Planning Trip Itinerary How-to

Advice

Nov 8

It isn’t always necessary to embark on a planning trip before your wedding, but many of our clients like to visit at least once to make a few key decisions for peace of mind. In our opinion visiting venues, food and drink tastings and hair and makeup trials are the most important to do in person. In order to have a successful planning trip to your wedding destination, there are a few key things that you need to think about before hopping on a plane.

Plan Ahead

Before you get the ball rolling and buy your flights, you’ll want to reach out to your vendors for their availability. It is important to keep in mind many venues and vendors are not available to meet on weekends or holidays because they are busy with events. There are also several peak wedding seasons throughout the year, so it’s important to ensure that you get your appointment dates confirmed first before locking in your travel dates. Planning ahead also allows you to make the most of your time and plan for efficency.

Once the date of your trip has been finalized, then you can start working out the details! We’ll give you the all the ins of the main categories that we recommend meeting and some of our main tips when it comes to booking them!

Catering

For the food enthusiasts, food, cake and cocktail tastings are definitely the most fun part about a planning trip. Once you’ve narrowed down 1-2 companies in each category, be sure to work closely with each of them to fine tune the proposed menu. The closer to your ideal menu before your trip, the better. This will allow you to get the most compressive understanding of how everything will turn out on your wedding day.

Here are a few important things to remember for your tastings:

If there are any dishes/flavors/ cocktails on the menu that are super important for you to taste, be sure to let them know. Most tastings will include several options from your custom menu, but not necessarily all of them.
At the tasting, be sure to take photos and notes about each item. This will ensure you don’t forget anything once the food coma sets in…lol.
Do not schedule more than one tasting in a day. After tasting 5-8 dishes or cocktails, you are likely going to want to take it easy afterwards!
If you can, try and snag a few minutes with the chef or cocktail artist after the tasting to ask questions and request adjustments. This is the best opportunity for you to relay all your thoughts effectively and have a chance to get feedback.
Don’t forget the payment for your tastings. Some companies will require payment in advance while others will request it on the day of the tasting.

If you are interested in reading a more thorough step-by-step breakdown of choosing your perfect wedding caterer, take a look at our previous blog post here which covers even more things you might consider.

Site Visits

Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute, Phase II
Photography by: The Present Perfect

Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute, Phase II, Sunset Photos
Photography by: Kinsey Wilder

Seeing a venue in photos and video online is never quiet the same as seeing it in person. If you haven’t chosen a venue yet, scheduling site visits at several locations you’re considering can really help you decide which is the best fit for you. Once you’ve chosen a venue, seeing it in person is a must to help visualize the space and how your wedding day will flow. Seeing the spaces in person can also be really useful when it comes to brainstorming where you would like your photos taken and what background you would like to have throughout the different portions of the celebration.

Here are a few important things to do when you visit a venue:

Take lots of photos and video! Not just of the pretty things but also little things like the parking, lighting and the restrooms.
If you can, ask your wedding planner to join you for the site inspection to talk through potential set up ideas.
Ask the venue coordinator about the where the outlets are, where the trash goes, if the water is potable and anything else you might deem important.
If you are interested in reading a more thorough step-by-step breakdown of choosing your perfect wedding venue take a look at our previous blog post here which covers even more things you might consider.

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/hnlwi-moana-surfrider-a-westin-resort-and-spa-waikiki-beach/photos/

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/hnlak-the-laylow-autograph-collection/photos/

In addition to wedding venue site inspections, you may also want to schedule visits for any potential hotels you’re considering for a room block. Oftentimes clients who are choosing to do a planning trip opt to stay at one or several hotels they are considering staying at throughout the week of their wedding. If multiple hotels are not an option for your planning trip, you can opt to schedule site visits at any hotels you’re considering instead. Most hotels are happy to schedule a meeting with you to review their options and view rooms. If you need some guidance on where to stay in O’ahu, be sure to check out our previous blog post here, which highlights our favorite places based on their price, amenities and location.

Hair and Makeup Trials

Last but not least, a hair and makeup trial is a must! We highly recommend testing out ‘the look’ prior to your wedding day. Doing this not only gives you confidence that you’re satisfied with the finished product, but it also provides you the ability to make any adjustments prior to the wedding day. It also gives you the chance to build rapport with your stylist and learn some tips about how to prepare in advance for your wedding day beauty services. Even if you aren’t particular about your hair and makeup for your wedding day, a trial run will give you an opportunity to work out any small kinks so you can be as stress free as possible during getting ready on the wedding day.

If you are interested in reading more about choosing the best stylist for you, take a look at our previous blog post here which covers even more things you might consider.

Additional Tips

Being seasoned wedding planners, we definitely have more tips and ideas to make your planning visit as successful as possible:

If you can, it’s always a great idea to plan to do engagement photos after your hair and makeup trial! It's a great opportunity to see how the hair and makeup holds up and photographs.⁠
If you are considering hiring a musician, ask if they have any public performances when you plan to visit. Many wedding musicians have regular gigs at various hotels and restaurants around the island.
To avoid driving back and forth across the island multiple times, it’s always wise to group appointments by location. Typically you can split up your planning trip into 2-3 days if you plan wisely.
Don’t forget to account for drive time and site seeing breaks between appointments!
Don’t forget to confirm all your appointments the week before! This is also a great opportunity to request detailed instructions about parking or where to meet up.

We hope this gives you a good start in making sure that your planning trip is as successful as it can be and you are left feeling like an expert! Happy planning!