Bridal guide to walking down the Isles
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
After planning dozens of weddings over the past eight years, Keri Shepherd of Hawai'i Kai noticed a pattern among her clients.
Shepherd
"They were always asking the same questions," Shepherd said. Questions like how to get started, who to go to for hair and makeup, and where to find the best reception and ceremony sites.
That motivated Shepherd to write "Hawai'i Weddings Made Simple," a year-long project Shepherd calls a one-stop resource guide for brides- and grooms-to-be.
"It offers couples over 700 (statewide) vendors; all the people and places and things you need to put together a wedding in Hawai'i," said the 31-year-old founder of The Wedding Planners, a wedding consulting company she runs part-time.
• 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday • Blaisdell Exhibition Hall • Admission: $7 ($1-off coupons are available at bridesclub.com/hawaii.) • For more information: bridesclub.com/hawaii or (425) 922-7924. "Hawai'i Weddings Made Simple" by Keri Shepherd (Mutual Publishing, $23.95) • Available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers; Borders Books, Music and Cafe; Waldenbooks; Bestsellers Books and Music; www.wedding-planners.net or www.mutualpublishing.com • The book will be available for $19.95 at the Hawaii Bridal Expo this weekend.
Shepherd's book covers 15 categories — from attire and bridal registries to invitations and videography — and each chapter includes key questions to ask wedding service providers, planning pointers and tips, and a list, by island, of vendors.
Hawaii Bridal Expo
Tying the book knot
"It's kind of like I did the legwork for the bride and groom," said Shepherd, who is also a wife, mother of two young children and managing editor of This Week magazines.
Shayna Kusumoto of Moanalua, a former client who married husband David on March 24 last year, said the book "has so many resources that you can't collect on your own."
"You can go to the bridal shows and you can go to the magazine racks, but where can you go to get one comprehensive list?" Kusumoto said.
The guide also offers worksheets for budgeting, a wedding timeline and planning agenda, and highlights of local wedding traditions and customs.
While "Hawai'i Weddings Made Simple" caters to kama'aina, it is also tourist-friendly, with chapters devoted to state marriage laws and regulations, and highlights about each island.
Shepherd will be on hand to promote her book at this weekend's Hawaii Bridal Expo. The expo features more than 200 wedding vendors, giveaways galore and a fashion show, tomorrow through Sunday.
Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at 535-8174 or zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com.
