.
Meet Steph
If you haven't figured it out by now, Esselle is a play on my initials SL for Stephanie Le. I was born and raised in Hawaii by my Vietnamese parents who immigrated here in the late 80's early 90's. It was through my parents' hard work that I had the experience to grow up in paradise and be a product of their "American" dream.
I stayed in Hawaii my entire life but often took trips back to Vietnam, Asia and Europe with my parents who love to travel. I'm a graduate of President William McKinley High School and the University of Hawaii where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Travel Industry Management.
I have been wedding planning since 2015 and it is an honor to be a small part of your love story. It gives me joy knowing that somewhere along the way, you placed your trust in me as your planner to help make your wedding dreams come true.
To me, this is more than a business deal cut between the Couple and Planner. It is a meaningful connection fueled by a shared interest - to bring your wedding to life.
Photo by Courtney Mau, Courtney Mau Visual
Styling by Sarah Gomez Akamu, The First Second Beauty
Meet the Team
(well, most of them)
Our “SL” Team consists of many fun, active, and hands on individuals. Many of us also graduated from President Willian McKinley High School, although in different graduating classes. What can I say? I love to support my local high school.
Our team members are the ones that you see managing the ceremony, cocktail and reception spaces, ensuring that everything is set up properly, facilitating guest movement, and communicating with the vendor team to execute a smooth and seamless experience for all of the guests and vendors. The team can be seen picking up decor, transferring items, and assisting guests throughout the wedding day.
Andrea
Andrea joins us as a seasoned wedding planner and coordinator. She is calm, collected, and provides so much support on the wedding day. Whether it is managing vendors, directing set up, or assisting the wedding couple and their guests on the wedding day, Andrea does it all. Her experience with weddings outside of Hawaii provide valuable insight and perspective.
Michael
Michael is one of our valued team members. You will see him on the wedding day organizing decor, assisting with set up and managing guest movement. Although the girls have to help him “make pretty” in certain areas, he’s a fast learner and ready for his next task. In his spare time, he coaches boxing. Any couples out there looking to get more fit and learn a new sport?
SUNJA
Sunja is one of our day of coordinators. She is quick on her feet, eager, and has the biggest “can do” attitude when it comes to the wedding day. She is punctual and as a coordinator - timing is everything! Our team values Sunja’s ability to move quickly on the wedding day, whether it is setting up details or moving guests to their next spot while providing a helping hand whenever she is able to.
Marissa
Marissa is our on call events coordinator. She provides a fresh take on wedding day set up and is eager and ready to assist guests on the wedding day or provide back of house help with set up and details.
Kiana
Kiana is our most recent intern turned college graduate, and day of wedding coordinator. Her skill sets are in organizing decor, taking care of the Bride, Groom, and always making sure that you look good. She’s ready to jump in and help your photo and video team out to make sure they can focus on their job while she fluffs your dress, fixes your hair, and straightens out your flowers.
Michelle
Michelle is our seasonal event coordinator. She joins us nearly every summer, winter and fall break for weddings and events. During the pandemic, Michelle took on the task of taking online classes to become privy on all things COVID back when having a “covid compliance officer” was a thing. She’s the strongest female member of our team and isn’t afraid to lift big boxes or move heavy things to get things done. Michelle is ultra reliable and we love having her on event days.
Garrett
Garrett is our muscle man and stand in electronics specialist. Whenever we’re scheduled for larger outdoor events, Garrett is there to help our crew move things into place and troubleshoot all things technical. His background in telecommunications is SO HANDY when we’re trying to figure out electrical plugs, outputs, and whether we have enough power on site for events. Garrett has extreme attention to detail and when you give him a task, he’ll make sure it’s as perfect as possible.