WEDDING INVITATIONS
something I never understood

So here's something I really never understood when it came to wedding invitations:

1. That 8 months prior to your wedding date, you should send your "save-the-date" cards to all guest (not just guest who had to travel)
   
2. That 2 to 3 months prior to your wedding date, you should send your REAL INVITATIONS to all your guest.

Really? What's the purpose?

I also wondered:

1. Why do wedding companies have to make wedding date information, so ineffective, in the name of being fancy. Instead of writing something easy-to-read that can be pasted on the fridge such as:
   
   When: March 27, 2010 5pm
   Place: Lanikuhonua Estate, on Ko'olina Property (see map)
   Time: 5pm
   
   The wedding invitations companies write something like this:
   
   We would like to invite you to the union between ____ and____ on the twenty-seventh of the month of march in the year of two thousand ten at five o'lock at Lanikuhonua Estate, on the property of Ko'olina.
   
   HUH? Imagine reading that on the fridge. No wonder people forget to show up for weddings.

It seems to me that wedding invitation companies have completely forgot the purpose of invitations which apparently was at one time to convey information quickly and easily, so loved ones can RSVP promptly and show up on time.

But my golden question has always been "Why can't you just send out your REAL INVITATIONS" 8 months prior to your wedding day? So your save-the-date cards, were actually your wedding invitations? If you did this, you could:

1. SAVE MONEY - since you don't have to send out two invitations
   
2. START THE RSVP'ing PROCESS EARLY - your friends and family, will hardly ever RSVP to your wedding. They are all lazy people who just assume that you know they are coming.
   
   If you send out your invitations the traditional way, two to three months before your wedding date, you will be scrambling in the final days of your wedding, calling your friends to see if they are coming, so you can get a final headcount for your reception.
   
   If you get out your invitations as early as possible, you can get a final headcount months before your wedding, giving you a solid budget for your reception!

And, if you made your invitation practical, meaning, without all that wordy stuff.... Guest would be less likely to forget about your wedding date!

Many wedding invitation "specialist" told me that the reason why you would send your wedding invitations 2 to 3 months prior to your wedding date is so that guest would remember that they hard a party to go to.

But wait a minute. When I have a special event to attend, say the Superbowl, I made sure I don't forget about it. I sometimes would book airline tickets 5 months in advance, and I didn't forget about that. I bought concert tickets 1 year in advance...and I didn't forget about those.... Are we really going to believe our "specialist's" insults about your family, and let them lead us to believe that ALL OF YOUR GUEST, are ignorant?

The point of this article. As soon as you figure out where and when your wedding is going to be, send out 1 clean-cut invitation, and that's it. If they don't RSVP within the next month, call them. From there on out....if they forget to come, it's their loss. But trust me, they won't forget your wedding....

Just my two cents

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Reporter
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

Yes, I turned the big "three-two" yesterday. I rang it in with just a small birthday party with my mom, dad, aunt, and grandmother. My friend Keith came over to lift weights and to play Mortal Kombat, and today I have a nice dinner picnic with one of my friends. I really didn't want a big hoopla for my birthday actually. All I really wanted was some brownies, milk, and for me to plop in front of the TV to watch my two favorite TV shows: Neil Cavuto (Your World) and Glenn Beck. I could have spent the night going out with friends, partying it up, but I was too tired. And I could have invited a lot of friends over, but I was too lazy to plan something big.

I did spend the earlier portion of my day doing a small vow renewal, that I will blog about in the coming week, but that's about it. I must be getting older...working on my birthday?!! That's unheard of!

So what have I learned over the past years of my life? Quite a bit. But what was on my mind as I turned 32 was more about my future, than antyhing else. And all I can say is that I'm actually quite scared on what the future may hold for me as our country inches toward a socialistic society under Obama's watch.

When is he not campaigning?

I keep hearing the rhetoric that Obama believes in the American Dream, but once you accomplish it, he wants to take more than half of it away, so he can "spread the wealth around" so others can have a chance. I really want to expand my business, but if I do, I will more likely make less money than I am now. And this rhetoric that the government has to create the future of jobs, not the free market, is just mind numbing.

Right now, I pay into the greatest ponzi scheme in America, Social Security, because I will never get back a penny that I put in. Who cares about Bernie Madoff, I'm getting ripped too! So are you! I pay so much of my income to taxes. If I make good business decisions, I get taxed on it. If I invest and make a profit, I get taxed more. I dunno, it just seems as though I'm getting targeted here under this administration.

And Obama keeps holding these town hall meetings, virtual and in person, as though he's back on the campaign trail. Why is he campaigning? He's chuckling and smiling as peoples investments whither away. And his solution to solve this economic downturn is to tell us that we, American's have to start borrowing again, when borrowing was what got us in trouble. Now I'm not claiming to be smart as Obama, but here's the way I see it.

America's wealth, over the past few decades, has been built on nothing but credit. We here in America, have rewarded wealth through speculation, not intrinsic value. For example, the Internet bubble was based upon speculative earnings, not real earnings. Most dot com's went bust because those companies didn't make a penny! The real estate bubble was no doubt about it, over valued. People were flipping homes like Internet stocks, when the land and materials, and the market demand at that time, could not support inflated prices. Money poured into the credit market because the Federal Reserve and politicians toyed with the free market. They kept interest rates lower than they should have ever been...in a truly free market, interest rates would have never gone that low. Politicians forced Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to create 100% loans, which eventually gave birth the adjustable mortgages we started to see pop up everywhere. The free market, would have never tolerated such risk, but congress, the government, toyed with it, created a credit bubble....and we just saw it crash. The free market would have always required 20% down payments and proof of income to get a house. Not when the government got involved.

Free Market Capitalism doesn't not have to be regulated, because it was never the free market that caused the problem.

So it was the government that truly caused this crash, and now, we are again looking to politicians, who have no idea how to run a business, for answers. Their plan...is to spend more, so they can create yet another bubble.

American's saved less, borrowed more, because they built wealth through credit. BAD BAD BAD

I don't believe for a second that any of their solutions are going to work, even though the stock market is rebounding a bit from it's lows. The fundamentals of our country is sick. We have unions who are literally running companies into the ground. Environmentalist who chase away innovation. People who are not saving. Class warfare, and welfare. Executive leaders who get chastised for successfully leading. And leaders of our country who believe that the solution to getting America going is by getting them to borrow again. True wealth is never built upon credit, it's built upon cash. Cash is king.

I am 32 now, I will be about 35 when Obama gets out of office. My plan, truly, is to save save save, and put a lot of my investments into gold and the mattress over the next few years. I may invest a little into the stock market, but only whose companies truly turn a profit...such as Netflix. But it's scary for a person my age...it really is. I'm just really glad that people are still deciding that no recession is going to stop them from falling in love.

Steven Young

The Hawaii Wedding Reporter
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

Kawela Bay, one of the 1st locations we hit that day

AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS...
...well, you'll just have to read on...

Have you ever ran into one of those couples who were just full of energy, that you felt as though if you hooked your stalled car to one of them, they could probably jump start it with every laugh. Well, that's what I felt when I met Jessica and Kevin, an extremely lively couple who made the decision to fly to Oahu to elope.

Before I get start here, I wanted to send a "virtual high-five" to Jessica's students, who probably did the most amazing thing I've ever heard in high school history. See, Jessica is a teacher, and before she left to Oahu to get married, her students threw her and Kevin, a surprise wedding reception, with a wedding cake! You kids, I mean...YOUNG ADULTS, are extremely cool. Whatever you do, don't loose that sense of generosity, it can go a far way in life. Kissing ass, can get you a far ways. I bet you'll all get A's this quarter.

The first shot of the day, WITHOUT FLASH.

So Jessica is a teacher for some great kids, and Kevin is a machinist, which means he can make anything. Together, I think they'll give birth to an Einstein supermodel. I met this happy couple on their wedding day at Turtle Bay. The plan was to spend an hour hitting a few photographic locations, then to hit Sunset Beach for the ceremony.

QUICK PHOTOGRPAHY NOTE: Take a look at the shot above and the shot below. As you can see, they are little bit different from each other. One is shot with a flash, one is shot without. The flash is used to get rid of unwanted shadows. Which one is better? That's purely a subjective call. I always favor the flash though.

2nd shot of the day with the flash, as you can see, there are no shadows
but they lose some dimension on their face. Which one is better?

Getting romantic by the banyans

I always joke around with my couples that wedding shots are basically make-out shots. Well, hey it's the truth! These banyan trees in Kawela Bay were actually used in the TV show LOST. In fact, Kawela Bay just happens to be one of the filming location for LOST. Luckily, the show wasn't filming when we got there, but we did encounter something else...

Kawela Bay is secluded, which makes it perfect for shots, but also perfect for....

So what did we encounter at Kawela Bay? A couple of nude sunbathers, who luckily, did not come over to us, or appear in the shots. I actually used to perform weddings at Kawela Bay until an old nudist colony decided to show up during one of my weddings. Yes, these old men, walked over in the buff to my bride to congratulate her on her wedding day. And, they even posed for pictures. Why they couldn't have been a nudist colony of supermodels, I have no idea....they never are, and life is never fair. So because life is never fair, and that the common occurrence of naked old men at Kawela Bay has become the norm, I make it a practice to only shoot pictures there.

Perfect place for shots...perfect for old naked men too.

The abandoned building, the 2nd location for the day

Finally, at sunset beach, making it official...

Here's that same shot, just from a different angle. Isn't it pretty cool, but just moving a few feet, changes the look and feel, and the coolness of a shot.

One thing that's great about this job is hearing how destiny pulled two strangers together for life. For Kevin and Jessica, it actually wasn't love at first sight. They had first bumped into each other at a wedding, but Jessica didn't really pay any attention to Kevin because her parents had given the Heimlich maneuver to a guest on her table! Picture this strange stroke of destiny, if it weren't for that person choking on a piece of meat, Kevin and Jessica would have talked, and possibly hooked up earlier, but as fate would have it...they didn't talk then.

Sharing their first breath together, a Hawaiian wedding tradition

Time passed, and more time passed, and these two star-crossed lovers did not bump into each other again until...Jessica's father made the first move. YES, HER FATHER! He told Jessica that he had someone for her, a young buddy of his who he golfed with on a regular basis. Jessica had no idea who it was, and she rolled her eyes at the idea that her father was trying to set her up. But she trusted her father, and met Kevin. The rest...was history.

The first kiss as a married couple is always the best. No, Kevin is not punching her in this shot.

Moving slightly to the right, hitting them with full flash, and raising the shutter speed, I got this shot....

Walking on the beach, at Sunset Beach

What's the moral of the story? I guess it's that sometimes, father knows best.... emphasize on sometimes...haha....

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Smart-Ass
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com

Kalama and Boo Boo, at Maile Beach Park....
March 21, 2009

THE LOCAL HAWAIIAN WEDDING STYLE
...a change of pace for me...

Lately, the wedding industry has been the subject of the local newspapers as the downturn in the economy has definitely affected it. I remember reading reporter's interview with a few "top local wedding professionals" who said that their bookings were down from previous years. They said, while they handled 50 weddings per year, this year, they were only coordinating 15 or 20. I remember reading this line and I cracked up laughing, almost choking on the hot dog I was eating. How can a wedding coordinator consider themselves a top coordinator in Hawaii when he or she only coordinates 50 weddings in a year? You can't even pay your rent with that.

When times were great, I coordinated 50 weddings in two months;
now, I coordinate 50 weddings in 4 months, and over 200 per year.

I truly had no idea why these individuals were getting interviewed, they weren't top coordinators. They were nobodies. Coordinating weddings was not their primary job, but their side-job. In fact, important note here, most of the people whom you'll find on the web are small companies who "don't do-what-I-do full time." This is one of the reasons why they can't return emails or phone calls promptly. They are not busy doing weddings, they are busy working their primary job.

Why didn't I get interviewed? Well, one reporter told me that because I have a rather popular blog, and break news right away, it wouldn't make sense to interview me. Plus, they are scared that I may chastise them in blog if they misquote me or hold an opinion which is different from me. Guilty...that's probably true..haha.

Times have definitely slowed, and it has been rough even for me at times. But the wedding industry isn't dead. People are still coming to Hawaii, still traveling, they just are not spending as much. The economy, though, as tough as it is, is not stopping locals from getting married...which brings me finally to my wedding couple, Kalama and Boo Boo.

Making it official...

I don't usually get my hands dirty in local weddings, its not that I don't want to do them, its that I don't market myself to them. The way I got Kalama's wedding inquiry was through a good friend of mind, Angela, who was also my photography-intern at one time.

The wedding was held at Maile Beach Park, which is located on the very east end of Oahu. A little far and out of the way for me. Most wedding professionals wouldn't even entertain the idea of heading that far to do a wedding, but not me. It didn't bother me. And like always, I jumped at the opportunity to help my friends sister tie the knot. Plus, I was very curious to see how the locals in that side of town got married.

Kalama and Boo Boo chose Maile Beach Park because Kalama's parents got married there. Her father, who was also a limo driver, drove her to her location. I believe there were about 50 guest who crowded a parking lot designed for 12 cars. Cars, Suv's, you name it, double, triple parked their way so they could attend their wedding. Did the cops care? No way. One thing you have to understand about the Waianae culture is that they operate by their own rules there.

look at that smile

The touching moment to the entire ceremony was when I looked over to one of the bridesmaids and noticed she was carrying a box. These were the ashes of Kalama's brother, who had passed away earlier. The family held him tight, to make sure that he was still in attendance at the wedding. I have a feeling he was watching from above.

I really like this shot. You really can't see Kalama's face too well, but you can feel the intensity of the moment <---man, does that sound too artsy

The bridal party...green was the theme.

So, being that this was a wedding that took place in Waianae, there was definitely a few things which gave off hints that this was a laid back and "local style." Lets start with the groomsmen attire. While the groom dressed in a white tux, his "bro's" sported a white shirt with the words "ECHO-UNLIMITED" running down the side. Now, I have no idea what Echo Unlimited meant, or what its significance was, or the reason they picked this shirt out was because its letters were green, I don't know... all I can say was that they were all matching, and all were very cool.

the center pieces...

Kalama and Boo Boo definitely win the award for most awesome center piece of the year. It's cheap, it uses good beer, and it sticks to the theme of their wedding...which is green. I know for a fact, the guys didn't mind helping create this center piece, after all, the beer had to go somewhere right? I think when I get married, I want to do something with a football.

another shot at Maile Beach Park

time for Boo Boo's close up...during the 1st dance

Wanna hear something cool? Kalama and Boo Boo had known each other since they were children. Kalama's mother actually baby-sat Boo Boo when he was a kid. Who would have known, she would be baby-sitting her own future son-in-law.

The wind made it hard to work with Kalama's dress, but patience, like always, was the remedy.

Maile Beach Park is a very nice beach to get married at. The only problem for most you, my future brides, is that it's very much far out in the boonies. I still recommend choosing "The Secret Cove at Ko'olina" as the best place to get married for your wedding. It's private, secluded, and a lot closer drive from town than Maile Beach Park. But, if there are the couples who are daring enough to head in that direction, I'm a.o.k with it.

Alright, that's my wedding for the day!

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Guy
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

THE GOOD, THE GOODER, AND THE GOODEST OF OAHU
...determining what's the best beach for your location, through a scientific point of view...

I love science, always have, always will. I think it started back when I first saw that movie, Back to the Future, and they had that character played by Christopher Lloyd, "Doc." Wasn't he cool with his "1.21 GIGAWATTS!" and his "flux-capacitor!" lingo. Really cool stuff. It's ashamed I didn't dive into science further in high school, and during college. All I was really was interested back then was football, and the science of football... But now, that I'm in the wedding industry, science, believe it or not, has come in handy. It's come in handy for photography, lighting, choosing colors, to observing the "chemistry" between couples...all the way to choosing the right location for your wedding.

Yes, I use science, that nerdy little tool that helped us get to space, to choose your wedding location.. I just wished my competitors would do the same.... I mean I've heard horror stories where wedding couples were promised sunset shots at Lanikai beach.

Note to my dearest stupid competitors: Lanikai is on the east shore...the
sun doesn't set on the east shore, therefore it's scientifically
impossible to get sunset shots there. Stop lying to your customers, it just makes you look...well, that much more dumb, and untrustworthy.

So how do I use science to determine the right location? Pretty simple. Read on!

Take a look at all my notes in yellow and red

So on my map here, you can see I have four main notes marked on each corner: WHERE THE SUN SETS, WHERE IT RISES, AND WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS (Trades and Kona winds). Very important here..... so back to my lesson of the day.

The first thing I ask all my couples is what type of photos they envision for their wedding. If they envisioned sunset shots, which most do, immediately that eliminates the EAST and SOUTH shores, because the sun doesn't set there. From there, it's a matter of what of when they are going to get married. If they are going to get married during the rainier months of the year, which is November through January, I have them get married on the West shore, because the West shore is a farther distance from the Ko'olau mountain range. The Ko'olau Mountain range, tends to be our natural rain gutter of our islands. It traps clouds, and basically makes them rain on east and North Shores a lot.

The time of day also determines which location may be best for a wedding as well. Say for example, a couple may want to get married on the windward side of Oahu, the rainy side, but wants blue skies. Well, although I can't promise the weather, we can always choose the best time to get clear skies near the mountain range.....which is the morning. Why is that?

It's for the simple fact that the wind shifts directions depending on the time of day. Usually, the wind blows inland during the day, then out to sea during as we get closer to sunset. The winds actually continue to blow out to sea in the morning, so the chances of clouds getting cozy with the mountains are very low. Because the Ko'olau mountains are facing the east shore, mornings work even better as the sun lights up the mountain range with some great front light.

it rains almost everyday on the windward side of Oahu...not much in the morning though

clear skies in the morning as you can see...

So back to my map with all of my arrows on it. If you notice there, in red, I have Kona Winds, or South Winds marked. Once in awhile, the wind shifts directions on us, bringing us humid voggy weather. Yes, voggy is not a misspell word. It's actually volcanic fog. The stuff is like fog, except worse as it can tear up your lungs. The vog creates a hazy mist for wedding photos which is only good for sunsets. But if there are Kona winds, you can kiss your blue skies away, along with your blue oceans. So heading over to Lankai during Kona winds, is not a very good idea.

Voggy conditions, of overcast skies, can turn even the most torquise oceans, rather gray. Picture at Lanikai....

What to do if Vog hits? Usually I stay clear of East shore locations such as Lanikai or Waimanalo, as their locations don't have much color, other than blue ocean. If that blue ocean goes, then all of the pictures go bland. At least if I were to shoot pictures where there's at least some greenery, the pictures wouldn't be so dead in colors.

Now I know what's on your mind. You're probably asking yourself if I ever moved locations once my couple and I had agreed on a set place. The answer is...yes I have. There have been a handful of locations where I moved my couples from one side of the island, to the next, just to avoid the rain. This is the great thing about having a small wedding party, or people who are eloping; you can just pick up and head on over to a better location where blue skies are a blazing.

These clouds in these pictures hugged the mountain during the ceremony. By the time sunset came around, the clouds were chasing the sun. Happens all the time. Picture taken at Ko'olina

So the million dollar question has to be, what is the greatest location out there? Well, my favorite has to be the Secret Cove at Ko'olina, which is officially called Lanikuhonua. The wind is manageable there, the sunsets are easy to shoot, it's secluded, and it feels like an island.

Running in second is Sunset Beach on the North Shore, for the very same reasons. Plus, for the fact, that there are very cool locations to shoot at around that beach.

Coming in third would have to be Waimanalo Beach. I don't do much wedding here, as I push everyone to my favorite two beaches, but sometimes people just want that blue water shots. And I can get them...if the weather permits me. The reason why Waimanalo or any east shore beach such as Kailua Beach, Lanikai, isn't high on my list, is because it can get extraordinarily windy there. From my map, you can see that the east shore of Oahu gets pounded by the trade winds. If you do want to get married on an east shore beach, just make sure that you wear your hair up, and you don't have too poofy of a dress...

Now I realize that I probably lost you here in all of this science mumbo jumbo. Hey, all I can leave you is with this. Book with me, trust me, and I'll find you that perfect wedding location.

Well, that concludes the lesson for today. Class dismissed. School is out.

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Guy
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

Rebecka and Jared, young and in love

KAKA'AKO PARK
...love on the grassy knoll...March

I can't remember the last time I did a wedding at Kaka'ako, but I do remember what happened. There were TONS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE. We're talking tons! I remember sitting there in my truck, waiting for my wedding couple, and looking that grassy knolls which litter Kaka'ako. I saw these large rectangular objects littered on each hill and I thought to myself, "Man, they must have some type of art deco thing going on..." My wedding couple arrives, and we take a few steps into Kaka'ako and realize that the art deco display, isn't anything artsy whatsoever...it's homeless people, drying out their clothes on the hills of Kaka'ako!

They were there in herds because the new first class homeless shelter opened next to the park. And I'm not joking when I said first class. You can peer into this huge aircraft hanger from one of the hills and see the hanger's interior littered with high end cubicles. Then, on one end, there are plasma TV's, couches, and tons of computers that are hooked up with the Internet. There is also a place for kids to play, a place to work out. And hey, guess what, this entire homeless community is a close gated, with security guards!

Lucky for Rebecka and Jared, there were no homeless people. Apparently, the shelter got some washers installed, or else the result would have been the same with my last couple.

Flying in to make it official

So onto the wedding. Rebecka and Jared were introduced awhile ago by friends in Jared's home state, Wisconsin. They stayed together, then Jared, being in the military, got stationed here in Hawaii. He served one tour in Iraq, came back, and Rebecka flew down to marry this superhero.

I want to make a side comment about Jared. This young man is a hero, and it is no surprise why Rebecka would love a man like this. He is a hero's hero, as he is the crew chief for those medical rescue helicopters who swoop in under enemy fire, to save our soldiers lives in the heat of battle. This young man, is not only responsible for giving us the freedom that we all American's enjoy, he has no doubt, contributed to saving the lives of wounded soldiers. Incredible...just incredible.

Jared, like all of our active military, are true heroes and patriots

Jared and Rebecka chose my most affordable package, the patriot package, which includes 24 pictures, and minister. They also bought a few leis, so they could perform a lei exchange. For the photos though, I told Jared it would look better without the feminine purple leis on his uniform.

Those palm trees are actually pretty tall....they look shorter than my couple!!

Kaka'ako park was at once, a popular site for weddings. I still see a few Japanese weddings happening here every now and then, but I don't see them happening very often. I'm not sure why. Maybe everyone wants to get married on the beach these days? A really neat fact about this park is that this place used to be a landfill. They fixed the landfills up, planted grass, and low and behold, they created something very stinky, into something very slick and beautiful.

...I like this shot...

...like this shot too...

Well people, it's about 4:55am in the morning. Man, I better head to bed. I have two weddings this weekend, then one on Monday I believe. So I should have more wedding photos to put up next week.

I think as this blog went on-and-on, I made less sense....time to hit the hay. Or it could just be me getting older.

Oh did I mention I'm turning 32 on March 27th? Yikes, 32...wow, that came up fast.

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Maverick
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

One big difference between myself and my competitors is that I don't include a lot of extra line-items in my wedding packages. They are all pretty simple, consisting of the basic needs: minister/photo or minister/photo/video. Everything else which is extra, is just an a la carte item. When I took a look at my competition, I realized that they offered limo services at an incredibly low price.

I asked myself, "How in the hell do they do that?"

I mean, even my good friend who runs limos for my company couldn't offer me prices that low. Was she ripping me off? How do they even pay for gas? Then, I found out what was happening when I visited Waialae Beach park one day.

My jaw dropped.

A limo pulled up, an average looking one, not a great one, but average. And out popped a bride and groom...then another, then another, and another!!! One of these wedding companies were loading brides into the same limo, taking them all to the beach in one limo, just to get married one-by-one, like a conveyor belt! Can you imagine that! I asked the wedding couples as they were waiting if they expected that this would happen, and they mumbled angrily, "No."

So that's how they kept their price down low. Classy...

But I still had one more question. I wondered, "How could some of these wedding companies only book a limo for 1 hour, or even 2 hours?"

That answer came shortly after as well.

I was booked just as a photographer for a wedding couple who had used a different wedding planning service. All I had to do was show up and take photos. Easy right? Not really...By the time the couple arrived, the wedding service finished, I only had maybe 10 minutes to work with the wedding couple for photos. Why only 10 minutes? Well, because, the limo had to take the couple back to the hotel!

But the wedding company had booked the limo for 2 hours! That sounds like a lot right? Not at all. Lets break it down.

30 minute trip to location + 30 minute trip back to hotel = 1 hour

30 minute Pre-wedding preparation time + 15 minute wedding ceremony = 45 minutes!

TOTAL LIMO TIME USED SO FAR: 1HOUR 45 MINUTES.

That leaves me with 15 minutes to take photos....out of the 2 hours. THAT'S REALLY NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GET GREAT PHOTOS

So picture this. I'm trying to do my photo magic with this couple. The location is sub par. The wedding couple is literally getting married next to a dirty waterfall stream in the middle of Honolulu, and there's a homeless bum camping there.... So I'm trying to make this place look good. The wedding planner comes to me and tells me, "Hurry up with the photos because the couple needs to get back!"

There is no real way I can get great photos at this location in ten minutes. So I make a deal with the couple. I will meet them back at their hotel, pick them up with my truck, and take them to a better location. And that's exactly what I did.

Now, their wedding planner doesn't even offer them something like this. I'm the one who went beyond the call here. She truly doesn't care. She got paid, she just doesn't want the couple to take any longer so the limo company won't charge her an extra hour and affect her profit margin. In fact, I find out from other sources, is that this is how she and many other companies truly treat their brides. They just don't care. All they did was throw in a very small limo time block within their wedding package, to entice the couple that they were getting some type of value, then...they screwed them by not giving the photographer enough time to get the best shots.

How much time would that couple need the limo for? At this location, at least 3 hours....not two.

So I came to this very big conclusions. I think crappy wedding companies have a tell-tell sign!

"If a wedding companies' packages are cheap and include limo service, then that
company is crap. If a wedding companies' packages include 2 hour limo
service, then that company is also crap. They truly don't care...so I
classify them as turd." - Steve Young

I am so confident of myself, I quoted myself!

So that leaves us we a few main wedding planning questions.

DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED A LIMO?
If you're on a budget, no. If it's just the two of you eloping, no. If you rented car, no. If you are with family and rented a van, no.

WHEN DO YOU NEED A LIMO?
When you want to travel in a little style. May be drinking on the day of your wedding, for example, at the beach, or at the restaurant you'll be eating at. You don't want to be drunk and driving on your wedding day, or even a little intoxicated. Or if you have a wedding party who wants to travel all at the same time, to the location. More so, if you didn't rent a car for Hawaii, get a limo. Many times, it's cheaper than a cab, or just as expensive.

WHEN IS A GREAT TIME TO RENT A LIMO?
A great time to rent a limo is when you want to party in Waikiki and you're staying on the North Shore.... It's $550.00 for the entire night, but it's well worth it as it may save your life. I think $550.00 is well worth the lives of 8 people, even if they voted for Obama...(just kidding) After all, you don't want to drive drunk on a two-lane HWY, at 2am in the morning.

HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD YOU GET IT FOR?
Town weddings = 3 hours
East/West weddings = 4 hours
North Shore/remote weddings = 5 hours

WHAT IS THE GOING RATE?
Be prepared to pay $60 to $75 per hour, and for reputable companies to have a 2 hour minimum booking.

WHAT ABOUT LIMO BEACH PHOTO TOURS?
For the most part, it's a waste of time, because all beaches look the same. I think all photo tours are a waste of time. I can get great variety of shots just on one beach. Or when I'm on the north shore, I can get a great variety of shots just by driving 5 minutes in one direction, I don't need a 3 hour photo tour and limo to accomplish this.

An island tour isn't needed to get different shots....a great photographer is. If a wedding company is offering photo tours, they are just trying to sell you a package for nothing. You'll just get shots that just really look the same...

HOW CAN YOU BOOK A REPUTABLE LIMO COMPANY?
Simple way, call me. I'm always looking out for you.

But, here's how they work. They charge you an hourly flat rate for the time that you use the limo, usually regardless of distance, and usually regardless if the limo is just standing their waiting for your wedding to finish. Why do reputable companies charge while they wait? Well, for a couples of reasons:

1. So the limo can always be at the couples disposal. For example, in case of rain, a couple can use the limo as shelter, or they can use it as a changing room, or the bride can use it as an a/c room as she waits for her wedding ceremony.

2. So the limo can be on time.

See, non-reputable limo companies will try to book gigs between pick up and drop off times. They may give you a cheap price. But lets say, the limo drops you off at your wedding at 3pm, then leaves to pick up a tourist at the airport. But that tourist's plane gets delayed an hour, so the limo has to wait. The limo finally picks up and drops off the tourist, and runs back to get you, but they are an hour late.

Reputable limousine companies realize that there is really no way to book gigs between gigs, and still be punctual, so they don't do it. Instead, they charge you for the time waiting for your wedding to get finished.

WHAT ARE MY LIMO RATES?
I only book them by the 4 hour block, starting at $250.00. My friend who does all of my "limo-work" it top notch, always on time, always has a limo that is modern and working.

So hoped you learned a bit!! I'm out.

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Guy
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

Waialae Beach Park

WAIALAE BEACH PARK 101
...why this park is really not one of my favorites wedding spots...

Waialae Beach Park, a park which I always try to avoid like the plague, because it's just not a very nice place to get married. I know you've probably been on a lot of other wedding websites, and there are companies that swear by this location. Well, let me be the maverick and swear AT the location. I hate it...and I only I have one reason. It doesn't feel how it photographs.

Now I know you've seen photographs of this place, and it looks great, but this is because the photographer is shooting the wedding from one angle, out to sea. But it doesn't hide the fact, that if you would choose to get married at Waialae Beach Park, it would feel as though you would be getting married in someone's backyard....

...as you can see, you are literally getting married behind a condo...
this is Waialae Beach Park.

Wedding location from a different angle...
...right by the sidewalk...

So to me, I think, a wedding couple pays $3,000 to come to Hawaii, to get married...next to a sidewalk? Really... I mean, I don't care that any photographer can get great shots here, the fact remains that your wedding wouldn't feel like the pictures would.

...from antoher angle...you can see the island in the background....

Of course, this is just my opinion, and I realize there are couples who really don't mind getting married in a place like this. I just wanted to let couples know, that if they do book this location, this is what Waialae Beach Park, would really look like. I prefer locations which really feel like a true secluded beach, such as this...

...secluded....more of a true island feel...it just doens't photograph nice, it is nice

So where do I like to do my weddings. Anywhere except town. Town feels...well like town. I've always told my couples, the farther you get away from Waikiki, the better. There really are no great places to get married in town. It's not that I can't get great photos in town, it's just that there is much more to a wedding than just great photos....

Just my two cents... I'm off to play some football....

Steve Young
The Hawaii Wedding Know-it-all
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

Dawn and her husband, renewing their vows

TRYING TO BE ROMANTIC
...thinking out of the box...

My phone rang about a month ago with Dawn on the other end. She had told me that she wanted to plan a surprise vow renewal for her husband, because this is something that would blow his socks off given that she wasn't a very romantic person. Vow renewals are always cool, especially surprise vow renewals. The gimmick, or lie, or excuse, "the surpriser" has to always come up with, is usually very original, very romantic, very...you know....

But this is where Dawn split for the norm as Dawn really didn't have a solid gimmick...or in other words, she didn't have a very good lie. Which, now that I think of it, is a pretty Honorable trait. Not being able to lie is a great thing.

Her excuse, really wasn't a great one. She told her husband to get dressed up, and that they were going to meet someone by the bathrooms at Sunset Beach. Her husband, being a lawyer, grew suspicious, so Dawn told him that he was going to meet Tom Selleck...by the bathroom at Sunset Beach. Yes, I know...not a good liar.

The sun peeked out during the ceremony, I thought this was cool

I arrived at Sunset Beach, and met Dawn and her husband thinking that the excuse was that Dawn and her husband were going to take photos on the beach. I had this plan in my head: that we take Dawn and her husband to the beach, take a few photos, and then Elias, my minister, would sneak up from behind, say "hi," and start the ceremony. But that plan quickly got erased when Dawn introduced me in the parking lot.

Here are the events as I can best recall....so help me God.

As I walked over to introduce myself to Dawn and her husband, she turned to me and asked, "So Steve, can you tell my husband what type of photographer you are and what you do?"

I wanted to say, "wedding photographer," but I didn't, because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. So I blurted, "Well, I'm actually a fashion photographer who specialized in model photography. Surprise, you're about to become a model....oh and by the way, I'm not Tom Selleck."

But Dawn quickly corrected me, and told her husband who I was....and surprised him that they were renewing their vows.....surprised him while we were all around the public restroom at Sunset Beach. Har har har. Hey, I have to tell you though, the surprise worked. Dawn's husband was floored.

the kiss...

The vow renewal ceremony went great. It was romantic. The couple of the hour said their vows again, and exchanged leis. Then, they went in for that kiss which looked like something out of a Hollywood movie...you know, with the hair blowing in the wind, on the beach.... It's great to have a Hollywood movie like romance without the actual "real" Hollywood romance.

Just a little friz...hey, but what a great shot right?

Dawn, you did a great job putting this thing together, and you and your husband really made myself and Elias' day. Thanks!

Steve Young
Hawaii Weddings
http://www.dreamweddingshawaii.com/

ALASKANS FLEE THE COLD FOR A BEAUTIFUL DEY!
...and "dey" is not a typo!

Yes, it was a beautiful Dey on Oahu on February 27th of 2009, as Dey and her then fiance, Brian, tied the knot at Ko'olina. In attendance; myself, the minister, Rev. Elias Parker, and their daughter. Dey and Brian actually live in Alaska, and had a fear of Mount Redoubt erupting before their wedding, as it would cause all outgoing flights from their home state to be grounded, resulting in a delayed wedding. Luckily none of that happened. Strangely enough, Mount Redoubt has yet to erupt as of this writing. What's taking it so long?

one of my most favorite shots

Brian and Dey are high school sweethearts. They, like most of my modern day couples, did it traditionally backwards. They bought a house, got a kid, and then got married. But hey, it's the end result that really matters right? From the moment I met Brian and Dey, I actually had a good feeling about them. Yes, there are couples who got married, whom I had a bad feeling about. Did I ever tell you about the bride who started asking her husband if the DJ had arrived for their reception...during the vows? How about the husband who cared more about taking pictures next to a luxury car he rented, than his wife? Yeah, both couples didn't last too long. Anyway, Brian and Dey, had sense of humors that matched...so that...was a great sign. Plus, they new how to get married and handle their kid at the same time. Talk about great parenting.

kids reaction to weddings always are hard to read...happy or sad here?

I like this shot too....

For Dey and Brian's wedding, we chose to do it out on the rocks at Ko'olina. It was just something different. Personally, I think I do too many sandy weddings anyway (hate to sound artsy here but) the textures of the rocks was a welcome change to the usual sand shots. I also liked the way the sun casted long shadows on the rocks. Reminded me of that first crappy Star Wars movie where Annakin Skywalker's shadow was Darth Vadars.... anyway....

Why don't I do more weddings on the rocks at Ko'olina? It's a four letter f-word. FISH. More like, dead fish. Yes, for some reason, there is a always a dead fish washing ashore near here, which really smells up the place. Luckily on this day, high tide and big waves had washed all the dead fishes out...leaving the rocks, nice and clean.

AN UPDATE ON THE 1-800 NUMBER....

The search has ended. I will be changing my number to an easy to remember vannity toll free number. As of now, I think it will be 1-877-WED-IN-HAWAII That should be easy to remember right? The flat rate service providers I "WAS" going with ended up being a fraud. So as of now, I'm stuck with no 1-800 service provider and no valid toll free number yet. But this new number should be up and running very shortly! If you need to contact me, please call my cell at (808) 479-0685

OTHER UPDATES

I've been a little bit under the weather for the past few days. I had a severe allergy attack, which just made me feel as though I had the flu. But everything is okay now. Kinda strange huh? I think it was brought about by the combination of bad weather, stupid Obama politics, and a bad movie (watchmen).

Steve Young
Hawaii Weddings
www.dreamweddingshawaii.com

Hey everyone, just to let you know, I'll be changing my 800 number, as I'm heading to a new carrier that is much cheaper for me. In fact, they are giving me a flat rate for all my 800 numbers!!! Pretty cool huh..... I should get the new 800 number in a few days.... until then, please call me on my cell at (808) 479-0685

Watchmen: My Movie Review
...no spoilers...

Watchmen, the long anticipated movie, answers the few long lost questions that were left in the superhero world...oh....in three hours. Those questions:

• What if superheroes were hippies?
• What if Chevy Chase was Batman?
• What if superheroes chose to work and fight crime naked?

Watchmen, the movie, is an adaptation of the most successful graphic novel ever published, from what I heard. In case you don't know what a graphic novel is, just think, long comic book. The semi-disturbing, semi-action, semi-snoozer, semi-bladder-breaker movie runs 2 hours and 45 minutes short. Supposedly there is two more hours worth of kidney-straining footage out there which had to get cut.

Is the movie good? To me, it's average to below average, so what is that...1.8967 stars? It's hard for me to really rate this movie because of the constant hippie overtones this movie takes on, and I just don't agree with that type of thinking. There's the oil is bad theme going on, then the who is the real bad guy theme going on, and then the Mr. Spock, is that you in blue and naked again theme going on. Oh did I forget to mention, there was TOO-MUCH-FRONTAL-FULL-MONTY MALE-SCHLONG-NUDITY in this movie. There was just too much male nudity period, and not enough female nudity to balance it out. I mean, comen on! If there was less male nudity in this movie, I would have at least gave it 2 1/2 stars... Also, there is too much graphic sex in this movie as well. Why do they have to put either in? Why is there any nude scene? It's supposed to be a superhero movie right?

The creators of the graphic novel said they created the Watchmen graphic novel because they wanted a more realistic view of what real superheroes would be like. It's strange to think these characters are what these authors view as realistic. Just watch the movie, and you will be scratching your head. The finale of the movie will leave you scratching your ass.

Do I recommend the movie? Despite my complaints, I still have to say I do because no matter what I say, you'll probably end up seeing it. Overall it's neat, it kept my attention, and seeing Chevy Chase kick ass...just made it disturbing... Just make sure you don't drink any soda during the movie, or else you'll end up in the bathroom halfway through. But lets break it down here.

If you are a liberal gay man (not joking here) you will love this movie.

If you are a conservative, who is straight, you will be on the fence.

If you hate graphic violence, you will hate it.

If you hate overly sexual scenes, you will hate it.

If you liked 300, it won't matter.

If you are a comic book fanatic, you will love it.

This movie is definitely not for kids.

HOTELS TAKING YOU FOR A RIDE?
THE TRUTH ABOUT GROUP DISCOUNTS
...and a little bit about the travel industry....

So this is how the story goes: Wedding couple decides to elope in Hawaii, calls, and books with me. They tell their parents, and now... the couple has company, because their parents wanna join in. The couples parents tell their family, and now...their coming. Somehow the couple's friends find out, and now..their coming too. And now...that couple has twenty plus people watching them elope. Wait a minute, I thought eloping literally meant "running away to get married?" Well, not anymore! Does this sound familiar...or similar?

And now... the couple faces the grand dilemma of figuring out where their entourage is gonna stay. They call me, and ask, "Hey Steve, what about group discounts for hotels?" And here is what I say... GROUP DISCOUNTS ARE NOT ALL WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE.

When dealing with hotels, there are actually two main rates that you will encounter: the rack rate, and the bulk rate.

RACK RATE: The term rack is just another fancy way of saying retail. This is the rate that you will receive directly from the hotel if you try booking directly with their front office. The rack rate is sometimes twice as much of what you would pay from a travel agency. Why do they keep rates high like this? Mostly so they can charge walk-in customers more... or charge guest who wish to extend their stay...more. It's purely capitalism.

BULK RATE: The term bulk is just another fancy way of saying really big group rate. This is the wholesale price that travel agencies get rooms, airline seats, and car rentals for. The rate is sometimes up to half of price of the rack rate, sometimes less. Why? I'll get to that.

There are two types of travel agencies in this world. Retail and Wholesale.

WHOLESALE TRAVEL AGENCIES: These are large companies who spend millions of dollars buying up blocks of airlines seats, blocks of hotel rooms, to get a gigantic group rate. These wholesale agencies will then sell their inventory to the public that is cheaper than the rack rate. But because they bought so many rooms and seats, they know, they cannot do it alone...enter the retail travel agency.

RETAIL TRAVEL AGENCIES: These are small travel agencies which specialize in certain market places within the travel industry; such as me, I focus on the wedding industry. These agencies don't have the purchasing power of the wholesale travel agency, but don't mind selling the discounted inventory because they did not have to take the risk of buying blocks of inventory. Most agencies out there are retail travel agencies.

So, back to the thesis. Why are group hotel discounts not all what it's cracked up to be? Well, it's because unless you buy your travel package directly from the airline or hotel, you will be buying a rate based upon a bulk purchase....no matter what..because remember, retail travel agencies packages are all bulk inventory. To put it simply, if you approach a hotel with 30 guest, they will give you a bulk rate based upon 30 guest. Versus, a wholesale travel agency who will get a bulk rate based upon 1000's of guest. Guess who gets the better discount? You or the wholesale travel agency?

And even after that wholesale inventory is retailed to the public, it is still cheaper than your group rate you received from the hotel.

What does this mean to you? And why should you just pass on the group hotel rates?

1) Do not book group rates from hotels because you will most likely not receive a better price than just booking simple air/hotel/car packages.

2) Even if you do manage to get a great bulk rate, your guest will all have exactly the same check-in and check-out times, meaning exact travel dates. This will not jive for most of your guest because they will probably not be able to obtain the same days off of work, or can stay the same amount of days, or they may just want to stay longer.

3) Even if you do manage to get a great bulk rate, you will have to front 100% of the money for your trip, consequently draining your checking account. Then, you will have to chase after your guest for the money....and that can be stressful.

The answer. Just let your guest book their own travel....or even better, have them contact me, so I can create a great travel package that will fit their ambitions.

CHEAP ALBUMS, STARTING AT $24!!!
...goodbye expensive albums...and hopefully goodbye the the bait and switch....

I really never was a big fan of wedding albums. It's not that I didn't like them, or thought that they weren't nice, I just thought they were truly a pain-in-the-ass to put together. Seriously! I remember when I first started in the wedding business, I was taught that it was in the reprints and wedding albums where you made most bank because a photographer could charge thousands of dollars for an album, plus a photographer could easily up sell his customers with the use of an album. So, it was worth the pain and hassle to put together an album....

But I never did go down that road because what the photography industry wasn't up selling, but much more evil. The technique they were utilizing was very similar to what most people called a bait-and-switch, where a service provider promised you a job for one price, then gaves you a different product or service for a higher price. Basically, the photographer would promise a couple...say 500 pictures for $500. But at your wedding, he would shoot maybe 2000 shots. When you come to pick up your photos, he will give you your 500 shots for $500. He may even let you pick those shots out. Then, he would tell you the rest of the photos were available for purchase for x amount of dollars, with an album. That price would usually be 2k to 4k... The photographer gives the emotional couple an ultimatum, it's either the pictures and the album or nothing at all...and they need to reach a decision within a week or so. Of course, the wedding couple scrounges around and somehow comes up with the money. So out innocent happy couple went from budgeting in $500 for their wedding, but spend $4,000.00, making them a bit more poorer.

The sad thing about it, is this bait-and-switch technique still goes on till this very day AND with every vendor, AND it's not just limited to photographers. For most vendors in the wedding industry, this was a common practice. Hotels would charge couples 10k for their reception, convince them to leave the bar tab open, then at the end of the night, give the couple a 20K bill for their reception....10K for the reception, 10K for the bar. Nice... Florist would tell couples that their flowers were out of season, and only the more expensive flowers were available, thereby increasing their budget by two. Airlines charged you a flat fee to travel, then charged you more for baggage, food, fuel surcharges.....etc..etc... I can go on and on.

But the good news is this. First off, I'm not like those other wedding company punks. When you work with me, you'll get an invoice for my services, and I will not up charge you or tack on any hidden fees. Everything is transparent, honest, and black and white.

Secondly, you can always count that I will be on your side in this sometimes corrupt industry. And I will always strive to find what's best for you, for less...which brings us to the original subject of wedding albums.

Wedding albums, you can still get a great one, and one that is pretty cheap. How does $24 sound? Go to this site http://www.blurb.com/ and you'll find some awesome ways to layout your album the pictures that I take. I'm not getting paid to plug them, nor am getting any commission. They just have an awesome cheap product that is easy to use. $24 can get your a pretty cherry looking digital album.

You simply download their layout program, choose a template, then drag and drop your favorite pictures into the album, pay for it, then wait for your album. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Okay, I'm headed back to answering my email, and doing office work. Just picked up some wedding photos and some other location shot photos...I'll blog about them in the coming days...

Hey, quick message. I'm doing a lot of errands today and won't be able to respond to any email inquiries in full legnth during the day. I'll definitely work on them when I get home. Picking up photos, dropping off film, playing tourist guide...kinda busy....

If you need to get ahold of me asap, call me on my cell... (808) 479-0685. Talk to you soon.

HOMELESS PROBLEM IN OAHU
...oh yeah...it's true....BUT...

First, the bad news...I heard on the local news today that there are internet sites littered with recent tourist complaining about the homeless on the beaches in Honolulu. All I have to say is...finally, this problem makes the news. Yes, it is true, we do have a homeless problem in Oahu. In Kapiolani Park alone, there is an estimated 300 homeless. While they do keep to themselves, it is an eye sore. Most homeless are transplants, coming from the mainland to Hawaii, to catch the warm sunlight. Afterwall, what a better place to be homeless when the weather is nearly perfect all year around right? If I were homeless, I would. I once heard a report that States were actually buying their homeless tickets and shipping them here! Whether or not that's true is up for you to decide.

Now, the good news. The homeless are not at every beach. In fact, they are not at any of the locations where I do my weddings. My wedding locations are bascially too far for them to walk. And as far as their presence in Waikiki. Unless you travel to Kapiolani Park, you really won't see them.

The ironic news...the DLNR wants to regulate the amount of wedding that happens on the beach, but doesn't mind the homeless sleeping, litering, and dealing drugs there. Can someone say coo-coo?