Honoring the Maid or Matron of Honor

To distinguish the maid of honor from the bridesmaids, the bride chose a floor length dress.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

What differentiates a maid of honor from the bridesmaids, aside from her additional duties as being the main lady in waiting?  More and more, brides are choosing to highlight their maids of honor with special touches, such as a larger or different bouquet, hair flowers just for her, or in the case of the photo above, a slightly different dress.  Say she's extra special with a thoughtful touch or detail that really emphasizes her important role as maid or matron of honor.

Happy Planning, and Happy New Year!
Mona
Weddings by Grace and Mona

Shave Ice for Weddings

Pretty assortment of shave ice flavors, courtesy of Ginniberries, at our outdoor wedding at Oceanfront Oasis.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Shave ice, a well-known and much loved local treat here in Hawaii, has become a recent hit at weddings in our island state, both for local and destination weddings alike.

A young guest enjoys a fruity shave ice concoction from Ginniberries.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Cool and refreshing, it's great for a warm wedding day and allows guests, particularly those from out of town, to experience a bit of Hawaii.

Cool and frosty shave ice from Ginniberries in an elegant, stemless, martini glass.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

What's even better, is that they can be made into shave ice "cocktails" when adding a bit of alcohol for some adult fun.

A drizzle of "adult beverage" atop this shave ice at the renowned Waialae Country Club makes this shave ice that much more fun!  Photo by HelmutWalker Photography.

For some of our recent weddings, we've had a shave ice truck parked outside of a church for post-ceremony refreshment, served during cocktail hour at outdoor weddings, and on one extra special occasion, the couple was even honored by Kelvin Shimazu himself, the owner of Shimazu Store, serving up his famous gourmet-flavored shave ice to the guests.

A highlight of this wedding reception was having Calvin Shimazu himself (owner of Shimazu Store), serving his famous shave ice to wedding guests at this Royal Hawaiian Hotel wedding we coordinated in April.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Kyle and Sheryl, our super sweet couple who tied the knot in April, enjoy their favorite treat, Shimazu's shave ice, at their wedding reception at the Royal Hawaiian hotel.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Sheryl and Kyle shared such a love for Shimazu's shave ice, that they wanted to share it with their guests.  We arranged with Calvin Shimazu to accept custom printed gift cards presented by Sheryl and Kyle's guests for shave ice at his shop, compliments of the bride and groom.  Photo by L'amour Photography.  Gift cards designed and created by Something Blue.

Sheryl and Kyle's all-time favorite Shimazu's shave ice flavors:  orange cream and strawberry cream!  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Consider this island treat for your wedding or special event!

The ever-so-popular, rainbow shave ice!  Featured is Shimazu's version, served at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for Sheryl and Kyle's wedding.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Happy Planning!
Mona
Weddings by Grace and Mona

Proper Stance for the Groomsmen

A couple of weeks ago, I had written about the proper bouquet hold for the ladies, but perhaps a quick suggestion for the groomsmen might be helpful as well.  To achieve a nice, uniform look during the ceremony, we typically suggest that the groomsmen stand with feet shoulder-width apart and one hand held over the other, either all with left hand over right, or vice versa.  It looks great in photos.  A quick practice of this during the rehearsal makes everything look and feel that much more natural on the wedding day.

A nice, uniform look with hands poised left over right, and feet shoulder-width apart.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen look terrific when standing uniformly, with bouquets at "belly button level" for the ladies and hands left over right for the gentlemen.  Photo by L'amour Photography.

Happy Planning!

Mona

Weddings by Grace and Mona

Wedding Planning Tip: remember to get your ring cleaned

Gorgeous ring shot by L'amour Photography.

In preparation for your big day, remember to get your engagement ring cleaned for maximum sparkle (and even better photos) on your wedding day.  The jeweler from whom the ring was purchased is a great place to inquire about ring cleaning, and if in Hawaii, trust your ring to a reputable jeweler.  However, if running short on time, sometimes, hotel jewelry shops can do a quick clean.

Happy Planning!
Mona
Weddings by Grace and Mona

Proper Bouquet Hold

Too often, ladies hold their bouquets as one would with a baseball bat, with one hand on top of the other.  Instead, the proper hold would be with fingers interlaced - a much gentler and less athletic look.  Give it a try!