2013 Hawaii Bridesmaids Dress Trends

Picking out the bridesmaids dresses for your Hawaii Wedding can be one of the most fun parts of planning a wedding for the bride. The bridesmaid dresses can really add a pop of color to the ceremony and show off the bride’s unique sense of style. It can also be challenging as not everyone has the same body type or skin tone so people look different in dresses. So be prepared for a super fun, yet somewhat challenging adventure!

For brides on a budget, a simple bridesmaid dress can be found at your local mall, try Ala Moana, Ward, and Kahala and stores like Nordstrom, Forever 21 and Macy’s. Adding belts or sewn on little flowers can change the dress without having to buy a more expensive one. Also shoes, hair pins or clips and jewelry are all totally customizable which gives you yet another opportunity to express your personal style. Have fun with it! 🙂  Go shopping with your bridesmaids or maid of honor and make a complete day of it!

2013 Bridesmaids Dress Trend 1: The Mismatched Bridesmaids

One of the most popular trends of 2013 are mismatched bridesmaids dresses. Picking from a similar color pallet and similar shapes of dresses having mismatched dresses gives more options for the ladies to express their personal style. This can also be a good option if the bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses. Each bridesmaid can pick a dress in the color and style that’s appropriate but can also pick one that is in her budget.  Plus, this way your bridesmaids get to choose a dress that they LOVE and will wear again!  Yay! 🙂

In order to have the wedding look stay cohesive, make sure all bridesmaids dresses is within the same color scheme. Loving how Rochelle, one of our favorite summer brides did a beautiful mix of turquoise dresses for her bridesmaids.  She used similar shades and tied it all together with fabulous turquoise jewelry. These girls show you that being mismatched can be fun and elegant at the same time 🙂

Trend 2: The Short Bridesmaid Dress

Short and sassy dresses are a big trend in 2013 and we’ve seen them popping up everywhere!  Traditional church and black tie weddings should consider sticking to the formal longer gowns but for beach weddings or outdoor ceremonies short dresses are such a fun way to dress your bridesmaids. Especially in Hawaii where it gets very hot, short dresses are a super cute way to stay cool. Short dresses are also a great way to save money, as shorter dresses are generally less expensive than longer gowns.  

Check out our gorgeous bride Belinda who picked a short and patterned bridesmaid dress that turned out beautifully! These are fun dresses really added the perfect touch of color and style to Bel and Dane’s Halekulani Wedding. The bridal party looks very classy and elegant but now with a touch of sassy. The customized shoes are also a very fun touch.

Trend 3: The Skirt and Blouse Bridesmaid

One wild card trend that is starting to pop up more and more in Hawaii Weddings is changing the bridesmaid dress to a bridesmaid skirt and top! Definitely not for the very traditional bride but a very fun and creative way to show off your bridesmaids.  The skirt+top combo can add a casual feel to the wedding or could come off as being a very classy and elegant outfit depending on how you put it together.

Check out these skirts I found at Forever 21 (pictured above), my favorite local store for the best in inexpensive, high fashion, apparel.  All three of these skirts are under $20.00 and could be paired with any lovely blouse to create a fun and simple bridesmaids outfit.  You could pair the skirts with white, navy, dark grey or even a neutral tan color.  Then add a few signature jewelry pieces for that splash of elegance and some matching blue shoes. The options are endless. This trend is for a very free spirited and fun bride who wants to be different on her big day.

Hawaii Brides: Where to shop?

For the Hawaii brides out there, there are many wonderful, affordable places to shop both on the island and off. 

David’s Bridal Salon offer a ton of options and styles for a wide range of budgets. It is a great resource for all the bridal dresses. There is one on Oahu in Pearl City. There are also local bridal salons such as Casablanca and The Bridal Boutique which carry a variety of bridesmaids dresses as well as wedding gowns. The Bridal Boutique has lots of bridesmaid dresses by designer Alfred Angelo who has a huge selection of dresses to choose from. Of course, there is always the option of ordering online but then there is the hassle of sizing. For online shoppers, we’d suggest checking out J Crew, they have fabulous bridesmaids dresses!

On a budget? Not to worry, dresses also don’t need to come from a bridal salon. Department stores like Nordstrom also have a wide selection of dresses to choose from. Or you could try specialty shops at Kahala or Ward, or even less expensive stores like my favorite, Forever 21!

Hope you liked our pics for Top Bridesmaids Trends!  What are your bridesmaids wearing? Where are you shopping? We’d love to hear all about it! Do share 🙂 

Special thanks to Rachel, our intern who helped with this post!

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday! And cheers to your “Best Day Ever!”

xo,
Nicole
Hawaii Wedding Planner 
Best Day Ever Hawaii

Janah and Justin’s Best Day Ever! ♥ A small intimate wedding at a private O’ahu estate!

Janah and Justin tied the knot on June 2, 2013 at a private estate on the north east shore of O’ahu.  This wedding was a bit different for me since Janah was not just any bride, but also, my best friend.  She wanted something simple, but I wanted to make sure the day was also extra special.  And that it was!  This was definitely one of my favorite weddings ever! Intimate, small, beautiful and full of love. I’ve known this girl for 30+ years, and could not be happier for her!  Love you  ♥ !! Sorry this blog took so long to post 🙂 Enjoy the pics!!

xo, 
Nicole

Special thanks to all who helped make Janah and Justin’s Best Day Ever: 
Photography – Frank Amodo
Officiant – Alice Inoue
Rentals – Accel Rentals and Best Day Ever Hawaii
Coordination / Event Design – Best Day Ever Hawaii
Flowers – Watanabe / Nicole & Janah
Hair & Make-up – Raena Pacheco

                                

Sending a Big Congratulations to Janah & Justin!
Cheers to your Best Day Ever!

xo,
Best Day Ever Hawaii
Hawaii’s Premiere Event & Wedding Planners

CJ and Audrey’s Best Day Ever! An intimate and gorgeous O’ahu beach wedding at Makapu’u Beach!

CJ & Audrey tied the knot at Makapu’u Beach on June 8th, 2014.  The ceremony was held on one of the most beautiful days of the year so far.  Clear skies (bright blue with little white clouds) made the turquoise ocean even more vibrant and the white sand glow next to the dark black coral rocks.  It was a perfect day for the lovely couple!

Of course, everyone knows nothing ever starts out so perfect, we’ll not usually anyway when it comes to weddings.  For Audrey & CJ, this not-so-perfect day was the day before the wedding, the first day Audrey and CJ were actually getting to check out their ceremony spot in person. There were also a few things that came up a few weeks prior that none of us had expected. Nothing to worry about though, that is just the way weddings go sometimes, and the main thing is that everything worked out perfectly in the end.  Bet I have you curious now huh?

I met Audrey months prior to her wedding day and had been helping her find the perfect beach location, secure her all of her bouquets and flowers and organize all the little details of her wedding.  I feel in love with Audrey immediately, she was the sweetest bride to be, completely in love with her groom and oh-so-excited about her upcoming beautiful beach wedding on Oahu!  Everything was falling into place quite effortlessly, and it seemed inevitable that Audrey would have the beach wedding of her dreams.

Until … a few weeks prior to the ceremony, while trying to secure the permit for the ocean front, breathtaking location Audrey had chosen, I found out that there was actually a big parade that was going to happen at exactly the same time as Audrey’s ceremony AND the parade was scheduled to pass right in front of the entrance to the beach location.  This is the first time I had ever dealt with something like this and I immediately got to work calling the State Park Permit Office, the Honolulu Police Dept. and the General Parade Office to get all the details straight before coming up with a back-up plan for Audrey and CJ.

I found out that we could move the ceremony up an hour and miss the parade but then we still might have trouble getting out of the parking lot, and would have to wait to pass between floats.  This was no good, but an option.  We could also, change dates or we could change locations.

I called Audrey and went over the news with her and she decided upon switching locations. I spent the next day scouting new beaches that had grassy areas overlooking the ocean (as she didn’t want her dress or heels in the sand) and then sent her three new options to choose from. Audrey chose a new location and I got to work making the necessary changes to the timeline and calling all the vendors to confirm the change.

On the day of the rehearsal, which was also the day before the wedding, Erika and I met Audrey and CJ at their new location.  We were ready to go over the ceremony details and go through the rehearsal.  After introducing me to the family, Audrey asked if she could speak to me in private.  She said, almost in tears, that she just wasn’t 100% happy with the new location.  It wasn’t as green as she had hoped, a bit too windy and the sand bar (reefy area that was showing through the ocean) didn’t sit right with her.

I told her not to worry, this was her day and if she wasn’t happy, we could try and change the location one more time.  I suggested another beach I thought she would like better and we moved the entire group over to the new location on the spot.  It was only about a 15 minute drive away.

Audrey loved the new location (I knew she would!) and the rehearsal went on as planned.  Unfortunately there was one more hiccup. With all that was going on, the wedding ring was now missing 😦  We had one of Audrey’s uncles, someone not in the wedding party, search the car and the first beach for the ring as we continued on with the rehearsal.  Luckily, just as we were wrapping up the rehearsal, he came back with the ring in hand.

A beautiful new location and found wedding ring, and once more – all was well! Just a few more details to get sorted out (I still had to call all the vendors – again, to advise them of the change to the location), but other than that, things were looking up 🙂

Perhaps we just needed to get all that out of the way so that on the real wedding day everything would be perfect.  And quite honestly, that’s exactly what happened.  Before we knew it, it was Audrey and CJ’s “Best Day Ever!” ~ June 8, 2013!

Audrey & CJ’s wedding in a nutshell:  Gorgeous weather, not a rain cloud in the sky, bright blue turquoise ocean with a few lovely islands in the background, a beautiful wedding party, a hand full of their favorite guests, a handsome bride and of course, a beautiful bride!

To Audrey and CJ ~ A Big Congratulations to you both!  We’re so very excited for you and it was an absolute honor to be a part of your very special day.  We wish you both a lifetime of LOVE, Joy, Laughter, KISSES and tons of Blessings! Cheers to your “Best Day Ever!” 🙂 🙂 

A Big Mahalo to all of our Vendors!
Officiant : Cynthia Smoot
Flowers : Marie Blooms, Kristin
Photography : Pure Media Hawaii, Christian
Videography : Imaginewurks, Jody + Eric
Coordination : Best Day Ever Hawaii Wedding Planners

And now for the best part…  The pictures!  🙂 Enjoy!

Congratulations Audrey & CJ!
xo, Nicole (+Erika)
Best Day Ever Hawaii Wedding Planners

Tipping Wedding Vendors

Many brides have a lot of questions when it comes to tipping the vendors at their weddings. Tipping the vendors is not required but many vendors will expect some sort of gratuity unless they did a very poor job. Giving a tip to vendors should only be given if you feel the service was deserved. There are rough estimates as to how much should be tipped but really it is also up to you to decide what you feel as a couple is appropriate to tip.

If you have no idea what or where to start with tipping, here are a few tips on Wedding Tipping for our Hawaii Brides…

For the reception site and transportation check to see if there is an already added on gratuity fee. If there is, there is no reason to feel compelled to add on more. If not then a 15% tip would be a good amount. For hair and makeup pros, just like in salons a 15% to 20% tip is reasonable. Delivery people, servers, restroom attendants or valet attendants can be tipped according to the head count of your wedding or the price. For bartenders 10% of the liquor bill would be a typical tip. Delivery people can be around $5-10 depending on how much work is needed. For valet or restroom attendants, $1-2 per car or per person is a good tip. For catering companies, a tip is determined depending on the cost of the food and number of people, a 10-20% tip can be given depending on how awesome you felt the service and food was. Tips can be given to the headwaiter or manager. The officiant of your wedding should get a tip of around $50 -100 for nondenominational ceremonies but if you are an active member then a donation to your officiant’s church, synagogue or temple would be appropriate. The cake baker, stationer and rental company will not be expecting tips but if you feel they deserve them then it is up to you to determine a fair tip for them. Photographers and Videographers are usually tipped $100 if you are paying a flat fee with no overtime.  Coordinators are usually tipped 15% of fee or a personal gift.

An easy way to make sure the tipping is all taken care of is to decide before the wedding how much will be tipped for each person. Set aside the money in envelopes with a little Thank You Note and have either your wedding planner or if you do not have a planner, have a bridesmaid or groomsmen help distribute them after the wedding is over. This will allow you to not stress over getting the money to all the people that helped make your day special. It also allows you to get all of your Thank You notes to vendors out of the way. 🙂 

Hope everyone is having a very Happy Wednesday!

xo, 

Nicole + Erika
Best Day Ever Hawaii
Hawaii’s Premiere Wedding Planners 

Today is Tehani and Hank’s Best Day Ever

Horray! 🙂 The big day has finally come!  Today is Tehani and Hank’s Best Day Ever!  We can’t wait to see all the details, and over a year of planning, come together ~  Happy Wedding Day Tehani and Hank!

xo,

Nicole + Erika

Best Day Ever Hawaii

Hawaii Wedding Planners

2013 Wedding Dress Trends

Picking out your wedding dress can be one of the best parts of planning a wedding.
Seeing yourself in the dress and the veil can make the wedding seem real if it still feels like you’re in a dream.  Also shopping with your friends, family and some champagne for a once in a lifetime dress can never be a bad thing.  Just like in all fashion, bridal wear has trends that come and go.  From satin and lace to puffy sleeves of the 80’s, everything has had its turn on the wedding runway.  In 2013 there are a lot of gorgeous trends popping up that can work with any style, theme or budget.  If you’re one of the lucky ones that is starting to look for the dress here are some of the hottest trends seen everywhere from the runway to the aisle.

 

One trend that is very popular is illusion necklines. These necklines can range from unusual, subtle, lacy and refined, or sparkly and over-the-top. Generally the more sparkles the more expensive so if you are on a tight budget and love this look, check out designers that do more subtle or lacy necklines. This gown on the left is an Amsale dress costing $6295. This illusion neckline dress is a little pricey but great for those who want some bling on their dress. The dress on the right is a BHLDN gown for $2,400. It is a little bit simpler but still has some beautiful detail. Illusion neckline dresses come in all different styles so it’s just about finding a store and price range that fits your needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another popular trend for a less traditional bride is a blush or colored gown. For the brides that have dreamt about a white wedding dress their whole life this dress is not for you. These dresses are becoming a major statement in the world of bridal fashion. Blush is a very hot color right now as it is very feminine and romantic. It matches elegant and rustic themed weddings really well. Again these dresses can range in price depending on the designer and amount of detail. This Ines De Santo gown has a larger price tag of $7700 because of its interesting bodice and detail on the skirt. The color is gorgeous and soft perfect for those wanting that real blush tone. The second Watters dress is much cheaper at $1940 but still has all the drama, color and style of a more expensive gown. It just goes to show you that you don’t have to spend a ton to get runway style dresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite trends that has been making more of a presence in bridal fashion is long sleeve gowns. Many can say that this trend was started by the lovely Kate Middleton when she married Prince William and made everybody’s mouths drop when she first stepped out of the car wearing that incredible lace, long sleeve dress. Designers have been adding sleeves to dresses more and more now. For all those who think that a long sleeve dress would be too modest or conservative, think again. Long sleeve dresses can be just as sexy and daring. With lace and sheer fabric it shows the right amount of skin. They can also be the perfect option if you are going for a church wedding or just want to cover up a bit more. Long sleeve dresses can be matched to any style you are going for! The first dress by Jim Heljm is $3520 and has the perfect ratio of alluring to modest. The off the shoulder style shows the collar bones and shoulders and the lace gives it that sexy feel but you are still covering up more than you would in a strapless or thin strap gown. The next gown will amaze you with both how gorgeous and how affordable it is! This Maggie Sottero gown is only $679 yet gives you all the sexiness and glamour you could want. The sleeves cover you up but the sheer lace detail gives it that beautiful edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter what your style or taste is there is a perfect dress out there for you. Just like with your fiancée, once you find the perfect one stop looking! If you needed a little help with the style you wanted for your dream dress try any of these hot trends out and see if they are right for you.

Worried that Hawaii Weddings don’t call for the traditional fancy wedding gown? Think again! Hawaii weddings are just as fancy as weddings in any other state or country! Just because your getting married on the beach doesn’t mean you can’t look fab!

Happy Monday!

xo,

Rachel & Nicole
Hawaii Wedding Planners
Best Day Ever Hawaii

Best Day Ever’s Top 6 Ways to Deal with Wedding Stress

A bride’s wedding day is usually one of the happiest days of her life. However Hawaii weddings can be quite stressful when feeling pressure about all the planning, organization, family issues and little details that surround the big day. Stress is a normal thing but it is important to not let it overtake the day because above all a wedding is a joyous occasion and should be about love, fun and celebration! With a few little stress relieving tricks and techniques the bride can feel more at ease on her big day. Here are 6 ways to relax and let go of some of the possible wedding drama and make this the best day ever!  

Best Day Ever’s Top 6 Ways to Deal with Wedding Stress 

1. Take a moment with your other half:

Sometimes people can forget the main reason for the day. Brides and family members can get stressed out about all the details but really what the wedding is all about is the commitment and love between the happy couple. Take a moment before the craziness of the day to just be with your groom or bride, have some coffee or take a walk and just enjoy the last times together before being married. Focusing on what the wedding is all about can help to realize that the details will work out and really love is what it’s all about! 

2. Laugh!

There is a reason for the saying laughter is the best medicine. It’s true! Laughing can take so much pain and stress away in hectic times. Before the big day or even on the big day take some time to laugh. Watch your favorite movie or youtube clip that always gets you or talk to the one person that can always get you to laugh out loud. Laughing can put the stress at ease and hey, it’s fun and you can never have too much fun.  

3. Exercise

For me, this is my go to when things are stressful. Getting out and getting active can get your blood flowing, your mind going and it just makes you feel good about yourself. Exercise can mean different things to different people so whether its hiking, running walking, yoga and meditation, swimming or whatever makes you happy, just get up and do it. No one ever feels bad after doing a workout and the endorphins can take some of the unnecessary stress away from possible wedding craziness. If the day of your wedding you know you’re feeling stressed and nervous go for a run or do a little session of yoga. Maybe don’t go out and run a marathon but just a simple activity can put your mind at ease.

4. Listen to music

Music can be an incredibly good stress reliever and a way to take you away from stress you’re feeling leading up to or on the wedding day. Music is totally individual and personal and can be a nice escape from reality for a little bit. Whether it be Hawaiian, country, rap, classical or you playing your own instrument, any music can do the trick. Spontaneous outbursts of dance can also be very helpful just maybe make sure no one else is there to watch your moves.

5. Write in a journal

Writing in a journal or diary can be a very cathartic way of dealing with stress. It can help to free up some of the thought that might be bouncing around in the brain. Journals are totally personal and can help express anything you feel. Writing is a known way to help work though issues and if you can’t figure out what you’re stressed about writing can maybe help to identify what those things are. A journal leading up to the wedding can also be a fun way of remembering all the details that went into making this the best day ever.

6. Take a moment for yourself

Many brides forget sometimes that this day is about them and the groom and family. They get caught up worrying about other people and if the guests will enjoy it and it adds a lot of pressure and stress. Taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for you and everyone else. Get a pedicure or massage, take a much-needed nap, have a chocolate bar (never underestimate the power of chocolate), anything that helps soothe the mind, body and soul is definitely a good thing. Taking care of yourself first allows you to take better care of others.

 

Remember, weddings are supposed to be fun! This is a celebration of you!  No matter what, don’t let the little things stress you out too much, enjoy this moment, time is going to fly by and before you know it you’ll be walking down the aisle to say “I do!”.  

Thanks to Rachel, our new intern, for her help with little Stress Reliever list!

Wishing you all a very Happy Monday 🙂

xo,

Nicole
Best Day Ever Hawaii

Hawaii’s Premiere Wedding Planner
www.BestDayEverHawaii.com

Best Day Ever’s Top Pics: 2013 Wedding Color Trends

There are certain colors that come into season and really “pop”. For Hawaii weddings these trendy colors can be seen everywhere from the décor to the fashion of the wedding party.  Do you have your wedding colors picked out yet?  If not, today, we’ll go over what have been the top trends for wedding colors in 2013. Color trends change from year to year or during different seasons, but we’ve been seeing these color schemes pop up all over the place and we’d love to give you, our favorite Hawaii Brides, a little bit of inspiration.

Bright Pastels in Corals and Aquas

Bright pastel colors are a big trend in wedding this year. We have found that coral and aqua blue seem to be everywhere this year and we can definitely see why! Bridesmaid dresses look beautiful in these colors and having all of your bridesmaids in shades of coral or aqua can really be a gorgeous way to incorporate color. If you feel your main color is too bold for a bridesmaid dress then what about adding it into a bouquet or table setting?  This can give the wedding a touch of color without being as much of a standout.  Consider neutrals with bright touches of corals OR aquas.  How elegant would that be?

The wonderful thing about these colors is that they look great with other bright colors. Think aquas and greens or shades of pinks and corals. Layering and mixing shades of a similar color can add a lot of life and fun to décor and bridesmaid dresses. For summer weddings, coral and pink flowers are popular and look beautiful against a summer sky.

Another fun color combination is aqua and another bright color like green or pink. Our beautiful bride Belinda did the shades of aqua and green combo beautifully! For Hawaii brides, using aqua in the color scheme makes perfect sense as we are surrounded by this color all year long.

Bright Pastels in Corals and Aquas

A third trend popular throughout wedding blogs and websites this year is grey. Grey can be a tricky color and and is often not considered a popular wedding wedding color because it can be considered industrial and dark.  However, because grey is a mid tone neutral, meaning between white and black, it pairs well with almost every color. Grey can range from very light and soft tones and can be dark and bold or light and elegant. The lighter tones pair great with pastels and summery colors like pinks and yellows while dark grey looks great when matched with other strong colors as it is not as harsh as black and thus it can soften the look.

Grey suits are also a beautiful alternative then traditional black suits. The men from Dave and Sara’s ranch wedding certainly look happy in their steely ensembles!

So there you have it!  Our 2013 Wedding Color Trends!  🙂 What do you think? Is your color scheme part of the trend? We’d love to hear all about it! Do share!

Thanks to Rachel for her help with this blog post.  

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

xo,

Nicole
Best Day Ever Hawaii
Hawaii’s Premiere Wedding Planner

Today is Grace & Grant’s Best Day Ever!

Yay! 🙂 Super excited for Grace and Grant who are going to be celebrating their Best Day Ever (wedding day) today at the Halekulani Hotel, Hau Terrace!  Can’t wait for the celebrations to begin!
Happy Wedding Day Grant & Grace! 🙂

xo,
Nicole & Erika
Best Day Ever Hawaii
Hawaii’s Premiere Wedding Planning Team!