“I can't say enough good things about Sunshower. I honestly don't think that we could have done it without them.

I thought we didn't need a wedding coordinator, I had after, all imagined every detail myself for months, but I was wrong. Through our hotel - we had a wedding coordinator so I figured we didn't need anyone else, but as things went on and our wedding got closer, I realized how much support we needed. And I SO WISH we would have hired Sunshower sooner!

I have NO DOUBT that even with getting a wedding planner, it actually would have saved us money in the end. Kate has so much knowledge of vendors and ideas on how to implement the things that you are imagining for your wedding.

We hired Sunshower about 6 weeks before our wedding (YIKES!) and Kate was AMAZING with communication. There were many phone calls and a lot of last minute planning about things that we literally didn't even think about ourselves. Every detail was looked at to make sure what we pictured for our day was implemented. Just the communication alone, from Sunshower to all our vendors for us, was seriously worth it alone.

Kate communicated with everyone for us and got everything ironed out, she even helped us save money with floral and rentals because she knew how to repurpose things and give us the same image for our wedding for cheaper. I am not kidding, if we would have just hired her in the beginning - we would have saved money. The transparency was amazing with Sunshower. They were informative, caring, detail-oriented, and communicated amazingly. Day-of coordination was amazing, I felt that everything was taken care of and that weight was off my shoulders. We felt that the service provided was totally worth the cost of what Sunshower did for us. Every single part of the wedding planning got easier once we hired Sunshower. I honestly cannot say enough good things. Kate - you and your team were THE BEST. You made our wedding exactly what we envisioned and I felt so cared for during the whole thing. I cannot thank you enough.

If you think you do not need a wedding coordinator - think again. Sunshower will save you time and money. If I could go back in time, we would have hired them from the very beginning!”

David & Jenny- April 2022

“When my husband and I decided to have a micro wedding/elopement in Hawaii I knew I needed help planning a destination wedding. Kate wasn’t the first planner I talked to, but after our initial call I knew I’d found the right person. She was so real, down to earth, and extremely knowledgeable. Throughout the planning process, I was impressed with how responsive and organized she was. I appreciated that she helped us make our wedding unique and memorable. All the vendors she recommended were perfect, she really understood our vision. The day went off without a hitch and I got to enjoy a stress-free experience. If you are getting married on the Big Island, I would highly recommend working with Sunshower Weddings and Events.”

Amy & Andy- March 2022

“I can’t recommend Sunshower Weddings enough to anyone looking to get married on the Big Island! They are caring, action-oriented, creative, and very intentional. Read on if you want more details on why we loved working with Sunshower Weddings so much!

Planning a wedding can be incredibly stressful. Planning a destination wedding can be downright overwhelming–if you don’t have someone like Kate & Sunshower Weddings on your side. When my Husband and I decided to have a wedding in Hawai’i we had some important criteria that were true to our values. How in the heck do you plan a wedding, incorporating your values, in a far away destination? While researching venue spots I discovered Kate. Upon reaching out to her I knew she was the one to help us. I had expected her to present me with different packages based on what she thought my needs were (whether I needed them or not) but my intake call with her was very different from what I expected.

From my first call with Kate, she asked me a lot of questions ranging from what was important to us, what was our budget, and what our overall vibe was. Instead of giving me a blanket package, she tailored her wedding coordination services based on what I was actually needing and priced it accordingly. Throughout our time working together we were navigating typical wedding questions as well as the impact COVID would have on our wedding and Kate was such a huge help to us! Kate helped us navigate how to approach vendors regarding our vaccination requirements and the changing state of COVID requirements of Hawai’i itself. What I love about Kate is that I could have very honest conversations with her about her opinion and where to spend our money for the type of wedding we wanted. I never once felt like she was upselling me on something or trying to get me to spend more money unnecessarily. She was our guide on the ground in Hawai’i. We got everything planned smoothly and before our wedding, we felt prepared and not rushed.

About a month out Kate arranged a call between us and Alison. Alison was going to be the lead coordinator for the day of the event. We reviewed everything together and made any last-minute changes needed. We also arranged the rehearsal.

Then came the big day! The timeline developed by Sunshower Weddings was so clear it was easy to know what was happening and when. Alison stopped by in the morning to see if anything was needed by us and arranged for my haku to my airbnb. From the moment we arrived at our ceremony everything was SUCH A BREEZE. Kate and Alison had everything covered. They very much kept us in the moment so we could relax and enjoy our wedding. Our wedding turned out fantastic and had zero hiccups. The entire time it felt like everyone at Sunshower cared about us as people, not just as a client.”

Jen & Rob- Feb. 2022

“Kate, Whitney, and Alison from Sunshower were an absolute joy to work with. Due to changes from COVID, we had to make some last-minute changes and the team was extremely accommodating. Kate has a fool-proof checklist and process that made sure everything was in order, so with two weeks to go, I was... CHILLING! And therefore got to enjoy time with family in Hawaii.

The wedding was at a family home, and the Sunshower team helped organize our lovely vendors, recommended layout and styling, provided rentals, set up the most amazing tablescape. And during the day of the event, they made all the tiny decisions so I could just sit back and enjoy.

What I thought was going to be a simple party ended up going absolutely above and beyond anything I could have imagined. It was sweet, intimate, and so special. They helped with all the behind-the-scenes work so we could be present and enjoy time with loved ones.

Special shout out to Whitney and Alison who were extremely friendly, helpful, and helped curate the most beautiful cocktail hour space and dinner table. You rock!

Thank you for helping to make this day fabulous. I would recommend them to anyone planning a wedding on the Big Island! Worth every penny.”

Lynny & Parker- Jan. 2022

“Kate planned our wedding reception in 2021 and was amazing throughout. When I had a vendor called the day before the wedding to tell me I didn't have enough food, Kate took another look at the menu and assured me all was well. Of course, she was right. The reception went off perfectly. Kate was an absolute pleasure to work with the whole way. She ensured everything was well organized, and I didn't have to think about a thing the wedding day other than enjoying our guests.”

Kim & Drake- June 2021

“Planning a wedding during a pandemic is not for the faint of heart! I can’t tell you how lucky we were to have worked with Kate! She is unbelievably organized and was essentially this bride’s rock in wedding planning for 2 whole years!

She navigated postponements, major changes in guest count and kept us updated on all the regulations up to the last minute. She is always upbeat and kept us excited about how our changes could be a good thing. When your plans drastically deviate, I can’t tell you how much that encouragement meant.

She has the best recommendations for vendors, which helped tremendously planning from the mainland. And her planning portal was so helpful and detailed. I would highly recommend entrusting Kate in your special day! We had the most perfect day.”

Traci & Kyal - nov. 2021

“My husband and I are so lucky we hired Sunshower Weddings to help with our wedding planning and coordination. We were only a couple of months out when we decided it was time we needed help planning our wedding out in Kona, HI while we were busy with our lives in California. If only we knew about them ahead of time and all the stress it would have saved us, we definitely would have jumped on it sooner to book them!

In the first conversation with the owner Kate, I knew off the bat she would be really organized and responsive with every and each need we had for the wedding. A very thorough job and questionnaire to understand what was needed and all the calls/check points on the way kept us on track. She definitely understood our vibes and what we were going for and the day went over so incredibly smoothly!

Her team, Whitney and Allison ran the rehearsal dinner and helped on the wedding day as well, we hadn't even met them until that point, but they were briefed in so well that it was super seamless. The attention to detail, the care in making sure nothing went awry, and the aloha they all had definitely made our day amazing! Not only is the team great, but they also have good connections with all the local vendors and helped us navigate the permitting during covid protocols. So grateful for their services and would definitely recommend them!”

jenny & Axel - nov. 2021

“My husband and I had our wedding in the midst of COVID and there were a lot of moving parts but Kate was there every step of the way. Since most of her weddings are destination, she has mastered the distance planning. She has an entire planning portal that covers every single detail you could imagine and was always available over email or phone. She also has all of the recommendations for vendors which is helpful when you're not familiar with the area.

Kate is very passionate about planning weddings and she has the experience to tell you if something will work or not. We trusted her through the entire process and our wedding was everything we could've imagined and more!

On our wedding day, she was there for us when we needed it (she even helped me fix my hair after it had rained) and was also in the background making sure things ran smoothly.

I could not recommend a more thoughtful, organized, and perfect wedding planner. If I could give her 10 stars, I would!”

Ashlen & Tanner - July. 2021

“My now husband and I partnered with Kate to make our dream wedding come true in 2021. We had been waiting over a year and kept having delays due to ever-changing regulations and believe it or not venue closings. Throughout the entire thing Kate was our rock. She truly made me feel like I didn’t have to be on top of everything and was beyond organized. I would highly recommend Kate for anyone who doesn’t live on island in his traveling. Kate will give you her unbiased opinion will still making sure your dream comes true.

The day of she was fantastic truly took pressure off my shoulders as usually the tedious blast minute things fall on top of the bride. Again highly recommend!”

Jennifer and John - Sept. 2021

“Working with Kate was, hands down, one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. We were traveling to the Big Island from the mainland, and we really needed that local contact to help us sort through all our options. She provided us with vendor lists for every type of vendor you could think of and assisted us when we had question after question. We were in the throes of planning a wedding for close to 50 guests and then COVID hit, throwing a huge wrench in the day we were expecting. Kate was there through it all and helped us to pivot to an elopement that we never could have thrown together on our own. She was our own personal cheerleader, helping us to navigate what could have been a very tough day. She even helped to find a last-minute videographer that we didn’t even know we needed. We are so thankful to have had her on our side as we waded through the wedding process. Her knowledge, patience, wit, and tolerance of Taylor Swift are just some of the reasons that we would hire her all over again. Thank you so much for everything, Kate!”

Jess & Zeke- March 2021

“My husband and I hired Kate to plan our Kona wedding, after having to cancel our first wedding in New Zealand. After postponing twice and we decided to ultimately hold the wedding in October 2021. Kate was there to support us every step of the way, helping us with securing all the best vendors and handling the communication with them. She has lots of great connections in Kona and has a considerable amount of insight on vendors, locations, etc.

I loved how real she kept things (if I had an idea that was not good or not within our budget, she would tell me.) She had to be super creative with our wedding, as there were CONSTANT changes from the state and county due to the ever-changing covid restrictions. She was basically on call through it all and was there for me anytime we would have to pivot our plans. Not only did she keep me calm and focused through it all, she also remained positive through all the stress and remained extremely helpful every step of the way. I don't know how I would've made it through pandemic wedding planning without her. She truly was a saving grace and the best decision that I made for our wedding.

On the wedding day itself, Kate went above and beyond. Throughout the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception, Kate was somehow everywhere at once, making sure everything went smoothly. She had every detail organized and was flexible with any last minute changes and truly made the entire day go by so efficiently. We had an amazing wedding day and Kate was a huge and integral part of the reason why. I do not envy her job at all (especially during the pandemic and navigating all the changes that come with it) but I am so glad that she is a wedding coordinator, because she absolutely KILLS it at her job.

I cannot recommend her wedding planning services enough and I’m looking for future party excuses just so I can book her again. She will hands down be one of the best choices you can make for having the absolute best day ever!

Also, the coffee from here is fabulous! I am born and raised on Big Island and this is some of the best Kona coffee I have ever had. We had coffee bags as the favor for our guests and multiple people told me how much they enjoyed it. Will definitely be ordering more in the near future!”

Molly and AJ - Sept. 2021

“I can't stress enough how vital it was to have Kate in our corner. The one piece of advice I would give to every couple, no matter their budget, is to have day-of coordination. Her guidance and expert knowledge are spot on, especially since we were planning our wedding from NYC. Whenever we needed help with an aspect of the wedding, she weighed in or gave us an even better idea. Through our video chats, phone calls and emails, Kate took our ideas and did the impossible job of taking the stress out of planning a wedding. Meeting her for our rehearsal cemented the fact that Kate had our back.

The funny thing is that even though I technically knew everything we had planned from the pizza apps and the fresh coconuts to the live floral ceiling and the bonfire, it all felt brand new. There was no tension, no rushing, just magic.

Kate and her staff were amazing with our guests. They were super patient when things got mixed up on our end and had every detail down. Seamless and professional with the warmth you expect from Hawaii. To this day, Kate is still thought of fondly by so many of my family and friends, some of whom still order coffee from her farm!”

Kris and Chris - Oct. 2019

“What really made our wedding, was working with Kate. My husband and I are both professional event planners for corporate companies, so it shocked our friends and family when we turned our wedding over to someone we'd never met in person, but it was 100% worth it. The wedding and reception was planned in just a few short phone calls with Kate. She had great ideas and helped coach us into making the right decisions. She booked our flowers, cake, catering, and music on our behalf so we didn't have to deal with those vendors. We brought our own officiant, professional photographer, videographer, and hairstylist, as they were all friends of ours who were attending the wedding anyway. I also used Kate's recommended makeup artist who was just lovely.

The day of our wedding was so beautiful and memorable. We absolutely loved just having a cozy party with our very dearest friends and family. It wasn't blingy or over the top which suited us perfectly. Because Kate so expertly managed all the big details, I was able to truly enjoy the months leading up to the wedding. I had the time to focus on some small custom details only because I wanted to and enjoy, rather than stress, about these projects. We could not imagine a more wonderful planning process and execution day of! Our friends and family haven't stopped raving about how wonderful and beautiful our wedding was.

Astrid and Brandon - April 2019

From start to finish, Kate was professional and organized. I can't stress enough that she made our lives easier by finding literally every vendor for us (except photographer as we had a specific one in mind) - including our officiant, refreshments, hair and make-up, flowers and decor, musician, and more. She even went down to the ceremony venue on our behalf and took photos and videos for us as we were unable to see the venue ourselves. There was absolutely no fuss with any of the vendors, everything was planned properly and according to the budget we've discussed - it all came together on the day of the wedding with no delays, setbacks, or vendor issues in any way.

Personally, I (the groom) am an extremely organized and methodical person - think Monica from Friends, or Amy from Brooklyn Nine Nine. I was impressed with Kate's abilities to stay on top of everything and continued to remind us of everything we had to do days or weeks before the deadlines. Even though I felt overwhelmed with all the details that had to be covered, she managed to stay on top of everything. This is in addition to the other weddings and events she was coordinating in parallel.

Overall, we found Kate's coordination services to be outstanding. We've been married for a month now and our friends and family are still talking about everything from the venues to the cake!

Emily and Darryl - April 2019

Kate and her staff are AMAZING to work with!

We knew we wanted to get married in Hawai’i since that’s where we grew up and we didn’t want a “cookie cutter” wedding. The booking/planning process was wonderful. Kate always responded to our emails promptly and answered ALL of our questions, which were a lot. She was very patient when we were indecisive about details and gave us suggestions based on previous events. As soon as we booked the date, Kate sent us a list of vendors she had worked with, which was a life saver since we were planning the wedding from the mainland. We were a little nervous about planning our wedding without seeing the venue or meeting any of the vendors ahead of time, but I will say that you can definitely trust Kate and her team! It was the best decision ever!!

At the end of the day, you can totally trust Kate, her team, and her trusted vendors. You really can’t go wrong in my opinion. Thank you so much Kate, we are so grateful.

Kat and Yong - Feb. 2020

“Booking Kate was the BEST DECISION EVER!! Our wedding exceeded everyone’s expectations (including ours). When reaching out to Kate she was friendly and organized. Besides being our location vendor, Kate was a jack of all trades and was also our wedding coordinator. From her previous weddings, she had an extensive menu of personal vendors that we could pick from. Kate guided us through the dress rehearsal and wedding day in a way that we felt at ease and at home.

Finally, what made it special, were the little above and beyond touches that Kate did for us —going above and beyond her role. It’s clear that she genuinely loves what she does and really cares about every one of her clients.

Thank you Kate for truly making our wedding!”

Hayley and Anna - Feb. 2020

"I would STRONGLY recommend Sunshower and Kate Hickey for all of your wedding needs. We had the best day and we didn't have to worry about a single thing because Kate took care of EVERYTHING. She was so good at keeping things on schedule and making sure we got to do everything we wanted to do."

Andie and efraim - Jan. 2020

“It's hard to pick my favorite part about our wedding. Kate was wonderful to work with. Her list of recommended vendors helped us to easily find people to work with, which was important for a destination wedding. And Kate herself always had a quick answer to any question we had. She listened to what we wanted out of our wedding and made sure every little detail was perfect. Kate was able to ask a few questions about what kind of food we wanted and she connected us to a caterer that matched our food style perfectly.

Her flower vendor blew me away. I asked for "tropical and bright" and was thrilled with the colorful and unique flowers that she used. I had a variety of orchids and beehive ginger and birds of paradise. I was so sad that I wasn't able to take them home with me to the mainland… I can't recommend Sunshower enough!”

Sarah and Justin - Dec. 2019

"Kate is the best wedding coordinator ever! We had an intimate wedding with 22 guests and all of my guests said it was the best wedding they've been to.

1. The ceremony went off without a hitch. The seating arrangement was well done and the arbor was beautifully decorated.

2. The food catered by Umekes was excellent, not generic wedding food. We had appetizers, a whole fish poke station, a whole roasted pig, and sides. The vegetarians were happy since everything besides the poke and pig was vegetarian.

3. Kate's staff were all so amazing. They provided the best service that we could ever dream of. Shout out to the awesome bartender, Aranda!

4. There was an incident with my husband's mom falling. Kate took immediate action and was able to coordinate her medical needs and help calm us/everyone down. Her fall was somewhat serious but the wedding went on due to Kate's quick thinking and calm demeanor.

If you want a small and intimate destination wedding, do not think twice about booking with Kate. This experience is so much more meaningful and cost effective than booking at a resort. We will remember it for the rest of our lives. Thank you, Kate."

Cathy and Jon - Feb. 2020

"Even though we had to plan our destination wedding from thousands of miles away, Aly and Kate were so professional, helpful, responsive and talented. They made the entire experience as smooth and streamlined as possible. Even with some of the extra hard rain we got, their staff was able to handle everything and we had the time of our lives relaxing and enjoying our day together. The vendors they recommended were top notch, and our guests can't stop talking about what a beautiful experience it is. We highly recommend Sunshower, especially if you are planning from far away like we did."

Ricardo and Melanie - Feb. 2020

“When I show people pictures or videos of my wedding they tell me it looks like a DREAM. And it truly did look and feel like a dream. It was such a beautiful experience that I know my guests and my husband and I will remember forever. If you’re looking for something different that will WOW you and your guests and be in their memory forever, that you can totally customize to your liking while having an awesome friend (Kate) there to support you and make sure you get EVERYTHING you want on your special day LOOK NO FURTHER. When I booked Kate, I wanted something different, not a traditional banquet style wedding, but a wedding that no one has ever experienced before (including myself) and I got just that. Mahalo nui loa to Kate and her awesome wedding team!”

Marlene and Justin - July. 2019

“Kate did an outstanding job planning and organizing our wedding to match our wants and needs as a non-traditional same-sex couple. Kate smoothly managed all the details through email, phone and video calls, and her relaxed attitude is incredibly accommodating and fun. Though we were more than welcome to find our own preferred caterer, we had Kate locate a caterer based on the type of food and the budget per-plate we’d chosen. The food was fantastic and Kate’s knowledge and personal relationships with local vendors are invaluable!”

Theresa and Terra - May 2018

“Kate was so helpful. She crafted the perfect decorations, coordinated all of our vendors, and planned a seamless event for our friends and family. All of our guests had a great time and talk up our wedding all the time. Our recently engaged friends have said they want to have a destination wedding after seeing the photos from our wedding.

Kate was also transparent about the pricing and our friends were amazed when we told them how much our wedding cost. No one believes us when we tell then we had a wedding for less money than a random hotel ballroom in the suburbs.”

Grace and Charlie - Dec. 2018

“Kate and her team were amazing and made our wedding everything we dreamed of and more! I can't speak highly enough of Kate's diligent coordination, extensive list of trusted local vendors and how much she made us feel at ease. I highly recommend using Kate as your coordinator”

Andrea and Matt - Nov. 2019

“You tell Kate what you are envisioning and she works her magic and makes it happen. Literally, we were in awe of how everything came together on our wedding day and how beautiful it turned out. It can be difficult planning a destination wedding, but Kate is a pro. She is very responsive to email - and if I needed an immediate answer, I could just text her. Trust Kate and her group of vendors to come up with your dream wedding - literally, our wedding turned out better than we could have imagined. I wish we could have an event there every year (our guests were telling us to get our vows renewed there yearly)”

Jenn and matt - Nov. 2019

"We chose to have an intimate wedding at Sunshower Farms, and it was the best decision we could have ever made. Kate made the process from start to finish so stress free, fun and wonderful. It was a beautiful and memorable day for us and our families…

I was really happy with how Kate made the entire planning process so easy. It was obvious to see that she has organized and coordinated a lot of weddings. She was also very quick to respond to our questions and set up calls to make sure everything was figured out for our destination wedding. We are so glad we got married here and highly recommend you choose Sunshower too!"”

Samantha and Jeremy - April. 2019

“We held our ceremony and reception at Sunshower, after our previous venue fell through due to the volcano eruption that occurred earlier this year (It's calmed down now though!). As you can imagine, losing our venue only a couple of months before our family/friends and ourselves were due to fly out there was super stressful! Kate was able to squeeze us in, and found or recommended all of our vendors! On the day of, we apparently did math wrong and had a few extra people over their max that they figured out how to accommodate and feed! The views on the property are gorgeous, the animals were so cute, and Kate had everything figured out throughout the entire event! Thank you Kate for an unforgettable day!"”

Sami and Taku - Oct. 2018

“My wife Suzie and I were married last fall and had the wedding of our dreams! Our friends and family that attended still tell us all the time how great of a wedding it was, how beautiful the venue was and how great of a job the staff did to make it a great evening for all of us.

Kate was amazing to work with through the entire process of planning our wedding. We planned the wedding from Alaska just working with Kate over phone calls and emails to make the plans. She customized the wedding to our preferences, let us choose everything we wanted to and then took care of everything for us. It turned out amazing!

Working with Kate made planning a wedding easier than I ever imagined. Planning a wedding is normally time consuming and stressful, but not when you work with Kate. Our wedding was a perfect blend of inside areas, outside areas and cool places for people to hang out everywhere you look. Kate arranged our photography, catering and music with people she had previously worked with and all of them were excellent as well… There is nothing we could have added to make it a better day. It was perfect. Kate made sure of that so we could enjoy the day with our closest friends and family and that's exactly what we did. I would recommend Kate and Sunshower to anyone… Thank you again for everything Kate!”

Suzie and Tyler - Sept. 2018

“Our experience was fantastic. Kate had such great taste and made the wedding absolutely beautiful. Her communication is clear and she made sure that everything was what I wanted despite the fact that at times I was indecisive. Me and my family were all impressed. Definitely recommend!"”

Benita and Tyler - June. 2019

"Kate and the crew helped us out so much during our wedding. They handled EVERYTHING and it all went smoothly! Kate told me that I was one of the calmest brides she’s ever met and honestly, I stayed calm because of her. She helped me plan out everything in less than 2 months before the wedding date. I originally had it somewhere on Oahu but … plans had to change due to a family emergency so I was so happy to have it on the big island! ... Our family complimented our wedding so much and we couldn’t thank Kate and the crew enough! Everyone enjoyed their time here and this place made it very special for me and my husband! Thank you again for everything you guys done for us! We appreciate and love you all! I’m not only saying this cause it was our wedding but THIS WAS THE BEST WEDDING EVER!"

Sharene and Chance - Feb. 2019

“Whatever you want, Kate and her team will do their best to make it happen. Kate sourced an outstanding private chef who made some of the best homemade pasta I've had, with a bolognese using a boar actually caught on the Farm… We received abundant compliments on the food and service, even from my excruciatingly particular and traditional relatives who almost always complain about food. Also, the commitment to green events is admirable -- food is either given away or composted as to minimize waste.

Kate was also super helpful with advice, ranging from suggesting places to stay to making sure we got some last-minute leis to use for a traditional ceremony… If you are looking for a super formal large wedding this place is not for you, but if you are looking for an intimate, relaxed and warm [wedding]… I give Sunshower my highest recommendation.”

Joan and Ross - Dec. 2016