Any Kauai Information You Can Give Me!

tsmith328 · February 2011

We are planning a simple ceremony for the two of us in Kauai and just getting started. We'd like to have the ceremony on or around September 21. Yes...2011. We are leaning towards an all-inclusive, but I have concerns about the ability to get a relatively unoccupied spot on the beach. I will need photography and videography. Don't really need any music - gonna bring my own!

I have seen a couple of recommendations on WCs, but welcome more. I'm quite surprised at the prices of packages that I'm finding, but maybe that's because my expectations were unresearched.

Thoughts on all-inclusive versus private beach?

Thoughts on which coast is best (I know that the north is rainy and the west is windy)?

Any other information?

Thanks ladies!!!

sparklegirl84 · February 2011

I went to Kauai in june 2010-absolutely loved it! If you want I can send you a link to our facebook album. We preferred the north side and went to Secret beach - it's huge and we seriously had the whole beach to ourselves! If it wasn't such a burden on our guests i'd be getting married there instead of Oahu. When we went we stayed on the east side in Kapaa, it's affordable and convienent to get everywhere on the island, but we couldn't swim outside our hotel, the current is too dangerous. The west side of the island is mostly just locals, no resorts or tourist attractions (other than Waimea canyon-so pretty).

We saw a wedding on shipwreck beach on the south shore, right in front of the Grand Hyatt. They probably have some package deals. Hanalei is a beautiful area and I just found this site: http://www.hanaleibayweddings.com/ Not sure what they're like though. Here's another site: http://www.hcr.com/weddings-romance/wedding-packages This hotel is unique because they have no tvs, no phones, etc. I prefered the north shore but we were there in June, i'm not sure how different the ocean will be come Sept.

P.S Order a copy of Kauai revealed, I was glued to that book! I now own the maui, oahu and big island versions.

HTH!

tsmith328 · February 2011

Sparkle,

Thank you thank you! We are seriously looking at the west coast of the island. The south side looks pretty cliffy. I do want to be able to swim outside of our room.

Are you using a WC? I start interviewing tomorrow and am just a bit stressed over the temptation to DIY. I'm just concerned about the fact that my trip to Kaua'i to get married will be my FIRST trip there. No time or money to fly down and check it out beforehand, so I want to be sure that I know where to go and when to get the license, etc.

I'll check out the Grand Hyatt!

kaesha · February 2011

I just booked a few nights at the Grand Hyatt for our trip there this summer.

sparklegirl84 · February 2011

I'm not sure how much money you have to spend on your trip, we were on a budget so we didn't get to indulge in the luxury hotels. We considered going there for our honeymoon (decided to try out maui instead) and wanted to stay at the St. Regis in Princeville- it's beautiful. I'm not hiring a WC for my oahu wedding, i'm bringing my BFF along and tasking her with the DOC duties. If your wedding is going to be only a few guests I'd imagine you could totally DIY.

I have a family friend that lives in Kauai, so I can ask her anything you need, my Dad lived there for a few years too a few years ago. They both lived on the west side of the island, there's a military base over there but really no hotels. Polihale beach is out that way, I hear it's really pretty but we never made it out that far because the road can get rough and we didn't want to void our rental car policy.

There's sandy beaches in poipu and cliffs as well. I'd imagine the better swimming hotels would be in poipu. We just felt like it was a little more crowded (I'm probably gonna freak out when we're in Waikiki).

Anyway, I'm sending you both a PM with my f.b album if you wanna browse.

carrieoz_76 · February 2011

We saw a very small wedding at Ha'Ena Beach on the north side, and it was very charming. We were swimming in the ocean, and watched the couple be married by someone in local ceremonial garb, with maybe two guests/witnesses. It was a beautiful day, not many people on the beach (it was probably 10am), and quite nice.

If you go with something other than the north side - which must be one of the most beautiful places in the world; it's just jaw-dropping - I'd say go with Poipu, which is on the south side, not as windy as the west side, and lost of amenities (restaurants, hotels, shopping, etc.).

As for beach weddings, the beaches can be long which allows you to find a spot to yourself, and if you go mid-morning there are fewer people than later in the day. If you really want a beach wedding, I don't think you'll have trouble finding one that works for you. Plus, on Kauai, many beaches are beautiful, but aren't perfect swimming beaches (tide is strong or coral too shallow), so you should be able to find something that's not too busy.

sariid · February 2011

Hi Ladies!

This is my first post but I've been reading this board from time to time over the last couple months because I'm planning my Kauai wedding. We got engaged at the end of November and our wedding is mid-May (yes, in a few months). It started out with plans to have a very small wedding and now we've invited almost 100 people. The first thing we did was hire a wedding planner as we are both very busy with work and planning from the mainland. We went with Mira-Mira and she has been a dream to work with. She is very sweet and on top of things, and she genuinely seems excited about our wedding. She does a great job of getting me to describe my vision and then she runs with it and comes back with concrete ideas for me. She has done all the coordination with my vendors, which has made it really easy for me. We make the choices and she makes it happen. Although our engagement is pretty short, none of it has felt rushed. From my experience so far, I would highly recommend her.

We are getting married at a private rental on the north shore. The north shore of Kauai was the first place we went on vacation together, and it is really one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It does get more rain, but that is why it is so green and lush and beautiful.

As far as accommodation goes, I highly recommend checking out the VRBO website if you haven't tried it. There are some beautiful rentals with prices that are sometimes better than the hotels. We stayed in a great place last time we were there and some of our guests have rented amazing homes to stay in for the week of our wedding.

If you have any specific questions, I feel like I've learned a lot over the past few months and would be happy to share. :-)

tsmith328 · June 2011

Thanks ladies! Since this post, we have decided on the north shore - Anini Beach, to be exact! Carrieoz, I hope everything that you said recreates because we're getting married up there at around 10a.m. My WC just said that the lighting is the best then! (We can get sunset pics some other time!)

For a WC, we went with Coconut Coast. I was at first concerned about having a guy as our WC, but he has been great so far and very responsive. Our ceremony is September 28, so my hope is that he remains as responsive as the wedding season ramps up!

Hope everything goes well for you, Sariid! Can't wait to hear about it!

Any Kauai Information You Can Give Me!

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