Are you planning a wedding in Hawaii!? We’re sure you have a long list of questions about what it’s like to get married on the islands. So, we decided to do everyone a favor and put together our ultimate list of frequently asked questions about getting married in Hawaii. We hope this list can provide you with some basic answers and good insight into what it’s like planning a wedding in Hawaii!

All the islands offer something different and something truly special! We believe there is an island for every couple, wedding style, and personality.

Here is a brief breakdown of the 4 main islands for weddings:

The most densely populated and touristy of the islands. It has a little bit of everything from beautiful beaches to breathtaking mountains to a solid infrastructure, with nightlife, resorts, restaurants, salons, shopping, and multiple hotel options. This island is the Hawaii Wedding industry Epicenter- many vendors base themselves out of Oahu and are willing to travel across all islands. Getting married on Oahu will give you the widest range of choices in vendors and venues.

The second most populated island. It doesn’t necessarily have major cities like Oahu but you are still able to get pretty much everything you need! This island is gorgeous and has a little bit of everything which has led it to become a hot spot for resorts and weddings. Like Oahu, it is possible to “get away” from the busy, tourist areas and really get lost in the beautiful nature of the island. Maui has a group of world-class vendors for your choosing.

The Garden Isle. Kauai is the least populated and quiet of the main islands. Its nature is absolutely breathtaking. We recommend it for couples who want a little more of a low-key wedding, love nature, and love that local feel. The vendors on Kauai are a very special close-knit Ohana feel between them!

On the Big Island, you will find black sand beaches, lush green jungle, snowy mountain tops, active volcanoes, and fields of black lava rocks. Nature wise it literally has everything, so take your pick for your wedding location. Not as much infrastructure or resources are easily available. This island and its vendors offer the quintessential Hawaiian cultural elements.

One of the many reasons why we love it in Hawaii is that the weather is pretty perfect year-round. This means it’s best for weddings YEAR ROUND! The warm weather and breathtaking nature make it a prime destination wedding location. The peak wedding season is typically March-August during the “summer”. There is somewhat of a “winter’ from October – January which means slightly cooler temperatures and more frequent rain. There is also a peak in tourism in the middle of the summer as well as around the holidays, so the islands are much busier. More or less, it is always wedding season in Hawaii!!

The average cost of a wedding is $30,000 to $60,000, depending on the island and guest count.

Hawaii is a string of tropical islands, so it is bound to rain at least a little pretty much every day. How much it rains and how long it lasts depends on the season. Weather apps and forecasts can give us an idea of what’s to come but we are still on a tropical island and all in all the weather is pretty unpredictable.

Our recommendation is to be prepared with a backup plan. If you are having an outdoor ceremony, organize somewhere you can move it undercover need be or allow a little fluff time in your timeline in case you need to just wait for an afternoon shower to pass. For outdoor receptions, we always urge couples to rent a tent. It is also always good practice to either provide or recommend guests bring an umbrella just in case!

Don’t forget, in Hawaii the rain is a blessing from the Gods – it embodies growth, unity, and even fertility! Outside of Hawaii, rain on your big day has been said to symbolize the strengthening of “the knot” you’ve just tied. Have you ever tried to untie a wet knot? Almost impossible! So a little sprinkle on your special day isn’t the worst thing.

Ceremony time is decided based on a few key elements but primarily dependent on sunset time! What time of year it is will be a big factor. We typically recommend at least 2-3 hours before sunset time.

Other elements that will help determine the best ceremony time are: How many program elements you wish to include, type of dinner you will be serving (buffet vs. 3 courses plated, etc), how many hours you have your photographer booked for, and what you want them to capture.

Getting married in Hawaii does NOT mean saying your vows ON the beach. While beach ceremonies are extremely beautiful and popular there are TONS of amazing venue options. Hotels and resorts offer ballrooms, private beach access as well as beautiful ocean-side lawn areas. Estate weddings are our personal favorites, whether it be beach houses, ranches, or old plantation houses.

In general, here are a few great questions that you can ask all of your vendors:

To sum up, Yes! With rules and restrictions of course….

We love when guests are interested in incorporating cultural items into their wedding celebration! These are our favorite suggestions:
Ceremony – Have a local Kahu (Hawaiian minister) perform your ceremony and include traditional Hawaiian elements like a lei exchange, Blowing of the Pū (conch shell), a traditional Oli (chant) or Hawaiian ring blessing
Lei – Gifting Lei (floral garland worn around the neck) to special guests and family members
Food– Feature traditional Hawaiian or Polynesian dishes on your reception menu!
Hawaiian/ Polynesian Entertainment – Fire Knife Dancers, Local Musicians, and Hula Performances

One of the many reasons we love weddings In Hawaii… any theme or style goes!!! While the most popular is a more relaxed, aloha style wedding we have also had extravagant formal events. We usually like to encourage couples to keep the weather in mind when choosing their style – a tux on the beach isn’t the best combo, but there is also nothing wrong with that. Our couples usually land somewhere in between a laid-back aloha style wedding and semi-formal, AKA “Aloha Crisp.”

Check out our blog post here for more details!

Start by calling the airline you are flying with to ask how they deal with large, precious delicate items such as a wedding dress. Carefully pack up your dress in a garment bag, and carry it on! You can more than likely schmooze the flight attendants to let you keep it in the captain’s closet so it can hang during the flight. If not, place it very very carefully in an overhead bin. Look for an empty one or try to lay it flat on top of the other luggage. Once you arrive take it out of the bag to breathe! Pack a portable steamer, ask your coordinator to borrow one or arrange for it to be steamed once you arrive in Hawaii.

There are a few options for this:

We recommend arriving no later than 3 or 4 days before your wedding. You will need enough time to pick up your marriage license, meet with your coordinator, have a rehearsal, and wrap up any last-minute details.  Most importantly, you also need to take a few moments to RELAX and enjoy being in Hawaii before your big day!!!

Yes!!! Our team will be the first to arrive and the last to leave!  We take care of everything to ensure a completely stress-free wedding day.

This means on-site coordination of prep, set up, ceremony, reception, and breakdown. We work as a team to ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish. Your lead coordinator will arrive first thing in the morning during hair and makeup to collect marriage license any final payments and gratuities to distribute on your behalf. The setup team will take care of and oversee the transformation of the ceremony and reception setup. The rest of the day we are there for timeline and vendor management and to be readily available for any questions that may come up. Our team will ensure everything runs smoothly and according to plan! Finally, we oversee a complete breakdown in a timely manner to avoid additional venue charges. Our primary goal is to eliminate any stress from the couple to ensure they have the best possible wedding day!

There you have it, our top 15 frequently asked questions about getting married in Hawaii!!

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