Hawaii hotel and wedding location ideas....

bultmannsbabe

Any knotties that have already gotten married in Hawaii that can recommend a spot!? I've been looking online, but honestly I dont know what is different about the islands, and so I dont know which to pick (to start with) THEN, do I go through a hotel for the wedding, or do I contact a coordinator outside of a hotel? How do I know (from KC) which companies are legit...lol So many questions I know, but I just dont even know where to start.... I want: a beach wedding, small group of family and friends, thats pretty much all I really NEED. HELP!?

peachmango

You might want to take a look at the HawaiiFAQ and the HawaiiBrides bios.  They have some basic info on the islands that might help

MrsNFB

We had a beach wedding on the Big Island of Hawaii at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows.  PIB.If you are looking to get married at a resort then you can just contact the resort since most (if not all) resorts in Hawaii have in-house wedding coordinators.It looks like you have a lot of time to research so my suggestion is that you get a Hawaii info packet from the state of Hawaii (it's free) at gohawaii.comThen really take a look at the islands and pick one that interests you the most, they are all unique and have different things to offer.  The most popular islands to visit are Kauai, Oahu, Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii.Something to keep in mind is that all beaches in Hawaii are public, even the ones that front resorts, so many resorts don't even offer true beach weddings (all offer beach views though, usually on a grassy area near the water).  If you truly want a feet-in-the-sand type ceremony, then my suggestion is to look into upscale resorts - although they can't stop the public from using their beach, they sure do try and get away with it for the most part.  On the Big Island of Hawaii, the only resorts that I know of that conduct true beach ceremonies (since we visited all of them, I wanted a true beach wedding and didn't want to settle on getting married on a grassy are) are the Four Seasons Hualalai, Kona Village Resort, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows and the Fairmont Orchid. The island with the most options for pretty much everything including hotels, restaurants, nightlife and def wedding vendors is Oahu.  Oahu has the state capital of Honolulu (and Waikiki which is just one neighborhood of Honolulu) which is basically a big city (with lots to do) and Honolulu International Airport is the aviation hub of the entire Hawaiian islands chain - most flights go in/out of Honolulu so you'll get the best airfares to/from here.  If you are concerned about budget then Oahu is a great island to choose and look into for your wedding.One more thing...another great resource for figuring out which island to choose are the Revealed series of books by Andrew Doughty.  There are Revealed books for the four most popular islands to visit.  Take FI to Barnes & Noble and flip through these books, they will give you a great idea of the vibe of each island plus they list nearly every activity/attraction on each island which is very helpful when trying to decide which island offers the activities you most want to do.  The website for the books is wizardpub.comGood Luck!

jujubee96

this website helped me figure out what beach I wanted to use in Oahu.  click on their beaches part, there are good pics of all the beaches they feature.  Some of the more popular ones are Waimanalo and Lanikai. http://www.ahawaiiwedding.com/if you go to my planning bio and click on helpful links, there are links to the Hawaii FAQ and the others mentioned above.

bultmannsbabe

THANKS SO MUCH LADIES!! I ordered a packet from gohawaii.com, and also emailed ahawaiiwedding.com. I'll take all the info I can get... we have plenty of time, I just need to see what will work best for us, and all of our family.... I DO have a 7 year old brother so I want some place (at least close to where we are staying, if not the same place) that will work for them too! I know that I want the beach, a bouquet, and a cake... OH, and I did find some site (cant remember which) that does these really cool archway things-see below at the edge of the beach that I like, I just dont know who all offers them in their wedding packages... All info you can provide rocks, and thanks again for helping me out!!! (Especially taking time to type out alot of info!)

MrsNFB

I doubt you will find any place that will include an archway like the one pictured included in their package...that looks like a custom arch for sure. Also, if you looking at a wedding on a state park beach (like the ones listed in that website posted above) then be advised that archways and even chairs are not allowed on the beach anymore.  If you want something like that then, as I mentioned before, you should look for upscale resorts that have a bit more privacy and can get away with putting stuff on the beach...the downside is that these types of places are more expensive than getting a ceremony package for a state park beach.There places on every island that can do a custom arch for you (sometimes even your florist can do it).  Once you pick your island and location, post back on the board asking for suggestions.