events at the farm
Raves & Reviews
Photo by: James Rubio Photography
wedding
"We booked Sunshower Farms sight unseen after an extensive search for a venue that would fulfill our core priorities: 1) BYOB (good wine is very important to both our families; my cousin is an ex-sommelier), 2) excellent food produced from sustainable agriculture, and 3) something that would be as home-like as possible. Sunshower delivered on all three counts. Kate was very responsive and took us on a virtual tour of the Farms through Skype, allowing us to get a sense of the property and the view from the back, which is lovely. I do a fair bit of event planning for my job and Sunshower is a rarity among event venues in its flexibility.
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. In fact, the entire dinner was as farm-to-table as one could get: we had flatbreads and bread made directly in Sunshower's brick oven, and Kate made our fantastic wedding cake. 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. The farm itself is pleasant, with roosters, some very cute goats and friendly cats; our younger guests loved meeting them.
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. I can't imagine a venue that is better value for money -- none of the usual BS markups for decor, alcohol, that is all too typical of most venues. 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 venue that will feel like you're getting married at home, I give Sunshower my highest recommendation."
- Joan and Ross, Wedding, December 2016 (weddingwire)
bridal shower
"I used the venue for my Best Friends Bridal Shower and it was the PERFECT LOCATION! Only advice I would give to anyone else interested is to make sure your directions to the venue is accurate and on point. You may need to put balloons or a sign of your own since it is pretty far up the mountain. Also BRING WARM CLOTHES. It does tend to get pretty chilly. Overall this was a beautiful venue and I'm so happy we had the party here. Kate was so helpful from start to finish. I will definitely host another party here."
- Pua, Bridal Shower, November 2016 (weddingwire)
Photo by: Ruth Anne Photography
wedding
"We chose Sunshower Farms for its rustic, country feel. The event site is set atop a hill in Holualoa, a small town we adore. Since we live in Kona we wanted to have our wedding in an area that was cooler and surrounded by lush greenery with a beautiful ocean view. We had our ceremony and reception at the farm. The ceremony was on the lawn and the reception was on the deck of the property. The owners of the event space are very accommodating and helpful throughout the planning process. They take care of all of the day of coordinating, set up, take down and cleaning. They also provided beautiful vintage/rustic decor to create a lovely table setting. I also brought in a few of my own decorations just to add my personal touch.
We had a cater come to the farm to cook, who was equipped with his own cooking set up. We found that their service staff was helpful and professional. Kate made my cake to my specification which tasted delicious and was decorated beautifully with lilikoi flowers from their property. My sister said that Kate's cake was the best cake she had ever had!! Our photographer found two beautiful areas on the farm to take our couples photos. Overall everything exceeded my expectations! I would recommend this site to any one having a rustic/vintage wedding set on a farm."
- Jasmine and Matt, Wedding, July 2016 (wedding wire)
birthday party
"I booked Sunshower Farms for a birthday party for my sister. It was her 40th birthday and a lot of people came in from out of town so I wanted it to be a very special, private and fancy event. Kate, the farm owner, hired a chef for the event who did a 10 course tasting menu specifically catered to my sister's preferences and the food was EXCELLENT. So much of it came from the farm and I even saw the staff harvesting some of the items when we were setting up - that is seriously farm-to-table! This venue is a WORKING farm, so if you are like one of the other reviewers and do not want goats nearby or the sounds of chickens, do not book this venue. Also, as a local, I can explain that Holualoa is what we call "upcountry" because of its high elevation. Sometimes this puts it above/in the clouds but that adds to its charm, privacy and cool (60s-70s) weather.
One of the benefits of working with Sunshower is that all of their prices are incredibly transparent- they are all right on the website - and there were no added fees that I wasn't expecting. The owners also let you bring in your own food, drinks, flowers etc. so it is easy to save money. For our event we brought cheese and crackers for the beginning and were able to save on the appetizers while people were arriving. My mom also made all of our flowers which was great. We booked the deck and interior rental only, which is fine because ours was just an evening event.
My advice to future clients who are considering Sunshower for their wedding or another event is to do a tour (or a video tour). If your expectations are in line with a working Hawaii farm, you will LOVE this venue. But if you want a hotel, book that. It makes me sad to read the negative reviewer who dinged Sunshower because it is "someone's house." For me, the home-y vibe is what attracted me to this venue and it is priced accordingly. An event venue as nice as this and not at a home would be considerably more expensive."
- Jeanette, Birthday Party, March 2017 (wedding wire)
Photo by: Karen Loudon
wedding
"We were so lucky to have found Sunshower Farms! It was just what we were looking for as far as size, decor, and intimacy are concerned. It was also magnificent that we could minimize the number of vendors necessary as Sunshower was not only in charge of the venue rental but also all of the wedding planning as well. This took a lot of stress out of having a destination wedding. I couldn't recommend Sunshower Farms enough. The setting was gorgeous, the animals were friendly, and the hospitality was just wonderful."
- Jono and Marina, Wedding, July 2017 (Review through Honeybook)
Photo by: Hannah C. Photography
wedding
"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! We definitely recommend having their coffee service after dinner, as it was amazing! The only regret we had was that we didn't have time to get an official tour and bring home some of that amazing coffee! Thank you Kate for an unforgettable day!”
- Sami and Taku, Wedding, October 2018 (wedding wire)
Photo by: Evelyn Grace Photo
wedding
"We had our wedding reception at Sunshower Farms a few weeks ago, and it was such a magical experience! The farm is high up in the coffee plantation at a perfect, cool elevation. The mystical fog, whimsical trees, and hanging golden lights made our setting feel like a dream. We had a ukulele player, hula dancer, and a DJ playing throughout the evening. The wood fired oven pizzas that their team made were some of the best our guests had ever experienced. Kate is the owner and she did an outstanding job managing the operation and assisting with any questions that we were unaware of. We STRONGLY believe that this venue is the very BEST on the Big Island!!!”
- Ryan and Corrine, Wedding, May 2018 (google)
Photo by: Fletch Photography
wedding
"We got married at Sunshower Farms and the venue is so beautiful! We had group of 17, for our ceremony and dinner, and all of our guests had a fabulous time. Kate did a great job answering all of our questions and planning on the day of. The team there were great and we even got to feed the goats! Very private location that makes you feel like you've stepped into a fairy tale.”
- Jaclyn and Shane, Wedding, May 2018 (google)
Photo by: Wilde Sparrow Photography
wedding
"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, Wedding, May 2018 (wedding wire)
Photo by: Wilde Sparrow Photography
wedding
"Sunshower Farms was amazing. Despite Kate being on holidays on the day of the wedding, her next in charge (Danielle) had everything set up beautifully and the evening flowed smoothly. The staff were wonderful, friendly and accommodating. They were happy to help and made the evening an absolute dream.
The venue is gorgeous, although a little challenging to get to if you're not familiar with the area. Our guests constantly commented on how beautiful the surroundings were and how we managed to find the perfect venue.
Additionally, the pizza was delicious. When my husband and I told people we were having a pizza party for dinner, many questioned our decision however after tasting the pizza the reviews were nothing but positive.
If we lived closer to Hawaii, we would make Sunshower Farms the venue for all our memorable events as we had no complaints about this venue.”
- Vanessa and Kaleb, Wedding, Sept. 2018 (wedding wire)
Wedding
“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 I always kept coming back to this place on Wedding Wire because how beautiful it was. Plans had to change due to a family emergency so I was so happy to have it on the big island! I knew exactly where I wanted to have our wedding, which was Sunshower Farms! Everyone enjoyed their time here! The kids loved the games and animals, my son had a blast meeting the animals, everyone felt so comfortable, everything was set up so beautifully and to end the night, we had a bonfire with s’mores! 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, Wedding, Feb. 2019 (wedding wire)