It’s Friday, and that means it’s time for another real wedding couple to share their advice with us! Today’s couple is Christina and James, and like many couples, they choose their destination by honoring life-long dreams.

“I always dreamed of getting married on Maui,” Christina says. “I’ve been vacationing on Maui since I was a kid and lived there for a few years after college. James and I had taken many trips to Maui and it became a special place for us. We love the ocean and the beach and were excited to have our family and friends celebrate in a place we love.”

Destination: Check! Now for the hard part: navigating the planning process. Lucky for Christina and James, they hired a stellar wedding planner with Sugar Beach Events, Kristen Sterback, who took care of the challenging bits of planning. “The vendors we had were awesome and everyone communicated well,” the couple says. In addition, the bride strategically planned a trip to Maui about six months before the wedding to do a tasting and meet with the florist.

With nerves at ease, the couple could focus on the details of their island ceremony. For example, the two wanted to celebrate their grandparents who weren’t able to attend the wedding, so Christina got crafting. “We had a display with pictures of all of our grandparents as well as our parents on their wedding days. I bought pineapples and propped the printed pictures on them.”

Another sweet detail was their very own signature cocktail, which they named “Kona Kooler” after their dear pup who couldn’t be there. They even made stir sticks with pup Kona’s picture on them to garnish the cocktails.

Although a few souls near and dear to their hearts couldn’t make the wedding, Christina and James still say having a hometown wedding just wouldn’t have been ‘them.’ “We wouldn’t have had the fun, tropical vibe that we loved,” the couple says. In addition, the pair enjoyed precious time with those close to them for multiple days on the beautiful island. This allowed enough time for a few pre-wedding events to set the relaxed, vacay mood. “People were on vacation mode, so I would like to think they enjoyed the wedding more than had it been at home,” the two say.

Final words of wisdom from Christina and James are simple but so very important. We at DID can’t stress what they have to say enough!

“Stay organized, have fun and definitely get good photographer and videographer,” the couple says. After all, you’ll want to relive all of the details over and over with the gorgeous photos and videos – especially if you say “I do” on the serene island of Maui, Hawaii.

Photographer: Anna Kim Photography; Wedding Planner: Kristen Sterback; Ceremony/Reception Site: Sugar Beach Events; Florist: Bella Bloom; Stationery: Paper Bloom Studio; Hair & Makeup: Meili Autumn Beauty; Gown Designer: Anna Campbell