As beautiful as our wedding was, I unfortunately did NOT have a great experience working with FTG…read moreevents and I would NOT recommend their services. I paid for the day of coordination package which included handling the contracts and communication 3 months in advance. I had a difficult time even getting a response back from Richel. It would take her weeks at a time to respond. And a couple vendors had trouble connecting with her as well. I actually emailed Richel a couple weeks before our wedding, stating that my experience working with them was subpar and asked if I needed to be reminded of the expectations, which I never got a response. On the day of the wedding, Richel and a team member were 20ish minutes late. And when they did arrive they were both holding iced drinks. Vendors were actually looking for Richel and asking where she was. I wasn't asked a single question on our wedding day. If that's what you want, fine. But I had mentioned wanting a certain use of rented furniture and it wasn't set up how I wanted. Which included, having to move furniture during the ceremony in order to accommodate our unity symbol. Also, our cake pops were out in the sun, melting. After the ceremony, food had not been saved for us, and when we went up to the table everything had been eaten. At our reception, ice for our drink buckets had melted and wasn't refilled so by the time we had gotten there the drinks weren't cold. I didn't ask for this to happen, but one would hope that your coordinator would assist with things like this. One positive. I do want to highlight the gentleman helping on the FTG team the day of our event. He was pointed out by many guests as very hard-working, personable and helpful and we were very appreciative of his services and kindness. He helped get items into the car at the end of the night and handed me a beverage or two after our ceremony. These are just little things that would have made a difference in our day, made a lasting negative impression for me.

My husband and I worked with Monique from For The Good to plan our destination wedding in Oahu…read more From beginning to end, we had the best experience. Richel met with us before we committed to working with For the Good to get a sense of our vision for our wedding, our personal values and interests, and us as a couple. We connected with Monique shortly after to start wedding planning. Over the next 6+ months, we continued to meet in 2-3 month intervals to identify and select vendors and communicated via email in between. They gave us excellent suggestions about vendors to work with based on their previous experiences. We came to Oahu twice to visit in person, and they arranged a venue tour to plan the layout of our wedding. They even came to our tastings and took notes on dishes that we wanted to add or to change. We met at more frequent intervals leading up to our wedding date to finalize the timeline, design, and other details. Regarding our wedding day, the For the Good team made the day as stress-free as possible. They took care of all of the logistics and worked with all the vendors from set up to take down. When we arrived at our venue, everything looked exactly like we'd planned, down to the smallest details at our welcome table and the wedding arch. It was honestly even more beautiful than we'd hoped for. We ended up running a little bit behind on our timeline during the wedding itself because the speeches ran long, but the team worked to get us back on track to give us plenty of time to party with our guests. Most importantly, my husband and I got to focus on spending time with our family and friends throughout our big day. We so appreciate Monique and the rest of the For the Good team for working so hard to our wedding day one of the best days of our lives and make planning our wedding a breeze! We highly recommend working with this amazing team.

If you are wondering if you should get a wedding planner, the answer is yes, and it should be…read moreSteph. We worked with Steph for our wedding at St. Augustine by the Sea and The Royal Hawaiian, and she was absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. This was, of course, our first time planning a wedding, and having someone with Steph's expertise guiding us through every step made all the difference. She also handles an incredible amount behind the scenes that you don't even realize is happening. Because of her, we had far less vendor communication to manage ourselves, which made the entire planning process so much less overwhelming. Her experience with the venues and the local vendors is so key. She has worked with them countless times (it seems like everyone in the industry knows her) and knows exactly how to get the best outcome from each relationship. One of Steph's greatest strengths is keeping you focused on exactly what matters at the right time. If Steph tells you it's time to do something, do it. If she hasn't brought something up yet, trust that you don't need to worry about it; she'll let you know when it's the right time. That level of organization and confidence was such a gift throughout the planning process. Steph also has exceptional composure under pressure. No matter how busy the day became or what unexpected situations came up, she remained calm, professional, and completely in control. She communicates clearly and directly while also being incredibly warm, kind, and supportive. She is exactly the person you want by your side on your wedding day. Not only did we love working with Steph, but our friends and family adored her too. She was poised, professional, and a joy to have at the wedding. Also every vendor she recommended was fantastic, and it was obvious how much respect they all have for her. It's been a month since our wedding, and we genuinely miss our meetings with Steph. We can't recommend her highly enough. If you're getting married on Oahu, put your wedding in the hands of an expert. Hiring Steph was one of the best decisions we made, and we are so grateful she was part of our wedding. You should hire her too!

Let me start off by saying that this review is long overdue (im sorry!). Steph and her team were…read moreamazing, friendly, and professional! My husband and I wanted to surprise each other with a dance at our reception, and Steph handled the coordination so well. I'm sure that must have been incredibly stressful but I'm forever grateful that she helped make our dreams come true. I did a partial planning package and Steph gave great recommendations to reach out to. I think ultimately we have a dream team of vendors on our wedding day. There were slight hiccups here and there, mostly because I had some friends and family helping with set up, and some things got misplaced in the chaos. But Steph and her team were always going above and beyond. They were flexible, understanding, and attentive. We had a jampacked timeline -- a Catholic ceremony at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa and a reception at Cafe Julia -- but we were able to get through it all because of Esselle Weddings! Thank you so much for being there for us for our special day. I'm sorry for putting you guys through a crazy day but we truly are so so grateful for you guys!

Poor communication, inconsistent pricing, and doesn't provide what was asked. I used sweet pea &…read morepetunia for my wedding which is owned my Yvonne Design. I would not recommend anyone to use this florist. I paid over $400 for a large cascading bouquet and they did a round bouquet with a small cascade. They did not use the floral foam or handle like a cascading bouquet typically has. Due to this my bouquet was so awkward to hold and soooo heavy. It was also almost all roses which is not what I asked for. It was pretty at least. I had paid for a medium scattering of petals down the aisle and it was a very light scattering, nothing like the pictures shown to me. Severely over priced for the service and quality. We paid a little over $2800 for florals.

We had Yvonne Design flowers for our wedding in May 2015 at Disney Aulani. I would rate Yvonne up…read morethere with Karen Tran. I had no clue how much flowers and labor would cost. I came in with her minimum budget of $2500 for floral and decor, and ended up finalizing on $4860. It was worth every penny and I loved my chuppah! My father said Yvonne's work was more beautiful than the floral at my brother's wedding on the mainland. Two years later, the flowers from my ceremony still look breathtaking in pictures. Tips on saving money: 1) Repurpose floral from the ceremony chuppah to the reception. 2) Requesting feminine instead of masculine leis, for the groomsmen, will save $30 per lei. 3) Purchase your own flower girl's basket from Michael's for $7 - $10. 4) Make sure the flowers in the bride's custom bouquet are the exact flower type used in the ceremony and reception. Flowers purchased in bulk will save $50 on the custom bouquet, including the Disney Aulani subsidy.

I used Love Always as my officiant and was beyond pleased. Wesley was responsive from day 1. We…read moreplanned our elopement at the last minute but lucked out and she was available. I picked her based on her Instagram profile- her warm smile gave me the feeling that she was going to make our ceremony special and my hunch was right. Planning an event from far away can be a little nerve-wracking but she made everything easy and stress-free. If you are on the fence about eloping-go for it. If you are looking for an officiant to make the ceremony special Wesley is your person. I am not one to write lots of reviews. I generally only write them for exceptionally great service or exceptionally bad service...this one is definitely for exceptionally great service.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tieesha a few weeks ago. She was the Officiant to a fun & lovely…read morecouple, and I was the photographer. She's so upbeat & positive, it's contagious! She knows how to engage w/others, give directions efficiently, make conversation w/anyone & make them comfortable. What was supposed to be an hour wedding, turned into 3 because we had to change locations & Tieesha went along w/the flow (as did I). She brought her own props that really enhanced the ceremony for the bride & groom's pictures. She's also the 1st officiant I've seen to move aside for the bride & groom to kiss for the best photo opp (thinking of the couple). I highly recommend this friendly, respectful, upbeat officiant. I'll gladly work alongside her again & again!

Thank you so much for helping our short notice wedding date. By the first time I talk to you on the…read morephone you really showed that you really care and for that I really appreciate it. Mahalo again for the awesome job Tieesha you rock! God bless you!

Our experience with Chris kinda reminds me of a one night stand. You get to know each other a…read morelittle bit, do the deed, and never hear from them again. Everyone is satisfied, perfect. In all seriousness, Chris was great! We needed to find an officiant less than two months out and who knew many of them were unavailable on Sundays. Personally, ceremonies are a bit boring because the formalities get drawn out but Chris made ours concise and light hearted. We wrote our own vows and he had them printed in nice big font and even separated my huge ass paragraph into sections! He was the hero I didn't know I needed. If you're looking to break away from a super traditional wedding ceremony, hit Chris up!

My wife and I got married on Dec 19th 2020. Chris was Amazing! He made us feel welcomed and…read morecomfortable through the entire process. He officiated a great ceremony, and helped make the day even more special. He is willing to meet at the location of your choice, and can also perform different types of ceremonies that fit your personal preference. I am so very pleased my wife chose Chris to be our offiant. I highly recommend having him Officiate your wedding if you decide to get married in Honolulu.

This was by far the best place to have our wedding. Oahu, Hawaii is gorgeous! From start to finish…read moreeverything was perfect. Kalehua was amazing and such a wonderful spirit. He made the experience and so easy and he made sure you understood the process and the steps that would take place. I would recommend him to anyone that is planning a wedding in Oahu!

We love Kalehua and Eileen! The entire process from the initial inquiry to the "I do's" went very…read moresmoothly despite my nerves. Kalehua is extremely personable and has a way of putting your mind at ease. When we had our sit down meeting with him and Eileen it was not like we were meeting strangers for the first time, but friends we haven't seen in years--and that is exactly how you want to feel when meeting someone who will play such a big part in your special day. The way they get to know you makes you feel like you're special and not just "another customer". Our fur baby passed away last year and Kalehua and Eileen did something special for us to incorporate her into the ceremony; it had me tearing up before the ceremony even started! I received so many compliments on Kalehua and his service from my guests and would definitely recommend him 100x over to anyone looking for an officiant that will truly make their ceremony something to remember. Kalehua and Eileen we cannot thank you enough!!

9/27/25 Went to the Young at Heart Expo today and I cannot even remember the last time I was here…read moreat the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. It was my first time attending this event and it was also the last day of a 2-day expo. Event parking was $8 and they take take cash or BC. It is a little confusing at first entering the parking lot because there is a small automated kiosk where you pay for your parking and as I was reading the instructions, a nice young lady in the booth past the kiosk waved me over. She processed payment in a timely and friendly manner. The parking structure is a 3-story just across from the Blaisdell complex. It was full on the first floor with still plenty of available parking spaces. I was fortunate to find one just across from the exhibition hall. Nice to have covered parking! Leaving the structure can be a bit of a challenge if you're trying to leave to the King Street exit. If you take a wrong turn in the structure, you have to go completely around again to get to the correct lane and it's a very long parking structure. The event was free to attend and you can pre-register online & emailed a QR code. What's funny is, as I walked in with my QR code ready, there is no one scanning it, just greeters at the door. So QR code wasn't needed or required to enter. The expo was pretty full with all kinds of vendors. Flu shots were available thru some of the major health companies here like Kaiser, HMSA, Longs, etc. Some vendors had plinko you play for a prize, which was fun. Some were high pressured sales people which I did not care for. There were a couple areas set up for scheduled activities (I.e. pickleball, zumba, tennis), some vendors, and a stage. Jordan Segundo was the emcee and I had just missed the pet fashion show and caught the last 2 songs of Jordan. The facility was pretty clean, bathrooms were ok. The restrooms near the entrance is small, not too clean, and was out of toilet paper. The restrooms in the back by the stage are much bigger and cleaner. Besides the chairs surrounding the stage, there were also a few tables with table cloths for dining. The setting for the facility is nicely landscaped with the fish ponds by the hall and arena. I opted on a wagyu hot dog on a Hawaiian roll from Aloha Wagyu Hot Dogs booth. First time having a wagyu dog & it was ono! It was only $6, good sized, about 1/4 lb that came with mustard and crispy fried onions. They are not the same company in Waikiki called Aloha Hot Dog & Banh Mi. Overall, it was a good experience & look forward to returning for other events.

Checked out the Food and Product show at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition hall Sunday …read more I haven't come here for a while so i decided to check out their fish pond around the entrance of the Arena and the Exhibition hall. By in the day or ever since I can remember must be long time ago the fishes were more like small guppies and Talapia fish . To my surprise wow there's now Papio and my wife spotted a big Barracuda. Hmmm I think I will go late at night with my fishing pole and do some fishing LOL JK. It was a good turn out at the Food and Product Shows lots of people. Parking was $8 and Entry fee was $6 adult . I dropped a lot of money this weekend but that's ok to support local businesses is a must .