This is at Ko’olina
I’VE BEEN DOING WEDDINGS ON OAHU FOR OVER 25 YEARS!
I’ve been planning weddings for so long that I pretty much lost count of how long I’ve been doing this and how many I’ve planned. I know I’ve done this for over 25 years, and I’ve planned over 10,000 weddings.
Dammit, does that mean I’m old?
I started in the wedding business in the late 90s, when I was around 20 years old. I owned an entertainment production company back then, produced 3 TV shows in Japan, promoted concerts, and created a lot of cheesy in-room hotel ads that played on a loop. This wedding business was part of my production company, and I created it to provide stable income to the videographers on my staff. Well, as fate would have it, September 11th happened, and all the advertising money dried up overnight, and it forced my wedding company to become the dominant money maker. It must have been fate, because I found weddings, not trying to sound big-headed here, extremely easy to produce when compared to entertainment productions. There were no politics involved, no unions, and couples were a lot easier to work with than actors.
And then – next thing I know, I’m 46 years old.
Things were going great…then…COVID-19 happened, we were shut down for pretty much 2 years, hyperinflation became real (not a conspiracy), and the world flipped upside down. Men could compete in women’s athletics, steroids were okay for little girls who wanted to become boys, and whatever was on social media was considered factual (and if you didn’t accept it, you would get canceled).
Even for weddings, everything turned upside down.
Currently, the standard for the First Dance is to have a couple enter the room and immediately dance. Back in the day (I sound old don’t I) the first dance was the last thing that happened at the reception, and then the room faded to black, the DJ pumped up Electric Slide, and everyone started partying. Flashing back to the good ole days, restaurants took reservations, and you could drink and party on your wedding night until the sun came up. Now, 10 pm, you gotta shut everything off. And if you’re trying to reserve a table for 2 on the North Shore, good luck. Very few restaurants are open late, because these kids don’t want to work.
And let’s talk about weddings in Hawaii. Things have changed – and not for the better.
Still the best sunset I ever shot!
When I first started Dream Weddings Hawaii, there were many companies like mine. Meaning – the owner would answer the phone, work with the bride, and work at the wedding in some capacity. For me, I’m not only the planner, but the photographer and the videographer. We took pride in our work. I still do.
But now. These other wedding companies. They take no pride in their work. The owners don’t show up to get their hands dirty. That person talking to you on the phone won’t be there at your wedding. Couples literally show up at beaches, walk around the park, and hunt for the wedding company they booked. Customer service – OUT THE WINDOW. And these new wedding companies, boy, are they cunning. They will pad their packages with line items they shouldn’t charge for, such as marriage license processing. That service is actually required by the Department of Health, to anyone who is a registered marriage performer. So, it shouldn’t be a line item in an invoice. Think you can talk to your photographer, or make-up artist, or any vendor before your wedding, with these new companies? Nope. I can go on and on.
This newer generation – sigh. All they care about are selfies and money. What can I say?
I’m old-school. And if you want some of that old-school groove, that old-school honesty, give me a shot.
Steve Young
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