What To Look For and What To Avoid

Regardless if you use our services or not we want you to have a wonderful Hawaii wedding. It’s hard to find a wedding provider that you can trust and our company is not right for everyone. These tips will help you have a great Hawaii wedding regardless of who you hire as your wedding day provider even if it’s not us.

1. Salvation Army, Walmart, Macy’s or Vera Wang?
   
   

   If you are shopping at the Salvation Army do you expect to get the same quality and service as you would at Gucci or Prada? In every industry around the world they say “you get what you pay for” and the wedding industry is no different. This is your wedding day and it's very smart to shop around and find a great deal. We’re just saying be smart. If it looks too good to be true then it probably is.
   Some say flowers are flowers or the minister is a minister but that is simply not true. That’s just like saying a job is a job or a car is a car. Whether, you use our services or not, we strongly recommend you ask yourself these common sense questions about pricing and quality and balance that with what you are getting and sacrificing on your wedding day. Spending $20, $50, $100, $200 or more to get a higher quality provider can end up being a priceless investment in your wedding day.
   
   

2. What are the qualifications of your wedding day planner?
   
   Most Hawaii wedding planners never went to school to study event planning nor did they apprentice under another wedding planner to learn the trade. Naturally, we must ask what qualifies them as a professional wedding planner. With no training or education in their field, we encourage you to ask how they learned the art of wedding planning.  We encourage you to ask what verifiable credentials they bring to your wedding besides experience or the friend that hired them. There are various highly affordable certification and educational opportunities for Hawaii wedding planners locally in Hawaii and nation wide as well as online. We encourage you to ask about what qualifications they have. It’s a very basic question that many Hawaii wedding planners can answer yet others cannot.
   
   
3. What is your commission number?
   
   Before hiring a wedding officiant or minister, please ask them for there Hawaii state commission number. This way you can ask the Hawaii Department of Health to check on their status and verify that they are legitimate.
   
   
4. Wedding Etiquette & Gratuity:
   
   Virtually all national publications and wedding books that discuss wedding etiquette state that it is NOT normal to tip your wedding planner. If you wish to express your gratitude to your coordinator then a card or wrapped gift is much more appropriate. However, some Hawaii wedding companies choose to throw appropriate wedding etiquette out the window and suggest that a gratuity is not only normal but expected. This does not mean that they are bad wedding providers, but it does show that they either ignore very basic wedding industry standards which brides and grooms expect or that they are unaware of those standards. Either way, this can put the client in an uncomfortable and unnecessary situation. No. Breezy Hawaii Weddings by the Romance Specialists does not ask or expect you to tip any of our wedding planners or coordinators at any time.
   
   
5. Assisting You With Obtaining Your Marriage License:
   
   The Hawaii Department of Health is VERY clear with its laws & regulations which state that the only people who may obtain a marriage license are the two people getting married. This means that your wedding company cannot assist you with obtaining your marriage license beyond giving you driving directions and telling you what to bring with you. All of that information can be found free of charge on this website or at the Hawaii Department of Health's website. We understand that they may come as a shock since you probably have seen hundreds of websites say that they will assist you with obtaining your marriage license and they charge a fee for it. Simply call the Hawaii Department of Health and ask them yourself and they will tell you that what we stated is true. You don't have to pay anybody for this and they really can't assist you beyond directions.
   
   
6. Can You Support that Statement?
   
   Many companies make a lot of claims but can they back it up? It's ok to ask for proof when you receive conflicting information.  If they cannot provide proof, then it is safe to assume that the information is embellished or that they are uninformed. The Romance Specialists offers proof that our statement about obtaining your marriage license is correct by suggesting you go straight to the Department of Health and ask them yourself.  We offer proof by supplying our commission numbers that can be verified by the Department of Health and wedding planning certifications that can be verified from the schools we attended.  We offer proof that Magic Island is a poor choice for a wedding location by suggesting you Google "Homeless in Ala Moana Beach Park". We back up our statements with solid, third party confirmations so that you don't have to believe us – we can prove it.  Any other reputable company will be able to back up and support their statements as well.
   
   
7. The minister is REQUIRED to submit your marriage license to the Department of Health After the Ceremony:
   
   It's true! Again, we back up our statements by suggesting you contact the Hawaii Department of Health. You don’t have to believe us or any other wedding company for that matter. Please call the Department of Health and find out for yourself. If the person agrees to do the ceremony then they are also agreeing to submit the paper work to the Hawaii Department of Health after the ceremony. You are not required to pay for this “added” service.
   
   
8. The Importance of Photography
   
   Photography is often one of the most important elements of your wedding. Keeping that in mind, have you ever had a professional photographer tell you that they aren't a "great photographer"?  Probably not but we know that all photographers are not equal. If you are not comfortable with the photographer provided by your Hawaii wedding company, then you should be able to bring in an outside photographer. If the company discourages this in any way what so ever it is a red flag. EVERY bridal magazine and book will tell you how important photography is to your wedding and how important it is that the couple is comfortable with the photographer. Virtually all bridal magazines will tell you this is the one area that you don't want to skimp on. Again, this is a world-wide wedding industry standard and if your wedding company discourages you in any way from getting your own Hawaii wedding photographer or videographer then you may need to reconsider your choice in Hawaii wedding provider.
   
   
9. A Pretty Website Doesn't Mean Flawless Wedding
   
   A fabulous website doesn't mean that the people on the other end are perfect for you. The best way to size them up is not by viewing the website but by calling them on the phone and talking with them. Websites are great tools but you shouldn't hire a company on the basis of the website alone.
   
   
10. All In The Family or No Guarantee:
    
    Like many other companies, we are a full service Hawaii wedding provider that can assist you with everything from start to finish. We have our own Hawaii wedding ohana (family) that we enjoy working with and recommend before others. However, we understand that you may find your own limousine, Hawaii wedding photographer, vidoegrapher or other Hawaii wedding vendors on your own that you may wish to work with, and that is ok. Normal wedding etiquette found in virtually every national bridal publication will say that you are not only allowed but entitled to hire who you want for your wedding. We welcome the chance to network with other Hawaii wedding vendors. A solid wedding professional is accustomed to working with a vast variety of people and able to adapt. If you bring in your own Hawaii wedding photographer there is no reason that it should be disruptive to the flow or success of your wedding. Some companies strongly discourage you from going with any vendors not associated with them. You may read something like they don't guarantee their service (which is understandable) and that it often causes a problem (which is highly embellished). Generally, this has more to do with profits and competitiveness and less to do with potential problems that may arise. These discouraging statements go against virtually every wedding publication ever made. A solid Hawaii wedding professional not only expects but welcomes outside vendors and would never discourage a couple from hiring other quality professionals.
    

In the End, Listen to Yourself

Nobody is going to take better care of you than you. Listen to yourself and if things don't feel right it's ok to walk away. Listen to yourself and if things don’t feel right it’s ok to walk away even if that means you don’t hire us. Your wedding is all about you and you should trust yourself before anyone else.