News and reviews of made on Maui products and Maui-based companies and success stories. Also featuring island shopping guides

Posts tagged ‘island’

What to Wear for a Wedding in Hawaii – The Maui Made Edition

What to wear wedding hawaii beach island

Our last blog post on weddings was all the unique venues that Maui has to offer.  Today’s post is about trends in bridal attire, and if you thought there were lots of choices for venues- there are even more for bridal gowns- because since we are in Hawaii, the sky is the limit!  And as usual, the below offerings are designed or made right here on the island of Maui!

Maui Made checked in with our go-to stylist, MeiLi Autumn, to see what’s trending with Hawaiian bridal gown styles in 2014:  “Maui brides run the gamut of adhering to a traditional style to having a unique style that is more beachy and casual,” MeiLi shared.  

(Above dresses by Maui-based clothing designer Tamara Catz, hair and makeup by MeiLi Autumn.  Photography by Maui Creative Photography)

“Instead of the fluffy, lacy merengue dresses, I am seeing more elegant and streamline dresses that could almost pass as a simple sun dress. Of course there are special embellishments when you look closely like a perfectly placed crystal, or shell detail. I think Maui is special in that brides can really experiment with their style whether its an all-out Victorian extravaganza at the Haiku Mill or a bohemian beachy soiree on the sand.”

Where to find these beautiful gowns? Tamara Catz offers several different wedding gowns, available online and in their flagship store in Paia.

Beach Wedding Attire Tips: If you are having a beach wedding, there are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your attire.  “Maui tends to be pretty windy, and on an exposed beach, veils and layers of fabric can tend to get caught up in our cooling trade winds,” explained Melissa Padilla of Opihi Love Wedding and Event Design.  “And if you are on the beach, stiletto heals aren’t going to work, so stick with wedges, or some brides will go with slippers (flip-flops) or even barefoot!” she continued.  (Melissa is the designer of some of Maui’s dreamiest weddings, check out her brand-new website here

hawaii wedding what to wear

Bridal Gown by Tamara Catz

And for the bride who is looking to do something completely out of the box, with just a nod to the traditional, Maui Girl has just unveiled its line of Bridal Bikinis– handmade here on Maui!  According to Debbie Wilson, owner and designer of Maui Girl, “we’ve been looking to create a line of bridal inspired suits for a while, it just seems so fitting with all the destination weddings that come to Maui.  We were looking for an alternative to a white t-shirt with lifesavers and puffy paints for a beach or pool-side bachelorette party, plus we loved the idea of doing a bridal inspired photo-shoot!  Now we are just waiting for that island-hip bride to have all her bridesmaids in bikinis, and her in a full gown. How awesome would that be!?”

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(Above Maui Girl Bridal Bikinis are modeled by Jazmin Repollo, photography by Ben Pigao of Empire Green)

Mahalo to all of our contributors for this beautiful post!!!

Judi Riley – Children’s Author and Clothing Designer

happy honu maui labels

If you have young kids, you may recognize the name Judi Riley.  Her children’s books, ‘When I am Quiet on Maui’ and ‘When I am Quiet on Oahu’ have lulled children on the islands, and around the world, to sleep for years.  But you may not know that Judi is also the creative force behind Happy Honu Maui, a line of colorful, island-inspired children’s clothing and blankets.  (Honu is Hawaiian for sea turtle)

Judi designs and sews blankets, girls dresses and skirts, and doll clothes on her current home island of Lanai, and the line also includes silkscreened shirts and onesies, all hand-screened on Maui by A Make Believe Company.

According to Judi, Happy Honu Maui started twenty years ago – “the day I learned to sew while making a shirt with a friend for John Travolta in the Haiku Jungle.”

Each of Judi’s hand-sewn items are boutique quality, with professionally serged seams, and made from 100% cotton designer prints.

Judi offers a variety of girls’ dresses and skirts, blankets ranging from 13” x 13” jet set travel silky to the king kamehameha duvet cover, silkscreened shirts, dresses and onesies, plus some other fun items, all in her signature tropical style.

Happy Honu designs can be found on Maui at Nuage Bleu in Paia, Designing Wahine in Makawao, Travaasa Hana, Hale Zen in Lahaina, and Proteas of Hawaii in Kula. On Oahu, they can be found at Aloha Aina Boutique and Boutiki, and on Lanai at the  Island Gentry.  She also has an online store set up on her website and an Etsy shop.

Judi’s books, which she wrote and illustrated, can be found at Target, Barnes and Noble, ABC stores, all the island book stores and Amazon.com, in addition to all the state’s public libraries.

“When I am Quiet on Maui” was featured in the 2006 and 2007 celebrity gift basket for the Maui Film Festival. It also found its way into the Maui County Time capsule — which will be opened in 100 years!  “When I am Quiet on Oahu” was nominated for the prestigious 2006 Ka Palapala Po’okela Readers’ Choice Award, and on January 20, 2009, the O‘ahu book was featured in the Inaugural Ball Gift Basket for the Hawaii State Society in DC.

Judi has also has a bunch of other fun goodies available on her website, like party penants, coffee cup sleeves (all created with her fun, tropical fabrics) and she’s also created these really cute postcards and posters!

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