Believe all the amazing reviews; you can't go wrong with Makena Weddings! We had a pandemic-delayed wedding and had to postpone twice over a couple years. Makena Weddings made these postponements soooo easy for us, finding new dates, rescheduling all our vendors, and giving us nothing but support through the whole process! We worked primarily with Cindy, and the entire experience of planning our destination wedding at Olowalu Plantation House was a breeze! Wedding planning has a reputation of being super stressful, but honestly our experience could not be any different with the amazing support, guidance, and obviously logistics-handling that Cindy provided. Cindy brought our vision board to life with the perfect vendors for rentals, her recommendations were spot on, and moreover, she was so attentive to details. My husband and I consider ourselves very detail-oriented, and we were so happy that Cindy paid careful attention to every little thing, called out anything that might bother us so that we could consider readjusting, and took care of every situation without skipping a beat. The day of our wedding could not have gone smoother. Everything was perfect, we were so carefully attended to, and the evening went flawlessly without a single worry from us. If you want the beautiful wedding of your dreams, no stress or worries, and wonderfully caring and detail-focused people to work with, look no further than Makena Weddings! read more

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We chose Makena Weddings for our small sunset beach ceremony, and they made everything effortless. Having attended a ceremony they coordinated ~10 years ago, we knew we were in good hands. Laurie and Cindy guided us through their beach package, adding a musician at our request (they booked Marvin Tevaga), recommending the perfect beach location, arranging Amber Quale Photography, and having co-founder Reverend Al Terry officiate. The bride shared a few bouquet ideas, and the result was stunning. We planned everything over email just a month in advance, and every vendor they recommended was outstanding. As Laurie predicted, we had the beach to ourselves. Mother Nature gave us a breathtaking sunset that Amber captured beautifully, Marvin's ukulele and voice added elegance and joy, and Al not only felt like family but was genuinely engaged--helping us focus on the meaning of the moment rather than just the logistics. If you want a stress-free, classy, and unforgettable beach wedding ceremony, Makena Weddings is the way to go. read more

Makena Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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Laurie at Makena Weddings is the best! After an absolutely horrible experience with another planning company, I scoured the internet and reviews for someone to help me plan a destination wedding. I was soon blessed with making contact with Laurie and the rest is history! The next nine months of distance planning was eerily effortless! All I needed to do was give her basic details of what I wanted and Laurie made it happen! She listened, worked within my desired budget, gave honest advice and warnings about certain things that are/are not necessary. Laurie even helped calm me by handling some last minute makeup concerns. Once on island, I met her to go over some final details and I immediately felt connected to her and so blessed to have Laurie on my team. I don't say that lightly because some people are just in it for the money. Laurie truly cares about creating a beautiful wedding event. My fiancé and I both felt her care. On the day of the wedding there was an overcast sky and light rain. I was slightly concerned, because who doesn't want a sunny bright blue sky for their wedding day? Laurie just said, "It's just good luck! No worries. Let's get you ready!" At that moment I released the sadness and radiated joy. Our wedding felt truly magical! I was able to walk on air to confidently and happily marry the love of my life. Our Officiant was Reverend Al. There are truly no words to explain how he gently and genuinely he commanded the ceremony. His soft voice yet spirited passion floated around us throughout the service. Reverend Al even sensed our nervousness and prompted kisses throughout. What a great gift to us! My aunt from Georgia later said, "Baby girl, don't know what he was saying the whole time, but I felt and understood those beautiful words in my heart!" That comment spoke volumes to me since we were not in a church but outside overlooking the ocean. Reverend Al was awesome! Our guests were amazed with the beauty of ceremony and dinner reception. The location, catering, florals, cake and staff were so wonderful. Many said it was the best wedding they'd attended. I, too, was blown away because although I had an idea of what I wanted, the reality far surpassed my imagination. Don't hesitate to choose Makena Weddings to make your dreams come true! read more

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Absolute DREAM MAKERS! My husband and I came across Makena Weddings after we chose Kukahiko Estate as our venue. Makena Weddings has the exclusive wedding planning rights for Kukahiko so I didn't look at any other wedding planner (nor did I need to!). My main contact was Cindy, but I also worked with Nicole (for table scape design) and Laurie (for day of coordination). They absolutely killed it and we had the most MAGICAL night of our lives! PLANNING When planning a wedding with Makena, you can choose how little/much you want to be involved. You can send them your Pinterest board and they can make it come to life, or you can get into the weeds and make every design decision to make your unique vision come to life. I chose something in between as I like to trust the experts and incorporate their feedback and recommendations while also conveying my vision. The first thing they did was send me a questionnaire to help understand what I was looking for on my wedding day. I wanted a half Italian, half Hawaiian wedding (it represented our two favorite places in the world). For the lighting we went with bamboo lanterns and banana leaves (Hawaiian inspired), and for the table setting we chose cerulean plates and classic white florals (Italian inspired). It was an unusual ask, but the team made it come to life. You didn't know whether you were in Hawaii or on the Amalfi Coast! Cindy was very good about responding via email. She also checked in with me proactively as we got closer to the wedding. Since I live in CA, I really had to rely on her expert knowledge of the venue to ensure my design choices would work. She provided honest feedback and some great recommendations. PRICING Makena is commission based, but you end up saving money because you get access to their special vendor pricing. They are also NEVER pushy on upselling and will work within the budget you set. I never felt pressured to do/add more. In fact, there was even a point where I asked if I should add more to the decor and Cindy reigned me in and said "everything you've chosen is perfect as is, you don't need more." They truly look out for your best interest/vision, I trusted them completely :) DAY OF COORDINATION Cindy, Laurie and Nicole made my day SO easy. I knew that having a wedding planner meant that I didn't have to worry about anything, but they truly made it such a stress free day. 1. They executed the design and table scape to perfection 2. They were masters of keeping me "hidden" prior to the ceremony 3. They managed the timeline beautifully 4. My guests couldn't stop commenting on how professional and kind all of the vendors were. 5. They made me an IG reel of the day which was super helpful as I didn't hire a videographer! I could not recommend this team enough. They created the perfect wedding day and for that I owe them a debt of gratitude. Thank you Cindy, Laurie, and Nicole, you were a DREAM to work with! read more

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Our wedding day was the most perfect day we could ever ask for. Cindy at Makena Weddings made our vision come true at the most beautiful venue at Olowalu Plantation House. I could not imagine having this wedding without her. We were so lucky to have her when we had to reschedule our wedding from August 2023 to June 2024. She took all the stress off our shoulders. Cindy was fantastic to work with. I loved that we were able to meet her at her home the day we landed and go over everything as well as meeting at the venue for the rehearsal. We were able to drop off some decor stuff at her home such as pictures for the welcome table and guest book. Cindy was so kind to let us ship some stuff to her home as well. At the wedding, Cindy kept us on schedule and made sure our guests had a good time. Everyone loved Waikomo shave ice and the Maui photobooth bus. The flowers and decor were so beautiful and colorful just like how I imagined. Everything was perfect and there's nothing I would change that day. Thank you, Cindy! read more

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I don't even know where to start - Cindy and Makena Weddings made our wedding day so perfect! As many others mentioned, it is really daunting to plan a destination wedding when you don't really end up seeing the location or meeting the vendors before the actual big day. We were very fortunate to find Makena Weddings! We reached out to a few different coordinators with a little bit of preliminary information (estimated size of wedding, budget, etc.). Makena Weddings not only replied, but provided realistic estimates based off of the information for 4 locations right off the bat. That is getting to the point and we loved it! Cindy was instrumental in helping us find our vendors and unfortunately, we found out she is EXCELLENT with handling disasters: -our reception location cancelled on us with under 5 months until our wedding day, but Cindy worked her magic and found us another location that we ended up loving -arranged finding our officiant when Reverend Al couldn't make it -day-of the wedding, one of my bridesmaids had a sun rash that would not stop spreading, but Cindy was able to arrange for a doctor's visit and my bridesmaid was back with us for make-up and prep within the hour I can go on and on with how wonderful Cindy and Makena Weddings was to work with, but let's just say that in crisis or smooth times, I would recommend Makena Weddings for your coordinating needs. You will not find anyone better to help you through this crazy process. read more

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Cindy and Laurie of Makena Weddings made our wedding day the most amazing day ever. Communication was always easy, and there was not a single thing I had to worry about on the day of the wedding - can't tell you how much I appreciate that! Our wedding day was more beautiful than we could have imagined, and it's a day our families and ourselves will not stop talking about. Everyone was in awe of our special day! We are so happy with our memories of that day, and our communication with Makena Wedding in general, and would not change a single thing. I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to anything like this, so I'm always skeptical of getting help from others but the best decision I made was hiring Makena Weddings!!! We are beyond grateful for everything they did. Not only Cindy and Laurie, but Al put on an AMAZING ceremony for us that everyone absolutely loved. His words were so moving and unforgettable. We have nothing but PERFECT memories of our wedding day, and we have Makena Weddings to thank for that. You will not go wrong choosing them!!! read more

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When: July 7, 2017 Vow Renewal Ceremony: Makena Surf #2 Beach Wow, time sure flies when you're having fun with the one you love... Exactly 10 years ago, on 07/07/07, Laurie coordinated our absolutely wonderful wedding ceremony and reception at the former SeaWatch - now Gannon's - Restaurant on the grounds of the gorgeous Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course... When our 10-year wedding anniversary was coming up, my wife and I knew we would be spending it on Maui. As we began planning our vacation, the idea of doing a Vow Renewal on Maui sounded like a wonderful idea and who better to assist us to make it a reality, than Makena Weddings. For our Vow Renewal Ceremony, Laurie chose this hidden gem of a beach location called Makena Surf #2...it's a public beach, with paved parking and a paved walkway to the beach. It's kind of like a hidden cove surrounded by residential homes. Our Vow Renewal was sort of a 10-year family reunion with Reverend Al, Laurie, our adult daughters and their spouses, and my wife and I. Even our photographer, Sasha, was part of our Wedding ceremony 10 years ago. What makes Maui a special place for us, besides the natural beauty of the mountains and the ocean, is the genuine energy and spirit (mana) that is embodied by the people who live and visit here. This spirit allows you to re-charge your batteries, so to speak, and make you appreciate the little things that you may take for granted. What makes Reverend Al, Laurie and her Makena Weddings staff so wonderful, is that they are able to blend the natural beauty of Maui and the Spirit of Maui into your Wedding and Vow Renewal ceremony. As we parted our separate ways after our Vow Renewal, Laurie chimed in by saying, "I hope we can be part of your next Vow Renewal...another 10 years may be too long, let's do it in five years instead!" See you again in five years, Makena Weddings... read more

Makena Weddings - Vow Renewal with Family...Makena Surf #2...7/7/2017 - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

A year and half prior to my wedding date, I contacted several Maui wedding coordinators via the Knot. Makena Weddings was the first that responded to my request and we scheduled a time to meet and look at venues during our upcoming summer visit. Another company contacted me shortly after but did not include a subject line and contained a typo in the message (your not you're) - all red flags when you have to consider the amount of trust required to take care of all the small AND big details of planning a wedding from afar (BAY AREA, CA)! When my partner and I met Cindy, she demonstrated warmth, patience and professionalism. It is important to note that she has extensive experience in the restaurant industry and had the patience to answer ALL of my questions for each venue. My partner and I both left the appointment feeling confident in Cindy's abilities to help us plan our special day at Sugar Beach Events (with a guest count of 100+). Throughout the process, Cindy responded quickly to ALL of my emails, connected us to the appropriate vendors (e.g. Tino who officiated our ceremony beautifully, Angela Nelson Photography, MeiliAutumBeauty, Missbcalligraphy, and Floraldesignsmaui), advocated on our behalf to remain within our budget with our vendors (she even got us some money back following the wedding) and followed through with all aspects that we had asked for (via our Pinterest board) - extending herself way beyond our expectations! I especially appreciated the flexibility in updating our budget when our guest count changed the week's prior the wedding. The day of the wedding (OCTOBER 17, 2019) went smoothly and many of our guests expressed how impressed they were with the lack of lag time and how much fun they had! It was indeed a magical day (BEST DAY EVER) that went by too quickly!!! Cindy's attention to detail made her the ideal fit for our wedding and I am grateful that she did such a phenomenal job (my partner and I were stress-free during the wedding)! I would be happy to answer any questions you have about them and please do not hesitate to book them - CINDY IS NOTHING SHORT OF AMAZING!!! Photo Credit: Angela Nelson Photography read more

Makena Weddings - Photo Credit: Angela Nelson Photography - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Cindy and Laurie truly made my wedding day perfect. I chose to have a destination wedding in Maui to avoid the hustle and bustle of having a wedding at home. I was a very hands-off bride due to school, buying a house, two moves, etc. I gave them a color scheme and a few pictures from Pinterest and said, "I trust you." They picked everything from the centerpieces to the bouquet to the ceremony arch. They exceeded all of my expectations. They made my vision come to life with barely any input from me. Choosing them to plan my wedding was honestly the best choice I've made, outside of marrying my husband :) I did not lift a finger or worry about a thing on the weeks leading up to or on the day of my wedding. They're a wonderful team and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone planning a wedding. read more

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Above and beyond! When researching vendors for our wedding, Makena Weddings stood out initially and from day 1, Cindy made the entire experience so easy, especially while doing this all virtually from San Diego. Through COVID, she helped us adjust our date with ease, gave great, honest recommendations for vendors, and every time we spoke with her she answered every question and made us feel at ease. On the day itself, everything went to plan and all the little touches and requests we made were implemented exactly how we envisioned. Cindy had us organized, prepped and ready for everything on the day. Thank you SO MUCH Cindy and Makena Weddings for making our wedding day the best day of our lives! read more

If you want to have a wedding of your dreams please save yourself from all the headaches and contact Laurie at Makena Weddings. Nov. 6th 2019 we had the most amazing wedding, dreams are made of. Worry free and happy with every vendor she recommended and hired for us. Everything was perfection. For us this was a destination wedding so we needed someone local to help us. After meeting with her in person once all the rest was done by phone meetings. With Laurie you are in good hands you can trust her, she tells you her honest truth and takes charge with difficult situations sparing you. Relax and enjoy your wedding by hiring Makena Weddings. read more

Makena Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Laurie and Cindy are the best wedding coordinators on Maui period. We did a lot of research and once we found them we knew immediately that they were the people we wanted to work with. We live in California and planning a destination wedding in Maui was a daunting task, especially since we were not able to physically go to Maui to make wedding related decisions. Laurie and Cindy were our eyes and ears and we trusted them to make our wedding dreams come true, and they did not disappoint. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! read more

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We just got married in Maui in May and I cannot express how much I loved working with Makena Weddings! Our day was absolutely beautiful and even better than I had imagined. Cindy and her team are exceptional and I felt so grateful to have had them be apart of our special day. I would recommend them to anyone! read more

Wedding planning is no joke. After attempt to plan on our own, soon we got overwhelmed with all the vendors on yelp with great reviews and trying to compare all their quotes, we gave up and looked for a wedding planner! Makena weddings totally rock! Cindy and Laurie made planning easy. The execution of wedding day is just flawless. Our guests are treated like royalty and cannot stop talking about it. Here are the reasons why we picked them. 1. We are cost-conscious. They gave us a list of vendors that are budget friendly and are reliable with the best result. Ex. we ended up saving 5k choosing the right food vendor. Our guests truly enjoyed the food. The steaks are tender to perfection! 2. They hold you back from getting lost in the details. They will handle the details for you. It is very easy for me to get lost in details. Cindy helped us so much in creating a vision. Ex. for flowers, I created the pinterest board and she knew what I was looking for. After a few exchange of emails about our vision and cost, florist is booked! 3. They are no cookie cutter planner and will let you think outside the box. Something about a floral arch did not sit well with me. I decided that I wanted a few floral rings hanging from the tree. Cindy welcomed my idea and talked to the florist about the design. It turned out beautifully. They also helped my husband to arrange a few surprises for me =) 4. We enjoyed our big day! Everyone tells us it will go so fast before you know it. The truth is.... it went so fast. It is hard to absorb everything in. I am so glad Cindy and Laurie were in the background handling all the details. I don't see them much during the wedding but whenever things need to be done, they are there. They grabbed food, water, alcohol for us without us asking. They handled the hiccups without us stressing or knowing. Our guests are happy at how well the program runs 5. Rev. Al is the best! His voice is so soothing like the ocean. He made us feel relieved, at peace, so I can remember the moment we say "I do." Trust me, I am not afraid of public speaking, but when I get up there, my heart is beating fast (probably also seeing my gorgeous husband-to-be). Rev. Al slowed down time for me in a magical way and I thank him for that! read more

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Laurie and Al are a step above the rest when it comes to wedding planning! If you're thinking of using Kukahiko Estate, (or any other Maui Venue) contact them first! We reached out to another planner (who claimed to be the exclusive planner at Kukahiko) prior to finding Laurie/Makena Weddings and we were so discouraged with their proposal and treatment of us that we almost nixed the idea of a Hawaiian wedding. We planned a wedding from Oregon, both of us being a bit nervous to hand our wedding off to someone to plan. Let me just say, Makena weddings FAR exceeded our expectations. We trusted Laurie with the biggest day of our lives and she DID NOT disappoint. They did so many special things for us, made sure everything went off without a hitch, and all of the vendors on the preferred list turned out spectacular. (We had so many people say that the food we chose from Cafe O'Lei was the best they've ever had at a wedding.) If you're planning a wedding ANYWHERE on Maui, contact Laurie! We're looking for our next trip out to visit with Laurie and Al again, they not only planned/officiated an amazing wedding, they've become Ohana! read more

Makena Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

June 9th 2016 Makena weddings took care of every possible detail and then some surprises for both me and my future bride. We were married on the Alii Nui catamaran. If you see the prior reviews they should all be five stars( actually more like a 10) The Experience could not have been any better the day could not have been any better and we attribute that to Makena weddings. I could write a review that goes on and on and on and on but I believe you get the idea truly Amazing read more

Makena Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Cindy and Laurie made our wedding dreams come true! We were planning a wedding for 100 guests in Maui and had no idea what we were doing. Cindy made it easy and walked us through every step of the planning process. She took a few Pinterest photos and made it a reality. In addition to the planning, the day of coordination was flawless. Their attention to detail and deep knowledge of local vendors made our day perfect. Thanks so much Laurie and Cindy! read more

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May 11, 2015 was our wedding day and with Laurie's help it was a amazing day. She took care of everything. She took the stress away all we had to do was show up. She really made everything so easy. Rev. Al is amazing our ceremony was even more special then we could have imagined, he sang to us and his sence of humor made it fun. Hope to see them again when we return to Maui. read more

Makena Weddings - Our special day on Makena beach. Thank you Laurie and Rev. Al for making it so amazing - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Lori and Cindy were great, my wife told them what she wanted and sent a few emails and everything turned out perfect. The wedding venue and the setup was exactly what my wife and I wanted. We met with Lori the day before the wedding and she made great recommendations of places to eat, what to do, a thorough explanation of the wedding itinerary. She made great recommendations for the caters, photographer, and hair/makeup for the wife. Definitely go through makena weddings if you're going to plan a wedding in Maui. read more

Wow, what an experience! From the initial conversation with Laurie on the phone, to the wedding ceremony with Rev Al, it was all an awesome experience. As we drove up to their house and Al had already made his way to my fiance' and I, then greeted us in the Ohana fashion with a big, warm, loving Hawaiian hug. I found out after that my wife got a little teary-eyed beacuse she said "this is what my culture is all about", and Al had just revived it with his Aloha spirit. Laurie has it all covered when it comes to details and is quick to answer any questions that you might have (text, email, etc). She planned everything so well, organized a list of great photographers (Thanks Caprice!). Every last detail was covered and made us feel at ease ... something not so easy to do when you're getting married. What can I say about Al that probably hasn't been said already ... he's great! The ceremony was amazing. The day started out a little breezy and some cloud cover, but when Al began the ceremony and sung, as well as chant, the sun began to shine brightly (I have proof of this, just check out the wedding photos!). The day ended with a romantic dinner at Mala's in Wailea that Laurie had arranged ... very nice is an understaement. Anybody whose getting married in Maui and wants a true Hawaiian experience, need to look no further than Al and Laurie. From my wife and I, we want to thank you both for a lifetime of treasured memories! Mahalo and Aloha, Randy and Brooke read more

Laurie and Al... on July 1, 2008, you assisted in making our dreams come true. Living in Las Vegas, we had a quickie Chapel wedding (not recommended), with plans of having a big wedding down the road. Well, we replaced the "big" wedding with a destination Vow Renewal in Maui. Not having ever been to the Islands, or knowing a thing about Maui... we didn't know where to start. We found Makena Weddings online and contacted Laurie by email, she got back to us right away. She took all of the worry and stress right out of our hands and handled everything from a list of beaches to choose from, the flowers, the cake, discounted hotel and Luau reservations after the ceremony. On our wedding day, the skies were a bit cloudy. As we got to the beach, the sky opened up and it began to pour rain all over us. Not to worry though, because Laurie not only had umbrellas on hand, but she had already called a nearby golf course that was able to accommodate us in a beautifully landscaped covered area. Laurie even went the extra mile to deliver our cake and champagne to our hotel room, so it would be waiting for us when we returned from the Luau. Perfection! Rev. Al... Thank you so much for making us feel so at ease and reminding us of the love which is in our hearts. It is very apparent that you absolutely love what you do and take a huge amount of honor in being invited to Officiate weddings. With that said, you inspired me to begin my journey as a Wedding Officiant and I am proud to say that I have been Officiating weddings since 2009 and love every ounce of it! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! For everything!! Rev. Kymberli Smith & Timothy Smith read more

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My husband and I were married last night 9/14/11 at sunset on Po'olenalena by reverend Al and assisted by his most wonderful wife Laurie. Laurie helped me coordinate everything to the Tee from the time I contacted her three weeks ago to the minute we arrived. We had a wedding planned for 8 months and cancelled 6 weeks before from being too overwhelmed and decided to elope instead. Laurie was absolutely understanding of this and did all the work I didn't want to be worried about. She even booked my hair and make up appointment with enough time to eat and relax. I had never felt so calm and so right with anything in my life. Laurie allowed me to have that special moment when my husband first saw me in my wedding dress and for it to be captured by our photographer Justin. I loved that she gave us enough options but not too many to overwhelmed by. We had a list of 6 photographers to choose from and check out each of their websites and also had the option of upgrading just our photography portion of our Gardenia package. Laurie also helped me into my big skirted wedding gown and stayed after the ceremony to help with my long cathedral veil that would come loose from my hair because The wind would pick up on the beach. She stayed at the beach until all of our photographs were done to make sure I looked good. You would never know that Laurie and Al do a wedding every night - I honestly felt, even while being so far away in Chicago, that I was her only client. She makes you feel important and special. Al makes the ceremony so smooth, so genuine, and so easy despite never rehearsing prior. Everything went more than perfect. I cannot be more thankful for such a relaxing and joyous experience for both my husband and myself. I even told my husband in the car after the ceremony that Laurie and Al are the quintessential Hawaiian people. They are beyond kind, Welcoming and genuine people. They are the kind of people you dream of to make your special day just that, special. read more

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Makena Weddings, is in our minds, the pinnacle of top wedding and event planners, they are truly the best, and it shows from their attention to detail and their genuine love for their brides and grooms and what they do. We love Laurie and Al, and haven't just had the pleasure of working with them, but have gained friends in the process, whom we will I am sure try and visit every time we go back to Maui in the future! Maybe that makes it not quite fair that I am reviewing, since, why wouldn't we give them the highest stars (though I would give them 10 stars if I could!), but I think that speaks to how great they and the team (especially Amie) at Makena Weddings conduct themselves, especially in such a stressful event such as a wedding, and all the personalities involved. Laurie was recommended to us by my fiance's family, who kept hearing about Laurie and Makena Weddings from family friends and people they met in Maui. Al was recommended to us by my fiance's uncle who used to live in Maui, and attended Hope Chapel in Kihei. The pastors there recommended Al only, they would not recommend anyone else, for a true Hawaiian-Christian-based minister. We did not want a generic officiant, we wanted someone who embued the spirit of Aloha and would bring our Christian faith into the start of our marriage, and the only one that we kept hearing about was Al. The fact that the recommended coordinator and pastor were married... made it destiny for us to not only want, but NEED to have them help us with our wedding! Al made everyone at the ceremony at ease. He made everybody laugh, cry, and have a genuinely good time at our ceremony, which I know can often have the cookie-cutter feel. I could feel everybody's love for us at the ceremony, and did not once worry that people were thinking about the cocktail hour or food/drinks after, Al kept their attention and focus on us the entire ceremony, and we thank him for that. We would recommend Al to everybody! Laurie was with me from the very beginning, planning, coordinating, organizing, contacting the vendors, and making sure all the details and big ideas came together. Through our conversations, she brought our ideas to light, and I trusted her enough to have free rein with some ideas of her own, which enhanced and added to what I imagined my wedding would be. I was completely comfortable and confident in her abilities, and I knew she always had our best interests at heart, no matter what anyone else suggested or requested. We had the perfect wedding, everything came together beautifully and I didn't have to wonder if a vendor would show up, or how everybody would work together, Laurie took care of everything behind the scenes and always had a happy smile when she came to check in on us to make sure we were happy and having the best day of our lives. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough time!! Makena Weddings made our wedding so much fun that nobody wanted to leave after 6 hours of ceremony/cocktail/reception/dancing, that's how good they were, we could have probably gone for another 4 hours and never have known what time it was!! BEST WEDDING EVER!!! Mahalo nui loa Laurie, Al, Amie, and the entire Makena Weddings ohana!! Me ke aloha, Mr. & Mrs. Danny and Leslie Ward read more

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Laurie was absolutely wonderful! The experience was beyond-painless, and we were absolutely stoked with the entire ceremony, from the location, to the officiant Reverend Al, to the musician, to the photographer, to... well... EVERYTHING! We'll definitely use Laurie again! ;) read more

Makena weddings did such an amazing job on our special day! They made all of my ideas come to life and went above and beyond on everything. We are so grateful to have had them on our special day and would do it all over again if we could! It was by far the best and most beautiful day for us! read more

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We chose Laurie and Cindy based on their excellent reviews, and we were not disappointed. We live in California and had to handle this all remotely, with a passing understanding of the island. Laurie and Cindy were very accommodating to our busy schedule. We had no idea what to expect and they walked us through our options while making sure we weren't overly anxious! :) We ended going up with Kukahiko Estate as our venue and Gannon's for dinner. Both were perfect. Reverend Al was so warm and the ceremony went off without a hitch. Picture perfect. Their recommended vendors were also such professionals and amazing. Thank you thank you!!! read more

Laurie and Cindy are the best wedding planners you could ever chose for your destination wedding in Maui! It's such a daunting task to plan a wedding from overseas, but when we first met these ladies, my then-fiance and I knew we were in good hands! We had three wedding events: a day-before welcome cocktail reception, the actual ceremony and reception, and a day-after brunch. Everything, seriously everything, went so smoothly and miraculously enough for us, completely stress-free! Like us, all of our guests were blown away as well! Practically everyone has told us, both during and after our wedding, how "chill" and smooth our wedding flowed. We had so many people come to tell us they had the best time at our wedding and that our wedding was by far the best wedding they had or would ever attend! In fact, it's almost a two months later and everyone is STILL talking about it! Honestly, all my husband and I had to really do was tell Laurie and Cindy an idea of what we would like, and they exceeded all our expectations! Laurie and Cindy are complete pros at what they do! They helped give my husband and I THE dream wedding we never knew we wanted, but are so happy and feel so lucky to have had. read more

Makena Weddings - Our beautiful decor - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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I can't say enough about Laurie and Al. When I first started looking for a wedding planner I was terrified of picking someone who I'd never met before but after speaking with Laurie on the phone and doing extensive research on reviews we felt comfortable to go with Laurie and Al. They truly did make our dreams come true and I highly recommend them. read more

Makena Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Laurie, Cindy and Reverend Al were so wonderful. We had our destination wedding at the beautiful Olowalu Plantation House and Makena Weddings made sure that our day was PERFECT! Not going to lie. It's hard communicating through e-mails, but Laurie made sure we worked through any hiccups along the way. I want to give Laurie a special thank you also. I was dealing with a lot of stress the day before our big day, but she reassured me that everything would be okay. Sure enough, Laurie never failed to check on me constantly throughout our big day. She made sure that I had the best day ever and I can't thank her enough for it. Our wedding day was exactly how we envisioned it. From the venue, the ceremony, the reception, the decor.. everything just fell into place. Makena Weddings truly outdid themselves. Thank you Makena Weddings for making our dream wedding come true. read more

When we began to plan and contact wedding planners, it became pretty overwhelming and stressful, but as soon as we found Makena Weddings, a ton of weight lifted off our shoulders and they are a true gem. From the first contact with Makena Weddings, they were very informative with recommendations of venues and catering. Cindy and Laurie created such a personalized solution based on our vision and made it so very simple for us. Cindy and Laurie were on it with creating our detailed, broken down quotes and did a fantastic job keeping in touch with us all the way up until and after our Wedding Day. I had many questions leading up to the day and they were by my side the entire way. I had initially had certain vendors in mind, and when I had concerns, Cindy and Laurie were there to reassure me. The most important thing to us during the planning was to have someone respond to us in a timely manner and Makena Weddings took the cake!! Cindy was our main point of contact and she was always so calm and pleasant to work with. Day of wedding, she did not seem frantic at all, and everything ran so smoothly. The Ceremony, Cocktail hour, and Reception were perfect! The details were so beautiful and it really was everything beyond our imagination. She also was able to incorporate the little personalized touches we wanted. Rev. Al Terry. Oh my gosh! He is a hoot and so gentle. Until this day, our friends and family talk about how light his spirit is and how fun he kept the Ceremony, which by the way, made for great photos! We highly, highly recommend Makena Weddings. We are so grateful for them and we could not imagine working with anyone else. We hope you choose Makena Weddings as your planner. They are such beautiful souls and spirits and they really are the dream-makers! read more

If you want a wedding that is beautiful beyond anything you could have imagined, hire Makena Weddings!! Laurie and Cindy are truly magicians (or angels or both), and the Reverend Al has a presence that really embodies the spirit of aloha. We chose Makena Weddings initially because after our first conversation (when we were still shopping), they literally booked the 2 locations they knew we would want for our date and told us we could have the reservations regardless of which wedding coordinator we chose! From there, each and every step in the destination wedding planning process was smooth and easy and fun! Laurie and Cindy sent multiple, vetted vendor choices for all services needed: musician, photographer, videographer, stylist, and bar service, and they provided the caterer, and even a room block coordinator and activities concierge. Every vendor was stellar and went above and beyond what you would expect. We were fortunate to travel to Maui in advance of the wedding and Laurie and Cindy were fabulous hosts, suggesting locations for us to shop for a rehearsal dinner location, coordinated a hair and makeup trial, and showed us our spectacular wedding venue, Olowalu Plantation. There is no need to meet them in advance however, you can rest assured Laurie and Cindy have everything supremely under control. Once we arrived in Maui the week of our wedding, all planning activities ceased for us and we literally were able to just show up at our wedding and enjoy ourselves and our guests. Every expectation I ever had was completely blown away and so many people told us our wedding was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended and our ceremony was the most meaningful. I cannot recommend or thank Makena Weddings enough and I truly hope that we can remain friends with these lovely, wonderful people forever. read more

Makena Weddings - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

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After an extensive internet search to find a meaningful but affordable option for renewing our vows, my husband and I contacted Laurie with Makena Weddings. She was so welcoming and helpful right from the start and made the process so easy! After only a few phone calls and emails, everything was ready to go! When we arrived in Maui, we met with Laurie to go over details and locations. She gave us directions to several beach options, and after visiting them, we just gave her a quick call to let her know which was our favorite. Our ceremony was close to sunset at Makena Cove beach, a small, gorgeous, and fairly secluded beach. Laurie and Al were there to welcome us and lead us through the ceremony. Reverend Al began by singing a beautiful Hawaiian song and then speaking about the nature and strength of relationships. The words were wonderful. He made sure to include our two sons, ages 8 and 11. We all were given the opportunity to tell each family member something special; this part was candid and just lovely. The whole family had a great time, and it was all completely stress-free; we laughed and smiled a lot! My husband wanted to do this as a gift to me for our 15-year anniversary; he's really not into this sort of thing. Since the ceremony about a week ago, he has been talking about how special and meaningful it was, and he now wants to do it again at another milestone. You might not understand how huge this is, so just trust me--it's huge. :-) He even said that this ceremony resonated with him even more than our actual wedding because of how "real" it was, because it involved our children, and because Laurie and Revered Al are so great. I highly recommend Makena Weddings, obviously. Our experience could not have been better!! read more

Makena Weddings - Vow Renewal Ceremony, Makena Cove, June 2014 - Wedding Planning Near Me - Kihei, Hawaii

Laurie made my wedding dreams come true! She helped us plan our Maui elopement that exceeded my expectations. We corresponded a lot through email and she answered all of my questions. She helped me pick out my vendors and plan out the timeline of the day. I didn't feel anxious or worried about anything. Cindy was my handler at the ceremony and she was wonderful. She took care of my marriage license paperwork and even took some photos to send back home. Reverend Al was the best. He made the ceremony so special and made us feel so comfortable. You are in good hands with Laurie and her team! read more

Laurie has been such an amazing person to work with. I was struggling with finding a venue, and was eventually fixated on Olowalu Plantation House, however, this venue gets booked up super quickly. Without any hesitation, Laurie jumped in to help me lock down a spot. She did this with no commitment from me, and did it out of the kindness of her heart. She handled communication with the venue, was super responsive, and encouraging. If this is a precursor in her ability to wedding plan, I have no doubt she'll do a great job. read more

We live in Oregon and I started planning our Maui sunset wedding over a year in advance. Their wedding packages and ability to add/remove things was very helpful and allowed a tuned wedding package for our small wedding: for example, I was able to get a credit towards a professional photographer I went with instead of using theirs. One thing that was critical was keeping our planned wedding date in the email subject line to avoid confusion, particularly when plans are over a year away! Not doing this initially did cause some confusion. Getting us the necessary legal documents, taking care of beach permits, the pastor (Al was awesome with us & our kids!), ukulele player, etc. was all very helpful in relieving us of duties we would've had to figure out how and when to do. So one could say they did help lower our stress levels. I'm a motorcycle guy and I noticed Al had a pair of sweet custom rides (one he is building himself) so I said it would be okay if he showed up on his ride. Well, he did! The thumping heartbeat of a beefy V-twin announced his presence and was that nice touch for me to have a fellow rider with a great sense of humor officiate our ceremony. One thing to mention that we found very odd -- but thoroughly enjoyed it! -- was that there is a lot of kissing involved *during* the ceremony. Just a FYI if you go for a little more Hawaiian slanted ceremony. They were very helpful and accommodating, something that one needs when thousands of miles away -- I definitely recommend them! read more

Planning a destination wedding can be scary. You don't really get to meet people face to face and most all communication is through email. We looked at so many different vendors and spoke to them on the phone and none of them compared to the warmth that both Laurie and Cindy exhibited. We met with Laurie and Cindy the week of the wedding and they walked us through all of the details which I thought would be difficult but not at all!! I felt comfortable right off the bat that they knew what they were doing and that they would make our day exactly how we wanted and perfection is what we got. We had a small beautiful wedding at the Kukahiko Estate which I also highly recommend. It was private and just gorgeous. Laurie and Cindy stayed the whole night with us making sure that everything was in order and that we were happy. There are really no words for how special of a day this was for us. We are truly grateful for the both of you. Al (Laurie's husband) married us and he was amazing. Very very sweet man who made us feel like we had known him forever (that goes for Laurie and Cindy as well). We were laughing and having a great time with him during the ceremony. What a wonderful man! The family all loved the wedding and every single person who was there to assist. You were all truly amazing and I will forever be grateful for the kindness, attentiveness and warmth that you showed to us and our family. I would recommend anyone to Makena Weddings. Trust their judgment! They know what they are doing and the vendors that they work with are amazing. Great group of people. Mahalo!! Kirsten & Matty read more

I got to hand it to Makena Weddings. They did a fantastic job on our Wedding at Kukahiko Estate. We live in California, so planning a wedding 2500 miles away just based off emails and phone calls can seem daunting at first, but once we spoke with Laurie and Cindy @ Makena Weddings, they made the process simple form the get-go to the very end. We did originally look to other wedding planners at the start, but a lot of them felt "business-like" and only wanted us to sign contracts right away. We had tons of questions and Laurie and Cindy took the time to answer all of them to put us both at ease. We felt comfortable with them and decided to move forward with them, which was one of the best decisions we could have made. So fast forward 9 months into planning (email and phone only), we are here on our wedding day.... and it's raining cats and dogs! I didn't show it... but I was going bananas in my head when it started to pour 20 minutes right before our start time. Laurie and Cindy made sure everything transitioned from our outdoor wedding inside the estate to the lanai and everything ran seamlessly. We couldn't have been any happier how smoothly everything ran. Reverend Al (Laurie's husband) who officiated our wedding was extremely warm, genuine, kind and funny... really made our wedding ceremony special and memorable. If you are planning a destination wedding in Maui, Makena Weddings is the place to go! read more

Makena Weddings services are stellar! Our wedding was definitely the stuff dreams are made of, with the perfect dash of everything we never imagined tossed in. I changed my mind with certainty a dozen times, made lots of late decisions or none, and ultimately just threw my hands in the air hoping for the best - Cindy and Laurie quite patiently worked thru all of this to deliver the most magical day for us! With lifelong local knowledge and experience, they suggest an awesome array of venues and beaches to choose from. They also recommend and work with the most trusted topnotch vendors for every aspect of your event, providing some discounts and flexibility you wouldn't have access to otherwise. We used their "a la carte" services, but they do have a variety of packages available at very reasonable prices. And ironically ... they actually encourage staying on budget, even when you've completely lost sight of any such thing! On that note, Rev. Al is so wonderful you'll wish you had hired a videographer just to film his service. He's incredibly sincere, so funny and charming ... all of our guests simply fell in love with him, and he's an amazing singer too (who knew?!) Honestly folks, the whole Makena Weddings crew just totally rocks, don't hesitate to let them plan for you! read more

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We chose them because they had great reviews and you could tell they paid attention to detail. Boy did they ever!! They have a great staff and really great vendors. They work really hard to make sure everything is perfect, that it was!! definitely no regrets, definitely would recommend! read more