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| Maybe a Potted Parrot would hit the spot. {Photo by Sara Sanger} |
Awww, that drink is nice. Ok, so do you remember how I previously talked about our wedding flowers? How about when I talked about leis? Since we are getting married in Hawaii we knew from the very beginning that we wanted to have leis as part of our wedding flowers. Actually, having leis and a Hawaiian flower circle were really the only two things we wanted when it came to flowers for our wedding. Especially since, like I talked about before, we would already have so many beautiful tropical flowers growing around us and our wedding venue has simply gorgeous floral arrangements. Really, there was no need to go all out with flowers.
Because of all of this, we decided to get the traditional Hawaiian wedding leis and make our own flower circle. I looked into getting tropical flowers from Costco and how we could make the flower circle. Between myself, MOH and Mom I left confident that we could make one.
I also looked into getting leis from Costco.They had the kind for Drew, but they did not have the kind that I was wanting. I contacted many vendors and none of them had them. This seemed so odd to me since the lei was the traditional bridal lei. Why was I having such a hard time finding somewhere to get one? Finally I spoke to a florist on Maui who told me no one on that island made that kind of lei and she had her's flown in from Oahu. Again, I was puzzled by this, but figured she knew what she was talking about since she was a local and I was just a haole.
I spoke with a few vendors on Oahu, decided on one to go with and figured I'd bite the bullet on the overnight cost of a little over $50. Between that and the cost of the lei it was coming out to be one expensive bridal lei. Oh, well. At least, I'd have the one that I wanted.
Fast forward to the beginning of this week and I figured it was time to get those leis ordered. I contacted the coordinator of our venue to see about having my lei delivered and if I could have it delivered in care of her to make sure it got to the right person and into the fridge. She told me that of course, I could, but that I should contact the women who makes all of their leis for she was sure she could make the lei that I wanted. WHAT? You mean it wasn't completely odd of me to think something was off when I couldn't find a vendor to make me the traditional bridal lei? You mean they really are made on Maui, too? YIPPY!
Seriously, I was beyond excited. I got the woman's contact information and sent her an email right away. The woman replied to me very quickly and let me know that not only could she make me my lei, she could also make me any other leis that I wanted! For cheaper than I was initially going to be paying for them! With better flowers! She sent me over some pictures that got me so freaken excited at what she could do. By this point, I asked her if she could make a Hawaiian flower circle. When she told me, yes, I booked her on the spot. Once we figured out my order, I had successfully booked a vendor I never planned on having.
Here's the thing, she is making everything for us for cheaper than we were going to be paying just for a couple leis and the supplies to make the flower circle. I was able to afford to order a few additional leis because her prices were so great and I won't have to DIY anything the morning of our wedding. She will be bringing everything to us and setting it all up. Plus we will now be supporting a local independent vendor. High fives all around! hehe
If you will be getting married on Maui, I highly recommend MaryAnn of Ha'awian Farms. Or any other event on Maui where you may be needing flowers. She does bouquets and hakus, as well. She is a pleasure to work with and everything she makes is so beautiful. You can reach her by cell at 808.264.4949 I promise, you won't be disappointed.
Did you have any surprise wedding vendors that you weren't planning on having in the beginning? How did it work out for you? I'd love to hear about your experience.
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