Maui Wedding Planning and Event Planning Blog

There are a many ways to save money and plan an affordable destination wedding on Maui! Though some think getting married in Hawaii is expensive, fact is an affordable Maui wedding is possible. With a little creativity combined with our more than 10 years of experience catering weddings on Maui, we work with all budgets to make your wedding dreams reality. After you review the 5 money saving destination wedding tips below look for details about getting free wedding planning help for your Maui wedding:

Imagine the kids playing in the surf just outside your beachfront vacation rental while the private chef barbecues fresh fish, shrimp and steak to go along with the dinner he personally prepared for the entire family. The table is set with festive tropical linens and the adults are enjoying a tropical cocktail as the sun sets behind the neighbor island. While the keiki frolic in the surf and the 'bigger kids' lounge in the hammocks swaying between palm trees, you smile knowing you arranged the entire family reunion and it wasn’t difficult, time consuming or expensive! Watching your large extended family, both the young and young at heart, enjoying time together celebrating their family reunion on Maui is priceless! At first you wondered what made this year more appealing and pondered why several of your loved ones with extended family had decided to make the journey from distant homes to attend the family reunion this year. Then it hit you: When family members were asked what would make them attend a family reunion and several family members agreed a tropical vacation destination could sway them to attend, the decision was made to host the annual family reunion on Maui! Of course, with all the fun activities for all ages and amazing scenery with year round summer weather, who wouldn’t include a family reunion on Maui in their travel plans for the year! After you scan through our short list of four things to make a Maui family reunion memorable, look for the links for tips to find how to make a Maui family reunion affordable:

Most of the locals in West Maui already know we have the biggest, freshest and best salads in Kaanapali, but did you know we serve Gluten Free, Vegetarian and other specialty diets too? No need to break the rules or go hungry on Maui just because you have special dietary requirements! Though we are honored to celebrate over 10 years in business for our Maui restaurant and catering business, we are always seeking new ways to improve to serve what Kaanapali visitors and Maui locals alike are looking for in affordable Maui dining options. Since my teenage daughters recently converted to vegetarian diets and with the increasing frequency of being asked if we serve Gluten Free or Vegetarian dishes at the Kaanapali restaurant or for catered events, I decided it was time to formally create our new menus for Vegetarian and Gluten Free dining options!

Who wouldn’t want a graduation party on Maui? Fortunately, Maui offers plenty of opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of your favorite graduate and save money with affordable catering options. Whether a local family planning a graduation party to show appreciation for your keiki achievements or planning a graduation party from afar, my team at  Comfort Zone Catering company want to help you plan an affordable graduation party on Maui. From a full service catering package with a professional chef personally preparing grilled to order steaks to the most affordable catering with a do it yourself catering option, nearly anything is possible and we’ll work with you to create a catered event within your budget. After browsing through the 4 money saving grad party planning tips below, take a look our inclusive graduation party packages for menus and pricing details:

Most catered events on Maui begin with pupus, Hawaiian hors d oeuvre, as the appetizer course. After traveling many miles to attend an event on Maui, it isn't uncommon for the guests to be meeting for the first time or getting re-acquainted after several years. Providing a light healthy snack as a self serve pupu or passed appetizer gives guests ample opportunity to chat and get to know each other with small bites between conversation. As a professional chef who has traveled the world and with my own teenage daughters preparing leave the nest as they head off to college, I personally appreciate and enjoy seeing these family relationships re-kindled and new or old friendships formed. Many of our catered events begin with Hummus with Crispy Lightly Fried Pita Chips and fresh vegetables. Since Hummus is easy to prepare and so many of our catering guests request the recipe, I wanted to share my homemade Hummus recipe and provide a short lesson on how to make the dish quickly for your next party.

Nothing short of spectacular describes the view from the Puunoa Estate wedding location in West Maui! With a convenient West Maui wedding location offering unobstructed views across the channel to Lanai, the Puunoa wedding site is situated above the beach area known as Puamana. Less than 5 minutes from Lahaina Town or 15 minutes from the Kaanapali Resorts, the private estate provides an accessible wedding location. Accompanying the beautiful private estate home, a huge covered lanai overlooks a pool with a landscaped lawn area for wedding ceremonies or other events. The pool overlooks a reservoir to provide one of a kind scenery perfect for memorable wedding photos with dramatic views for sunset weddings. What better way to showcase the latest event and wedding location on Maui than to share details of a recent private estate wedding we catered at the Puunoa Estate in West Maui:

If you think a wedding on Maui will be expensive or cost more than getting married on the mainland, you may be in for a pleasant surprise and decide a Maui wedding is realistic after all! With a recent survey showing the average US wedding cost at over $28,000 and with weddings in Hawaii near the bottom of the list of the top 25 most costly places to get married in the United States, wouldn’t you rather spend your wedding budget on a beautiful tropical wedding on Maui? Conducted by wedding website TheKnot.com, the recently released survey results from nearly 20,000 brides who got married in 2012 show weddings in Hawaii are near the bottom of the list of the top 25 most costly places to get married in the United States.

Spending Easter on Maui is always a delight! Imagine spending morning at the beach with your children hunting Easter eggs and then playing in the waves with your family and friends before sitting down to enjoy a traditional Easter dinner at a beach picnic table or in beachfront vacation accommodations. Now, imagine not spending any time preparing and cooking a perfectly seasoned Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb or a Roasted Rib Dinner with all the side dishes! For those fortunate enough to find themselves on a Maui vacation on Easter, locating an affordable Easter dinner on Maui doesn’t need to be time consuming or a hassle making restaurant reservations! And best of all, no need to stand over a hot stove cooking all day!

A Maui wedding day wouldn’t be complete without the bride and her bridal party receiving a little pampering before the big day! After the wedding location is chosen, an officiate confirmed, tropical flowers selected and catering menus customized to her preferences the bride often asks us to suggest a salon or stylist for her wedding hair. Not only will the bride want her hair styled for her wedding day, most make arrangements for the entire bridal party. Many Maui brides request manicure and pedicure or soothing skincare treatments for their bridal party to rejuvenate after a few days on the beach in the Maui sun. In addition to the bridal party receiving hair and nail treatments, a growing Maui wedding trend is to include the groom and groomsmen. Imagine the whole wedding party relaxing together with coed spa day on Maui! You’ll want to include a tasty selection of hors d’oeuvre and tantalizing healthy appetizers to accompany the pampering!

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon on Maui, Lanie and Eric got married in Kaanapali on the lawn at the Honua Kai Resort. The wedding ceremony was followed by a beachfront catered wedding reception dinner at the Eldorado cabana on North Kaanapali beach. The bride, groom, wedding party, families and friends travelled from Alaska for the destination wedding on Maui. With only a couple weeks before the big day, the October wedding and wedding reception were handed off to us by a wedding planner unable to provide the day of wedding coordination services. Since we often plan complete wedding packages beginning with a welcome bbq on a Maui beach and arrange everything all the way through the catered wedding reception, we were more than ready when called upon to save the day for the bride and groom. Complete with rainbows for the wedding photos, the beautiful Kaanapali wedding and wedding reception went according to script! Take a look at a few of the wedding photos and wedding reception menu details below. Then, watch the short wedding video for inspiration to plan a catered Maui wedding!