Love Notes
Lucia & Eric
Stephanie was a gem to work with for our wedding. We had our wedding at the Kahala, were planning it from New York City, had never visited the hotel, and needed someone to be our eyes and ears on the ground in Hawaii. Stephanie went above and beyond by making a trip to the hotel and face timing us so we could get a glimpse of the reception room.
She was organized yet relaxed, patient yet knew when to push decisions forward. She never made me feel like I wasn’t in charge of final decisions and she never overstepped to make decisions for me, which came up as an issue when I was vetting other wedding planners in Honolulu. She gave great recommendations for vendors but also wasn’t pushy when we decided to hand pick all of our vendors for our big day. She worked hard to make us feel confident and comfortable in our wedding day schedule even though we had extra events such as a tea ceremony and a cocktail hour.
Where Stephanie really shines is the day of. I could easily say we had a perfect wedding day. She kept all the vendors, the wedding party, and our guests on time — everyone knew where they needed to be all the time. Everything went right and if there were any issues, we weren’t at all aware of them. She had a team of three who helped during the wedding and they did a wonderful job directing people to their seats as well as giving directions to our unusual guest book of Jenga blocks and postcards.
We were so happy Stephanie was the planner for our wedding and played such a big part in making our big day a huge success. We highly recommend Stephanie to anyone who wants to have a beautiful and magical wedding in Hawaii.
Crystal & Tommy
Planning a destination wedding can be a daunting task, but our experience with Steph as our wedding planner in O'ahu surpassed all expectations. From the outset, Steph stood out among the local planners we met with her unparalleled helpfulness and proactive approach.
Even before officially hiring Steph, she eagerly provided suggestions and feedback on venues. Despite an 18-hour time difference, Steph was consistently accommodating for Zoom meeting times and readily available for our inquiries. Her expertise became evident as she seamlessly guided us through the vendor selection process, explaining why each choice would best align with our preferences and vision. Steph ensured we met every vendor booking deadline, showcasing her commitment to our wedding's success. Most importantly, she went beyond traditional wedding planner duties, offering valuable insights into our DIY decor choices, advising on what would work logistically and look amazing in photos. The result was a wedding venue that exceeded our expectations in terms of execution and aesthetics.
On our Big Day, Steph and her team's exceptional efforts made our wedding an unforgettable experience. While we had to execute a hectic tea ceremony schedule, the team proactively handled ad-hoc tasks and coordinated seamlessly with our photographers. After a stressful morning, we arrived at our venue to find our vision flawlessly executed, allowing us to enjoy the day worry-free. Everyone on the Esselle team executed their responsibilities flawlessly and communicated well with us, vendors and our guests who were also amazed by their services. The moments that really made us felt “wow” were when the team fed us water during the long group photoshoot and when they helped us wipe our shoes after a beach walk for sunset photos. Despite juggling multiple tasks, they never forgot the wedding-couple and genuinely care for our well-being. With their help, we really enjoyed every moment of our day with our family and friends.
Without hesitation, we highly recommend Steph for anyone seeking a wedding planner in O'ahu. Her professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine passion for creating memorable events truly set her apart. Steph played an instrumental role in making our wedding day perfect, and we are immensely grateful for her outstanding service.
Tawny & Mitchell
Steph is an amazing wedding planner. From day one, I felt like she cares deeply for her clients and wants to give them their dream wedding. We sat down and had some coffee, talked about my vision, and I felt like she totally understood what I wanted. Throughout the process, Steph was easy to communicate with, she helped me find vendors when other vendors would fall through or when I decided I wanted to add different things last minute to the wedding. I am so grateful for her because planning your first wedding is stressful and there are so many details that go into it, but Steph is so experienced that she knows how to handle each and every situation, I felt like every time I was going to have a "bridezilla" moment, she diffused my anxiety before it could manifest. One thing I'm eternally grateful for was my flowers. I was set on this one vendor, but Steph immediately looked at my invoice and noticed that I wasn't getting my money's worth and it wasn't lining up with my vision. And she helped me to understand that there were other vendors who could create my vision for the same price and give me a better bang for my buck! She saved me from being disappointed and I'm so grateful for her! My flowers were beautiful and exactly what I had envisioned.
Everything went perfectly on my day of my wedding and I couldn't be more happier with Steph and her amazing work!
Thuy Linh & Christian
Seriously, we have such an amazing Wedding Planner. She's the best!!! She has taken care of the many tasks for us that couples usually have to worry about. From picking out wedding venues for us to choose from, to pricing on photography, flowers, videography, etc. Stephanie has gone above and beyond and out of her way to make things happen in a timely manner. I can truly say, the planning process has been stress free and very enjoyable because of her. She's a smooth and hard working coordinator.
Randi & Derrick
We are so grateful to have had Steph as our day of wedding planner. She was great at communication and very organized throughout the entire wedding process. She was able to answer all of our questions in a prompt manner and made sure we were on track leading up to the big day.
Days before the wedding Steph thought of the little details that I would have never even accounted for and that really made a big difference on the day of the wedding. Also, what was really impressed me was how patient and helpful she was with our friends and family the day of the rehearsal.
Like every wedding, no matter how prepared you think you may be, there are some things that just don’t go exactly as planned. We had some unexpected issues the day of our wedding but with Steph and her team by our side throughout the whole day, with every miscue or unplanned fiasco, her and her entire staff supported us so we could enjoy our special day. Steph and her team were also so thoughtful like always making sure us and the wedding party was hydrated constantly checking if we were doing okay.
You could really tell that Steph has been doing this for a long time because she was able to anticipate issues before they happened and was proactive by providing possible solutions to various problems. Her ability to staying composed and professional even in the most hectic situations really help put us at ease. Steph and her team also got along with our family and friends really well, after the wedding they would not stop going on and on about how great Steph and her team worked together with everyone.
After going through the process of our wedding, appreciating how well everything went, and how much fun everyone had, we have Steph and her amazing team to thank. They exceeded our expectations and we appreciate everything they did for us. We had the pleasure of working with them and could not imagine working with anyone else.
Ashley & Tyler
Steph and her team are truly amazing. My husband and I got married at the Four Seasons in Koolina and we planned everything from the mainland. From the beginning, we had no idea where to even start but Steph listened to our preferences, vision and budget and recommended vendors (HMU, DJ, Officiant - everything!) based on that. With no surprise, everyone we worked with was just as amazing as Steph + team.
On the morning of our wedding, Sarah stayed in the bridal suite with me & my bridal party making sure I had everything I needed, ensured HMU was on track, flowers were going where they needed to, photo had everything for details, vow books were ready, etc. She was also in constant communication with the rest of the team and checking in with me on set up as it was happening to make sure I was okay with the final touches. Throughout my wedding morning, my family and bridal party kept commenting on how calm, and relaxed I was - I didn't feel stressed at all!
Steph made sure our photo list after the ceremony was called out seamlessly and directed the rest of the guests to cocktail hour without a hitch, her and Kiana also had our signature cocktails + water ready for me and my husband! (without us even asking for it). My bustle broke twice and Steph SEWED my wedding dress in a few minutes. We missed cocktail hour + appetizers due to photos and we had a plate of appetizers waiting for us at our sweetheart table. There was a vase with water ready at my seat as well to place my bouquet. Kiana and Sarah had everything with them (touch up kits, products, pins, etc.) with them ready to help me whenever I needed from the morning of the wedding until the wedding ended at 11PM. Our card box filled with cards/gifts from our friends + family was also already in our room by the end of the night. The list can go on and on but my husband and I didn't need to stress or think about anything the day of the wedding because Steph, Sarah, Kiana and everyone one else on the team handled things for us. They are so thoughtful, professional, organized, efficient, helpful, and kind.
Throughout the planning process, I must've emailed Steph so many times but I never felt like I was a bother. Our wedding day was honestly a dream come true and it wouldn't have been without Steph & her team. We can't thank you enough!!!