About this vendor
Sunshower Weddings is a dedicated team of event planners located in the heart of Kona on the beautiful Big Island of Hawai'i, and we're thrilled you've discovered us!
At Sunshower Weddings, we specialize in bringing all types of celebrations to life, from grand multi-day affairs to cozy backyard vow renewals. We're passionate about creating personalized, sustainable events that respect your budget, while never compromising on the 'wow' factor.
We believe that every wedding should be as unique as the couple at its center. There's no set mold or mandatory traditions here. The only thing we insist on is a celebration of your love. How you choose to do that is entirely up to you, and we can't wait to assist you in creating a day that's authentically yours. So, let's celebrate love, your way!
Sunshower Weddings offers full planning, partial planning, wedding coordination, wedding staffing and rentals. You can find all of our services and pricing on our website!
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
- Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
- A la Carte Wedding Planning
- Budgeting
- Day-Of Coordination
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- Wedding Design
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Engagement Party
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Bachelor Party
- Bachelorette Party
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.050 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
- Top reviews
- Newest first
- Oldest first
- Highest rated
- Lowest rated
Sort by
Super professional, knowledgeable and helpful. Knows Hawaii in and out! Thank you so much for helping us to make such important decisions.
Working with Sunshower Wedding and Event was hands down the best decision we made for our wedding, we cannot recommend them enough! From our very first meeting, it was clear that Kate was genuinely invested in our vision. She took the time to listen carefully to our ideas, preferences, and even our concerns, ensuring that every detail aligned with what we dreamed of for our special day. We knew after that call we had made the right decision.
When Alison was assigned as our lead wedding coordinator we were even more confident that we made the right decision going with Sunshower. Throughout the planning process, Alison maintained open communication, providing us with updates and options that fit our budget and style. Her expertise shone through in the way she managed vendor relationships and coordinated logistics, which significantly alleviated our stress. One of the best things about working with Sunshower was their amazing vendor list. The list made it so easy to choose vendors to make our day special. We would have never found Obama the Llama without the vendor list.
On the day of the wedding, everything went seamlessly. Alison and her team orchestrated the event flawlessly, allowing us to focus on enjoying the moment rather than worrying about the details. Our guests were so impressed with how every aspect of our wedding flowed seamlessly.
One of my biggest fears was that what I had pictured in my head would not be what the wedding looked like. All of those fears disappeared when I looked out at the ceremony and reception spaces. It was evident that Alison had truly brought our vision to life, creating an atmosphere that felt uniquely us. It was absolutely perfect, it blew any vision I had out of the water.
If you are planning on getting married on the Big Island we cannot recommend Sunshower enough. Our experience with Alison, Kate, and the entire Sunshower team was exceptional. Their professionalism, creativity, and attentiveness made our wedding day not just a celebration but a cherished memory. If you're looking for a wedding planner who truly listens and delivers, Sunshower is the one to choose!
Planning a wedding overseas is a difficult task, however, Sunshower Weddings made this difficult task not only easy but so so enjoyable!
I always hear how people hate planning their wedding, but we had such a positive experience.
Kate and Alison are both so fun to work with, really understood the overall vision of what we wanted to create and executed it better than we could've ever imagined. They were also incredibly organised, attentive and full of information. This is really important especially not being local, we never felt like we weren't taken care of every step of the way.
Their recommendations for local vendors was so helpful, especially finding those who also were incredible at what they do while fitting the vibe of what we wanted to create.
On the day they were the best to have around and made our experience just so wonderful and stress-free. We would recommend them a million times over!!
Colby & Gavin
It is evident from the nearly 50 5-star reviews that the Sunshower team can coordinate a wedding. They can help you find a bar company, plan your timeline, give floral recommendations, arrange a shuttle service, help you design your tablescape — all probably in their sleep.
Instead I want to hopefully highlight the numerous ways they consistently went above and beyond what you would typically expect, and some of the intangibles you might not think of when considering a wedding planner.
TL;DR -- it doesn't get better than Sunshower.
Guidance
I feel like the whole point (or one of the main points) of hiring a wedding planner, is to have someone to guide you and open your eyes to different ways of doing things that you would not have thought of yourself. Alison (our assigned coordinator) did exactly that at every step in the process. I can confidently say that our wedding would not have looked the way it did, or ran as smoothly as it did, if it wasn’t for Alison’s (and Kate’s!) expert recommendations and advice. That was another thing I also appreciated — if Alison was unsure of something, she had no problem bringing in Kate to help us solve the problem.
Collaboration
We both felt listened to throughout the whole process, and felt that Alison was working hard to make sure that everything we were booking, was going to align with our expectations. It felt like a true collaborative process where she listened to, interpreted our desires, provided us with options, and then executed.
Agility
When we came to Sunshower, we already had a venue booked. However, 6 months before our wedding, the venue canceled our reservation. I have never seen anybody act with such a sense of urgency and TBH, Alison + Kate may have been more stressed out than we were 😂 Within 48 hours, we had the contract to a new venue in our inbox. ALSO, it was a venue that had never hosted a wedding before and was on none of the wedding websites, so there’s literally a 0% chance we would’ve found this place without them.
Another fun thing that happened was that we lost power on the day of the wedding (blame the town of Hawi)! For the hours preceding and the first ~1.5 hours of the wedding, there was literally 0 power. None of our guests would’ve known though! They handled the situation with such ease and professionalism, and had generators there faster than you could’ve ordered a pizza. And STILL managed to execute 100% of the details + the flow of our wedding.
Day of
There was truly not 1 thing either of us had to decide on, plan, help with, etc. on the day of the wedding. They made sure everything was in place and that we were truly relaxed for the entirety of the day. I have no idea how everything got set up, when each vendor arrived, where the generators were, where the shuttle buses parked, where the food was cooked — and that’s exactly what I wanted. The peace of mind on the day of the wedding is alone worth the cost.
Okay I’ll stop, but seriously, just book with Sunshower. Especially if you are off-island, you can trust that they will get the job done. Thank you Kate and Alison and Sunshower team!!!!!!
You have found the right people to help plan your event. The team at Sunshower Weddings and Events is capable, organized, client oriented and efficient. Kate and Alison helped us build an experience that we and our guests were able to enjoy and blew us all away.
Neither my husband nor I had strong opinions about what we wanted our day to look like, but we did know what we wanted it to feel like. We wanted an intimate, relaxed, fun, and loving wedding day. That is exactly what Sunshower helped us create.
On our first call, Kate provided the exact amount of direction we needed and helped us make and confirm decisions about venues, caterers, photography, and music. She even texted some of the vendors while we were on zoom and we got responses within the hour. After this first call, we knew we were in good hands.
Kate and the team provided three different budgets and options within those budgets that we could approve or disregard to help keep us on track for our costs. These budgets were incredible detailed and allowed us to plan for things that we absolutely would have missed without them!
We worked with Alison to finalize details of the day. Alison helped us to create a stunning wedding that captured all of the feelings we set out to experience on our day. In addition to cultivating these feelings with design choices, she followed up with vendors and helped us find solutions for any obstacles that came up. She created a schedule that was sent to each vendor that kept everyone on the same page without a day-of coordinator. Things ran so smoothly on the day because of Alison's organization and communication with our vendors.
The Sunshower Team managed to do all this while my husband was in Australia (where we live), my family was on the east coast, and I was traveling for work. There were often 3 or 4 time zones managed in one call.
We could not have created this day without the team at Sunshower. The cost of our planning hours were MORE than worth the ease of the day and the connections of the team. You will absolutely be in the most capable hands with the team at Sunshower. Congrats on finding them, they will exceed your expectations!
We live in California and settled on a venue in Kona sight unseen and without Sunshower Weddings, I think we would have had a hodge podge of a wedding.
We had calls with several wedding planners but it was after our meeting with Cami and Kate, we knew we found our planner. They were organized and thoughtful in their approach of the panning process and execution. From the initial meeting we knew no detail would be forgotten. Their vendor list and recommendations were honest and invaluable.
A big shoutout to Cami who not only made sure our wedding day ran smoothly, she guided us through the entire planning process. Asking all the right questions and patiently helping us with decisions that otherwise would have been overwhelming.
As the bride, I heard several times throughout that day that I didn’t look at all stressed and it was because I wasn’t! Without Cami and Sunshower Weddings, I truly believe we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy our wedding as much as we did.
Planning a wedding in Hawaii from Denver was initially nerve-wracking, but choosing Kate and her team at Sunshower Weddings made all the difference. From our very first interaction, we felt understood and supported. Sunshower Weddings captured and distilled our desire for a small and intimate wedding perfectly.
Kate, in particular, was an incredible support throughout the entire process. She helped us narrow down decisions, keeping us focused on the most important elements, and leveraged her extensive on-island connections to ensure everything was prepared and excellent. Her expertise and local knowledge were invaluable.
On the day of the wedding, Kate and her team truly shined. Their support was invaluable, as they kept us all together and prepared for any contingency, including unexpected weather changes. Thanks to their meticulous planning and dedication, our guests and we had a fabulous experience.
Sunshower Weddings exceeded our expectations in every way. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care made our wedding day stress-free and magical. We cannot thank Kate and her team enough for their hard work and would highly recommend Sunshower Weddings to anyone planning a destination wedding. They turned our dream wedding into a reality.
Where do I even begin! If you’re planning a wedding on Big Island, working with Sunshower is the best thing you can do for your event – Kate and her team are just awesome. We loved working with Kate from day one. She’s incredibly organized, responsive, thoughtful and fun! Sunshower has so many Big Island resources and tips you would not find otherwise, and that local expertise is truly invaluable. Kate knows every venue and vendor inside and out and has excellent recommendations. I followed her recs for everything from event rentals to florals, food, drink, music etc. and even for related events like our welcome dinner, and everything was outstanding. A tiny example – we needed a dessert for our rehearsal, and Kate pointed us to a local woman who just started a banana bread business (no way to have found it on our own) – I swear it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. We got so many compliments from guests on all these various elements, and we owe it all to Kate’s inside knowledge. In terms of the planning process, Kate was on top of every detail, was so easy to communicate with, and she really helped so much during what was already a stressful time for us (we were also in the middle of moving states and starting new jobs). Kate also has quite a talent for design! She helped us incorporate a lot of personal details into everything from our place settings to our signage, which made our event feel extra special, even designing several personal logos/images for us herself that were so fun and reflective of us as a couple. As for the overall event design, Kate and her team knocked it out of the park. I was admittedly not great at collecting design inspo, and still with the little I sent to Kate, she ran with it and put together the most stunning event setup that was beyond anything I ever could’ve imagined. On wedding day the entire Sunshower team, especially Kate and lead assistant, Cami, were fantastic – so kind, helpful and they kept everything running smoothly. Even when late rain showers ultimately had us moving our dinner under the back-up tent we’d ordered, Sunshower knew exactly how to pivot. Everything was moved and adjusted so quickly, and everything Kate had designed still sparkled with a different kind of cozy beauty under the shelter of the tent. I’m sure this was logistically challenging behind the scenes, but we and our guests never would’ve known – we were having too much fun with everything else that had been planned, and we went on to have the most wonderful night. Our event also had a second location for dessert/dancing, and everyone moved from place to place so easily, and got home safely at the end of the night, because everything was so well coordinated by Sunshower. We had an absolute blast at our wedding – it was truly everything we ever dreamed, and we owe so much of that to Kate and the Sunshower team. Would highly, highly recommend!
Sunshower weddings and Kate to the rescue! 🛟 was lucky enough to have Kate take on my wedding as a partial staffing/ decor project very last minute (2-3 weeks prior) after I had nearly 14 +/- (not sure because my brain is fried from planning!) RSVP late. She graciously staffed me with 4 people, 1 bartender, and even gave me advice on 2 calls (which mind you, she didn’t need to because she wasn’t paid as my planned, she did it because she wanted everything to go well). She knew my location, my vendors, and was very transparent and honest from beginning to end. She even let me come by early to pick up vases because my friend was doing my flowers. She is extremely organized and goes above and beyond. For being a laid back bride, it could have very well been disastrous, but it was more perfect and smooth than I could have ever imagined. Also, her staff is quite wonderful, sweet, and so great to have around at our wedding. Thank you so much Kate and Sunshower! I highly recommend for weddings of all sizes. Trust her, her kindness and her expertise. Her staffing and rental rates are reasonable as well.
Cami was our wedding coordinator for our wedding at the Kona Salt Farm, and she did absolutely AMAZING! My husband and I were interested in a more nontraditional wedding and there were many typical aspect that we wanted to forgo, so I was a bit nervous about how the wedding would turn out. But Cami completely nailed it. Our wedding was Perfect! The decor, theme, and overall laid back nature our of wedding came together exactly how we envisioned it. On the actual wedding day, we did not have to worry about anything, Sunshower and Cami took care of it all and did so with a smile. I would highly recommend the Sunshower staff and Cami if you are looking for the perfect wedding on the big island, especially the Kona Salt Farm. The staff is very familiar with the location and has a great relationship with the venue. Thank you Sunshower and Cami for giving Bradley and I the wedding of our dreams!
From the moment my partner and I decided to embark on a destination wedding journey in Hawaii, we knew we wanted it to be a memorable experience not just for us, but for all our guests. Choosing Sunshower Weddings as our wedding planners was, without a doubt, the best decision we made in the entire planning process. The level of care, professionalism, and creativity they brought to the table was unparalleled.
Kate and the team went above and beyond to understand our vision for the day. They took the time to get to know us as a couple, which made the planning process feel truly personalized and special. Their attention to detail was impeccable; from the floral arrangements to the seating chart, every element was thoughtfully curated to reflect our personalities and love story.
Communication with the team was seamless. They were always available to answer our questions, offer suggestions, and provide updates. Their expertise and guidance made us feel at ease throughout the planning stages, and especially so on the big day.
The day of the wedding was nothing short of magical. Thanks to the meticulous planning and coordination of Sunshower, everything ran smoothly. They handled every detail with such grace and professionalism, allowing us and our families to fully immerse ourselves in the joy and love of the day without a single worry.
Our guests have not stopped talking about how beautiful and well-organized our wedding was. Many have commented that it was one of the best weddings they've ever attended. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Sunshower team. If you're looking for a wedding planner who will go the extra mile to make your day truly exceptional, look no further than Sunshower Weddings.
We worked with sunshower for our October 2023 wedding. We looked at several other options on the island before signing with them and they definitely seemed to have the best value and most flexibility in packages we looked at.
Cami was our primary planner/contact but we also worked with Kate. Kate really knows the business and the vendors on island so well. Their relationships with vendors made things easy. They did all the legwork for rentals and florals which was so helpful! Cami was incredibly kind throughout the process and we always felt heard and cared for when questions came up.
Planning a destination wedding can be a lot. Cami, Kate and the sunshower team was so helpful with recommendations and also setting expectations about what was possible in our budget and just on the island in general. Our package included about 25 planning hours to help with design and planning and full day of coordination with an assistant. We also used their staff day of for set up/clean up and rented their place settings. They really do think of everything so I felt very secure the day of that things were going to go off without a hitch.
Cami was incredible the day of! Everything went so smoothly and I truly felt like I (the bride) could just sit back and enjoy the day which was what I wanted! Their staff the day of was so kind, respectful, and helpful.
Best decision we ever made was hiring Alison and the rest of the Sunshower team. I initially thought I could do it myself (cute, really), and once I realized how challenging it would be navigating vendors on the island without actually being there, I knew I needed to find help. Sunshower came highly recommended by our contact at the venue - and I also noticed they were getting tagged in literally every cute wedding anybody posted about on Instagram.
Loved how they structure their pricing. I’m a Program Manager in my day job, so I knew I could help quite a bit - so their hourly rate for partial planning was perfect for us. Alison really knows her stuff. She navigates the uniqueness of working with local vendors who communicate very differently than we are used to working with people on the mainland. She served somewhat as an interpreter for us. She kept my on track for all my tasks, and course corrected me as needed. She was timely, personable, professional, compassionate, energetic, and made us feel like we were her only client (which I know couldn’t be true cause they were constantly posting weddings, they seem to stay busy!)
The day of - Alison and her team literally made it the best day of our lives. My husband and I had to worry about NOTHING (including the rain, which Alison and her team immediately worked through, having planned for it). Several times during the evening, I would forget she was there! Nothing out of place, everything choreographed perfectly, and timelines executed without a hitch!
If you are on the fence, get off it and hire her. If you need some convincing, reach out to them and ask for my email address, I’ll be happy to sell you on it!
I could actually write an entire novel on Kate and the Sunshower team, but The Knot will likely cut this review off at a certain character count so I will try and keep it brief. We booked with Kate & the Sunshower team in May 2022 for our wedding in October 2023. From day 1 all the way until the big day we felt like the #1 priority for the team. I cannot imagine having planned a destination wedding without the help, advice, and guidance from the team. (My husband and I now joke about how we thought we could do this without a planner for even a brief second). They prioritized our wishes without compromising on what they believed would make our wedding perfect. Coming from a Type-A bride, who had guests coming to Hawaii from all over the world (Sydney, New York City, London to name a few) BOOK SUNSHOWER! Above and beyond does not even begin to cover it. Thank you Kate & Team.
We recently had the pleasure of working with the talented team at Sunshower for our Big Island wedding, and we couldn't be more happy with the results. We knew we wanted to have a wedding day coordinator, but also knew planning a remote wedding (despite having family living there) would be extremely challenging for two busy teachers. We contacted several vendors and immediately knew we were in good hands after our initial call with Alison. We had a unique vision (on a family catamaran) and a challenging location (about an hour north of Kona), but Alison instilled confidence that it could be executed beautifully. Besides all of the wonderful phone calls, emails, and portal communication, Alison and her team created a wedding we couldn't have imagined or managed ourselves. I can't recommend the day of coordination more--full trust!
The professionalism and expertise of the entire staff were second to none. They took the time to understand our vision and desires for the wedding, as well as providing invaluable advice throughout the process. I won't get in to all of the last-minute changes we had to make due to the boat not being operable (a week before the wedding), but Alison and the Sunshower team went in to full problem-solving mode (as well as becoming our therapists and crying shoulder). We will forever be thankful for their positive energy and compassion.
In addition to a wonderful staff, Kate and the team have cultivated relationships with some of the best vendors on the Big Island and beyond, which not only guarantees top-notch quality and service but also provides access to great deals. I was truly blown away by the talented florist, photographer, and caterers. Vendors were always quick to respond to us if we name dropped Alison and Sunshower!
We weren't always the easiest clients when it came to some of the details and the team was always responsive, attentive, and professional in communications. They accommodated every change and request with an upbeat attitude, and their flexibility was truly remarkable.
On the day of the wedding, we were able to relax (as much as you feasibly can on your wedding day!) and enjoy every moment without worrying about logistics or hiccups. We thought we could DIY our wedding (considering we have so much family on the Big Island) but I can't imagine the process without Sunshower being an integral part of it all. Hire without hesitation!
We cannot speak highly enough about the Sunshower team and our experience with them! Whether local to Kona, or planning a destination wedding in the area, we highly recommend working with the SS team! My husband and I keep reminiscing back on everything and both of us are in absolute agreement that there is not a single aspect or detail of our wedding that we would change. Everything was beyond perfect and that was only made possible because of the wonderful SS ladies!
The SS team was always quick to respond to our emails and queries, and always provided thoughtful answers. We worked with Alison, Molly and Morgan specifically and our family and friends made MANY comments to us about how warm, welcoming, and organized the Sunshower team was throughout the day. They were so kind, thoughtful, and detailed throughout our time planning. Our dinner tables, cake, arbor/bouquet florals, cocktail area, welcome table, etc were all laid out exactly how we envisioned. We're so grateful for their care and attention to detail in creating our dream wedding.
Words cannot even express how grateful I am for finding Sunshower and choosing them to plan my wedding! I apologize for the lengthy review but I have too many good things to say about them! Our initial proposal call was with Kate, who was able to give us the breakdown of how it all works. Off the bat, she made us feel comfortable and explained our different options based on our budget. We went with the “DIY” option which meant I was the one reaching out the vendors for pricing, availability, and other details - but to clarify, I NEVER felt like I was doing it alone. Also - their vendor list & description of each vendor (which is included when you hire them) was top notch and extremely helpful. They also create a special portal for you which has a plethora of helpful information such as how to get you marriage license in Hawaii, places to have your rehearsal dinner, pros and cons of first look, guide to hiring vendors…the list goes on and on. The portal also has folders for vendor contracts, decor inspo, guest&budget tracker & more. We also decided to have a coordinator during our wedding (the BEST decision) & included with that you get to choose items from their decor closet (separately this is $750). Alison was our wedding planner and she was absolutely amazing. I was lucky enough to meet her in person while visiting the big island prior to the wedding. She was so warm and friendly, it felt like we already knew her. We had a total of 2 planning calls and many emails. After each call or email response, I would feel less stressed and more excited. I ALWAYS received a quick response when reaching out. During our rehearsal, Alison and Morgan were the best - they explained all the details that would happen during the wedding and our bridal party felt well prepared. Alison made sure we handed off everything to her that was needed so we were able to feel as worry free as possible for the wedding. The real magic happened the day of the wedding. Sunshower was able to create my dream wedding. Every little detail was perfect. I also wanted to mention my dress had a little hiccup but Alison was able to fix it for me! Alison and her team worked so well together! Everyone was friendly and helpful- they did an amazing job. If you’re reading this review and looking for someone to plan your wedding, choose Sunshower! I could not have done it without them. Thank you for making it such a perfect and magical day. I would do it all over again!
Exquisitely detailed, helpful, communicative, on top of all details all the time. Paired us with the PERFECT vendors for our price point and tastes. Thought of EVERYTHING. Their website and tools were easy to use and thorough! We worked with them remotely from LosAngeles for 8+ months prior to our big day. When we met on the Big Island of Hawaii, it was like seeing old friends. My new wife and I cannot recommend Sunshower enough. As far as we are concerned, there are no other wedding planners in the state of Hawaii. Search over. You've found them!
(ps) The cost listed is approximate. Sunshower also provided our florist and some rental items.
I can't say enough positive things about working with Sunshower! We are from Pennsylvania and would have never been able to pull off our wedding in Kona without the help of Sunshower. Alison helped us with planning from the beginning and was so kind and encouraging and helpful throughout the whole process. Sunshower has a super helpful client portal they use to help with everything from picking different vendors to staying organized throughout planning to helpful tips. They stay in contact with you throughout the whole planning process and make it so easy. Everyone we worked with at Sunshower was so amazing and helped us pull off more than we could have dreamed of!
We are not using Sunshower Weddings as our wedding planner but we took advantage of their free venue search survey and OMG, I can't even explain how amazingly helpful it was. While we weren't sure where we wanted to have our wedding (planning for summer 2024) we have been looking high and low for something in Hawaii that was affordable, fun and fit our laid back family vacation style wedding. Let me tell you Kate was a god send! She is full of information and her venue recommendations were so on point. Everything was so organized with notes and comments, pro and cons, and COSTS laid out without having to search for them! If we didn't already have a planner I would have booked her in a heart beat. If you are looking to have a wedding in Hawaii do yourself a favor and reach out!
I can’t say enough about how wonderful sunshower, and specifically Alison, was to work with. My husband I are based in Chicago and planned a Hawaii wedding with Alison effortlessly and seamlessly. From day 1 Alison was friendly, patient, and extremely detail-oriented. Every single detail and backup detail was planned in advance and on our wedding day we did not have to worry about a thing.
Since our wedding, my husband and I have been to 2 other weddings and it made us realize and appreciate even more how stress-free and smooth ours was. Not once did Alison or her colleague have to ask us a question or bother us with anything on our wedding day. They handled and coordinated everything and everyone which resulted in us having a wedding day we could truly sit back and enjoy.
I cannot imagine having gone through this experience without Alison. She provided us a perfect wedding and perfect day to remember for the rest of our lives.
I would recommend to my friends to go to Hawaii to get married just so they can work with Alison :)
Our wedding was during a very stressful time - and the ladies at sunshower handled everything so wonderfully. They helped us plan a family vacation and an intimate, wonderful day that exceeded our expectations. We are so happy with the vision they helped flesh out and executed to perfection. Sunshower went above and beyond to make sure our entire trip was wonderful and magic.
Sunshower was AMAZING to work with. They have different packages you can choose from to fit your needs in the wedding planning journey which is so great. All of the planners are so nice, responsive, professional and organized. They have an amazing rapport with the other local vendors on island which made the planning process and wedding itself that much easier! It is not often you hear a bride say there was no stress on the wedding day, but I can truly say with Sunshower's amazing team, I did not have a single worry the entire weekend or day of the wedding. Our wedding turned out perfect, they really captured our vision and put it to life in every way. Highly recommend them for your wedding planning needs!
We wish we could get married again and again just so we could keep working with the talented Sunshower team! We're so grateful to Kate and the entire crew for playing such an instrumental part in refining our vision for our wedding and bringing it to life, in all of its epic glory.
Our goal was to provide every one of our family members, whether 4 years old or almost 80 years old, with the most memorable night of their lives. Many times over we have heard this exact sentiment from our wedding guests. It’s an event and a night that each of us will hold dearly in our hearts forever.
Sunshower helped us work through every big and little detail, and thought through every element. This included helping us select our venue, photographer, videographer, private chef, and musician. But they also focused just as much on all of the finer details, such as the flowers and table-settings.Throughout every single step in the process we felt heard, seen, inspired and confident that we were in the best possible hands!
I recently had the pleasure of working with the SunShower Wedding team lead by Kate Hickey for my wedding on 2/3/23 in Kona, Hawaii, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. From start to finish, Kate was an absolute pleasure to work with and was a key factor in making our special day a success.
Kate is incredibly organized and provided us with a wedding planning portal and checklist that made the planning process smooth and stress-free. Her attention to detail was impeccable, and she alleviated the stress from the bride and groom by ensuring that everything was taken care of.
One of the best qualities that Kate possesses is her responsiveness. She always responded to our inquiries within 2 days and was always available to answer any questions or concerns we had. Her communication skills were excellent, and she kept us informed of every step in the planning process.
Kate is also a great problem solver, and her experience allowed her to anticipate and solve any "what-if" problems that may have arisen. She was flexible and easy to work with, accommodating our needs and wants to ensure that our wedding matched our vision.
As an experienced wedding planner, Kate provided us with her perspective based on her past experience, but she never forced a decision upon us. Instead, she guided us towards making informed decisions that were best for us.
Overall, I highly recommend Kate Hickey from SunShower Wedding for any couple planning their special day. Her organization, attention to detail, responsiveness, excellent communication skills, problem-solving abilities, flexibility, accommodation, and experience make her the perfect choice for any wedding planner. Thank you, Kate, for making our wedding day unforgettable!
We went with Sunshower's day of coordination package, and we ended up feeling like that was the best decision we made during our entire wedding planning process. Kate was wonderful helping us in the weeks leading up to our wedding, drawing attention to all the details we needed to make decisions on, and providing plenty of information to help us make those decisions. Our day of coordinator was Whitney, who was the best coordinator we could have ever asked for. She did an amazing job putting together all of the decor for the wedding, and made sure all of our needs and wants were taken care of. From walking us through specific step-by-step instructions for the wedding cake cutting to making sure to use up the film cameras we'd put out for our guests, she did everything we could have asked of a wedding coordinator and more. Even our family members commented on how thoughtful and thorough she was during our rehearsal and wedding day. We can't recommend Sunshower enough!
I can't say enough good things about Sunshower. I honestly don't think that we could have done it without them.
I thought we didn't need a wedding coordinator, I had after, all imagined every detail myself for months, but I was wrong. Through our hotel - we had a wedding coordinator so I figured we didn't need anyone else, but as things went on and our wedding got closer, I realized how much support we needed. And I SO WISH we would have hired Sunshower sooner!
I have NO DOUBT that even with getting a wedding planner, it actually would have saved us money in the end. Kate has so much knowledge of vendors and ideas on how to implement the things that you are imagining for your wedding.
We hired Sunshower about 6 weeks before our wedding (YIKES!) and Kate was AMAZING with communication. There were many phone calls and a lot of last minute planning about things that we literally didn't even think about ourselves. Every detail was looked at to make sure what we pictured for our day was implemented. Just the communication alone, from Sunshower to all our vendors for us, was seriously worth it alone. Kate communicated with everyone for us and got everything ironed out, she even helped us save money with floral and rentals because she knew how to repurpose things and give us the same image for our wedding for cheaper. I am not kidding, if we would have just hired her in the beginning - we would have saved money. The transparency was amazing with Sunshower. They were informative, caring, detail-oriented, and communicated amazingly. Day-of coordination was amazing, I felt that everything was taken care of and that weight was off my shoulders. We felt that the service provided was totally worth the cost of what Sunshower did for us. Every single part of the wedding planning got easier once we hired Sunshower. I honestly cannot say enough good things. Kate - you and your team were THE BEST. You made our wedding exactly what we envisioned and I felt so cared for during the whole thing. I cannot thank you enough.
If you think you do not need a wedding coordinator - think again. Sunshower will save you time and money. If I could go back in time, we would have hired them from the very beginning!
Alison was our day of coordinator and we also communicated with Molly and Kate. They were very detailed oriented and the planning process went very smoothly. They have a planning portal that gives great information for most if not all aspects of the wedding. Responses were prompt and thorough for any questions we had. We had a destination wedding and it went smoothly with their help.
Sunshower is THE BEST TEAM EVER. I mean it! Kate, Whitney, Molly, Alison - superstars! It's not just the planning (and they are ace at it) or the coordination (which, omg, is a lifesaver because they will be your #1 advocate), but the designing as well. Whitney blew us away with our wedding design and created something that honored our cultures (and parents) without compromising who we were as a couple. From the very first call, we fell in love with Kate and could tell she was going to have our best interest in mind. Another thing to consider, future Brides, is who represents you as a couple. Kate and her entire team have such great reputations that it made it easier for us to book our other vendors. It really was like having your extended Ohana, who just happens to be an amazing wedding planner, handle your most special event. Everything, everything from the planning to the emails (and ease of communication) to the decoration, design, and coordination, was spectacular. It was perfect in every way because they are the best team.
So THANKFUL we hired Sunshower for my daughters wedding. Kate and her team were great to work with! After starting to help my daughter plan her wedding, I knew there were so many details and we needed someone to help give us some direction. Also, I knew we wanted to have a day of coordinator to handle all the details on her wedding day. Kate’s DIY portal was just what we needed for planning, it is full of so much information to help with every detail and then when you still needed help someone was always able to answer our questions. We also utilized her décor closet which also was great. At the end of their big day my daughter and new son-in-law will tell you it was perfect in every way and that is thanks to Kate and Whitney and all the rest of their team!
Kate and the entire Sunshower team (Molly, Whitney, Alison) were amazing in making our wedding vision into a reality!! Highly recommend working with this team. I started wedding planning completely clueless but Kate quickly was able to get my ideas organized while still allowing us to dream big and pulled everything together BEAUTIFULLY. It was truly a dream come true and I know we were did not have the easiest ideas to work with - from shipping a specific tent from Maui to Big Island, to doing a French garden theme and Brazilian steakhouse style dinner in our Hawaiian backyard, with random ideas of fireworks and a cruise ship added in - but Sunshower team made it work! We could not be happier with how the wedding turned out.
Our wedding was wonderful! We booked their DIY package in which, in short, we hired the vendors and planned some of the wedding, and they did all the final planning and coordination. My husband and I were so stressed about planning our wedding, but Sunshower gave great vendor recommendations and great tools to help us. Their giant checklist of absolutely everything we had to do was the most helpful. Kate really pushed us to plan our wedding when we were actively avoiding it and she brought so much needed experience and wedding planning knowledge to our check-ins. Whitney (our day-of-coordinator) and the rest of the staff did an amazing job bringing our wedding to life. They set up our wedding (aside from the equipment rentals) to make our venue beautiful and picturesque. Whitney was so on top of coordinating everything on the day of, and she made our wedding flow naturally, which our guest complimented. There's so much more Sunshower did for our wedding including timeline drafting and cleanup. We also had several items from their large "closet" of wedding decor at our event - this was so appreciated since we lived out-of-state. We're so thankful we had Sunshower as our wedding planning and coordinating team.
The team at Sunshower is IT! We hired them about halfway through our wedding planning process, as we realized we'd need support with logistics leading up to the wedding. Kate and Whitney are the BEST! Kate even helped us ensure we were getting the best bang for our buck from our other vendors and gave DIY advice as well. We got married at a ranch and had a *goat* situation (LOL) that was handled so smoothly, no one even knew about it! I cannot recommend them enough, and our perfect day wouldn't have been made possible without them.
We hired Sunshower to coordinate our wedding day as well as utilised their wedding planner portal. The portal was super user friendly, informative and made planning the wedding an absolute breeze. Kate was available to answer questions and held whenever we needed. She has great insight into what we needed for the vibe we were going for.
Whitney was out on the day wedding coordinator and was a literal angel. She handled everything from start to finish. She and the staff were beyond professional and helpful. Everyone complimented the staffs professionalism and attidude. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for help planning their wedding.
We cannot recommend Sunshower highly enough! Kate, Alison, Molly, and the entire Sunshower team were incredible to work with from start to finish. We decided to schedule a call with Kate after seeing photos of another wedding Sunshower coordinated at our venue. We are so glad we made that call- from the get go, we realized how invaluable the Sunshower services would be for our small destination wedding.
The portal and documents alone for planning are extremely in depth and helpful. The Sunshower team was also always available for guidance and questions along the way. Their connections and insights saved us a lot of time and issues, especially as a destination event. On our scheduled calls, we really appreciated the additional ideas and guidance they brought to the table- they had such cool ideas and suggestions that ultimately created the wedding of our dreams. We also loved how they encouraged our ideas while also giving honest feedback on what would and would not work logistically from their experience.
On the day of, Alison was our lead coordinator and she was amazing! She truly went above and beyond- she worked so hard to make sure that everything ran smoothly and worked so well with all of our different vendors. My husband and I both felt so calm and relaxed the day of knowing we were in such good hands and Alison perfectly took care of everything down to the last little detail. We had the best day of our lives and will always be so grateful to Sunshower for creating such magic.
If I could give 10 stars, I would! I have family on the Big Island and hired most of the vendors on my own. I kept telling myself I could coordinate everything day of or have friends/family do it. About 5 months before the wedding I decided to hire Sunshower and I am soooo glad that I did. Kate is a very detail oriented person and straight to the point. Alison was my day of coordinator and I could still kiss this woman I loved her so much. My wedding venue had an outdoor setup with a house big enough we could move it indoors should it rain. And rain it did! Kate did ask me to rent a tent incase it would rain and I refused, so that was my bad. Alison and the team stepped up after setting up the entire outside, they redecorated the inside of the house so we could continue on with the wedding. I could not believe how they had transformed everything within minutes, they were all soaked from running outside into the rain and bringing things inside. They worked so hard and were so supportive of any decision I wanted with no questions asked. It was a beautiful day and I will forever be grateful for Alisons calming presence on my wedding day. Hiring Sunshower was one of the best decisions I made regarding my wedding. They were worth every penny and made my wedding day a beautiful day I will remember forever.
Thank you Kate and Alison and team for helping us make our wedding as perfect as it was! Coming from LA to Kona, I was planning from afar. Most things and decisions were sight unseen for me. I also, am super busy and had little time to deal with details. But Kate was fantastic at giving me options and taking over where i needed to just trust her judgement. Her amazing website has lists and lists of information and recommendations, which made all of that job much easier. EVERY SINGLE VENDOR WE HIRED THROUGH HER WAS PREFECT! Zero snafus, zero complaints! We had a gorgeous, perfect-in-every-way wedding day! Thank you ladies! xoxoxo
My husband and I were so thankful to have Alison leading on our wedding day! Alison is such an amazing person and wedding coordinator. She went above and beyond in so many ways and stayed on top of everything. Before the processional, I realized that I forgot to get a boutonniere for someone and she worked with the florist to make it happen. Also, she made sure she knew who had what dietary restrictions and checked their names with me. During the reception, there was one point where my husband was dancing with his grandmother and the photographer was somewhere else. Once I told Alison, she got the photographer right away to come get pics. As far as I know, everything went as smoothly as possible! This allowed me to be stress free on wedding day and really fully enjoy the day. I highly recommend Alison with Sunshower Weddings!
When my husband and I decided to have a micro wedding/elopement in Hawaii I knew I needed help planning a destination wedding. Kate wasn’t the first planner I talked to, but after our initial call I knew I’d found the right person. She was so real, down to earth, and extremely knowledgeable. Throughout the planning process I was impressed with how responsive and organized she was. I appreciated that she helped us make our wedding unique and memorable. All the vendors she recommended were perfect, she really understood our vision. The day went off without a hitch and I got to enjoy a stress-free experience. If you are getting married on the Big Island, I would highly recommend working with Sunshower Weddings and Events.
Working with Kate was, hands down, one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. We were travelling to the Big Island from the mainland, and we really needed that local contact to help us sort through all our options. She provided us with vendor lists for every type of vendor you could think of and assisted us when we had question after question. We were in the throes of planning a wedding for close to 50 guests and then COVID hit, throwing a huge wrench in the day we were expecting. Kate was there through it all and helped us to pivot to an elopement that we never could have thrown together on our own. She was our own personal cheerleader, helping us to navigate what could have been a very tough day. She even helped to find a last-minute videographer that we didn’t even know we needed. We are so thankful to have had her on our side as we waded through the wedding process. Her knowledge, patience, wit, and tolerance of Taylor Swift are just some of the reasons that we would hire her all over again. Thank you so much for everything, Kate!
I can’t recommend Sunshower Weddings enough to anyone looking to get married on the Big Island! They are caring, action-oriented, creative, and very intentional. Read on if you want more details on why we loved working with Sunshower Weddings so much!
Planning a wedding can be incredibly stressful. Planning a destination wedding can be downright overwhelming–if you don’t have someone like Kate & Sunshower Weddings on your side. When my Husband and I decided to have a wedding in Hawai’i we had some important criteria that were true to our values. How in the heck do you plan a wedding, incorporating your values, in a far away destination? While researching venue spots I discovered Kate. Upon reaching out to her I knew she was the one to help us. I had expected her to present me with different packages based on what she thought my needs were (whether I needed them or not) but my intake call with her was very different from what I expected.
From my first call with Kate, she asked me a lot of questions ranging from what was important to us, what was our budget, and what our overall vibe was. Instead of giving me a blanket package, she tailored her wedding coordination services based on what I was actually needing and priced it accordingly. Throughout our time working together we were navigating typical wedding questions as well as the impact COVID would have on our wedding and Kate was such a huge help to us! Kate helped us navigate how to approach vendors regarding our vaccination requirements and the changing state of COVID requirements of Hawai’i itself. What I love about Kate is that I could have very honest conversations with her about her opinion and where to spend our money for the type of wedding we wanted. I never once felt like she was upselling me on something or trying to get me to spend more money unnecessarily. She was our guide on the ground in Hawai’i. We got everything planned smoothly and before our wedding, we felt prepared and not rushed.
About a week out Kate arranged a call between us and Alison. Alison was going to be the lead coordinator for the day of the event. We reviewed everything together and made any last-minute changes needed. We also arranged the rehearsal.
Then came the big day! The timeline developed by Sunshower Weddings was so clear it was easy to know what was happening and when. Alison stopped by in the morning to see if anything was needed by us and arranged for my haku to my airbnb. From the moment we arrived at our ceremony everything was SUCH A BREEZE. Kate and Alison had everything covered. They very much kept us in the moment so we could relax and enjoy our wedding. Our wedding turned out fantastic and had zero hiccups. The entire time it felt like everyone at Sunshower cared about us as people, not just as a client.
Kate, Whitney, and Alison from Sunshower farms were an absolute joy to work with. Due to changes from COVID, we had to make some last-minute changes and the team was extremely accommodating. Kate has a fool-proof checklist and process that made sure everything was in order, so with two weeks to go, I was... CHILLING! And therefore got to enjoy time with family in Hawaii.
The wedding was at a family home, and the Sunshower team helped organize our lovely vendors, recommended layout and styling, provided rentals, set up the most amazing tablescape. And during the day of the event, they made all the tiny decisions so I could just sit back and enjoy.
What I thought was going to be a simple party ended up going absolutely above and beyond anything I could have imagined. It was sweet, intimate, and so special. They helped with all the behind-the-scenes work so we could be present and enjoy time with loved ones. Special shout out to Whitney and Alison who were extremely friendly, helpful, and helped curate the most beautiful cocktail hour space and dinner table. You rock!
Thank you for helping to make this day fabulous. I would recommend them to anyone planning a wedding on the Big Island! Worth every penny.
My husband and I are so lucky we hired Sunshower Weddings to help with our wedding planning and coordination. We were only a couple of months out when we decided it was time we needed help planning our wedding out in Kona, HI while we were busy with our lives in California. If only we knew about them ahead of time and all the stress it would have saved us, we would have jumped on it sooner to book them! In the first conversation with the owner Kate, I knew off the bat she would be really organized and responsive with every and each need we had for the wedding. A very thorough job and questionnaire to understand what was needed and all the calls/check points on the way kept us on track. She really understood our vibes and what we were going for and the day went over so incredibly smoothly! Her team, Whitney and Allison ran the rehearsal dinner and helped on wedding day as well, we hadn't even met them until that point, but they were briefed in so well that it was super seamless. The attention to detail, the care in making sure nothing went awry, and the aloha they all had definitely made our day amazing! Not only is the team great, but they also have good connections on all the local vendors and helped us navigate the permitting during covid protocols. So grateful for their services and would highly recommend them!
Kate planned our wedding reception in 2021 and was amazing throughout. When I had a vendor called the day before the wedding to tell me I didn't have enough food, Kate took another look at the menu and assured me all was well. Of course, she was right. The reception went off perfectly. Kate was an absolute pleasure to work with the whole way. She ensured everything was well organized, and I didn't have to think about a thing the wedding day other than enjoying our guests.
What really made our wedding, was working with Kate. My husband and I are both professional event planners for corporate companies, so it shocked our friends and family when we turned our wedding over to someone we'd never met in person, but it was 100% worth it. The wedding and reception was planned in just a few short phone calls with Kate. She had great ideas and helped coach us into making the right decisions. She booked our flowers, cake, catering, and music on our behalf so we didn't have to deal with those vendors. We brought our own officiant, professional photographer, videographer, and hairstylist, as they were all friends of ours who were attending the wedding anyway. I also used Kate's recommended makeup artist who was just lovely.
The day of our wedding was so beautiful and memorable. We absolutely loved just having a cozy party with our very dearest friends and family. It wasn't blingy or over the top which suited us perfectly. Because Kate so expertly managed all the big details, I was able to truly enjoy the months leading up to the wedding. I had the time to focus on some small custom details only because I wanted to and enjoy, rather than stress, about these projects. We could not imagine a more wonderful planning process and execution day of! Our friends and family haven't stopped raving about how wonderful and beautiful our wedding was.
My now husband and I partnered with Kate to make our dream wedding come true in 2021. We had been waiting over a year and kept having delays due to ever-changing regulations and believe it or not venue closings. Throughout the entire thing Kate was our rock. She truly made me feel like I didn’t have to be on top of everything and was beyond organized. I would highly recommend Kate for anyone who doesn’t live on island in his traveling. Kate will give you her unbiased opinion will still making sure your dream comes true.
The day of she was fantastic truly took pressure off my shoulders as usually the tedious blast minute things fall on top of the bride. Again highly recommend!
Two years later, I can't stress enough how vital it was to have Kate in our corner. The one piece of advice I would give to every couple, no matter their budget, is to have day-of coordination. Her guidance and expert knowledge are spot on, especially since we were planning our wedding from NYC. Whenever we needed help with an aspect of the wedding, she weighed in or gave us an even better idea. Through our video chats, phone calls and emails, Kate took our ideas and did the impossible job of taking the stress out of planning a wedding. Meeting her for our rehearsal cemented the fact that Kate had our back.
The funny thing is that even though I technically knew everything we had planned from the pizza apps and the fresh coconuts to the live floral ceiling and the bonfire, it all felt brand new. There was no tension, no rushing, just magic.
Kate and her staff were amazing with our guests. They were super patient when things got mixed up on our end and had every detail down. Seamless and professional with the warmth you expect from Hawaii. To this day, Kate is still thought of fondly by so many of my family and friends, some of whom still order coffee from her farm!
While Sunshower Farm is no longer an event venue, I follow Kate on instagram and seeing her bring her top notch event coordination skills all over Hawaii is truly amazing. She finds the best venues and vendors, not only for the Big Day but for rehearsal dinners and wedding adjacent events. I hope to work with her again someday, hopefully a vow renewal in 3 years!
I can't say enough good things about Kate! She is highly organized, good at communicating, and full of creative ways to make your wedding ideas happen (and stay on budget). On top of it all, her knowledge of local vendors is incredible. My wedding was a destination wedding and I had to put all my faith in her recommendations. She made the planning process fun and stress free. Everything about my wedding exceeded my expectations. It was a truly perfect day thanks in no small part to Kate and her team!
My husband and I had our wedding in the midst of COVID and there were a lot of moving parts but Kate was there every step of the way. Since most of her weddings are destination, she has mastered the distance planning. She has an entire planning portal that covers every single detail you could imagine and was always available over email or phone. She also has all of the recommendations for vendors which is helpful when you're not familiar with the area.
Kate is very passionate about planning weddings and she has the experience to tell you if something will work or not. We trusted her through the entire process and our wedding was everything we could've imagined and more!
On our wedding day, she was there for us when we needed it (she even helped me fix my hair after it had rained) and was also in the background making sure things ran smoothly.
I could not recommend a more thoughtful, organized, and perfect wedding planner. If I could give her 10 stars, I would!
My husband and I hired Kate to plan our Kona wedding, after having to cancel our first wedding in New Zealand. After postponing twice and we decided to ultimately hold the wedding in October 2021. Kate was there to support us every step of the way, helping us with securing all the best vendors and handling the communication with them. She has lots of great connections in Kona and has a considerable amount of insight on vendors, locations, etc.
I loved how real she kept things (if I had an idea that was not good or not within our budget, she would tell me.) She had to be super creative with our wedding, as there were CONSTANT changes from the state and county due to the ever-changing covid restrictions. She was basically on call through it all and was there for me anytime we would have to pivot our plans. Not only did she keep me calm and focused through it all, she also remained positive through all the stress and remained extremely helpful every step of the way. I don't know how I would've made it through pandemic wedding planning without her. She truly was a saving grace and the best decision that I made for our wedding.
On the wedding day itself, Kate went above and beyond. Throughout the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception, Kate was somehow everywhere at once, making sure everything went smoothly. She had every detail organized and was flexible with any last minute changes and truly made the entire day go by so efficiently. We had an amazing wedding day and Kate was a huge and integral part of the reason why. I do not envy her job at all (especially during the pandemic and navigating all the changes that come with it) but I am so glad that she is a wedding coordinator, because she absolutely KILLS it at her job.
I cannot recommend her wedding planning services enough and I’m looking for future party excuses just so I can book her again. She will hands down be one of the best choices you can make for having the absolute best day ever!
Also, the coffee from here is fabulous! I am born and raised on Big Island and this is some of the best Kona coffee I have ever had. We had coffee bags as the favor for our guests and multiple people told me how much they enjoyed it. Will definitely be ordering more in the near future!
Contact
Kona and Big Island of Hawaii
Sunshower Weddings
Sunshower Weddings's photos