2017
EVENT FAQ's, SERVICE TERMS & CONDITIONS
Click here to agree to our terms & conditions to complete your booking
(must be submitted as part of your event confirmation process)
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PLEASE READ THESE TERMS TO BE FULLY INFORMED: This outline of service FAQ's, terms, policies and conditions, become a binding agreement between Merry Maui Weddings (hereinafter referred to as "MMW") and the recipient of event services, referred to as "customer" once said individual has paid MMW any funds towards services to be provided, per the following requirements, conditions, limitations and disclaimers:
MMW services outlined in email confirmations and subject to the stipulations made and stated within this agreement - and customer’s acceptance of said agreement by the paying for said services or by acknowledgment of agreement of policies by indicating so electronically - creates a legally binding contract. Checking the box on the credit card authorization/service agreement form, signifying that the customer has read and agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions, is the same as if the customer had signed by pen this Agreement and gave, mailed or faxed it to MMW. NOTE: Your event is NOT fully confirmed until you have submitted this form!
This is the confirmation letter you will receive upon booking your wedding through Merry Maui Weddings.
» PLEASE READ, at minimum, the sections on "Refunds & Cancellations," as we do not provide refunds under any circumstances. Also, please read "What's NOT Included," "Photography," and "Event Location," as these are the policies that will affect all of our customers. We don't want you to be unpleasantly surprised by anything.
RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR WEDDING: It is our goal that you be ecstatically happy with your event and that it turns out even better than you had hoped. And to meet this goal, it is important that you realize that, ultimately, the responsibility of your wedding, is YOURS. What we are responsible for is to attempt to understand your needs, as best as we can, through consultations and your communications with us, then to provide you with your chosen, paid-for services, that would fit your budget and, hopefully, match your needs and fulfill your hopes. Please understand that we cannot anticipate your every expectation, and thus we urge you to realize that our responsibility is limited to providing event services, according to your event statement/contract.
You must make sure that the services that you want and are expecting appear on your provided Event Statement/Invoice of Services and that these are the services that will fulfill your expectations. For example, if photography is extremely important to you, please do not cut corners in the area of photography by choosing a package that has too little photography time. Larger weddings are best photographed using multiple photographers and cameras. All of our packages include a single photographer and camera. If you wish more coverage, you must purchase an additional photographer or two, so that you will be satisfied.
NO HIDDEN or EXTRA CHARGES: Unlike many companies, MMW has no hidden charges. For instance, No separate coordination or service charges. No in-staff minister charges. No sunset time charge (in all regular packages). No charge for hi-resolution images or photo rights or any other photo related charges. No guest charges. And, No beach permit or distance charges in most cases.
BOOKING SERVICES: To reserve a date and begin our event coordination services, a minimal wedding package purchase of our "White Gazebo" garden wedding for $545 + tax or our "Moani" wedding package for $645 + tax must be made and paid in full. You may always upgrade and add services at a later date, so long as they are ordered within the allowable time. See section on ordering services, below. You may not downgrade a package, once selected and ordered. Please be aware that once you have booked your wedding, there are no refunds!
SPECIALS: Specials are subject to change, extension or discontinuation at any time and without notice. To qualify for a special, you must mention the special at the time of booking and be certain the special is reflected in your event services statement. All specials require full payment; payment plans do not apply.
LICENSING: Obtaining a marriage license from the State of Hawaii and setting the appointment to see the licensing agent is the responsibility of the bride and groom. The appointment must occur PRIOR to the wedding. We facilitate the process, which means to "make it easier," by providing the necessary info for you to contact the correct licensing agent. If you would like us to set your appointment with the agent, there is a $50 + tax service charge. The State of Hawaii requires a $60 + $5 = $65 fee for the license in cash at the time of your appt. Most agents are closed on weekends and holidays, so please be certain that you have enough time for your appointment BEFORE you set your wedding date, especially if your date is a Sunday, Monday or near a holiday.
PAYMENTS, AGREEMENT & FEES: We apologize, but, WE DO NOT PROVIDE REFUNDS on any payments made to us, under ANY circumstance. Please do not apply any payments for your event, if you do not accept this condition. We DO accept by phone with a MasterCard, Visa or Discover credit or debit card. WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAPER CHECKS. Payments made on Maui wedding services will be fully applied towards your Maui wedding package or "a la carte" service(s), and, though payments (and deposits) on packages are non-refundable, all payments can be applied to future dates, should unavoidable changes in your plans occur. (Why are payments made to us non-refundable?) A partial, non-refundable payment deposit (full payment deposit on White Gazebo and Eloper's packages) on your Maui wedding package is required 90 days prior to your ceremony. (Why do we require a down payment deposit?)
Final payment (remaining balance) on Maui wedding packages is due 60 days prior to the ceremony. Final payments on wedding packages must be made no later than 14 days prior to your wedding date, or wedding services by Merry Maui Weddings, hereinafter called "MMW," or its sub-contracted, independent service providers may NOT be rendered due to failure to pay by the aforementioned due dates.
GRATUITIES & TIPS TO SERVICE PROVIDERS: Gratuities (tips) to service providers are NOT included in package pricing, but appropriate. If you are happy with a service provider's work, including the photographer and minister, please tip them well. Happy customers' typical tip is $20-$100 per service provider. Due to the high cost of living in Hawaii and our low prices, a tip is very appreciated and hoped for. All service providers that please you may be tipped.
BEING LATE TO YOUR WEDDING: Customer understands that he/she/they are responsible to pay any late, overtime or change charges that may be imposed by any Maui wedding service provider, as per their policies. If your wedding is complex, you will want to create a wedding itinerary yourself, as a detailed itinerary is not included in the package price. A detailed wedding itinerary consultation, creation and refinement service is available for $300 + tax. This is only a guideline to help everyone to keep on schedule. No promises are made that your Maui wedding will go according this schedule, due to circumstances beyond our control, such as your limo getting stuck in traffic. Thus, please DO NOT be late to your wedding, especially sunset weddings, as it will reduce your photo taking time and possibly cause late charges to be imposed by MMW and outside service providers and/or may result in service providers leaving before you want them to. Allow extra time for possible delays – especially if you plan to travel to or from the Maui’s Westside (Lahaina, Ka’anapali, Kahana, Napili, and Kapalua). If you are so late to your wedding that it cannot take place due to darkness or running out of paid space time, the wedding may be rescheduled, but you will have to pay for a new wedding package or service.
CHARGEBACKS: Any customer who provides a credit card charge back in response to a an amount charged due to an order made to MMW will be subject to collections and legal action. Charge backs are NEVER an acceptable means of attaining a refund. Further, by ordering any service through MMW you are bound by these terms and conditions and must follow and agree to them. The following fees will be assessed for all charge back:
$250 + tax charge back processing fee
$1500 + tax penalty for charge back usage
If collections action is required, a 22% collections fee will be assessed as well for the total amount.
CONTRACTS/AGREEMENTS/INVOICES: We normally work with e-agreements to confirm our services. If you require a written contract, there will be a $25 + tax processing charge, and the signed contract MUST be mailed or faxed back to us at (808)878-8580 no sooner than 60 days prior to the wedding or event.
SUBMITTING “A la Carte” ORDERS, CHANGES, QUESTIONS & REQUESTS:
To ensure that your order or change is processed, all orders, requests for changes of any kind, stated preferences, determined choices and every request of any and all kinds are required to be submitted by email to info@merrymauiweddings.com or by fax (808-878-8580 9am-4pm Mon-Fri). You can be certain that your changes or requests have been processed only with the receipt of an emailed or faxed invoice from MMW - not an auto-reply response. Telephone orders, changes or requests cannot be guaranteed! Please do not assume that, because you send an email to us, it was processed. Changing location, or event date &/or time, is subject to change charges.
Should you not receive a confirmation within 7 days from your request, please call (808)357-1171, asap. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your list of wedding services includes everything you are expecting. MMW will provide only the services included in your finalized event package statement/outline, so it is your responsibility to make sure that every service you are expecting is mentioned or itemized in your finalized package statement.
IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT call to check on availability of service providers, such as specialty ministers, particular musicians, transportation services or in-room hair & make-up specialists, without the intent of ordering (paying for) the service. Pricing for most of these services are current and viewable on our "a la carte menu," and those that are not will be quoted/estimated by us to you prior to going further. Therefore, any written or verbal request to check on availability of service providers will be considered an order for the service, and will be charged to the card on file. This is the way it must be done because, if the service provider IS available, they must be reserved on the spot - with a guarantee from us that they will be paid - to guarantee their continued availability. Because, once a date and time is reserved in their calendars, they must turn down other work. So, no professional service provider blocks out a date and time in their calendar without the expectation to be paid for that time. Thus, tentative reservations, without payments made, cannot be guaranteed.
COMMUNICATING WITH US: Please follow this procedure when sending us emails or leaving phone messages on our voicemail system. If you are emailing, please put your wedding date and time - example: 10/1/17 (5:30pm) - at the beginning of the subject line followed with the subject of your email. Then, in the body of the email, please indicate your questions or requests by number in as short and concise a language as possible. We receive dozens of wedding planning emails daily, so, depending on the proximity of your event date, it can take up to 2 weeks or longer to receive a personal reply. If you don't hear back from us by then, please call our line to speak to one of our wedding planners for help. If you leave a voicemail message, please indicate your wedding date and time in the message.
Submitted materials for ceremony: All submitted transcripts, poems, notes, special vows, etc., by client to MMW that are to be used in your ceremony, must be provided in copy form. Do not submit originals, as their return is not assured.
RESCHEDULING, RE-BOOKING, REFUNDS & CANCELLATION POLICIES:
Please be informed that WE DO NOT PROVIDE REFUNDS for cancelled packages, under ANY circumstances. However, although all payments made on Maui wedding packages, including deposits, are non-refundable, all payments made may be applied to future dates, should unavoidable changes occur in your plans. (Why are payments made to us non-refundable?) Most services ordered “a la carte,” by phone or email, are also non-refundable, as per the individual service provider’s policies. Any "a la carte" refunds that are granted by outside service providers will have an additional 40% refund processing fee deducted from such refunds by MMW. Although many of the services offered in our wedding packages can be omitted from the packages and the package issued a partial credit, coordination charges cannot be credited. Items or services omitted from packages will be credited 60% of the “a la carte” price.
Rescheduling & Re-Booking (Date &/or Time)
or Changing Location: Once a location, date &/or time has been established/set, it is not guaranteed that a change can be made. If it is possible for a change to be made, there would be a $50-$100 fee imposed, if we are given over 30 days notice and a $150 charge if we are notified of your change request within 14-30 days. There is a $200 charge if you request to change your location, date &/or time within 14 days from what was set previously. Please be certain before you make your choices. It takes much more office time and "paperwork" to make any confirmable changes to dates, times and locations, than most people who are not event planners can ever realize. Again, it is not possible to guarantee a change in location or the rescheduling or re-booking of weddings at a time &/or date that is more convenient or preferable to you due to the schedules of service providers and possible different travel distances involved.
If you re-book your wedding package after you have cancelled it, there is a $200 re-booking charge, but all payments that had previously been made will still be credited to your rescheduled wedding services.
Forced (Rain-Out/Natural Disaster) Reschedulings: Weddings that must be rescheduled due to unavoidable circumstances, such as inclement weather (heavy rain), a highway being closed due to a large accident, or any other natural condition or disaster blocking access, MAY be rescheduled, at a minimum charge of $200 or, for weddings totalling over $1,000, up to 40% of your total services cost, PLUS items that must be repurchased, such as perishable flower orders, for instance, must be paid for, a second time, by the customer. Often times, outside service providers, such as ministers, in-room hair & make-up specialists, musicians and videographers, may not be available at the rescheduled date/time, in which case, a comparable service provider will be booked, if possible, at 60% of "a la carte" costs. If it is not possible to find a comparable service provider, there will be no refunds issued you for that particular service. Please ask your wedding coordinator for more information and further clarification regarding forced rescheduled events, which are highly uncommon.
Any payments you have made to us and any service rendered by us and accepted by you acknowledges that you agree with these terms & conditions and that you promise to abide by them and to not hold us responsible for that which we have disclaimed herein. Please print out these 2011 Terms & Conditions for your records and check for any changes that might have been made since the date you last read these terms.
“A la Carte” ORDERS, CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS* & UPGRADES:
Should you desire to request, change or cancel ordered additional services, the request must be made in writing by fax or sent by email and confirmed prior to being considered accepted by MMW. Full payment for those additional services will be due immediately, or, if approved by MMW, no later than 14 days prior to the actual wedding date, but are NOT GUARANTEED until paid in full. We do NOT accept most new “a la carte” orders, changes OR ANY cancellations, nor most upgrade orders or changes within 14 days of your wedding!!!
All Prices are plus 4.167% HI State GET tax. Credit given from deleted services included in wedding packages are credited 60% of above “a la carte” prices. Services not confirmed, nor prices frozen, until “a la carte” services are paid in full! Those purchasing “a la carte” items without a paid-for wedding package will be required to purchase a minimum of $495 worth of goods or services. Depending on distance of location, certain on-site services may be subject to gasoline surcharges. Services ordered on holidays may be subject to additional charges starting at $100 per service. Changes or cancellations of ordered but not paid-for “a la carte” services will be subject to a $50 + tax charge fee per change/cancellation. Cancellations of ALL paid-for “a la carte” services - including activities such as luaus - will have your account credited 60% of the items/services cost before tax. We do not provide refunds, but only credit towards your account with us, which can be applied to other services.
SPECIAL NOTE: Activities, such as luaus, booked through Merry Maui Weddings and cancelled will be subject to cancellation policies of the individual activity provider. Thus, canceling an activity may result in no credit or refund. Even if the provider offers a refund, Merry Maui Weddings will charge a 40% fee to process the cancellation.
* ATTEMPTING TO FORCE A REFUND BY A CREDIT CARD CHARGE BACK: Any customer who provides a credit card charge back in response to a an amount charged due to an order made to MMW will be subject to collections and legal action. Charge backs are NEVER an acceptable means of attaining a refund. Further, by ordering any service through MMW you are bound by these terms and conditions and must follow and agree to them. The following fees will be assessed for all charge back:
$250 + tax charge back processing fee
$1500 + tax penalty for charge back usage
If collections action is required, a 22% collections fee will be assessed as well for the total amount.
Thus, please consider carefully what items/services you wish to add to your package BEFORE you order them to avoid being charged for them or to pay change/cancellation charges. We recommend ordering your “a la carte” services 60 DAYS prior to your event, except for private locations, activities, specific minister, musician, photographer or videographer, due to their limited availability. No last minute orders accepted. All “a la carte” items/services pricing subject to change until paid in full. Even once ordered, we cannot guarantee services will be provided by the originally-booked provider, but do guarantee the service will be re-booked, if necessary, with an equivalent provider. For example, a specific Hawaiian-style ukulele player or duo may become unavailable after you book their services. Our recourse is to book a different Hawaiian-style ukulele player or duo for you. Many “a la carte” services, such as activities, transportation (limo or mini-bus) bookings, large or exotic floral orders, specific musicians, ministers, photographers, in-room hair & make-up services, etc., may require to be ordered by email or fax and paid for no later than 60 days prior to your event to confirm the service.
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:
All of our Maui wedding packages, except the Orchid & Wailele packages, include in the price ONLY free, open to the public beach wedding locations, and DO NOT include a private venue or a State or County park that requires a permit. With most of our packages, premium, private Maui wedding sites require additional charges, which are to be paid in full at the time of the required deposit. MMW highly recommends the use of private venues for all events and requires them for all weddings with over 40 persons in attendance.
As priced without “a la carte” upgrades, MMW wedding packages DO NOT include: a separate REHEARSAL meeting, a reception or any other service not outlined in the finalized event services statement. All our packages include an onsite wedding coordinator present at your ceremony (for up to 2 hrs). Some of our packages include a Pre-Wedding Planning Meeting, which is a 1-hour long meeting in our office or at a public location of our choice, where we go over everything. Special meetings or rehearsals at your chosen outside Maui wedding location require an additional minimum payment of $300 plus tax, per hour. Two wedding planners would be present at these meetings. Additionally, weddings with a wedding party and processional must purchase the rehearsal meeting ($300 plus tax not including possible venue/site charges) and weddings with over 20 guests must book a wedding/guest attendant ($175/each plus tax) to ensure a smooth and professionally planned event.
Additionally, our wedding packages do not include: Detailed itineraries, chairs, water, shade (umbrellas), or additional on-site MMW personnel dedicated to the needs of your guests. All of these services may be purchased through MMW at additional charges. Also NOT included in our wedding package coordination are: Coordination of outside wedding services not provided by MMW, or venues, activities, transportation or providing itineraries or support for receptions that are not booked through MMW. We do, however, offer a Larger Wedding & Reception Coordination Package, which includes a rehearsal, detailed itinerary, and full coordination of your reception. Additional items/services required for larger, more complex events, such as weddings with receptions at private venues may also require tent(s), lighting, portable restrooms, site/parking attendants and transportation.
Our wedding packages are priced for groups of only 2-10, depending on the package chosen. Weddings with over 20 persons are suggested to be held at private locations and require a wedding (guest) attendant. If you choose a private venue for an all-day event, there will be an additional $800 charge for a (10 hrs) event/site day coordinator(s) to ensure all goes well at your event and does not get shut down due to violations of law or complaints by neighbors.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
MMW photo services include professional, high-resolution (18 megapixels) digital imagery - with no prints or albums - delivered to the customer by one of 3 methods: 1) primarily on photo CD or DVD, 2) from our remote computer server via internet download, or 3) uploaded directly to your notebook computer immediately after the event. In our wedding packages, your photos are edited (narrowed) down (not PhotoShopped) to only the best images taken. If your images require photo enhancement/correction/optimization or custom PhotoShop work, for you to be completely satisfied, additional charges will apply. Only about 5% of images taken require PhotoShop to be made to look better than they already will without this optional work.
Outdoor Photography Disclaimer: Due to difficult outdoor lighting conditions and/or windy conditions often encountered during afternoon photo shoots at West facing beaches or any other location with very brightly backlit conditions or insufficient lighting, complete satisfaction of the photographic result cannot be guaranteed — nor will any refund be made. Photographic services promised/guaranteed are limited to the fulfillment of the agreed upon photo image commitment, (photo taking time and number of images promised as specified in your wedding package). Merry Maui Weddings DOES NOT GUARANTEE that every scene/moment you wish to have captured by the camera will be taken, as it is impossible to capture everything you want in a situation where things move quickly and cannot be redone, even with multiple cameras. Photo Rights Policy: Our policy in regard to whom retains photo rights to your wedding pictures is simple. We both do. It is our normal policy to share photo rights with you, although we will also make special arrangements for full photo rights release on a case-by-case basis, and, sometimes at additional charge. Normally, however, we permit full and unlimited printing, publishing, displaying and sharing of your images with whomever you please, so long as you state somewhere on the image that the picture was taken by and copyrighted, if you use the picture on a contest or commercially. We do not ask for financial compensation from you if your picture wins you a financial prize in a photo contest. We also will not offer you nor be obligated or liable to pay you a financial compensation of any kind if we win a financial prize from the submission of your photo to a photo contest or if the image is purchased by a media buyer. We retain the right to publish or display your picture on our websites and all other promotional media without explicit permission from the subject in the photo used. Photo (Model) Release Policy: Utilization of our services constitutes your agreement to release any image with your likeness clearly discernible to us for use in promotions or in contests. Our refund liability: In the extremely rare event (has never happened in 10 years of business) that there is a technical problem that results in no photographic images being taken or coming out to the satisfaction of the photographer, or, if there is an instance of where your photographer is not able to make it to the event, due to a severe traffic tie-up, disaster, sudden sickness, etc., our refund liability to you is limited. Under no circumstance, shall MMW be liable for more than the purchase price of the photographic service and to a limit of $200.00. There will be no refunds if certain scenes/moments are not captured by the photographer. We promise a certain amount of photo taking time and a certain number of images, ONLY. Photographic style policy: MMW's photographers employ the very popular “photojournalistic” (candid) style of capturing imagery, mixed with posed and portrait-type photography. Due to this mix of styles, you will receive superb images that capture memorable scenes from the very beginning, throughout, even to the end of the event, if time permits, telling a complete story. Outdoor, real-time photo taking at an event is NOT studio photography. Please do not expect studio photography. Unless you request that you receive some b&w photos, they will all be in color. With each photo shoot, you may request up to 2 b&w/sepia/colorized images at no additional charge, depending on wedding package purchased. However, any individual image can be converted to b&w for $10 per image + tax, or all your images/photos can be b&w for $100 + tax. Over-time policy: There is a 15 minute grace period over the amount of time promised in a photo service. Any overtime over the 15 minute grace period must be purchased. Photo overtime is available for $150 per half hour + tax. Any overtime verbally requested and authorized at the wedding shoot by the bride, groom or their parents, will be charged to the credit card on file. So, please consider any overtime charges you may expect might be necessary, prior to your event. Special shots requests: Please provide the photographer with a list of specific shots you desire captured, i.e. particular groupings, angles, etc., by emailing your requests to vincent@mauiweddingimagery.com. Since our photographers do not know which persons are the persons named on your list, it is up to the customer (bride/groom/family member) to call forth the correct persons for each photo request. As it is also not reliable for the photographer to assess whether each desired photo is taken and that each person in each photo is, actually, in each scene, it is also required that the customer makes sure this has happened, as it is NOT guaranteed that each and every group photo you wish to have taken will be taken, especially if the wedding begins late or all daylight is gone. IMPORTANT: In order to capture a processional from the front and back properly, we recommend a second photographer and possibly a third photographer, for only $150 per half hour per photographer. Still, it is not guaranteed that each angle and each possible scene will be captured by the photographers. Additionally, If you do not like close-ups, for example, where the top of a head or a part of the arm is cropped, please inform us prior to the photo shoot, but then please do not, later, expect close-ups. Photo shoot timing and location policy: MMW's photographers will recommend the most idyllic time and angle of photo taking at your event location for optimal photographic results. If your choice of setting, angle of shoot or chosen time is less than idyllic &/or we are not allowed to decide the best angles for photography, you may not be fully satisfied with the photographs. Proper lighting is ABSOLUTELY crucial to great photos. Most mornings, middle of the day and early afternoon outdoor photography is discouraged, as the lighting during these times can be less than idyllic, depending on the location in question. Mid-day lighting is extremely bright and may cast heavy shadows plus the heat causes sweating & eye squinting. At West facing locations, late-afternoon times can have extreme backlight glare from the sun's angled slant, depending on location chosen and season. Thus, early morning and pre-sunset times are, generally, the best. At certain locations only, 1-2 hrs before sunset offers the most acceptable lighting. Northshore locations offer the best afternoon lighting. Cloud cover or vog (volcanic emissions) can also cause undesired results due to a brighter background than the foreground or just overall insufficient lighting if the clouds are thick enough or if you are late to your sunset wedding. Any very low light condition will not result in stunning photography. Thus, we always recommend our Studio Lighting Package to be added to all outdoor photo wedding packages. Photo equipment policy: Event will be photographed using a single pro-digital SLR camera. The cameras are mounted with a top-of-the-line professional electronic flash. Studio Lighting Package: This ultimate, highly-recommended lighting option creates photos with maximum impact. We bring in a powerful pole mounted, wireless controlled studio flash, which adds an extreme lighting punch that cannot be attained by a camera mounted flash. This package can be added, a la carte, to any package for $300 + tax. PhotoShop policy: No MMW package includes PhotoShop work, nor do the majority of pictures taken usually require it prior to being presentable. However, MMW’s professional photographic staff recommends the purchase of our in-house PhotoShop image enhancement & correction for all photo orders involving outdoor weddings. This process will correct, enhance and optimize every image, which, otherwise, might not be optimal without optimization - especially for afternoon weddings and weddings on cloudy days. PhotoShop also can correct irregularities, such as a spot on a dress, for example. PhotoShop work to correct/adjust (with possible enhancement and optimization) of images' brightness, contrast and lightness on specific images to make these images match the other photos in your set costs $150-$400 plus tax depending on size of photo order. Enhancement of all photos in the set or special effects, removal of red-eye or discolorations/spots or an overall lightening/enhancement of the images due to insufficient lighting conditions is considered specialty work and is charged $10 per image, and is done only if customer desires the work be done and is requested by email. PhotoShop Package: Includes the enhancement, correction and optimization of 20 choice images in your set with the majority of the images transformed to b&w, sepia, colorized or special effect (such as misty/dream look). Any spots or other abnormalities will also be removed. This service costs $300 plus tax. Enlargements policy: With packages offering enlargements, customer is responsible to notify MMW by email which images to enlarge, within 30 days from ceremony date. If MMW does not get notified within 30 days, MMW's photographer(s) reserve the right to choose their own favorite image(s) to enlarge. Photo delivery options + Turn-over time policy: You can choose from 3 methods to have your hi-res digital images delivered to you: Our Standard Photo CD/DVD Processing Method, which is included in many of our packages, has a estimated completion/delivery time of 5-30+ days after photo shoot has taken place, including shipping time. We also offer a modern-day service allowing you the option to download your images from our server directly onto your computer's hard disk. With this option, your images will be ready for download in 3-21+ days. If you choose this option, you will have to burn your own CD/DVD archival disc, to ensure that your images are properly backed up. Photo Rush Policy: The ONLY way to guarantee that your images (without PhotoShop extras or enlargements) will be available for download or burned onto CD or DVD in less than our Standard processing time is to pay the $100 + tax rush charge. With a Standard Paid Rush, your edited, choice images will be ready on CD/DVD or for download from our server in 3-5 days after the photo shoot. For a "Same Day (24 hrs) Rush," which would make your images available for download or on CD/DVD within 24 hrs, please add $200 to your wedding package, plus tax. The rush does not speed up the receipt of a photo CD in the mail or images involving any PhotoShop work, enlargements, or the custom published coffee table photo books we offer. Photo packages with PhotoShop work, custom photo books &/or enlargements, typically take 14-90 days to complete, depending on size and complexity of order. Picture choosing policy: MMW's will provide you with all images that remain after we edit the number down to the very best ones. Once you pick your favorites, you can delete the ones you don't like. For custom photo books or enlargements, receiving all your images at home allows you the time to choose your favorite images from the comfort of your home. Website gallery policy: Web photo galleries are comprised of our top favorite images from your wedding. They shall be completed within 2 weeks from your wedding date, in most cases, and sometimes in less than 1 week. You will be notified by email when the gallery is completed, and you will be emailed a special email designed to be forwarded to your friends and family, worldwide, with a link to your site, for their easy viewing pleasure. Web galleries are viewable for 3 months after they have been completed, after which they become deleted. You may extend your gallery for 9 additional months, or we can permanently upload the files onto the computer of your choice, for $75 + tax. International shipping policy: If you live outside the U.S., a $50 shipping charge will be added to your package if you wish to receive a photo CD in the mail or have ordered a custom published photo book or enlargements. Due to the additional shipping charges, we suggest choosing the internet download method, which costs the same, but has a quicker turn-over time, and you may download your images twice at no additional charge.
VIDEOGRAPHY:
Professional videography is included in our higher-end Maui wedding packages, and includes an 18 min to 2 hour video shoot, depending on package. Over-time policy: Overtime may be required, if you have guests numbering over 20, as complete coverage of weddings with larger numbers of guests, usually takes up to 2 hours or more to capture. To cover the additional time and costs, overtime may be purchased at $100 + tax per ½ hour. Otherwise, the video may include only the bride & groom and wedding party, due to time restraint of a 1-hour video shoot. In-house (unedited) video policy: The “Wiki-Wiki” (Instant) video service ($295 + tax) offered by MMW and featured in the “Daisy” wedding package includes an 18 min unedited DVD using a pro-digital DVD video camera on a tripod, recorded with a wireless microphone for professional sound. The video camera is operated by the photographer and is presented to you on DVD at the end of the wedding. If you have many guests and/or a processional, we recommend the edited video option (appx $595 + tax), which is also included in the “Plumeria” package, in order for the processional to be adequately captured by both the video and the still cameras. Larger package videography policy: Our “Plumeria” to “Jasmine” wedding packages include a digital broadcast-quality video shot and edited by our higher-end professional video production company or, if not available, by an equivalent, preferred, company of our choice, using pro-digital, broadcast quality 3-chip equipment (if available) with dual top-of-the-line ultra-clear wireless lapel microphones, then exquisitely edited with a custom DVD menu, intro with beautiful opening scenes of Maui from above and below, tastefully produced titles, and music. The Deluxe edited video has a custom animated DVD menu with an animated looping clip from your wedding with your choice of music and a photo montage. Your completed video, normally 25-45 minutes in length, is then presented to you on 1 DVD. Our "Ultra" edited video is longer, includes more editing time and a fancier photo montage of photos you provide, or stills frozen from your video. Extra DVD’s are available for $95 + tax, each. The original master digital tape is available for $50 + tax. Turn-Over Time: Processing time may take up to 6 weeks and can be as short as 3-5 days, but a rush is not guaranteed without a rush charge of $100 + tax. Special requests: If your video service offers you a choice of music or includes a photo montage, your desired music and photos must be provided to the videographer at the wedding. All special requests for specific styles of editing or fonts used in the titles, for example, must be made by email by the day of the wedding. Please burn a copy of your music for the videographer – DO NOT PROVIDE YOUR ORIGINAL CD – as the returning of your CD is not guaranteed. If you do not request and provide your music by your wedding date and make special requests by email, as instructed, the video will not be re-edited at a later date without a minimum charge of $100 + tax. Our refund liability: In the extremely rare event that your videographer is a “no show,” due to traffic or any other reason, or if there is a technical problem that results in complete dissatisfaction of your video, specifically inaudible sound or indecipherable picture, our liability to you is limited. Under no circumstance, shall MMW be liable for more than the purchase price of the video service. In the case of a video purchased as part of a Maui wedding package, our liability is limited to a maximum of $200. International shipping policy: If you live outside the U.S., a $50 shipping charge will be added to your package to cover additional shipping charges.
EVENT LOCATION - Very Important:
BEACH PERMITTING: Due to rules enforcement by the State of Hawaii DLNR (Dep’t of Land & Natural Resources) that took effect on 8/1/08, all beach ceremonies and photo shoots to take place within the jurisdiction of the State DLNR - mostly on the SAND - must be properly permitted with a “right of entry” permit purchased through the DLNR. The charge for the permits range from $60-$100 + tax, depending on size of event, including our service charge to obtain the permit. If you want to have your “feet in the sand” for your ceremony, a permit will be required. All MMW beach wedding packages include a FREE beach permit from the DLNR for parties up to 10 persons in attendance. If you have 11-20 persons at your beach wedding, you must upgrade your permit for $60 + tax. Additionally, beach location cannot be guaranteed with permitted beach ceremonies because the DLNR is the final determiner of which beach can be used based on number of ceremonies already permitted for any particular beach on a given date and time. To avoid the entire permitting process; cost, uncertainty, possible hassle, and restrictions, we highly recommend the ceremony to be conducted on a beachfront lawn at a county beach park then, right after the ceremony, have beach photos taken on the sand as it is NOT currently required to obtain a permit for photos-only taken on the beach.All Hawaii beaches and parks are public and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. You may not reserve a space nor ask people to move for your event, even if your wedding is properly permitted. Due to weather, tides and space uncertainties, your outdoor wedding at a public location may have to switch location at the last minute to a nearby alternative seaside (not necessarily a beach) site. To ensure that your wedding will go on smoothly and with no interruptions, we highly recommend private venues for all events involving more than just the bride & groom and require them for groups of over 20.
Beaches on Maui and in Hawaii often go by several names, so you will likely need to be talked through the directions to a particular “secret” beach cove, for example. When you arrive on Maui, and you’ve settled in, and have a visitor’s map in your hands, please call (808)357-6979 to receive this service, which is included in all our wedding packages. Since MMW cannot control the weather, we cannot be held responsible for wet or windy weather or excessive heat or glare, nor will we offer a refund for such weather.
It is NOT possible to guarantee or reserve the use of any public location - including beaches or parks - even if your finalized event services statement indicates a particular public location to be used and even if you pay for a beach permit. Holding a beach permit does not guarantee you the space you want. All public locations are tentatively set and subject to change without notice. Thus, to ensure availability of your wedding location, we recommend a private, paid location.
Due to the nature of non-covered outdoor event locations, which sometimes have undesirable and non-workable weather conditions, MMW retains the right to make the final decision on public wedding locations on Maui, especially if photography or videography is included. Paid, private locations are the best way to prevent unwanted noises and people being near your event.
It is the customer’s responsibility to: 1) Go to their chosen event location prior to the date, to ensure that they know how to get to it, and how long it takes to get there, so that on the day of the event, there are no delays, or, even worse, getting completely lost and missing the event entirely. 2) Ensure that any guests (or members of their wedding party) know how to get to the event location, making sure that everyone involved finds the site before the event takes place. 3) To inform their guests as to the seating arrangements and any other details that need to be known before the event takes place. 4) Ensure that all persons involved carry cellphones so everyone can reach each other on your event date.
Default (tentative) location policy: A tentative (free, public) event location will be assigned by Merry Maui Weddings, if you do not make a choice of location at the time of booking. If you do not specify a different location by email within 48 hours of your event, the event is to take place at the event location assigned by Merry Maui Weddings, which currently is "Charley Young Beach," in Kihei, HI. There will also be a nearby alternate (second) location, just in case your wedding cannot be done at your first location choice.
SPECIAL STATE OF HAWAII DLNR REGULATIONS THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED BY CUSTOMER: All “props” used for weddings, such as tables larger than 3'x3' are NOT allowed on any Hawaiian beach, nor are chairs except for the elderly and infirm. Other restricted (semi-permanent) items are: arches/chuppahs, tents, nor is amplified music or liquor allowed. Private seaside dinners must be set-up on the grass - not on any beach - as per DLNR regulations. If you plan on setting up a tent, it must be on the grass and permitted by the County of Maui Dep't of Parks. No amplified sound is allowed on any Hawaii State beach. If you drop flowers on the beach, you must pick them up after the wedding. IF YOU DISREGARD THESE STATE DLNR REGULATIONS, WE WILL REFUSE TO CONDUCT OUR SERVICES ON THAT BEACH AND WILL MOVE TO THE PRE-SET ALTERNATE LOCATION, WHERE THE RULES HAVE NOT BEEN VIOLATED IN OUR PRESENCE. The reason for this harsh stance is that the DLNR holds us responsible to inform our customers about these state rules, since we are the ones who have purchased your beach permit. And, since we cannot stop people from violating these rules, we cannot be involved with the violations in any way, including participating by using the props for the wedding.
FLOWERS: Bouquets & Leis
Bouquets that are included in our wedding packages are non-custom "tropical" presentation style bouquets made of fresh Maui flowers. These bouquets are upgradable to basic semi-custom hand-tied bouquets ONLY. If you desire fully custom or any other kind of bouquet, we refer you directly to one of our preferred florists. Our packages that include fresh flower leis, come with leis that are made of orchids, plumeria &/or tuberose flowers ONLY. If you desire an upgraded or custom lei made of different flowers than orchids or tuberose, there would be upgrade charges. If we cannot obtain fresh flower leis for you due to a shortage, we will provide the bride & groom with kukui nut leis, another traditional Hawaiian lei. You may indicate a color scheme and flower preference for your leis, and we will work to meet your requests, but, we do not guarantee special requests without the addition of upgrade fees to cover the extra cost of custom, exotic or special order flower leis. Please note: Even if you are willing to pay the special upgrade charge involved in ordering leis made of special-order flowers, your choice of flower(s) may not be available, due to weather problems or a shortage of availability. Should a fresh flower availability crisis occur on Maui, due to shipping strikes or severe weather damage, resulting in current flower pricing to skyrocket, we reserve the right to charge extra fees on top of your existing – even finalized and fully paid – wedding package, to cover these extra costs. Be assured that this scenario is an extremely rare occurrence, however. Though uncommon, floral “a la carte” orders are subject to increase – even in paid packages – due to rare flower price fluctuations. We do not accept last minute floral orders – all bouquet orders or changes must be made with a minimum of 14 days prior to your event.
OUR LIABILITY:
Although MMW carries its own $2,000,000.00 liability insurance policy, it is strongly recommend that you purchase your own insurance for your wedding, reception or event, just to be sure. Due to the inherent unsafe nature of outdoor public locations, such as sudden and unexpected ocean waves, uneven sand and ground surfaces, undeveloped trails and slippery ocean cliffs without railings, MMW does not and cannot accept responsibility for the physical safety of the bride or groom or of their family or guests, during, before or after your event on Maui. MMW specifically disclaims all responsibility for any physical injury or damage to your personal property, inconvenience or unanticipated necessary additional expenses that may occur at any wedding location, or while you are on Maui.
YOUR SERVICE PROVIDERS:
Many services provided in our Maui wedding, vow renewal and reception packages, and most services in our “a la carte” menu are provided by independently sub-contracted event service providers of our choice. The services we provide in-house are: in-office event planning services, on-site event coordination, wedding attendants, and our in-staff minister, photographer and videographer. Our less expensive, below wholesale priced packages (the White Gazebo, Moani, Daisy, Orchid, Gardenia & Plumeria and Lokelani), include our in-staff minister, Rev. Sandra (Ayesha) Lee Furumoto only. With these packages, if you require a male, Hawaiian, or any other specific non-in staff minister, you must add $175 to the package price, plus tax. All other wedding packages include a choice of minister from any available minister in Maui.
Regarding our outside (independently contracted) service providers - they are, ultimately, responsible for your satisfaction with their service. However, since we are your representative, we will always strongly defend your position as a customer. This means that we will do everything in our power to ensure that your service will be performed or provided in the highest quality manner and that if it is not, we will take steps to make sure that some sort of recompense be made. We will always take every conceivable step and procedure to ensure that the service rendered will be excellent. However, because it is impossible for us to assume the responsibility of the actions of subcontracted service providers, MMW cannot guarantee the services rendered by outside wedding service providers shall be flawless in nature or to your full expectations. Our commitment is limited to arranging and coordinating the services you require for your wedding day based upon the Maui wedding package or wedding/reception services you have chosen - we cannot be responsible for the actions of other companies whom we arrange to provide a service to you. However, to protect our reputation and to ensure your satisfaction, we always employ tried-and-true preferred service providers with whom we have had positive past experiences with and with whom we’ve heard continual positive feedback from our customers. This is why we do not allow outside service providers that we have not previously hired for your event, as explained in more detail under the next heading.
USING NON-RECOMMENDED SERVICE PROVIDERS:
Unless pre-approved by MMW, clients may not provide (book and pay for) their own choice of event service providers, except those that are included in MMW’s list of recommended providers, who regularly provide many of the services in our event packages. The exception to this rule is using your own minister or providing your own bouquet, which we would need to be informed about, as soon as you know about it. Our "worry-free" wedding packages are designed so that the purchaser has to do nothing, but answer a few questions and provide information to us, and we do all of the work setting everything up. Our goal is that you simply show up to your wedding, and everything will have been taken care of, without your having to have worried about a thing.
We do not allow service providers outside of those booked by MMW at our events because it is not possible for us to accept any responsibility, whatsoever, for services provided by companies or individuals whom we are not familiar with nor accustomed to working with, nor can we be responsible for your satisfaction with these providers. It is our goal to ensure that you will experience the highest quality wedding possible. Thus, we only work with companies that we regularly employ, as these are the only service providers we know well enough that we can vouch for them and can stand behind the quality of their services. Our service providers have proven themselves to be reliable, trustworthy, cheerful and generous, providing an excellent service every time. Because we cannot be certain of the promptness, reliability, outcome or quality of non-MMW recommended or pre-approved service provider's work, we will not work with them, because any problems or dissatisfactions that could arise from using other companies are out of MMW’s control and could impede our ability to provide you with a quality wedding. If you utilize an outside company to provide a wedding service to you without our knowledge, such as a limo, cake or florist, be it stated that it is the responsibility of that company to provide your service to you completely, from beginning to end. For example, MMW does not offer delivery or clean-up service for flowers or cakes ordered from another company. For instance, MMW will only provide cake service for a cake purchased from another company, if MMW cake service is purchased.
CONDITIONAL CHARGES:
In most cases, we do not recommend outdoor Hawaii weddings that take place at sea level to begin before 3 or 4pm, due to extreme climate conditions (excessive heat and harsh lighting) that are not conducive to pleasant weddings, or good photography. Outdoor weddings at West facing beaches are ideally set for 1 to 2 hours before sunset, when extreme glare has ceased. Although the most desirable time slot, the sunset time slot does not carry any extra charges. However, weddings booked on a national holidays are subject to a $300 holiday charge by MMW and possibly additional charges by certain service providers, and are subject to availability. Weddings on Maui's far East Side (Hana, Kipahulu) are subject to a minimum $300 distance charge, which would be added to your Maui wedding package's price. “A la carte” services do not include possible distance charges imposed by outside service providers. Please call our office to see if your Maui wedding package or “a la carte” service might be subject to distance charges and what those charges may be. Morning Charge: Due to the necessitation for additional office personnel to staff our office during prime morning wedding planning phone hours, we must also charge a “Morning Charge” of $150 for weddings that take place from sunrise to 3pm Hawaii Time to pay for the additional staff members.
HOTEL/RESORT/PRIVATE VENUE WEDDINGS:
Most private venue events require additional coordination efforts to accomplish and are more difficult to do, but we gladly coordinate such weddings for our customers, at a fraction of the cost charged by the hotel’s coordination office. However, most hotels & resorts require that all “a la carte” wedding services, such as cake, chairs, sparkling cider or champagne & ice bucket, etc., are to be purchased through the hotel or resort, which charge up to 80% more for these items and services than does MMW. Thus, additional charges may be added to your MMW wedding package, if it to take place in a hotel or resort and includes any of these items or services, so we may pay the hotels their inflated prices. Thankfully, we can recommend several, beautiful private locations for your wedding, where these restrictions don’t exist. Call, if you’d like to hear about them. All major hotels and resorts on Maui charge a premium fee to utilize their grounds for weddings, thus these costs would be added to your Maui wedding package, as only free, open-to-the-public locations are part of our wedding packages.
Any private venue that is booked for an all-day event is subject to a minimum $500 site coordination charge. A site coordinator is required by the venue providers to ensure a smooth and problem-free event. Events at private venues with over 100 persons in attendance &/or events that include liquor require 2 day coordinators priced at a $750. These charge are to be added to all day-long events at private venues. Due to after hours noise laws, your event may be shut down at 10pm.
MOBILE (FUEL SURCHARGE) FEES:
At the present time, there are no additional fuel surcharges for gasoline costs incurred by traveling to your wedding location, besides the distance charges outlined, above. Should there be a hike of gasoline costs, where the price of regular gasoline goes over $4.99 per gallon in Maui, we will be forced to add a $25 + tax fuel surcharge to all wedding services, even services that have been paid in full. Additionally, should there be a fuel price hike to over $4.99 per gallon, there may be fuel/distance charges imposed by your outside wedding service providers, as well. As of 11/11/11, Maui Regular-Grade fuel costs are averaging $4.49 per gallon.
GUEST RULES:
Guests at weddings require special attention and needs, some of which are not always initially considered by the bride & groom. We at MMW care about your guests and want to ensure that your Maui wedding is a joyful and comfortable experience for them, too. With guests numbering 20 and over, we require that their needs and comfort be attended to. MMW requires that you book a wedding attendant for every 20 guests at your wedding or vow renewal. Guest attendants are available “a la carte,” starting at $175 + tax, per attendant. We require one attendant per 20 guests. We also offer wonderful guest packages: Package #1) On-site MMW staff member(s) dedicated to the comfort and needs of your guests + 1 bottle of cold, filtered water = $12 + tax per guest. Package #2) Same as Package #1 with the addition of a white, padded, resin chair = $25 + tax per person. Package #3) Same as Package #2 with the addition of a chilled, moist cloth face towel to cool guests off = $29 + tax per guest. Additional “a la carte” guest amenities include: Amplification of ceremony = $50-$95 + tax; Guest toast served in a plastic cup = $3 + tax per guest or in a glass or crystal champagne flute = $6 + tax per guest; Fresh flower guest leis = $15 + tax per guest. Please be considerate of your guests and ensure that you bring a cooler with cold water for each guest.
These terms & conditions have last been updated 10/11/11 and supersedes all previous versions.