Hawaii wedding info

[TravelGirl]

I recently got married in Hawaii and for anyone planning to wed in the islands you will soon discover as I did that things in Hawaii work much differently than on the main land. Here is some information that you may find useful.

Getting a marriage license: Unlike on the main land you need to make and appointment to get your marriage license. You can find out where by going to the State of Hawaii web site http://www.hawaii.gov/health/vital-r...age/index.html. Don’t be surprised about the informality of it all. The place where we went to get our marriage license in Kihei was in an office run out of someone’s home. Be sure to use black ink when filling out the forms because they will make you re-do them if you don’t. If you plan to change your name you may want to pay the extra to have the process sped up. I chose not to and it took almost two months to receive the certified copy of our marriage certificate.

Finding an officiate: The person who issues your marriage license is a good one to ask for referrals since the islands are small they tend to know one another, though you can also find officiates on the State of Hawaii website. If you’re getting married on Maui I would highly recommend Jessie (he’s preformed our ceremony), I will forward his information to anyone who is interested.

Beach wedding: If you’re planning a beach wedding here’s a few things to think about. All Hawaii beaches are public so as long as you can access it without going on privet property it’s fair game. Even with that said if the location you are planning to use is directly in front of a house it is always best to ask for permission from the owner. I have heard stories of homeowners turning on sprinkler or blaring radios during ceremonies. Also keep in mind that if you’re not using a wedding coordinator you do not need a permit though coordinators are required to get them.

[everyann]

Great info TravelGirl! I know what you mean about the informalities of Hawaii compared to the mainland. Growing up on Oahu, it wasn't strange to me seeing things like offices in a home or even hot foods (cooked...sort of like take-out) sold out of a van! However, it's a newsflash to me that you don't need some kind of permit to get married on the beach. Neat!

Thanks for the wedding info!

[world trecker]

Congrats, TravelGirl! I hope the day(s) went smoothly for you. Meaning I hope no one turned the sprinklers on ya.

[chris5]

Hey Travelgirl! Firstly, my congrats on your wedding. Its the biggest event in anyone's life and I'm glas it went off well for you. Even I'm getting married later this year and considering a beach wedding. Hawaii sounds like a cool idea. and all these tips you've given will come in handy..thanks!

[joeandkathleen]

I am trying to plan my destination wedding from the mainland, and I just don't know which wedding planner to trust. I see a lot of them that off 'wedding packages' that seem turnkey, but how do I find out if they are truly legit or worthy to plan a small wedding? I don't want to do a hotel because I'm not willing to pay the excessive hotel fees since I was looking for a beach location regardless (and all beaches are publice anyway). And I just want a truly simple wedding. I was planning to have the wedding in Oahu in the middle of the week before lunchtime during the summer.. so I assumed there would be little to no patrons anyway. What wedding planner/packages did you choose? Did you have wedding guests? How long was the ceremony? Did you hire a private photographer? As far as wedding attire, I already opted not to get the traditional wedding dress (too bulky and heavy for a beach wedding), but do you think one that is too light may not work well if the location is windy?

Thanks a bunch! I'm sure I'll have more questions as I plan this event.

[hawaii-lisa]

Hi, I'm not the OP but I got married in a beach park in Kailua-Kona. We had a few guests, our ceremony was about 45 minutes, and we did hire a photgrapher. I went with a trditional wedding dress and my husband wore a full tuxedo and it wasn't bad. We did it at 10 in the morning - it's usually not too hot on the beach at 10. Lot's of people do a very light, hawaiian print dress though.