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I had a lot of work to do one day so, naturally, I decided to clean my whole house instead. Deep within the mess, I stumbled upon an old binder I had from when I first started my business. I am quite nostalgic, as I have shared here before, so I save everything. I flipped through old business plans, marketing materials, and original logos I created when TGA was just a dream. First Logo Current Logo Then, I saw it. My old pricing list. First off, I want to commend 23 year old Zabrina for even putting together a price brochure. Granted, it was made on a word doc, but for my limited experience in this industry, I am pretty proud that it was a priority of mine to have one. Once the nostalgia died down, I quickly spun into a different emotion of shock. The package names and breakdowns have for the most part remained the same, but the price has drastically changed. When I initially began the business, I was planning events for free to gain experience. After the first few, I felt okay to start charging for my work. I did barely any market research of what to charge and, still to this day, had a minor case of imposter syndrome, so I was unsure of my worth, which probably led to me charging $900 for full coordination! *pause for gasp* Even looking at my pricing now, I still fall well-below the industry standard of what other companies charge - no shade at all, because everyone is worth their price. I have come a long way of understanding my own worth and time. When I saw that $900 price point, I knew that at the time that felt like a ton of money to me. I hadn’t planned a lot of weddings. I was doing about 4 at the time, and that felt really good for the clientele I was working with. Majority of my clientele are “budget couples.” Budget couples are considered anywhere below the $30,000 mark, since the average wedding cost as of 2021 comes in at around $32,000. This is my preferred demographic. I love working with couples on a budget because I had a budget wedding myself. I spent about $15,000 on the whole thing, which now looking back I wonder, “How the hell did I do that?” Since this is my demo, I understand that paying $10k for a wedding planner out of your $20k budget might not be the most cost effective approach, even if the planner is worth it. I decided when I started my business that I may never make as much as luxury planners, but that I wanted to be a service that was affordable and attainable by all. I think everyone deserves a planner of some sort, whether that is full coordination or day of, having someone there is vital to your wedding day. That was and still is my niche. So how do you find the happy medium? Well, I found that there is a small grey area where the intersection of being affordable is, while also not completely under selling yourself. It took a few go arounds until I found that sweet spot. The package my clients see is the breakdown of what is included for them: meeting times, vendor coordination, etc. What I see on my end however, is the cost to run the business - paying out my staff, new equipment, office expenses, taxes, and the time it will take for each wedding. What I do, is write down that year what I want to make. Not what I want my business to make, but ME. That is my salary that the business will pay me. That number is my feel good number. It’s not huge, but it is a number I feel comfortable with. From there I take what I plan to spend that year to run the business. Cost of employees, product, rent, utilities, and all those little business expenses. I look at it for the month and then multiply it by 12 to find the year amount. I add those two numbers together (the money I want to make + the money I have to spend) to find what my goal is for the year. Once I get that number, I divide that by the amount of weddings I want to work. I will say, post/current pandemic has made this step a little wonky, since I got into a weird frame of mind to take everything and anything because of the 2020 shutdowns. But, in a normal situation, I will write down the number of projects that feel comfortable for me to take on without completely losing my ability to provide quality service. From there, I get a rough number of how much I should be charging for coordination packages (plus or minus depending on the package). I then cross check that number against different budget scenarios for my clients. Industry standard puts wedding planning at 10-18% of the overall wedding budget, so I take my most common wedding budget of $25,000 and cross check that with what my package price and BOOM, I get my prices. This is not a science, but it is the way that I do it and have been happy with. I used to think that the number I set was the price of my work, but really what it has shifted into it pricing my worth and the community I want to serve. Generally, my couples are funding their wedding themselves. As a queer couple, my wife and I had no family financial support, which is why our budget was on the low end, which tends to be a lot of the stories for most of my couples. I would be crazy as a business owner to not want to make money, but for me that is only half important. The other side is remaining accessible to my demographic. I could easily charge $4,000 or more, but it would potentially mean a change to my clientele. For me, getting to work with my ideal client is more important than a dollar amount. By removing the veil, I hope you get to see a little bit more of how I do things. At the end of the day, you have to pick what feels right to you. If I learned anything, it is to be confident in your pricing. I hear things from both ends of the spectrum. “Your price is too low, you should be charging more” or “That’s a lot of money, I will just have a friend help.” I never let comments like that bother me. This is what feels right for me and my business and no one can tell me otherwise.

When I first started wedding planning, I was very excited thinking about food, because I am inherently a foodie. But what I didn’t realize is there is much more to think about and ask your caterer in the planning process. Here’s a short, but hopefully helpful list of questions you should be asking before you hire the caterer. 1.Do you still have availability for my date? It’s important (especially with how busy wedding vendors have become) to check in with the caterer to make sure they still have availability for your wedding day before you go into details. 2. Do you deliver, set up, and provide full-service? If you’re hiring a caterer, it’s likely you’ll need them to deliver and set up. Depending on if the meals are plated, buffet style, self-serve buffet, or cocktail reception style you may need full-service or some kind of serving team. Inquire with the caterer if that’s a service you can add on and what that costs. 3. Do you have a set menu or packages we must work with or can you work with us to customize a menu? Are you a picky eater? Do you have a certain vision in mind for what you’d like to eat at your wedding? Are you hoping they have packages that take those decisions off of your plate (literally)? It’ll all depend on the kind of foodies you and your partner are, but a set menu may or may not work for you. Some caterers will work with you to customize a menu, whereas others may only offer specific packages. 4. Can you accommodate specific food allergies or dietary restrictions our guests may have? (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, kosher etc.) This is highly important for anyone who has specific dietary restrictions and allergies. Your caterer should be able to appropriately accommodate you and your entire wedding’s needs and do so without making your life hard. 5. Will we be able to do a tasting before we book? Will the tasting be an extra charge? If you’re worried about the food and want to make sure you’ll be completely satisfied on your wedding day, ask them to do a tasting before you commit and book them. Each business will be different so double check to see if there will be a charge to do a tasting, or if this fee will be waived once you book them after the tasting. It’s always better to go into these types of things fully informed, never assume it’s free. 6. Do you provide alcohol and a bartender, if not can you refer someone? If alcohol is a must and your venue doesn’t already offer alcohol, see if this is something your caterer can help you out with. The less vendors you have to hire and coordinate the easier it’ll be for you. If they don’t provide this service, they may have a recommendation for you. It doesn’t hurt to ask. 7. Do you do wedding cakes or desserts, if not can you refer someone? Like I said before, if you can find a one stop shop and not need to reach out to even more vendors to coordinate, do it! If they don’t do these additional services in house, they may be able to recommend another vendor or two who can help you out. 8. Is there a different meal option for children and the vendors working the event? If your wedding will include children, then the adult meals they offer may not be a good fit for little ones. See if they have options to accommodate children and what the age limit is. These meals will also typically be more affordable since kids don’t eat quite as much. They may also offer different meals for vendors, but check your vendor contracts, because they may require you to provide them with the same meals your guests receive. 9. Are there additional fees, gratuities, taxes, etc.? When are the deposit and final payment due? I always say it’s better to be over prepared than in the dark, so ask about all the additional fees for delivery, gratuity, administrative fees, etc. Will you have to factor in tipping out the staff? Will there be any state or other types of taxes that might be applicable? From there you should ask when you need to submit the deposit to secure your date and when final payment is due. 10. When do you need the final guest/specific meal count by? (this will help you determine your rsvp deadline) Last, but certainly not least, when do they need your final head and meal counts confirmed? Knowing this will help you build in an rsvp deadline for your guests. You should also give yourself some cushion time to chase after the stragglers who don’t respond on time (I know, rude lol but it happens). And that my friends is the top 10 questions you should ask your caterer. I hope this helps you narrow the search and make an informed decision on one of what I think is one of the most important pieces to your wedding day, FOOD! Bon appetit! Click here or click the photo above for a printable version that you can take with you when you meet with your caterer! Photo Credits: Megan Moura Enjoy these helpful questions? Have a few more questions you’d like to get answered about the wedding planning process? Contact us here

We are taking this week to be a little nostalgic, and reflective, on one of my favorite shoots. I know…I know, you aren’t technically supposed to have favorites, but I will explain why this is in my top three a little later. In the midst of COVID, I was approached by Tamara of Mei Day, a local woman-owned business operating out of the Kaka’ako area who specializes in celebrating Hawaii’s nature by experimenting with new interpretations of tropical floral design. I was really intrigued by what she wanted to put together and she enlisted my help to get it off the ground. We decided to make this an all female ran shoot, with a queer couple as the focal point. After extensive thought, we were able to put together a solid group to make it happen. We were very fortunate to shoot at the Liljestrand House, designed by Vladimir Ossipoff. This stunning home sits at the top of Tantalus overlooking Honolulu. The homeʻs very angular and mid-century modern design made it the perfect backdrop for the more organic shaped florals and design. The people we chose to feature were Kami and Sierra, a sweet couple who agreed, over Instagram, to work with us. They had never done a photoshoot like this before, but they were kind enough to lend their services to us. They had their hair and makeup done by the wonderful Lynn, of Lynn Yee Makeup, and were dressed in gowns from Ka Lole Hele, an eco-friendly dress rental company. The floral details of the entire shoot were, hands down, the MOST iconic part. Tamara brought flowers I had never seen before. She came with plants that had little bananas on them, these fun furry purple poofs, and a string of yellow balls that looked like corn nuts (obviously my descriptions are great, lol). She also had her friend Kristi, of Lei Papahi, make some of the most gorgeous lei. These werenʻt no regular lei honey! We are talking works of literal art that were laid across the couple’s bodies. I still die over them. The shoot was also designed by our best vendor friends, Ambient Rentals. They came with all their vintage goodies, which were the perfect touch to bring a mid-century modern feel to the outside space. We styled the space with our signature TGA handmade touches (aka, me DIYing tablecloths, place settings, and vow books at like 12am) and it all came together beautifully. A photoshoot is just a bunch of pretty things that no one sees if not for the amazing photographer and we had, none other than, Ms. Megan Moura. I love Megan’s work because she was able to capture everything in a photo exactly as it was. It happened to be misty about half way through the shoot and you can actually feel the mist when you look at these photos. *chefs kiss* So let’s go back. Why was this one of my favorite shoots? Well, we did this in the midst of COVID (safely of course) and it was one of the few things that I did between the months of March-September 2020 that was actually wedding related. I forgot how much I loved being able to create and just have fun and it was so exciting to do that with other females who shared that same passion. I also was able to meet Kami and Sierra, who became friends of mine. Kami is now my assistant and works TGA weddings + events with us! We don’t necessarily make money on these shoots, but as vendors it is such a fun and vital part to express who we are and what we want our work to emulate. For me, that is an event that is centered around you (the couple), where we are doing things a little less traditional and get to create something all our own. Speaking of shoots, we have a few fun ones coming up that we will share, so stick along for future blog posts! Featured Vendors Photography:Megan Moura Dresses:Ka Lole Hele Event Coordinator:The Gay Agenda Collective Event Rentals:Ambient Rentals Florist:Mei Day Lei Maker: Lei Papahi Lovers:Kami Pihana & Sierra Mendiola Makeup and Hair:Lynn Yee Makeup Venue: Liljestrand House

As we continue to live in a world completely changed by an insane and VERY REAL worldwide pandemic, it’s important we carry on with the mindset that things are different, and they will be for a long time. It may sound discouraging, but it can be freeing to throw away the idea that “things will go back to ‘normal’ or ‘the way they used to be’” because we need to face the fact - the world is forever changed by the last two years. Even weddings and the way we go about planning them has changed. Here are a few mindset changes and tips that I used, and you can too if you’re entering wedding planning during this ongoing pandemic. Photo Credit: HPW Productions 1.Have Patience: In this season, try to have patience for yourself, partner, wedding planner, vendors, and everyone around you. While it can be tempting to lash out and be frustrated with the ever changing world around you, remember to take a moment to breathe, have grace, patience, and compassion for everyone. It’s tough out there right now and since the world is constantly changing, your vendors aren’t going to immediately have all the answers, so give them a beat to get back to you. It is just as frustrating for them as it is for you. If we’ve learned anything these last two years, I hope that we can see now that there is so much going on in the world, life is precious, and we shouldn’t waste it being upset or worrying about things we can’t change. 2.Have Understanding: Your wedding day is important and your wedding vendors want the best for you so have some understanding and compassion for them. They have a tremendous workload, weddings are booming after the year hiatus they took. Everyone is very busy, overworked and tired of the constantly changing rules. They’re in the same boat as you, they don’t know when things will get better, when they will change, or what you should do. They don’t know everything, so coming in with the understanding that they aren’t miracle workers and are truly trying their best to help you out will hopefully keep you grounded. Photo Credit: Iwalani Photography 3.Accept Change: We’ve said it a thousand times now and we’ll probably say it a thousand times more, the world is always changing and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Different parts of the world are moving forward, while others are seeing some backslide, so it’s hard to predict what things will be like for your wedding in one year, five months, or even three weeks, seriously who knows! Living in Hawaiʻi, things were looking up at the beginning of summer, and then in August our numbers were through the roof and weddings had to take a serious cut in numbers. Be prepared for change and it’ll be less jarring when it inevitably happens. Prepare for the worst, expect the best! Being malleable to the change will save you a lot of heartache. Photo Credit: HPW Productions 4.Be Flexible: Because of these constant changes, it's important to remain flexible. Sway like ʻohe (bamboo) in the wind, go with the flow, or as my husband likes to do, be ready to “make game time decisions.” We went into every aspect of planning with open minds knowing that things may need to change. When you remain flexible throughout the planning process, it makes changes to your plans less difficult to deal with. We had to adjust our plans, venue, and caterer a few times before we landed on solid ground. I understand it can be a lot, but don’t give up! Things have a way of working out, especially if you set what your intentions are, so don’t stress over it too much. 5.Back-up plans: I planned during the pandemic and it was tiring, but we had several back-up plans. My partner and I sat down and had a discussion about what we did and didnʻt want and made that the priority, while the rest of the plans were able to slightly shift around that. We knew going into planning that date was most important to us, so no matter what happened, we were going to get married on that day. We sort of had tiered planning: If we were able to do everything we wanted, what did that look like? From there, we worked our way down to the smallest possible grouping. If we were restricted to 25 guests for the outdoor ceremony who would be there? If it had to be cut to ten, who made that group? Same went for the reception. So it is important to figure out what your ideal wedding looks like, and if you need to narrow it down, what would that look like? Who will you need to cut or what do you do if that’s impossible? Are you willing to push your date? At this point we really don’t know when we’ll be able to safely have a wedding for 200+ people, so maybe you need to rethink what your plans are if you don’t want to wait. And at this point I invite you to rethink a small intimate wedding or even eloping and the many reasons why it might be a better option if you can’t wait to marry the love of your life. (Shameless plug of my previous blog about this) At the end of the day the most important thing is that you have found your person and you are both in love. The rest of the details are not nearly as important as the bond you have and this next step in your life. Remember to breathe through it all, remain patient, understanding, ready for change, flexible, and make back-up plans on back-up plans to help you get through it. Take time to actually enjoy the wedding planning journey, it can be stressful and tiring, but it doesn’t have to be! May the wedding planning odds be ever in your favor. Photo Credit: Kenzie Kate Photography If you are needing some questions answered regarding your wedding, feel free to contact us here!

This week is a little bit different from one of our normal blogs. No helpful tips, no wedding overviews, but more of a journal entry of mine to explain how I have been feeling these last couple of weeks. I want to preface that this is a very raw post that is NOT a cry for help, but rather a documentation of where I am today in my life; to maybe look back on and reflect. If you follow me on Instagram, or even if you don’t, I posted a few days ago about how I was feeling a little drained, a little sad, and a whole lot of bleh since Hawai’i added back restrictions for social gatherings. It’s weird being an event planner right now. It’s weird for any job, but it feels weird being in a profession that requires the ability to gather with one another. When I first started TGA, it was with the intent to plan events and be able to offer support and guidance for my couples who were getting married. Weddings are already so stressful, so I went into this to help ease that stress and be a guiding light. I also went into it to plan fun gatherings where your community could celebrate in your love. It’s a profession that's allowed me to be creative and free. This was and is the foundation for The Gay Agenda Co. Anyway, that’s changed a lot for me. COVID has really taken a toll on me mentally and I guess I have recently had a delayed onset reaction to the effects that it’s caused. When our industry first got hit, I felt really spritely, ready and able to come up with solutions. I moved wedding dates, got new contracts from vendors, filed insurance claims, came up with fun ways to still move forward with events -- I mean I did it all, like most of us wedding professionals had to to stay afloat. But after 18 months of the same thing, re-planning weddings, having to have the same pep talks that “It will get better”, I feel fatigued and even worse like maybe it won’t get better. I had a conversation with a few industry friends that I feel like I am in a time loop. Like groundhog day, I am repeating the same events and conversations over and over again. I constantly get asked questions of when will it get better, should I have my wedding, when will COVID end, and it’s hard to not have the answers, especially when that is literally what couples look to you for. Anyway, that has led me into a weird funk that’s left me, at times, unmotivated, unresponsive, and to be quite frank, uninterested in my job. So how do you find support in times like this? Who do you talk to when you feel overwhelmed in the career you made for yourself to feel less overwhelmed? And, is it time to stop holding on to this idea that we will ever go back to normal? Thankfully, I have a great partner who has been supportive when I go deep into my funks. She’s been there to encourage me and that has helped a lot, especially when there are days where I will literally just stare out into space wondering what I am doing with my life. I’ve shared a lot of this with Ipo -- this feeling of being worn out and wondering what is next for TGA. Contrary to popular belief, I am more of a glass half empty person, which means I constantly air on the side of caution, preparing for the worst. I sit wondering a lot of the time if things will ever go back to normal. If I am being honest, I don't think they will. I think that COVID is here to stay for a while and we are living in a world now that will have to adjust to that “new normal''. Kind of a bummer when you think that it’s honestly not what you signed up for. Accepting that kind of takes the joy out of this. But then in my time of complete and utter defeat, I remember that at any given moment, I can say that I don’t want to do this anymore. I gave myself permission a long time ago, when I quit the corporate world, to take back my ability to choose what I wanted to do. After panic attacks that almost killed me when I was working my 9-5er, I told myself that I would never be put in a situation again where I was miserable. I have the choice, and when I really think through it, even at its absolute worst, I still choose this. Maybe the moments of joy aren’t as often as before, but in the small pockets that they do show up, they're huge. This weekend I am going to work a wedding that I have been planning since 2018. Three fricken years we’ve planned this wedding and we are finally having it and it is completely different from what we originally hoped for. It’s super small. It’s over the course of two days to maximize how many people can come. It’s even on my birthday, which is weird for me, since I am notoriously selfish when it comes to my birthday. Despite the fact that I have been mopey for the last 3 weeks, I am beyond excited to put this on. A wedding that if done originally planned might’ve been just another wedding, has become this week's main event. I don’t feel fully energized, but I do feel a spark. A small lingering amount of hope, that while I do not have the answers and things may never go back to normal, there is still joy in this work and it still has purpose. I am breaking free of the mentality that tells you positivity is the only way through this. No, I think being honest that this really sucks is an important narrative that needs to be addressed. This sucks, send help. Normalizing that not all days (or weeks) are winners, but that we are all at times barely making it by. Currently, I fall into the group that is just crawling from point A to B, but at least I am headed in the right direction. And that’s all we can ask.

When I was young, I only imagined having a large wedding. I always thought I had to invite my entire family and my partner’s family (which are both large because well, we have local Hawaiian families). But, I’m here to tell you to throw that notion out the door and give small weddings a second thought; here are just a few reasons why. HPW Productions 1. Flexibility With a smaller crowd, you’ll be able to change things up, have the freedom to change venues, transport people, maybe even have a small destination wedding if you want. The less people you have to move around, the easier it’ll be. The Gay Agenda Collective 2. Time With a smaller wedding, things don’t feel as rushed, you’ll be able to take your time. You won’t be rushing to get through tons of family photos, say, “hi” to everyone at your wedding, etc. I really appreciated a less jam packed schedule that allowed us to slowly get through the important moments, spend quality time catching up with all of our guests, and more. Kenzie Kate Photography 3. Quality over Quantity One of the top reasons I rethought a large wedding was cost. If we had to pay for food for a lot of people, say 150+ vs 50, the quality of what we could afford would go down significantly. And as people who love food and really wanted to make sure we ate well at our wedding, this was a strong selling point. But not only that, the more guests you have the more expensive your wedding will be. You won’t be able to afford as many nice things if you need to make sure you have enough for 200+ guests. We were able to afford more quality goods, food, decorations, etc. because we cut down our guest list. Megan Moura Photography 4. Forget Obligation Obligation is OVERRATED; repeat after me, “I am not obligated to invite anyone to MY wedding”. I wholeheartedly believe this and so should you! You should have who YOU (and your partner, of course) want at your wedding, and no one else. Your mother does NOT need to invite your second cousin or that person you met once when you were 12. If these people are not important to you, you shouldn’t have to invite them. This can get tricky if your parents are paying for the wedding. But honestly, it’s your wedding. If you feel strongly about wanting a small wedding and control over the guest list, sit down with them and have a serious discussion. Let them know what you want and that you would really appreciate their love and support on this. We were fortunate that my parents and in-laws were supportive and backed us up when the rest of our family asked them why. Kenzie Kate Photography 5. Intimate Weddings are Sweet For my partner and me, it wasn’t completely about money. At the end of the day it was because we wanted an intimate wedding. Intimate weddings allow you to really soak in this important moment of your life. It takes the pageantry, unnecessary obligation, and overrated traditions out of the wedding and really strips your day down to what is important; you, your partner and the love you’re celebrating. HPW Productions And those are just a few reasons why you should consider a small, intimate wedding. It can be a really tough choice to make, but if you’re seriously considering it, like I did, you probably already know in your heart it’s the best decision for you. I wish you the best and send you all the positive vibes and love on your journey to your wedding day! Kenzie Kate Photography Currently in the process of planning your wedding? In need of assistance? Click here to inquire about our services

I’ve been a business owner for a few years now and a lot has changed from when I first started out. Part of this experience is that you are oftentimes learning as you go. I know that when I first began TGA, I looked to other business owners for advice on what I should do. Some things I still implement to this day! I am a wedding planner by trade, but I hope that no matter what line of work you are in (or planning to be in one day) that you find these helpful! So, here are my 5 tips for running a business: 1. Make your business legit Whether you decide on making your business a sole proprietorship, LLC (limited liability company), or a corporation, making your business legit is a great first step. When we first started TGA, we were a sole proprietorship. As the business grew, we moved over to an LLC. Even when I had only two clients under my belt, I still made it a point to legitimize the business. We also quickly filed for some type of insurance that protected us from any liability and damages that could potentially occur while planning an event. Even though we didn’t have much business in the beginning, this was an important piece to the puzzle because it made us a little more professional and protected our butts if anything occurred. 2. Create systems that are easily trainable One thing that I wish I paid more attention to when I first started out was to set the business up as if I had a whole team working under me. A lot of the ways I did things in the beginning of starting TGA really only made sense to me. When I brought on staff, it was really hard to explain why I did what I did and train them on how to do it. So my advice - plan for the future. It won’t always be just you doing everything (I mean that’s the goal), so set up systems that can be easily taught and trained for new team members. 3. Content plan at the beginning of the month One of the things that took up all of my time everyday was posting on Instagram. I used to say that if I could outsource one thing in my business it would be posting on social media. Picking what you want to post and coming up with a caption took me over an hour to do one post (yes ONE POST) and it drained me. Now, we dedicated one day to get the majority of all the content pre-planned for the month. It’s not only saved me time, but it has made me enjoy being on social media again and actually engage with people. We use the app Later, but sites like Planoly and Buffer are also good. Hot tip: You will need to link up a Facebook account in order to have your content automatically post since Instagram and Facebook are one in the same. 4. Use a CRM software or project management site to streamline invoices. Another huge time saver and something that I recommend to everyone is to use a CRM software. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and typically these sites will allow you to send out inquiry emails, brochures, invoices, and payment reminders. Prior to making the switch over to a CRM, I was manually sending invoices. It was so hard to keep track of payments and where people were at in their project. Your time is money, so wasting it on tasks like this when there are programs that can help with it makes no sense. The software we use is HoneyBook and it has been a total game changer. Most vendors will have their preferred CRM, but I did a few trial runs before I landed on HoneyBook. Personally, I find their straightforward portal, easy to use templates, and the ability to customize contracts based on a client’s needs makes it super user friendly for someone, like me, who is tech illiterate. If you are interested in trying out HoneyBook, they have a one week free trial period. If you love it as much as I do, you can get 20% off for one year with my referral link. 5. Intuitive Working Last big tip, and it is a no brainer, is to make time for yourself. I fall victim to this a lot. I will work hard for several days straight with no days off, get completely burnt out, and then not want to work for an entire week. It’s super unhealthy and a terrible way to manage time. What I have been more mindful of doing is practicing Intuitive Working. Much like intuitive eating where you listen to your body and fuel it with things that it wants, intuitive working tasks yourself with listening to your body and mind and giving it what it needs. There is balance here of course. There will be times where you need to really set structure on when you are working, but as someone who classifies herself as a creative, the structure doesn’t always fit. I need the ebb and flow with what I will do today. Sometimes that even means working outside of the office to recharge. Oddly enough, choosing to not work for an entire day (or two if I am honest) has allowed me to be extremely productive while also enjoying what I do with no resentment. Photography Credits: Megan Moura Just in case you missed it, here is the referral link to get 20% off of your first year of HoneyBook.

Catherine and Christina reached out to me six months before their wedding day. They had most of their details set, but needed us to come in and tie everything together. They planned their wedding from the east coast, while we were their eyes and ears in California. Planning destination weddings are a ton of fun for us because we get to work intimately with the couple creating a clear idea of what their wedding day will look like, even if they aren’t physically able to see it all. The couple chose Fullerton Arboretum as their wedding venue. There is something so romantic about having a garden wedding and the Fullerton Arboretum was every bit as dreamy. The ceremony was held under their Wisteria Arbor where the guests sat under the gazebo to beat the late June Southern California heat. Cat and Christina stood near the large Wisteria tree alongside their wedding party. They took part in a traditional tea ceremony and exchanged their vows. After the ceremony, the couple and their photographers took a golf cart around the arboretum to get photos in the different gardens. The dessert gardens provided a gorgeous backdrop. The reception was held at the Bacon Pavillion. We had the privilege to make the garland that ran across the 18 foot tables. A task I was excited to try once and potentially never again. During their grand entrance, the couple paid homage to their favorite movie series Star Wars. Walking in while your wedding party holds lightsabers above is what I call a GRAND entrance. The lightsabers made a special appearance later that night while guests took photos in front of their homemade rainbow photo booth. Speaking of homemade, 1/2 of this amazing duo decided to take on the task of making their own wedding cake! Cat really out did herself by not just making a cake, but making an entire 8 layer rainbow cake. My favorite part of their wedding is how much fun and unique ideas they incorporated in their special day. They had yard games (one of which was ping pong!), a boba bar, jams and pickled goods for favors and even a dim sum bar at the end of the night! They kept saying throughout our time together how important it was to both of them that their guests had good food, good drinks, and a great time. I think that was definitely accomplished by the end of the night. One thing that I took away from this wedding is that you should create a wedding that makes you happy. What made Cat and Christine’s wedding so fun is that they made it their own. No rules, no tradition, just the two of them making decisions based on what they wanted. If there is one thing that I can encourage you to do when you plan your wedding, it is to make it your own. Your wedding day is something you will remember forever, so why not create something you will love. Photography: The Singlers Are you planning a wedding and ready to have fun while doing it? Reach out to us so we can start dreaming up your special day! Click Here

Finding the right photographer can seem like a no brainer, “I like their photos I saw on Instagram” so obviously I should hire them, but I’ll tell you there are so many more points to factor in that you probably didn’t even think about. Here’s a quick list to look over while you’re trying to figure out who to hire. Photo Credits: Megan Moura Photography 1. Do you still have availability for my date? You’ll want to be sure they’re still available for your date, especially if your wedding is fast approaching. A lot of photographers book far in advance and weddings are currently booming so all wedding vendors, including photographers, are seeing an influx in business. 2. How would you describe your photography and work style? Will you shoot more candid or staged? Are you looking for a particular style of photography or trying to avoid a certain look? Ask your photographer how they would describe their style. It’s great to hear it directly from the source and get a feeling for who they are. Do you prefer candid or staged photos? Depending on their style they may or may not be a good fit for you. 3. Can I give you a list of specific shots we would like? A list of photos for the day helps ensure your photographer captures everything you’re hoping for so you won’t be disappointed when you receive your photos. This is also a great list to have to make sure they capture all of the different combinations of family photos you’ll need (blog post coming soon on this) Photo Credits: JTang Productions 4. How far in advance do you need a timeline? Your photographer will likely want to know the schedule for the day, so they’re aware of all events and important moments. This timeline will go beyond just the ceremony and reception and include key details like when you will get ready, when is your cake cutting, first dance, etc. You’ll want to know how early you need to get this to your photographer so you can have this ready for them in a timely manner and they can properly prepare. 5. Do you shoot digital, film, or both? Do you carry backup equipment? This is important to note if you have a preference or you’re going for a certain look. It’s also good to raise the question of if they carry backup equipment in case something happens. They should be prepared for anything and a good photographer will have already thought this question through. 6. Are you the one who will photograph the wedding? Will you have any assistants or second-shooters with you that day? Sometimes photography businesses are quite large and they hire multiple people to shoot under them. If this particular photographer is important to you, you’ll want to ensure they’ll be the one working your big day, and if not you’ll probably want to see a full wedding (not just the highlights) by the photographer who will be shooting that day. You’ll also want to note if they plan to bring an assistant, especially if you have a large wedding with a jam packed schedule. It’s nice to know they’ll have extra shooters in multiple places to capture everything. Photo Credits: The Singlers 7. What is included in the package you are booking? You should be fully aware of what the package you’re interested in covers. Questions like will they only be there for a few hours and how many edits you will get back is important to find out. If you want them there from start to finish, you may need to pay a little more money per hour, so check in with them to see what additional hours will cost you. If you can’t afford to add in more hours, then maybe have them start later in the day, make sure the important moments and the bulk of the agenda fits into the time slot you’re paying for (this is where timeline is important). 8. Do you provide retouching, color adjustment, or other corrective services? Most photographers will include some kind of photo edits to give their photos their style, but you should make sure you know what they cover. Do they retouch photos, fix colors, remove unwanted things in the background, etc. Are these services automatically included, or will you need to pay extra for them? 9. How long after the wedding will we receive photos? If you’re like most people, anxious to see photos from the best day of your life, then you’ll want to know what their turnaround time is. Sometimes photographers will send a few preview shots to hold you over, but it doesn’t hurt to ask their timeframe so you’re not waiting on pins and needles for too long. Photo Credits: HPW Productions 10. How will we get the photos? Will it be accessible online, for how long? Will it be unlimited downloads? You’ll probably want to know the way they plan to get all of these photos to you, will it be online through a website, can you download them all and order prints, etc. If it is available online, can anyone access it and how long will it be up? Are there unlimited downloads, or will it cost you? 11. What is your refund and cancellation policy? Is there a backup plan if you get sick or are unable to make it? Because we’ve all lived through and are still currently going through a pandemic world, you should be aware of what their cancellation and refund policy is, especially since some photographers can be a large expense. Should something happen to your photographer and they’re sick, or can’t make it to your event, what is their plan and will they help you or provide you with a connection to a backup photographer. Fingers crossed nothing to this extent happens, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. 12. Are there additional fees, gratuities, taxes, etc.? When are the deposit and final payment due? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, know what you’re paying for and be on the lookout for additional fees, automatic gratuities, taxes, etc. You do not want to be surprised with extra fees you never accounted for. And at the end of all of this, if you’re happy with this photographer, find out exactly when everything is due. Photo Credits: Rae Marshall Photography And that’s it! The top 12 questions to ask the photographer. It’s important to find a photographer who is not only going to take nice photos, but also that you vibe well with them. They’ll be around you for a lot of really personal, intimate moments on this very important day that not everyone gets to see. I highly encourage you to make sure you feel comfortable around them and truly believe they are a good fit for you and your partner. Hopefully these questions help you feel them out, get a good sense of who they are, and if they’re the right photographer for you! Click here for a printable version you can take to any of your potential photographer interviews Enjoyed reading some of our top 12 questions? Still on the hunt for a photography for your wedding? Click here to reach out to us for our preferred list of photographers. No negatives here!

Chosen family are people you choose to play significant roles in your life although they are not biological or legally related to you. At times, your chosen family can even play a larger role in your life than your biological family. Chosen family has been more popularized recently in the LGBTQ+ community and with more people coming out, chosen families have become a staple in queer circles. For me, my chosen family has been my saving grace. They were there for me during milestones in my life, the loss of loved ones, and more recently, during my entire wedding season. Having my chosen family surround me during this season was crucial. My partner and I had been dating for 4 years when we became engaged. Shortly after our proposals to one another we came out to our parents. As we expected, our parents did not accept or support us, and we had years of tough conversations, and quite honestly mental and emotional breakdowns. During this season, we only had our friends who turned into our chosen family to support us. They stood with us, held us, mentored us, and cried with us throughout the toughest times of our relationship. At times, they played the roles of our parents, our siblings, or extended family. Their ability to step into roles where our parents refused to be, was at times the only thing that held us together. It is because of this that I say that they saved our wedding day. The days leading up to our wedding were brutal. The realization that we would not have certain traditions like a bridal shower was a tough pill to swallow, because it was a reminder that neither of our Mom’s were there. But our wedding party stepped in that week to throw us an amazing butchalorette party that helped soften the blow and surround us with tons of love. Rehearsal dinners are typically a time where families and friends of the couple are able to meet one another. We did not have that. In fact, my mom did not meet my wife’s dad till years after our wedding. Instead, we had a rehearsal dinner with no family, rather an intimate setting of our closest friends. They even had a candle ceremony, where we all got into a circle and shared affirmations and they poured into us the night before we said I do. On our wedding day, Zabrina and I decided to get ready together since our moms were not there to help, so we opted to have a first look with our chosen family instead, which of course was full of tears. We didn't have the traditional parent roles in the ceremony, or the reception. Our dad’s did not give us away, nor did they dance with us. Our wedding party walked us through each step of the way the entire day. I felt them holding me as I walked down the aisle alone. They spoke life over us during their speeches sharing in detail what it meant to be our chosen family and even performed a choreographed first dance with us because we chose to not have any traditional dances during the reception. To say the least, they loved us the exact ways we needed, and filled the gaps that our family was supposed to fill. I think it is really cool that over the course of a week's time, my best friends and Zabrina’s best friends left being each other's best friends. It was like having our two families blend into one. Our wedding party is still our chosen family til this day. We share and support each other, and they have organically become closer to us than some of our biological family. Two and a half years later, our parents are still not supportive or involved like we would like them to be and I don't know if they’ll ever fully be onboard or supportive, but thankfully the support of our chosen family will always be enough. Photo Credit: Kenzie Kate Photography

As a creative person who has been in love with crafting and DIY since I was a child in my mother’s crafting room (yes, my household didn’t have an office like normal homes; instead we had a room dedicated to all things crafty; stamps, yarn, ribbon, embossing gun, you name it, my mom probably had it) I knew that I would be doing a significant amount of DIY for my own wedding. But how much is too much DIY? I’m a heavily ambitious woman so I can tell you this, my wedding was A LOT of DIY lol. So how much should you take on, and how much should you pass on to the pros? Well, it depends on your skill set, what your crafting strengths are, and what materials you already possess, but I can definitely help you weigh some of the pros and cons of DIY. Photo 1: Cranes hand folded with friends and family. Photo 2: Our friends working to put up the arch for our ceremony. Being the me that I am, I’ll start with some cons and then we’ll go through the pros to end on a happier, more positive note. Cons: Perfection - If you’re anything like me, a perfectionist virgo (bless your soul lol), then this may not be the best choice for you (I mean I did it anyway, so who am I to judge). It will, like I said, take time to make things perfect in your eyes and it may end up looking wonky or not quite like your vision. If you hire someone to do it, they’ll likely be really good at what they do and be willing to make sure they get it just right for you. Not all of them are perfect, but each is special in their own way Time This work is very time consuming, if you’re thinking, oh this is a simple or quick project, remember that sometimes making that one to 30 pieces, tags, etc. may be a simple task, but once you put it into perspective that you might need to do it 100-200+ times, that will take A LOT of time. Photo 1: Handwriting all of our favor tags. Photo 2: Tying each tag to the bottles. Photo 3: Final product, favors on the tables at the reception. Patience If you don’t have a lot of patience to get things done right, or do them nicely, you may end up getting frustrated and tired of doing it, and then end up farming out the work to a pro anyway. Stress The more DIY you do, the more stressful it will be; plain and simple. If I’m being 1,000% honest with you, a lot of my wedding stress (aside from pandemic planning problems) came from the fact that I decided I wanted essentially ALL of my decor (which was a lot of small pieces) to be sourced and DIY’d by myself or closely supervised by myself lol (I know I sound like a crazy control freak, but for the most part I was a kind and very nice bride, just very specific about the way I wanted things done). Because of all of this oversight and how involved I chose to be, it was a lot to do and stress over. Photo 1: Stringing and gluing cranes with my dog, Paco. Photo 2: We decided to hang the cranes at home in our backyard and acrylic seal them so they’d be slightly more weather resistant in case it rained. Photo 3: The crane arch displayed at the reception. Pros: Details If you’re into small details and like to layer them in, this is where customizing some of your wedding decor may be appealing. When you make things yourself, you’re able to get the perfect shade of that color, the right textures, and find the perfect piece you’re looking for yourself. Photo 1: My sister, Chara working on the seating chart. We were able to hand pick colors I wanted for this sign to help blend more of our color scheme together. Photo 2: The seating chart displayed at the reception. Cost You may be able to cut some costs if you source some things yourself or make it yourself, but don’t forget that sometimes it’s more worth it to shell out that money and get it done by a pro. Good labor ain’t cheap, and cheap labor ain’t always good. Photo 1: Chara working on some smaller signage for the wedding. Photo 2: The sanitize and mask up sign used to greet guests at the reception. Quality time One of the things I loved about doing all the DIY for my wedding was that I was able to wrangle in different family and friends to help do small parts together. I was able to spend time with them, talk about the wedding, future, and catch up while we worked on beautiful pieces together. From a Hawaiian perspective, I made it a point to let everyone who worked on pieces of our wedding with us know that it was important to me that they work with good intentions, positive mindsets, and love because you manifest that energy into everything you do. I only wanted to feel their positive energy for our wedding. Photo 1: Chara personalizing our guest book. Photo 2: Finished guest book with our names and wedding date. Photo 3: Guest book used as a polaroid sign in! Sentimental value The fact that so many people came together to build a lot of the pieces and collect the small decor for my wedding truly brought joy to my heart. A small part of their hearts, time, love, and energy were sprinkled throughout the day and were a reminder that we were quite literally surrounded by their love. Photo 1: Titas With Tools building our mini arches for the cranes. Photo 2: The mini crane arch used as decor for our dessert bar! Overall, if you have a very specific vision, time, and PATIENCE to get things done, you may be able to pepper in more DIY. At the end of the day it’s really only a decision you and your partner can make (this was a surprising way for me to see just how supportive and understanding my partner was of me in a “higher than normal” stress situation). How much of your engagement are you willing to spend working on projects, how important is it for you to have certain details PERFECT, and how much time do you realistically have to juggle all of these projects. Maybe doing a small part or one or two projects is most feasible for you, or maybe you’ll be a crazy overly ambitious bride like I was. Photo 1: My best friend, MOH, and ½ of Titas With Tools, Zabrina bringing these centerpieces to life! Photo 2: The hexagon centerpieces in action at the reception. In the end, I’ll tell you that I wholeheartedly believe I made the best decision for myself and couldn’t imagine doing anything differently. If you fall into the latter category and decide to go for it and do the most, I 10,000% support you; we’ll start a wedding DIY bride support group together lol. In all seriousness, I wish you the best of luck in however much DIY you decide to do, and hope you most importantly HAVE FUN with it. Don’t lose sight of the reasons you chose to do it yourself and know at the end of the day your wedding is going to be beautiful, I’m sure of it. Photography credits for all photos: Kenzie Kate Photo Did our little list help you decide whether you should DIY for your wedding? Want to DIY some pieces but not sure where to begin on everything else? Click here to contact us!

An Intimate Tropical Urban Wedding By: Chaelie Kekona Who: Chad + Chael Where: Kailua, Oʻahu & The Tchin-Tchin! Bar It’s surreal to write about a wedding as personal as my own, but here’s an overview of our day. We started our day separately; Chad at his father’s home in Kailua, the place we hung out at nearly 10 summers ago when we first started dating, and I stayed in our hotel room at the Prince Waikīkī in Honolulu. A beautiful tropical and urban contrast; views of the cobalt blue waters from the sky high hotel room while Chad’s father’s home is surrounded by lush greenery. The two of us decided long ago that we wanted a small intimate wedding with only our closest friends and family and we stuck to it. It took a while for us to find the right location (due to COVID plans continuously changing), but I couldn’t be happier that we ended up having our ceremony in the place where we first fell in love, Chad’s family home in Kailua. After the ceremony we took a moment to do a very “us” thing and get boba from a shop we frequented when we spent most of our time together in Kailua. In my boho lace dress and Chad’s khaki suit we walked Kailua town to get our boba fix and take in this momentous occasion. Just the two of us enjoying that moment with our friend and talented photographer, Kenzie Kate Photo. After we soaked in the fact that we finally tied the knot, we drove over the Pali to our reception in Chinatown at The Tchin Tchin! Bar. Through the emerald green Koʻolau mountains to the not so bustling streets of Chinatown. The venue was a stunning mix of urban red brick and luscious tropical green foliage. It all really came together with our warm red-orange, mustard yellow, coral, pink color palette. After finally seeing my vision come to life, all the DIY, all the replanning, all the tears, frustration, and sleepless nights immediately felt worth it to see our family and friends having the time of their lives. We had the most incredible day, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the team who helped execute my vision FLAWLESSLY. 15/10 would totally recommend the TGA team. Vendors that made this wedding possible (click the links below to view): Photo: Kenzie Kate Photo Venue: The Tchin Tchin! Bar Coordination: The Gay Agenda Collective Florist: Papiro Flowers Signage: Chara Kreates Boba: Bee and Tea Kailua Desserts: Ono Berries & Liliha Bakery Decor: Wedcycle Hawaii Want to learn more information about our wedding planning services? Love how Chael & Chadʻs wedding turned out and want to start planning with us? Click here to get more information about our services