I was thinking that maybe we could share reception venue ideas with each other. My wedding is far away (2011) but am thinking of different places that I could host a reception and ceremony (possibly). I'm looking for a place that isn't too costly because we will be having two receptions. yes, i said two. the ceremony will probably only take place on oahu. I know we are crazy but there are many factors in our decision. One of them being that I'm from oahu and he is from kauai and both our families are huge so our best bet is to have two receptions.
any help that you could offer would be fabulous! :)
I have researched TONS or venues on Oahu - just about all of them except the hotels. I'm happy to share any info.
One of my favorite places that we decided against is the Waikiki Aquarium - fun, casual, beachfront, etc. It's fairly inexpensive but has some restrictions.
Let me know what your vision is and I'll share all my research.
Hi Kini! I would love to hear your research! :) I am holding my second reception here on Oahu (I live here and am having a destination wedding on the mainland). The Waikiki Aquarium has been my favorite place so far...but the restrictions were a bit much. Any thing else that you have found that is kid-friendly, casual, and open-air? I have even been thinking of renting a vacation rental house on the beach somewhere.
It's me pinkmochiball from the knot :) I'd love to hear your research on Oahu venues! I actually went to visit luana hills not sure if you saw my post but I'm really thinking about going there...what do you know about them as far as size and cost? It's going to be a pretty big wedding with about 200-250 guests (that is cutting our size down too haha) and it really doesn't matter where we go...we plan to rent buses or motor coaches to a place if it's far from where everyone is staying. you can email me please: tcbkauai(at)gmail(dot)com :)
Oh my goodness, I feel so helpful and popular. Fun!
I thought I'd respond here so others can get the info too, and add their two cents. If you want to reach me directly, I am more than happy to give you detailed info.
Hulafish: We're also still considering a beachfront rental. We're hoping to have 100 guests and a medium-sized budget. So far the rental home options are few and far between but I haven't given up. One place you should definitely consider is Ke Iki Beach Cottages on the North Shore. A friend of mine had her wedding there and loved it and another friend of mine is planning hers there in 2009. We decided against it because it was a little small and casual for our vision. But definitely check it out. The people who own it are super chill.
CrazyloveHI/PinkMochi: I haven't been on the Knot much, I still find it overwhelming. But sounds like I really need to log on for good discussions like these. We looked at Luana Hills. In my opinion, the best of all the golf course clubs. Absolutely gorgeous! They have relatively new ownership and their events staff is the same as the Willows restaurant (I have not been there but many people are familiar with it). I honestly don't remember the price except that it seemed very reasonable. As for size, I think 200 might be about their max but definitely ask them. They were cool about getting back to me quickly.
In case anyone can help me out... We're currently debating between the Pacific Club, Lanikuhonua, or a private rental. Any thoughts?
Ooh, the pacific club would be very nice and classy! That's a great idea. Do you have to be a member, or get a member to sponsor you? I have not heard of Lanikuhonua, but I will look in to it right now...
Thanks for the Ke Iki suggestion, I had actually forgotten about that place!
you are definitely popular and the sweetest! I tried emailing luana but they haven't got back to me yet...I emailed them on saturday i am getting antsy. Maybe i shouldn't have mentioned that my wedding is three years away! :) we're still debating after hearing about willows taking over. My bf and I dont' really care for willow's food. i mean don't get me wrong it's good but not what we are really looking for. I'll have to ask if you can cater out? we're also debating about a hotel. so many things to think about.
i've seen what the girls on the knot do with lani. It's beautiful with all the right decor. And i know you are good at that.i should probably look on your bio but how many people are you expecting? i never heard of pacific club...going to look now.
OMG, you totally make me feel like a celebrity. Hooray!
With regard to Luana Hills, I never emailed them, I just made an appointment to visit on Saturday morning by calling them. They were very nice and they offered to treat us to their Sunday brunch so we could try the food. So if you really want to consider them, try the food and then make your decision.
As for the Pacific Club, you do need to know a member. Luckily my boss offered. But we still haven't decided for sure.
Hulafish, another great place is Kualoa Ranch. Really pretty but casual and completely open-air.
you are popular! i found you some place else first...i think i'm internet stalking you (LOL) kidding. are you from oahu? i saw the pacific club. looks gorgeous and so posh! I'll definitely have to consider calling and going in. Luana is my first pick and if not i'm toying with the idea of going to lani. which one are you leaning towards? I like the idea (like you) to be out of waikiki. even if it is a drive it's beautiful to see the different scenery oahu has to offer. let me know what you decide :)
I moved to Oahu with my boyfriend in May, who became my fiance in May. Originally i thought we'd get married back home in CA, but it's so beutiful out here and it just seemed like the perfect oppurtunity to bring those closest to us out for a fantastic time. So we're planning on renting a large home for about 20 people for a week and also holding the reception at the home. We've found a few great places.
Hi Suzanne! I had the same idea for our receptions (a second reception since we are getting married in TN). It would be SO fun to have a vacation rental for a few days, or a week and have the reception there too!
Here are a few places I have found on VRBO...I will check out the ones you posted too, thanks!
Before you get too attached to any of these places, make sure to check with them to see if they are willing to have the reception on site. I've had some people who are all for it with no extra charge and others who won't accomodate it at all.
So far the owners or rental agencies have been very eager to book our dates. We are actually going to see one of the sites this saturday to make sure the ground can handle an outdoor reception. I'm excited to see.
The rentals are much cheaper than hotels and you really get the feel of the untouched Hawaii.
I highly recommend Kualoa. They are really quite flexible and nice, and the best things: they're affordable, considering several properties here wanted thousands just so I could put my lil' feet on their grass, and they don't have a lot of rules. The cons are that they're far (for Hawaii, which means about 20-30 minutes away from downtown/Waikiki), and that they are a ranch, so they're pretty bare bones -- it's not golf course quality grass, you have to make sure someone checks that all the horse poop gets picked up, and you have to bring in rentals -- everything from lighting to chairs (which Kualoa *can* arrange for you).
I tried doing the private home rental thing, but the really really nice homes are in ritzy neighborhoods where they are cracking down on having parties and/or they are picky about noise to begin with. I tried to go through a rental agency, but they told me that except for the Sullivan Estate and the Paul Brown Estate (both are gorgeous, but expensive), most private estates don't allow weddings/parties.
Those of you who are doing the small gatherings and actually staying in the homes are probably OK. I was trying to find a home that could accomodate 120 people on the lawn.
The Dillingham Estate has been in flux, but it's very pretty. if you can afford it, there's a place called World of Aloha -- it's SOOOO beautiful, despite the cheesy name (http://worldaloha.com/), but it cost, IIRC, $8000 for just the venue use. (No tents, chairs, etc.). Bit of trivia: there's a little house on the property that was used in the Karate Kid 2 movie, and if you want to stay there overnight, I was told, you can. (It's also far out on the Windward side, near Kualoa.) For smaller parties (less than 100), the Bayer Estate is really pretty, but I think it can get pricey -- it's better for small, brunch or afternoon tea kind of weddings.
Lanikuhonua is beautiful, but they have a lot of rules, so if you use it, be sure to get a coordinator who can take care of it all for you.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Contemporary Art Museum both were not allowing weddings anymore as of last year. They may have changed their policies since then. The Bishop Museum just finished renovating, and they have beautiful grounds. We liked them, they weren't too bad on price, but they were renovating at the time. The Hawaii State Art Museum is downtown, and is very pretty. The large lawn was $6000, I think, and the smaller upper patio was much less...can't remember how much. It's a little weird for parking if your guests are from out of town, though.
If you want to use a public park or beach, there are beautiful ones, and they're free, you need a permit, though, but there is no public consumption of alcohol, so you'd have to have a dry wedding, or run the risk of hiding it and getting busted.
The Iolani Palace has recently opened up and is allowing private, non-Hawaiian events. They have a beautiful barracks that's open air.
I used these folks as our day-of-coordination services, and I highly recommend them, however, they now have a minimum event budget requirement, which I can't remember off the top of my head: http://current-affairs.net/oahu.asp Check their list of venues, though -- they use some very nice places, but some can only be used if you hire them, and they're not cheap.
Finally, a big challenge on the private, non-hotel/non-country club venues is that many require that you be shut down and off property relatively early: like 10PM. Some are more flexible than others (I think we shut down at Kualoa at 10, and left by 11, and they didn't complain). So if you're party-'til-you-drop people, you'll have to come up with after-party plans, or should make sure you have a venue that will allow it.
i'm going to totally have to look into kualoa now! i think i'm going to be torn between luana hills, kualoa, and koolau ballrooms :) hehe. good thing i have a lot of time to think and plan :) thanks for the info though so helpful!
Hello everyone,
I was thinking that maybe we could share reception venue ideas with each other. My wedding is far away (2011) but am thinking of different places that I could host a reception and ceremony (possibly). I'm looking for a place that isn't too costly because we will be having two receptions. yes, i said two. the ceremony will probably only take place on oahu. I know we are crazy but there are many factors in our decision. One of them being that I'm from oahu and he is from kauai and both our families are huge so our best bet is to have two receptions.
any help that you could offer would be fabulous! :)
thanks in advance!
posted by crazyloveHI 3 months agoI have researched TONS or venues on Oahu - just about all of them except the hotels. I'm happy to share any info.
One of my favorite places that we decided against is the Waikiki Aquarium - fun, casual, beachfront, etc. It's fairly inexpensive but has some restrictions.
Let me know what your vision is and I'll share all my research.
posted by Kini 3 months agoHi Kini! I would love to hear your research! :) I am holding my second reception here on Oahu (I live here and am having a destination wedding on the mainland). The Waikiki Aquarium has been my favorite place so far...but the restrictions were a bit much. Any thing else that you have found that is kid-friendly, casual, and open-air? I have even been thinking of renting a vacation rental house on the beach somewhere.
posted by hulafish 3 months agoHi Kini :)
It's me pinkmochiball from the knot :) I'd love to hear your research on Oahu venues! I actually went to visit luana hills not sure if you saw my post but I'm really thinking about going there...what do you know about them as far as size and cost? It's going to be a pretty big wedding with about 200-250 guests (that is cutting our size down too haha) and it really doesn't matter where we go...we plan to rent buses or motor coaches to a place if it's far from where everyone is staying. you can email me please: tcbkauai(at)gmail(dot)com :)
thanks!
posted by crazyloveHI 3 months agoOh my goodness, I feel so helpful and popular. Fun!
I thought I'd respond here so others can get the info too, and add their two cents. If you want to reach me directly, I am more than happy to give you detailed info.
Hulafish: We're also still considering a beachfront rental. We're hoping to have 100 guests and a medium-sized budget. So far the rental home options are few and far between but I haven't given up. One place you should definitely consider is Ke Iki Beach Cottages on the North Shore. A friend of mine had her wedding there and loved it and another friend of mine is planning hers there in 2009. We decided against it because it was a little small and casual for our vision. But definitely check it out. The people who own it are super chill.
CrazyloveHI/PinkMochi: I haven't been on the Knot much, I still find it overwhelming. But sounds like I really need to log on for good discussions like these. We looked at Luana Hills. In my opinion, the best of all the golf course clubs. Absolutely gorgeous! They have relatively new ownership and their events staff is the same as the Willows restaurant (I have not been there but many people are familiar with it). I honestly don't remember the price except that it seemed very reasonable. As for size, I think 200 might be about their max but definitely ask them. They were cool about getting back to me quickly.
In case anyone can help me out... We're currently debating between the Pacific Club, Lanikuhonua, or a private rental. Any thoughts?
posted by Kini 3 months agoOoh, the pacific club would be very nice and classy! That's a great idea. Do you have to be a member, or get a member to sponsor you? I have not heard of Lanikuhonua, but I will look in to it right now...
Thanks for the Ke Iki suggestion, I had actually forgotten about that place!
posted by hulafish 3 months agoHi kini :)
you are definitely popular and the sweetest! I tried emailing luana but they haven't got back to me yet...I emailed them on saturday i am getting antsy. Maybe i shouldn't have mentioned that my wedding is three years away! :) we're still debating after hearing about willows taking over. My bf and I dont' really care for willow's food. i mean don't get me wrong it's good but not what we are really looking for. I'll have to ask if you can cater out? we're also debating about a hotel. so many things to think about.
i've seen what the girls on the knot do with lani. It's beautiful with all the right decor. And i know you are good at that.i should probably look on your bio but how many people are you expecting? i never heard of pacific club...going to look now.
thanks for the help!
posted by crazyloveHI 3 months agoOMG, you totally make me feel like a celebrity. Hooray!
With regard to Luana Hills, I never emailed them, I just made an appointment to visit on Saturday morning by calling them. They were very nice and they offered to treat us to their Sunday brunch so we could try the food. So if you really want to consider them, try the food and then make your decision.
As for the Pacific Club, you do need to know a member. Luckily my boss offered. But we still haven't decided for sure.
Hulafish, another great place is Kualoa Ranch. Really pretty but casual and completely open-air.
So hard to make a decision, huh?!
posted by Kini 3 months agoKINI!
you are popular! i found you some place else first...i think i'm internet stalking you (LOL) kidding. are you from oahu? i saw the pacific club. looks gorgeous and so posh! I'll definitely have to consider calling and going in. Luana is my first pick and if not i'm toying with the idea of going to lani. which one are you leaning towards? I like the idea (like you) to be out of waikiki. even if it is a drive it's beautiful to see the different scenery oahu has to offer. let me know what you decide :)
posted by crazyloveHI 3 months agoHow about a museum, a church or school grounds or a community center?
posted by QueenoftheClick 3 months agoI moved to Oahu with my boyfriend in May, who became my fiance in May. Originally i thought we'd get married back home in CA, but it's so beutiful out here and it just seemed like the perfect oppurtunity to bring those closest to us out for a fantastic time. So we're planning on renting a large home for about 20 people for a week and also holding the reception at the home. We've found a few great places.
http://www.alohalion.com/oahu/turtlebay/317/317.html
and
http://www.greatrentals.com/rental-property/p191968
It would be nice to find something a little less expensive though. Anyone know of any good rentals?
Suzanne
posted by suzhowe 3 months agoHi Suzanne! I had the same idea for our receptions (a second reception since we are getting married in TN). It would be SO fun to have a vacation rental for a few days, or a week and have the reception there too!
Here are a few places I have found on VRBO...I will check out the ones you posted too, thanks!
http://www.vrbo.com/73267
http://www.vrbo.com/60741
http://www.vrbo.com/31688
http://www.vrbo.com/31309
-stacey
posted by hulafish 3 months agoHi Stacey,
Before you get too attached to any of these places, make sure to check with them to see if they are willing to have the reception on site. I've had some people who are all for it with no extra charge and others who won't accomodate it at all.
So far the owners or rental agencies have been very eager to book our dates. We are actually going to see one of the sites this saturday to make sure the ground can handle an outdoor reception. I'm excited to see.
The rentals are much cheaper than hotels and you really get the feel of the untouched Hawaii.
When is your wedding?
-Suzanne
posted by suzhowe 2 months agoHi all --
I highly recommend Kualoa. They are really quite flexible and nice, and the best things: they're affordable, considering several properties here wanted thousands just so I could put my lil' feet on their grass, and they don't have a lot of rules. The cons are that they're far (for Hawaii, which means about 20-30 minutes away from downtown/Waikiki), and that they are a ranch, so they're pretty bare bones -- it's not golf course quality grass, you have to make sure someone checks that all the horse poop gets picked up, and you have to bring in rentals -- everything from lighting to chairs (which Kualoa *can* arrange for you).
I tried doing the private home rental thing, but the really really nice homes are in ritzy neighborhoods where they are cracking down on having parties and/or they are picky about noise to begin with. I tried to go through a rental agency, but they told me that except for the Sullivan Estate and the Paul Brown Estate (both are gorgeous, but expensive), most private estates don't allow weddings/parties.
Those of you who are doing the small gatherings and actually staying in the homes are probably OK. I was trying to find a home that could accomodate 120 people on the lawn.
The Dillingham Estate has been in flux, but it's very pretty. if you can afford it, there's a place called World of Aloha -- it's SOOOO beautiful, despite the cheesy name (http://worldaloha.com/), but it cost, IIRC, $8000 for just the venue use. (No tents, chairs, etc.). Bit of trivia: there's a little house on the property that was used in the Karate Kid 2 movie, and if you want to stay there overnight, I was told, you can. (It's also far out on the Windward side, near Kualoa.) For smaller parties (less than 100), the Bayer Estate is really pretty, but I think it can get pricey -- it's better for small, brunch or afternoon tea kind of weddings.
Lanikuhonua is beautiful, but they have a lot of rules, so if you use it, be sure to get a coordinator who can take care of it all for you.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts and the Contemporary Art Museum both were not allowing weddings anymore as of last year. They may have changed their policies since then. The Bishop Museum just finished renovating, and they have beautiful grounds. We liked them, they weren't too bad on price, but they were renovating at the time. The Hawaii State Art Museum is downtown, and is very pretty. The large lawn was $6000, I think, and the smaller upper patio was much less...can't remember how much. It's a little weird for parking if your guests are from out of town, though.
If you want to use a public park or beach, there are beautiful ones, and they're free, you need a permit, though, but there is no public consumption of alcohol, so you'd have to have a dry wedding, or run the risk of hiding it and getting busted.
The Iolani Palace has recently opened up and is allowing private, non-Hawaiian events. They have a beautiful barracks that's open air.
I used these folks as our day-of-coordination services, and I highly recommend them, however, they now have a minimum event budget requirement, which I can't remember off the top of my head: http://current-affairs.net/oahu.asp Check their list of venues, though -- they use some very nice places, but some can only be used if you hire them, and they're not cheap.
Finally, a big challenge on the private, non-hotel/non-country club venues is that many require that you be shut down and off property relatively early: like 10PM. Some are more flexible than others (I think we shut down at Kualoa at 10, and left by 11, and they didn't complain). So if you're party-'til-you-drop people, you'll have to come up with after-party plans, or should make sure you have a venue that will allow it.
posted by princesskittyHI 2 months agoi'm going to totally have to look into kualoa now! i think i'm going to be torn between luana hills, kualoa, and koolau ballrooms :) hehe. good thing i have a lot of time to think and plan :) thanks for the info though so helpful!
posted by crazyloveHI 2 months ago