We visited Aulani for the first time in 2021 and absolutely fell in love with the place. After we got engaged in 2022, we knew we wanted to get married at a Disney property in 2023 because we knew we were going to get exceptional service in addition to being huge Disney fans.

The setup / contract:
We decided to go all out and go for the Aulani for a wedding of 80 people. We reached out to Disney Fairytale weddings online and a representative from Disney got back to us quickly. We got connected with Candice who was super helpful in walking us through the logistics of all the packages and options that were available. We worked with Candice for about a month, signed the contract, and we were connected with our incredible Wedding Manager, Nicole Tam.

Wedding Planning:
We weren’t sure what to expect when trying to plan a wedding at Aulani from California but I know it would not have been possible without the incredible Nicole Tam. From our very first meeting, my husband and I knew we were in very good hands. We wanted to have a wedding that blended our Jewish and Japanese backgrounds and Nicole listened to all of the ideas we had and found ways to make it happen. Nicole also gave a ton of her expertise in giving us suggestions which made our big day even more special or easier. Nicole even helped book reservations for the Luau for our welcome dinner and secured dining reservations for the day after the wedding. She makes you feel so confident going into the day of the wedding and is there every step of the way. Also, the Aulani team is absolutely incredible and so much fun. Our guests had such great things to say about every interaction they had (they raved about the food for a few days after.)

Nicole was so thorough during our monthly meetings making sure we were on track and was extremely communicative outside of the meetings. What was even more helpful is the communication and relationship Nicole has with the Aulani approved vendors, and how she works through the timeline with them.

The Tasting:
We were able to visit the Aulani for a menu tasting a few months before the wedding, and I knew from that experience that the wedding would be perfect. If you can make it out for a tasting, I highly recommend it. We reworked a lot of our menu, including the cake flavors, because we fell in love with a few dishes we had in person. A big plus also is Aulani bakes in the cost of the tasting into your package unlike other venues that charge you for the tasting.

The vendors:
The Aulani has an approved vendor list which is great. Note that you can also use your own outside vendors but will cost you extra vs. using the vendors approved by Aulani. For us, we had an amazing set of vendors Photography (Bianca Photography), DJ/MC/Lighting/Photobooths (Hawaii Events Unlimited), and Flowers (Love Letter Weddings), all highly recommended.

The Big days:
We had our welcome dinner at the Kawa’a luau the night before the wedding, had the ceremony on the stunning AMA AMA Patio facing the beach, cocktail hour on the Kipuka Lawn and reception in the Kaiona Ballroom. Nicole was all hands on deck for us the entire day and made it so easy the day of the wedding as well as the days leading up to the wedding. We wanted to create a magical and unique experience for our guests, and the way it turned out was beyond what we even thought possible. Nicole made It was a truly unforgettable experience and the cost itself was well worth it just to have Nicole work with us. I would tell anyone that if you are thinking of getting married at Aulani, just do it.

We had the wonderful opportunity of working with Kim as our wedding planner. With her steady guidance we were able to plan our wedding relatively stress-free and when our special day came, every single thing went without a hitch. We don’t understand why anyone would have a traditional wedding when you could visit this beautiful island instead and work with such fantastic people. Highly recommend!

We are incredibly grateful for the unforgettable wedding experience at the Aulani. Everyone was friendly and easy to work with throughout the entire planning process. Our wedding planner, Nicole, did an amazing job as well. Planning a destination wedding can be really daunting, but her exceptional communication and dedication made the entire process stress-free. Our monthly planning meetings kept us on track and ensured every detail was perfect. Thank you, Nicole and the Aulani team, for creating a magical wedding experience for us!