A Venue, and Therefore a Date

A Venue, and Therefore a Date

January 14th, 2010 @ 3:46 pm by Mrs. Sewing
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Things Mr. Sewing and I were looking for in a venue -

Great food. But yes, this is Hawaii we’re talking about, so pretty much anywhere you go, food is going to be good.
Price. Partially because of our budget, we didn’t bother to entertain the thought of the amazingly beautiful, but outrageously expensive resorts like Turtle Bay or Ihilani.
Freedom. Since I’m a controlling crazy lady, a package deal isn’t going to fit for me. I want to be able to bring my own cake and flowers and whatever-else in.
Good cause. If possible, we’d like the money we pay for our venue to go to a useful cause.

So we came up with pros and cons for the four finalist venue locations:

Pros: Mr. Sewing’s parents had their wedding reception here, they have awesome food, and there’s a garden/gazebo to have your ceremony in.

Cons: It’s the most expensive, and pretty much all Saturdays in 2010 are already booked.

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A Venue, and Therefore a Date : wedding venues Catering Functions

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The Manoa Grand Ballroom

Pros: Bringing your own cake is okay, proceeds go to the Japanese Cultural Center, good availability and a cheery, upbeat spokesperson on the phone (that’s always a plus, in my opinion!).

Cons: No place to get married, and no one’s ever been there to know what the food is like.

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Nehelani

Pros: Newer facility, Mr. Sewing’s cousin had a party there before.

Cons: No place to get married, and you can’t bring your own cake in.

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The Okinawan Center

Pros: Cheapest, Zippy’s food (Even President Obama likes it!), can bring in your own cake.

Cons: No place to get married, plastic tableware.

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In the end, we decided on the Manoa Grand Ballroom. It’s on the fifth floor of the Japanese Cultural Center, and I’m pretty happy with it.

Mr. Sewing’s dad and brother even went and checked it out for us. Video is such a blessing for us destination planners who can’t see anything in person!

Our date is now set! And it’s easy to remember, since it’s also Harry Potter’s Birthday!

How many reception ’finalists’ did you have for your venue? Did you have a set criteria of things you were looking for?

Tags: Venues |

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19 Responses to “A Venue, and Therefore a Date”

Member

Osakagrl (message) 761 posts, Busy bee

They have an Okinawan center in Hawaii? Thats Cool! My Father in Law is Okinawan! I just went there this past september ^^ (and tokyo!) sorry….off topic

1/14/10 @ 3:50 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Mouse (message) 5,844 posts, Bee Keeper

Awesome wedding date!

1/14/10 @ 3:57 pm (reply)

Member

Mrs. Dee to Bee (message) 816 posts, Busy bee

That’s wonderful! Our venue choices were limited because of a ginormous guest list + small town…
Also, if you haven’t figured out a place/officiant for the ceremony, my sister got married on Oahu by Capt. Rev. Howie (hawaiiweddings.com) and it was GORGEOUS. Anyway, just a little tip, just in case… (:

1/14/10 @ 4:01 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Guinea Pig (message) 1,377 posts, Bumble bee

Haha, I love your wedding date And I’m impressed you picked a venue without seeing it in person, that would make me nervous! Luckily, the venue you chose looks great.

1/14/10 @ 4:14 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

hey, that’s my birthday too! i’m famous!! that’s great you guys were able to choose a location with the help of mr. sewing’s dad and brother!

1/14/10 @ 4:27 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Pencils (message) 1,027 posts, Bumble bee

it looks beautiful! great choice!

1/14/10 @ 4:53 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Pudding (message) 1,180 posts, Bumble bee

Yay! Booking the venue is (in my opinion) the most daunting task of wedding planning. Congrats on getting it done!

1/14/10 @ 5:01 pm (reply)

Member

Nexus-6 (message) 864 posts, Busy bee

Do you mean July 23rd? Because that’s my birthday! And apparently I share it with Miss Pug, cool!

1/14/10 @ 5:01 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Spaniel (message) 6,792 posts, Bee Keeper

Nice!

1/14/10 @ 8:04 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Miss Cola (message) 2,868 posts, Sugar bee

Looks like that will be a great venue for your criteria, and so nice that you have the videos of it too!

1/14/10 @ 8:38 pm (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Sewing (message) 2,701 posts, Sugar bee

@Osakagrl: Lol! I’m so jealous! You’ll have to tell me all the good spots in Japan!
@Mrs. Dee to Bee: OHH! I saw him online! hehe.
@Miss Guinea Pig: Believe me, there’s TONS of nervousness here. I got upset cause they didn’t take video of the bathroom while they were there! lol.
@Nexus-6: Close! Fictional Harry’s bday, not Daniel Radcliffe’s!

1/14/10 @ 11:07 pm (reply)

12.

Member

tea (message) 7,263 posts, Bee Keeper

video is a godsend!

1/15/10 @ 1:34 am (reply)

13.

Member

Danish_Student (message) 396 posts, Helper bee

Oooh, I’m also getting married at Harry Potter’s BD next year! Not in Hawaii, though

1/15/10 @ 6:59 am (reply)

14.

Member

KMSull (message) 6,442 posts, Bee Keeper

Ooooh Hawaii! So pretty, and SO JEALOUS you’re getting married there!

1/15/10 @ 9:27 am (reply)

15.

Bee

Miss Nachos (message) 1,733 posts, Bumble bee

That was so great of them to take video for you, I wish I had had someone to do that for me! Alas, I had to rely on pics from Trip Advisor. Looks like you got most of what you were hoping for in this venue. Congrats!

1/15/10 @ 9:39 am (reply)

16.