Opihi Love Wedding & Events

Pinned appeared in our decor, from the flowers to the touches of gold in the place settings. It was soft, chic and romantic. We never stressed or worried about the day of things because she had them all running smoothly behind the scenes. All the vendors she recommended were wonderful as well. We got lots of compliments about Sean( the officiant) saying that it seemed like he knew us personally by the way he preformed the ceremony. The bar owner & staff were wonderful as well! It was not an easy task planning a wedding from another state and having a young baby on top of it but, Kristin was organized and knowledgable and guided us through the whole process. She truly understood my vision for the day and planned such a beautiful wedding! We highly recommend working with Opihi for your wedding, you will be so happy with the outcome!

count was on the larger side (160 people), as I am a native of Maui. Kristin used her expertise to create a beautiful day. She recommended many different things to accommodate our large party and ensured the wedding timeline and energy flowed. We loved everything about our wedding!

ank you Kristin!!!

ike a long lost family member. She (seemingly) effortlessly helped us navigate the complexities of planning a destination wedding and gave us her full attention and care from start to finish. She even recovered some lost items from the venue days after the reception that one of our guests left behind! When my husband and I reflect on our wedding day and ask "what would we do differently?", the answer is "nothing" because Kristin was able to arrange and execute a perfect wedding.

m was kind and very detail-oriented. Her designs were beautiful. She took everything in my head and brought it to life. The venue was absolutely breathtaking, could not have pictured anything different. Highly highly recommend!!

e we met had nothing but great things to say about her, and on the wedding day, all the people involved were greeting each other as friends and it made it feel that much more welcoming. Literally every person she suggested, from music to painter to officiant to flower reservation, knocked it out of the park! She never made me feel guilty for texting her at any and all times (plus the time difference!!) I could not recommend her enough. Even if you are on the mainland, have no fear as she will guide you every step of the way. My jaw dropped when I saw the reception- she literally recreated photos I wanted and got even tiny details like these tiny flowers in the champagne glasses!! Made every detail absolutely luxurious and unique, while working with our budget!

she was the one! She is creative, thoughtful, honest, and very organized. I challenged Kristin with a large guest list, a picky bride with a particular vision, and a slim budget. She made it all happen and I had a great time planning with her! I would do it all again. She made wedding planning fun and easy. Kristin completely understood our style and suggested vendors that were spot on. She provides planning tools that are easy to understand and use. Before hiring Opihi Love, I tried to research and do things myself from California but it took a lot of time. If you want things done right, efficiently, and quickly–pick Opihi Love. Our wedding was flawless, perfect, better than imagined! All our guests keep telling us that it was the best wedding they’ve been to. My husband and I cannot take credit for it, because it was all Kristin and her team. Call/email her immediately to see for yourself!

very last detail was handled with exceptional professionalism and efficiency. From the planning through to on-site supervision at the venue, Kristen and her team managed every aspect of the day with calmness and confidence that comes with many years of experience combined with a great ability to connect and understand her clients. With this team in charge, we were worry free to enjoy a very special day in the lives of our family and made many lifelong memories!! We are forever grateful to Kristen and her team at Opihi Love!! Mahalo!

at's exactly what Kristin did. She was available with ease, helpful with our questions and figuring out all the unknowns we had, and her and her team seamlessly created the best day of my life! Hunter and I are so thankful we found her and highly recommend that you use her for all your wedding planning needs. Kristin/Opihi Love really will make all your dreams come true!

and listened to all of our ideas and wishes. From our initial call, I felt that she cared about our vision and making our day something exceptional. I honestly never felt stressed leading up to the day which is huge since we were planning a wedding in a place we’d only briefly visited once before. Our wedding day was a dream come true and I know we would not have had the absolute best day without her. It has been 5 months already and we still get compliments from friends and family about how amazing our wedding was and I owe it all to Kristin. I’m not sure I can offer enough praise or gratitude for her service, her dedication to making our day the most magical day, but if you are thinking of a wedding in Maui, Opihi Love is the one decision that doesn’t need to be tough to make and I guarantee a decision you wont regret!

ng a trustworthy person to help us navigate through the wedding planning chaos. I immediately went to the Opihi website and fell in love with her overall vibe and the type of weddings she's planned. From our very first chat, I felt like I was talking to my best friend. Kristin is very detail orientated, she is so calm and will help you navigate through the stress of planning a wedding. Kristin's vendors were also absolutely amazing. She knows everyone on the island, and you will not be disappointed with her rolodex of vendors. We felt so taken care of from the food vendor to the photographers to the florist. Our wedding was absolutely stunning. There were so many things that I was so indecisive about but Kristin really held my hand through it all. It was very nerve-wracking planning a wedding from a distance but I'm telling you everything was magical and perfect when we arrived for the wedding. Our guests left saying that it was the best wedding they had ever been to and I honestly credit that to Kristin and her team. I really don't know how people plan a wedding without a professional planner. Save yourself the stress of looking for someone else, hire Kristin!

ne bit during the entire planning process. I’m so use to planning my own parties and I can be very particular, but Kristin is so trusting and she gets the job done. I remember when I was still deciding between other planners but there was something so welcoming, caring and genuine about Kristin, and I knew she was the planner I wanted to work with. She really made our vision come to life, was always responsive in a timely manner, and she never forced ideas or decisions on us. If you’re a couple that isn’t from Maui, like me and my husband, the idea of planning a wedding in a state that you’re not even from can be intimidating, but just know that you’re in absolute great hands with Kristin.

to her or her brand. When we fell in love with two venues with a long drive between them, she helped us think of alternatives, solutions, and completely supported us in our decision to stick with using them both. Her calm, confident, easygoing demeanor made us feel at ease and in extremely capable hands, and her vendor recommendations were incredibly on point! She got to know us both so well that we could relax and enjoy our day and all the time leading up to it. If anything went wrong on our wedding day, we have absolutely no idea because it seemed to go off smoothly and perfectly to us and all our guests. We cannot thank her or recommend her to others enough!

dding planners within that week already, and I was feeling the pressure most brides mid-pandemic were probably feeling while trying to execute a destination wedding. Kristin changed everything within the first five minutes. She was so kind, so reassuring and totally understood what we needed and was looking for. I felt so much less overwhelmed from the start, because she had answers to every single question I had. She mentioned check lists/to-do lists, making itineraries , mood boards, and timelines. At that point I was sold! Even my husband said “She’s so organized. She’s basically you, but wedding planner style!” Kristin was very involved and attentive to the details that meant the most to me and Fernando. She offered so much honest and well-constructed advice, which was greatly appreciated when we were sometimes indecisive on a matter. She always kept our budget in mind and found ways to make our wishlists work. What I also loved is that she was genuine and sincere about our wants and needs. She prioritized them in ways that made sense, so it helped us stay on track, even if we were in a different time zone and thousands of miles away! I highly recommend Opihi Love, not just because she is so good at what she does, but because she was made for it! She is passionate, experienced and you can tell that she truly enjoys what she does. She is family and love-oriented, which encompasses exactly what a wedding day is all about. If I could do it over again, there is no doubt in my mind that Kristin would be my first choice.

wedding 2 years in the making. She listens to everything you want and is also great at using her ideas for designs to make it perfect.

tin and Melissa's team effort — and after a consult with Melissa was absolutely confident they'd deliver for us. Not to mention their pricing is competitive, and especially fair considering our event was on Oahu. A few months into our planning, Melissa was no longer with the company and Kristin was (mostly) a 1 woman show and truly delivered with a strong attention to detail and utmost professionalism to the finish line. I was anxious about this transition but I would not hesitate to hire Kristin 100 times over... I always felt that Kristin was available to me. She was responsive to any of my requests or concerns, and prompt with emails, texts, and/or calls. She was comfortable making suggestions and I felt that she went above and beyond for me during the planning process. She grasped my vision and she was a joy to work with...She made my life simple! She was absolutely professional and put-together on the weekend of the wedding. She did SO much behind the scenes and I was able to enjoy the precious moments of the weekend. I'm indebted to Kristin for making my Hawaiian wedding vision come to fruition. She is a gem and we can't thank her enough.

g and long process trying to find someone that we thought was smart, hardworking, truly caring about their couples (vs. pushing their own vendors on people), flexible to our needs, super on top of things & understanding of all the crazy things leading up to a wedding. We are SO GRATEFUL to have found Kristin-- she was all of those things and priced so much better than the other planners as well. We have very high standards and she really delivered across the board-- I work on the east coast but live on the west coast and could not have done it without her. If I had a friend looking for a planner on Maui, I would honestly tell them to save the trouble of meeting all these other planners and just hire Opihi. They have beautiful design and vision, but they also really care about the couples and will do whatever they need to to make sure you have a good experience. We were cost-conscious as well and I felt no judgement from Kristin about trying to negotiate or find more reasonably priced vendors or options-- she'll really adjust to what you need. A few tips for picking vendors on the island: 1. Everyone knows each other. It feels frustrating at times because it's a limited pool, but when interviewing vendors, you and ask for their recs in other areas and you'll start to hear the same names often. 2. Hotels are easier but def priced higher-- it's a pain getting an estimate from some of them. Make sure you are OK with that wedding coordinator if you want to go with a hotel venue-- you'll be stuck with them a long time and some coordinators "got" out needs more than others, which played a role in our venue selection. 3. Vendors often give each other kick backs for referrals-- try to ask if you can so you understand people's incentives. In the final weeks before the wedding, as we got last minute cancelations and issues with the florist that there might not be enough xyz leaves and flowers, my dad was confused about his speech etc., I knew I could count on Kristin to help take over and make decisions as I was trying to get onto the island and deal with other last minute issues. THANK YOU KRISTIN for making our wedding possible- we are so lucky to have found you!

n understatement. We started wedding planning a year in advance with Kristin. I am a type A person, so planning a wedding from 1,200 miles away scared me to death. Despite being the type of person that wants to control everything and one that stresses over a budget, I decided to let go and put all my trust in Kristin. Thank goodness I did, because Kristin delivered our dream wedding. Design. Kristin created the entire design from a few things I said, and from a few pins on Pinterest. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s a genius. She truly listens to you, so your wedding day will be the creation you dreamt of. We got everything we wanted on our “want” list, and she even had surprises for us on the wedding day, that we had no idea about! Planning. Kristin was prompt and organized through out the entire planning process. She was on top of everything, and even planned for things that could happen. It rained on our wedding day, which normally is a bride’s worst nightmare. Kristin had three different tents and design options already put in place two days before the wedding ready to go if need be. We waited until the day before to decide to change and place the reception under this amazing sperry tent. She handled the “crisis” so effortlessly. When I say I had no stress with the planning, I literally had none. There was even a point closer to the wedding when I asked myself and Kristin, “I should be stressed like a crazy person right now, right?!” I will say one thing to type A brides, you have to let go and trust your planner. It’s a lot easier said than done, but for anyone that’s planning with Opihi Love or thinking about hiring them, you are in great hands with Kristin. Budget. If you are looking into getting married in Maui, you are probably already aware it’s going to cost some money. I promise you can have a beautiful wedding in Maui, and keep it within a budget. Kristin was aware of our budget, and respected it throughout the planning process. She will create a beautiful wedding, and respect your budget. Character. The last thing I have to say about Kristin at Opihi Love, is just how amazing Kristin in. She put up with my countless questions and emails for over 12 months. She made decision making painless, she reassured me when I needed it, and she genuinely cared about our wedding. Yes, wedding planners get busy when other weddings are happening, and you have to respect that. If she was busy one week with another wedding, she would always reply to me, and let me know. I was never left in the dark. When it came to my wedding week, and even weeks leading up to my wedding, our wedding had her focus. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, she allowed us to ship all our wedding stuff to her address so we wouldn’t have to fly with it. Lastly, the night before the wedding, she was at Target getting straws for our guest’s coconuts because I had forgotten to buy them... Kristin goes above and beyond for her brides, and I am so glad I was blessed enough to have her plan my wedding. After my wedding had ended, I was actually sad that I wouldn’t be in weekly contact with her anymore. We are already planning our one year anniversary trip back to Maui. We will be meeting up with Kristin to celebrate with her again, because she became that special to us!

to create an incredibly personal and beautiful wedding that made all parties happy. I'm sure it wasn't an easy one for them but they handled everything gracefully. I would trust them to plan any event of mine moving forward.

e easiest, and most enjoyable experience. They strike the perfect balance between taking charge of the fussy details that you don't want to deal with while also allowing you to feel like you're still crafting YOUR dream wedding. They're passionate about throwing love parties that make the couple happy and it shows. I can't recommend them highly enough!

the help of Kristin & Melissa of course) ! Being from B.C. Canada I was a little bit nervous about doing a destination wedding as I wasn't able to be there to see things in person, even the venue ! Luckily I had the girls to guide me in all the right directions and led me to the perfect venue and amazing vendors ! They made the whole wedding planning process so easy and stress free ! And the day of my wedding, they took care of everything ! I didn't have anything to worry about ! It was the best experience ever. Thank you so much to Opihi Love for planning and putting together my dream wedding. Wouldn't change anything ! My guest are still talking about it !

ove! I have a classic Type A personality so I research EVERYTHING before committing. I scoured the web for hours to find the perfect wedding planner to plan my Maui destination wedding and I could not have been happier by choosing Opihi Love. They held my hand for a year and a half through countless phone calls and emails to ensure that I had my dream wedding. They kept me on track with the timeline which made my experience so super easy and stress free (not one bridezilla moment, meltdown, or lost hairs!). They are also very well connected to the best vendors on the island so you will be working with the crème de la crème (I listed the vendors I had the pleasure of working with - they were ALL AMAZING). And then there was the actual wedding day- the moment I arrived at my wedding venue, I was ELATED. Everything was so much better than I could have ever imagined. My husband and I both agree that our wedding day was the BEST day of our lives (thus far) and it couldn't have been done without Opihi Love. Sincerely, Bridechilla Photography: Love & Water Videography: Ohana Films Venue: Olowalu Plantation House Flowers: Lois Hiranaga Hair & Makeup: Meili Autumn Beauty Music: DJ Del / Marvin Trevaga Officiant: Kale Catering: Sugar Beach Cocktails: Garnish Table setting: SET

ding in Oahu from Atlanta was going to take a lot more coordination and attention that we thought, and we couldn't do it alone. We needed an Ace up our sleeve to make it happen! I'd seen Opihi Love's work in an editorial, and I loved their mix of modern and romantic (with that perfect touch of boho). I knew they were the ones I wanted to help us plan our wedding, and they did not disappoint! From start to finish, Melissa and Kristen helped us find the right vendors and guided us through our wedding journey. They were attentive, helpful and kind. We are so thrilled with how everything turned out! We had the wedding day of our dreams! Even more, our friends and families had the experience of a lifetime, and that would not have been possible without our wonderful vendors. Thank you so much, ladies! Your service means more than you'll ever know!

tial phone conversation to discuss details of their planning services and what was to be expected form them. I felt so uplifted after that thorough conversation with Melissa. I felt an instant "click" with her and had complete trust in her abilities. I was so excited about our wedding and confident she could pull it off perfectly. We booked the full service planning and it was one of our larger wedding investments, however, it was the best investment we made! Over the next 15 months, Melissa and Kristin were with me through every step of the planning process. We shared Pinterest boards and photos so they could get a feel for our style and vibe. They made a design board that just took my breath away when I saw it. It completely reflected my vision for my wedding. When friends asked how planning was going and commented on how difficult it must be because of the destination aspect, I would tell them that this has actually been the least stressful part because of the amazing team I had. Melissa and Kristin made it easy being the bride. Their relationships with the wedding vendors are invaluable. They've done these weddings at these locations with these vendors a million times and they are truly experts in their field. Kristin, especially, and I were emailing constantly. In the three months leading up to the wedding, we had contact almost every day. Last minute changes didn't faze them and they helped me find alternatives or compromises no problem. I would highly, highly recommend Opihi Love to future brides and grooms. They were the best investment I made during my entire wedding and I know 100% that I would have spent much more money had I tried doing it alone. When I reflect on my wedding, I am so thankful they were there and I give them full credit for how smooth and seamless it went. Advice to future brides and grooms: when planning a destination wedding, you MUST release control and put your faith in the team you hire, otherwise you'll go crazy. It is just the nature of the situation. Being a type-A person, this was completely against every fiber in my body but I trusted Opihi Love and gave them the driver's seat and I couldn't be happier with the planning and execution of my wedding.

ur once in a lifetime celebration. Everyone says to hire a wedding planner, especially for a destination wedding, as they have the experience & will take care of everything. Through my research, I spoke with over 12 planners ranging from $1500 - $8k. After hiring Opihi Love for full service planning, there were major red flags that made me doubt my decision and I regret not acting on my intuition earlier. Here are 5 examples of issues we encountered: Example #1: We scheduled a visit in Aug 2017 to fly out, meet our vendors & see our venue in person. The itinerary Kristin created completely neglected to include a visit to see our venue until after I asked about it. I also had to ask to set up time for us to meet. Example #2: When we shared that our catering budget for our welcome dinner should cost less than the wedding reception, they agreed and said they'll send over some options. The catering options Kristin provided us cost at least the same or more than our wedding reception. When asked about this, her response was “Generally pricing will be around $XX per person with any catering company on the island”. After asking our vendors, we easily found a catering company that fit our budget (and it was DELICIOUS!). When I told Opihi Love this, they just claimed “If you really insisted & wanted [that] we could have went with it!” Well, the problem is Kristin claimed there were no other options on the WHOLE island that would work with our budget. Example #3: We wanted to get a shuttle for our 50 guests to and from the venue. Melissa claimed the large shuttle buses are illegal on Maui, that it's a law and the only option was a 35 seater. After chatting with other vendors, I found out that's not true (we ended up getting a 60 seater). We were at the point where we couldn't trust what our planners were telling us and had to verify all the information on our own. Example #4: Melissa didn't review vendor contracts in detail before sending them to us. We would receive contracts with our names spelled wrong, wrong date, wrong guest count, etc. I had to review everything in detail and send them back with corrections. We later found out we didn't even have a contract with one of our vendors even though we paid a deposit! Example #5: Melissa used a budget sheet to set expectations around how much everything was going to cost. But when they sent over the actual estimate from the florist, it was 3X what was originally estimated. Their email mentioned nothing about how the cost jumped 300% but just to let them know if we had any questions. Of course I had to point out that the floral estimate is 3 times what was communicated to us and asked what they suggest to reduce the cost. They basically told us we would have to forgo the things we specifically said we wanted. I ended up having to reach out to our florist directly and the florist was able to keep to our budget without taking anything out. We tried to end our relationship amicably. Working with them caused so much emotional and mental stress. I've posted a more detailed review on WeddingWire and FB, which she has tried to remove/hide. It's disappointing to see someone in this industry behave the way she is and calling my review "totally fabricated". If anyone else has experienced this, you should really speak out.

Cue our search for a wedding planner and my delve into the enchantment of Opihi Love’s website. From here grew my appreciation of everything dreamed by Melissa Padilla…Her taste is impeccable, and her wedding creations are the quality you only see in magazines. After reviewing Melissa’s work, I sent an inquiry (aka begged her) to help design my wedding. When she called me, she was so sweet, down to earth, and genuinely excited for me. I knew she was “the one.” ;-) Over the next two years Melissa worked SO HARD for us. We exchanged phone calls, text messages, emails, and did facetime meetings on the internet or over lunch on Oahu and Maui. We did site visits with her on almost all the islands and she came with us to food tastings and floral design meetings. She was always there to lend a helping hand in the planning process, give advice, set up meetings, make the most of my budget, and sort through the jungle of my eclectic design ideas. When I was with Melissa, she made me feel like the most important bride in the whole world. She had such great energy and enthusiasm and was professional but also fun and fresh. She was full of wedding wisdom and creative ideas. After about a year into planning my wedding (and probably a ton of other weddings I had no idea about because mine is the most important obviously ha ha ha) Melissa hired her perfect “other half,” Kristin. Kristin is smart, dedicated, and organized…she was (and is) an incredible edition to Opihi Love. I literally did not need or want for ANYTHING when Kristin was around because she was so attentive and responsive (Kristin, you’re amazing!). So now I had “The Dream Team” and they worked tirelessly to “breathe life into my wedding visions.” Planning was fun and happy, even for my fiancé (who was the true bridezilla in our pair- lol). Literally not a day went by I wasn’t thankful I hired Opihi Love. Fast-forward: my June 30, 2018 wedding was ah-may-zing. I could elaborate but I believe Opihi Love’s work really speaks for itself. So with that, I direct you to http://www.opihilove.com which thoroughly explains their philosophy and displays their capabilities . Every wedding needs some Opihi Love! <3

ere remote - the wedding was on Maui and we live in Los Angeles. We were originally working with another planner and after being unhappy with their responsiveness, Melissa and Kristin of Opihi were recommended to us by three separate trusted sources on the island, so we reached out right away. Of all of our decisions, this was the easiest. It was immediately obvious that they were super responsive, extraordinarily professional and easy to deal with. Having interviewed other planners prior to meeting them, I was surprised by how reasonable their fee was as well. From start to finish over our +/- 12 months of planning, they were incredible. Every vendor they recommended exceeded expectations. Every email I sent to them (which was a lot - I am a pain in the butt) was responded to quickly. When we had difficult requests, they found ways to accommodate us. Even on the day of the wedding when we were desperately searching for a family member or friend to help deliver some things to our room, rather than go home, they stayed late and personally handled the delivery to ensure our guests could enjoy themselves and that we were stress-free. Our vendors loved them, our guests loved them, and we loved them!

pen. Kristen worked tirelessly to help bring our wedding vision together in 3 short months. Communicating with both her and Melissa was so easy, and they responded to every question, concern, bridezilla panic moment I had in the leadup and on the day. Kristen made the whole planning process so easy and guided me through every step of the way. Opihi did such a great job on the day of my wedding, placing so much attention to every single detail that I was able to sit back and enjoy. I would randomly notice my bouquet was placed in front of me at the dinner table, or the way they set up the service and dinner perfectly the way I had envisioned. Both Melissa and Kristen were lovely to work with and I would recommend them in a heartbeat. I'll be contacting them again for my next wedding! ;)

. She was so much fun to work with too!! Planning my wedding was not an easy task as we planned this destination wedding for 100 people in 4 months at a venue where we had to bring in everything, shuttle guests, organize logistics for, and plan a rehearsal dinner. Melissa pulled together an all star team of vendors to fit my exact wedding needs. She's also great at negotiating better exceptions to make the impossible happen for you. Every suggestion she made was on point. Melissa’s design skills are off the charts amazing and creative. The day of event was basically flawless, Melissa & Kristen (who is great to work with too!) were on sight all day/night making sure everything ran smoothly. Melissa put a lot of work and time into my wedding, and went over every detail with me on sometimes almost two hour phone calls every couple weeks at first and then every week as it got closer. Any doubt or worry I had was cleared up as soon as we touched based. She was also in communication the entire wedding weekend. However, in-between planning phone calls communication is sporadic. If you are a type-A bride (or have type-A parents) who needs constant communication with wedding planner, working with Opihi Love could be challenging. Trust the processes you are in good hands with Melissa.