy: They were fine with us…read morehiring vendors we found ourselves. 2. Chinese-speaking support: This was helpful for family members who aren't comfortable communicating in English. 3. Natural-looking photos: The photo style is natural, and they were willing to accommodate some of our shot requests. 4. Makeup recommendation: The makeup artist they recommended (Abbie) was good, provided us polished makeup, and she was attentive and responsible with touch-ups. Major Cons 1. Big attitude shift after we signed. Before we signed, communication was quick and friendly. After signing, there was a period when they became extremely difficult to reach. I understand wedding season is busy, but going 1-2 weeks with no response is not acceptable. It made us feel like our wedding simply wasn't important to them. 2. Rude, harsh tone on the wedding day. Right before the ceremony started, the coordinator (CJ) sharply asked me, my husband, and my dad: "You didn't practice the handoff?" That kind of accusatory, sarcastic comment is the last thing a couple needs moments before walking down the aisle. It's the coordinator's job to guide the process, not blame the family. It immediately put us in a bad mood. 3. Dismissive of the bride's requests. I wanted the family members to walk down the aisle, and I had already discussed it with the band. CJ responded with an unpleasant, challenging tone--"They're walking too?" To avoid conflict and protect my mood, I gave in and said only the groom would walk. That also meant we lost the moment we planned with Canon, a piece I really love. I'm still sad about that. 4. Poor vendor coordination. Even something as basic as the cake delivery became something I had to worry about myself. If there was an issue, it should have been communicated ahead of time, not brought up last-minute on the wedding day. 5. Weak handling of time changes / emergencies. We were delayed by a little over ten minutes due to circumstances outside our control. Even with that, we still should have had a short pre-ceremony photo window to breathe, listen to the music, take photos, and settle our nerves. Instead, because the coordinator didn't clarify details with the band in advance, they immediately rushed everything when we arrived. Many songs I carefully chose were never heard. The priority felt like "finish the schedule," not "help the couple enjoy their wedding." 6. Package items not delivered. There should be musicians playing/singing a few songs during post-ceremony photo time to keep the atmosphere lively. That never happened. 7. Edited photos delivered very late, and then they stopped responding. After the wedding, I had to ask twice just to receive the retouched photos, and they looked rushed and rough, like they were done quickly before sent out. We then requested re-edits. At first there were replies (though I still had to keep following up). But after the last round of feedback, more than two months passed and I still never received the updated photos. I sent multiple follow-up emails and got no response. Minor Cons 1. Inconsistent pricing and a depends on mood feel. Small add-on services kept changing price, sometimes the same service was quoted at $100, other times $40. That lack of consistency felt unprofessional. 2. Limited vendor recommendations. I ended up finding most vendors myself. The florist they recommended was also significantly more expensive, over 60% higher than the florist I found. Overall If I had to score it out of 100: * Coordination: 50/100 * Photography: 80/100 * Photo editing/delivery: 50/100 The biggest issue is that the planner/coordinator and photographer they provided were the same person, and unfortunately neither role was handled well. I wouldn't recommend this setup. For future couples: it's much better to hire different specialists rather than one person trying to cover multiple vendor roles.

We spoke with Shari for an initial consultation. From the virtual call, we felt she would be a…read moregreat planner for us. She is easy to talk to and understands all of our concerns and questions. Due to the lag on our part in settling on a date with the family, we lost Shari's availability to be our planner and coordinator. We spoke to a few planners. Shari was the only one who would follow-up with us on texts. There were planners who never gotten back to us for quotes. There was one planner who would say she is available to coordinate during the initial call then returned an email a day afterwards stating no longer available and would substitute with another coordinator. There is also another planner who mentions no questions in emails would be addressed until the contract begins which is one year from the wedding date. When we told Shari about our concern that our desired venue would not book more than a year out. She helped us called the venue to get it sorted out. She did this before we inked a contract with her. From that, I think Shari is the type who would go above and beyond when needed. I feel Shari genuinely cares for the couples she work with, and she focuses on getting things done rather than the fancy marketing on social media. I would highly recommend engaged couples to have a consultation with Shari and find out if she could be a right fit for them.

The Kona low storm system really threw us for a loop. Our (very expensive!) wedding venue became…read moreinaccessible, and we had to find a new venue and completely replan everything in less than 24 hours. Shari and her team immediately went into action. They were truly all hands on deck. What could have been an incredibly stressful and disappointing situation turned into a beautiful and memorable experience because of them. Throughout it all, they made me feel completely at ease. I knew I was in capable, professional hands. They were flexible, proactive, and handled every obstacle that came their way with confidence and grace. They also communicated all the changes with our vendors and even renegotiated details to make the new plan and venue work within such a tight timeline. Honestly, I don't even know the full extent of everything they handled on the day of and that says so much about how seamlessly they managed it all. I was able to relax, be present, and truly enjoy my wedding day. It was a beautiful celebration, and it's all thanks to Shari and her team at CWH!

My wife and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary and worked with Dream HI Weddings to make…read moreit a memorable event! The team, including Reverend Jofrey, did an amazing job to ensure that all of our requests were met - a specific location near our rental on the North Shore, the inclusion of our 6 year old son in the process, and sunset pictures on the beach in Haleiwa! We couldn't be happier with the vow renewal ceremony and we made memories that will last all our lives. Thank you!

We wanted a simple, beautiful Hawaiian wedding and Dream Hi delivered beyond our expectations! We…read morecould not have been more pleased with the ceremony and full experience!! No photos to share yet. The ceremony was only yesterday.

Darren with Hoku Pacific Officiants made our August 12th destination wedding so smooth and easy…read more Planning a wedding from afar can be complicated, but Darren made the process stress-free from the start. He was friendly, quick to reply to emails, and his online booking system was straightforward. He handled all of our public park permits--saving us from dealing with city websites--and filed our marriage certificate electronically right after the ceremony. When our timeline shifted to an evening wedding just a few weeks before the date, Darren adapted to the change without any issues and reorganized our musician selection to fit the new time. He also helped us easily integrate traditional Hawaiian elements into the ceremony. The ceremony was personal and meaningful without feeling stuffy or running too long. Working with Darren was a great experience from start to finish, and we highly recommend Hoku Pacific Officiants. Thank you, Darren!

My now-husband and I had always talked about what our special day would look like. We never…read moreimagined getting married in such a magical place as Hawaii. We decided to elope during our vacation in Honolulu, just one day before returning home. Darren helped us make it happen in less than 24 hours. Even after Hurricane Lowell, he still made sure everything came together. He was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, reassuring, and had exceptional communication throughout the entire process. We couldn't have asked for a better officiant. He answered all of our questions before and after the wedding, and we couldn't be more pleased with how everything turned out. We asked to incorporate Hawaiian traditions into our ceremony, which was one of my favorite parts. It was heartfelt, meaningful, and sacred. Darren asked all the right questions, including our preferred ceremony location, and made sure we had a last-minute customized bridal bouquet, haku (flower crown), lei, and photographer. Dave, our photographer, was also incredibly kind and supportive. He captured the most candid and intimate moments of our ceremony, and to top it all off, our photos were sent to us the very next day! Thank you, Darren and Dave, for helping turn our spontaneous Hawaiian elopement into the greatest story of our lives. What started as a last-minute decision became one of the most beautiful and unforgettable moments we will ever share.

Steve made our wedding day truly perfect; choosing Dream Weddings Hawaii was the best decision we…read moremade. My husband and I spent a good deal of time finding our perfect location, but when it came to finding a wedding planner, it seemed as though the typical planners didn't want to go anywhere outside of their set locations. Steve was more than happy to help us book the location, and kept in communication with us every step of the way. Steve and his officiant, Lawrence, understood that we are not religious, and we have deep respect and admiration for the Hawaiian wedding traditions and culture. The ceremony was perfect! It was what we had envisioned and so much more. Steve's photos came out fabulous, capturing both the beauty of the surroundings and emotions of the day. When we come back for our anniversary trip, we will be calling Steve to take our photos. Thank you again, Steve and Lawrence, for giving me the perfect wedding i've always dreamed of. I waited 50 years to get married, and I'm so glad i waited for the perfect man, in the perfect location...and you both made everything else absolutely perfect!

I was not impressed with Steve's services. I would not recommend paying him in the beginning of the…read morewedding day. As soon as I paid him his money, he left early and did not fulfill his commitment. A wedding coordinator should also look presentable and professional. He was dressed in a T-shirt and looked sloppy. I was not impressed with him at all.

Reverend Jim and Terri provide a wedding service that is on an entirely different level than most…read moreof the corporate wedding companies around Hawaii. They run a family business, with wonderful personal touches, while crafting a truly magical wedding experience and handling it professionally the whole way. Also, their wedding photographer Juan is ridiculously talented! His eye for amazing shots, color, richness, and intimacy is wonderful. Some of best photography I've ever seen. Just look at some of the photos on their website to see what I mean. My wife and I will definitely use them for our vow renewal!

I had such a great experience with Hawaiian Barefoot Weddings! I found them online and called to…read morespeak with Terri. She was patient, answered all our questions and was very friendly and courteous. It was much less than some of the other places we found online. Terri coordinated the ceremony, minister, music, photography and cake cutting/champagne toast. It was simply perfect! The entire group was awesome and it made my day perfect!

This review is LONG OVERDUE and should have been done the moment I booked with Hawaii Wedding…read moreMedia. I had my wedding in 2018 and inquired 8 months in advance. Their response time was super quick! My experience went very smoothly with Kiwan and his amazing team. They followed up with me very so often to obtain any necessary details to make sure everything I wanted for my wedding day was fulfilled! From beginning of my wedding day all the way to the end. HWM is highly efficient especially with communication as I was able to email them and quickly get a response no matter what time or day. Their team was friendly, patient and made us feel comfortable even for those who were camera shy. Fast forward to present day almost 4 years later, in the midst of moving I misplaced some of the files and I was able to obtain them from the help of Kiwan! & still, he responded to me right away, it was such a relief! Everything came out beautiful, photos, videos and Same Day Edit. Worth every penny. I am forever grateful, Hawaii Wedding Media exceeded all my expectations in capturing this special day.

* Please read before booking! I rarely write one star reviews, but please continue reading what my…read morehusband and I had to go through. I don't know where to begin with Kiwan, the head of this company. Throughout our wedding, my husband and I regret having this company for our wedding video and photographer because of Kiwan. He lost the first half of our wedding video footage that his crew took, which was so heart breaking since this was our wedding. We wanted everything to look back on for our memories of our special day. He gave us the run around with everything. Kiwan was initially responsive and helpful prior to our wedding. Then two months after our wedding we didn't receive our wedding album and video. I sent numerous emails, phone calls, and text messages to ask him where everything was since we already paid for the package prior to our wedding in hopes to get what we paid for. He didn't respond for a while then when he did he kept giving us dates with when he would sent it to us, but he never did. We also asked for a refund and he kept trying to play the victim about how he didn't have money to pay for his bills and how he only had a few dollars in his account. That to me was personal and not business let alone not professional at all! We too, were needing money because of the whole pandemic and costs of living. At times, he wouldn't respond at all, and we thought he was just going to take our money and not refund us, which stressed us out. He even mentioned taking us to claims court because he thought it would be better to take it to court instead of dealing with it. After a few weeks, we finally made a deal that he could pay us monthly until he had paid us out. In the end, he did pay us back, but all the stress we had to go through wasn't worth it and fair to us. He sent us the wrong album of another couple's wedding, which I felt bad for them as well! Almost one year after our wedding... we received our album and our low quality made video that didn't capture everything we wanted or talked about prior to our wedding. Thinking about this makes me sad and frustrated. But, what is done is done. It's just upsetting how everything went down. We were a couple seeking company to capture our special day, and everyone in his crew delivered, EXCEPT for Kiwan. If he just did his job this would not have happened. I know we received our refund, which thank goodness we did but I honestly just wanted the footage from beginning to end of our wedding day because it was so memorable and priceless. I'm just lucky that my friends took a few videos prior to the reception for our keepsake. Overall, if you want quality photos, albums, and videos for your special event... I DO NOT RECOMMEND using this company and pay the extra for another. Hope this helps!

Michael was our videographer at our wedding in August, 2025. I think the major difference between…read moreMichael and others is Michael's ability to storytell in his video. His videos draw emotions and takes his audience through a journey of the occasion. In addition, he is a wonderful guy who made everyone comfortable in front of his camera drawing beautiful and natural smiles in our video. He was also very meticulous and worked with us to ensure that our wedding videos was personal and perfect for us. I would highly recommend Michael - he is amazing. P.S. I would recommend the drone service as well as it added a lot more texture and vantage points you would normally not get.

If you're looking for a great photographer/videographer, Lapu Atelier is it! My wife and I are so…read morehappy we asked Mike to do the photos and video for our wedding! We couldn't have asked for a better person to coordinate and handle the photos and vids for our big day. Mike was super helpful, he asked us what our vision was and for the schedule so he can prepare ahead of time. He even went to our locations to get drone shots for our video. We were and still are impressed with how everything came out! Mike sent us a preview sneak-peek to show us what our photos and videos were going to look like, and we absolutely loved it! If you are looking for someone to take photos/videos for your big day, events, and family cards, Mike and Lapu Atelier will be a great vendor to hire!