Oahu Venue Recommendations PLEASE!

jaciv3

Hello everyone,

Hope you can help!  My fiance and I are planning to get married Sept/Oct 2014.  We haven't chosen a date because we are pretty flexible and trying to find the best price.  Is it possible to do wedding (ceremony and reception) in Oahu for 5K-7K and 20-30 guests?  We would like something on the beach or near the water.  I would prefer something more private as I know Waikiki beach can get a little crowded.  We are actually trying to book tickets to go within the next 3 weeks to check out places but I can't seem to find anything.  Everything sends me back to Waikiki hotels.  Does anyone have advice or has gotten married within that price range in Oahu?  Would you recommend Oahu price and location wise or is something in Maui better?  I currently live in NJ so its a little hard to plan from here.  Also, we don't want to spend too much on wedding because we would like to have more for the 2 week honeymoon.  Please Help!!!

destiny1108

you may consider a beach wedding (no set-up though) and reception at Tikis Grill and Bar, that would probably work with your budget

samleanne33

Hey, I am getting married in Oahu this December. I am using Maui'd Forever to help me plan and coordinate most things. They have some really cheap packages for getting married on the beach. These are the packages:

 http://mauidforever.com/wedding-locations/oahu/oahu_wedding_packages.php

and they also have a list of locations here:

http://mauidforever.com/wedding-locations/oahu/oahu_wedding_locations.php

I actually chose a location that isn't on the list, they are pretty flexible I opted to get my own photographers though as that is one of the most important things to me and their photographs don't seem to be that great. Basically, I started out with the cheapest package and have been slowly adding more and more on to it haha. They will help you get basically whatever you need! My wedding looks like it is going to be under 5k (not including flights or hotels though...) I am only having about 10 guests though. There seems to be a lot of different beautiful beaches on Oahu to choose from! The photographers I hired are very affordable as well and their photos are AMAZING! I was so happy to book them I could not believe the price. This is their website:

 http://www.rightframe.net/

and you can see more of their pictures on their facebook page here:

 https://www.facebook.com/RightFramePhotography

Maui'd forever sometimes takes a while responding to emails which is kind of annoying but they are nice and they seem to know their stuff. I have been dealing with Lisa there. 

For reception, since my wedding is so small I was originally going to just find a restaurant to have a nice dinner at but now instead I am going to a big Luau The one I am going to is Paradise Cove Luau. It's not a private thing though, there are lots of people and it's not really all about you haha which some people wouldn't like... it's up to about 150$ per person if you choose the deluxe package or just over 100$/person for the buffet style option... Hope this helps! I was so lost when I first started planning but everything is basically altogether now! I also had not very much time to plan either haha but it's working out with very little stress! Good luck!!

WinstonsGirl

Here's a list of venues in Oahu that you might want to look into.  I C&P'd it from the post below.  Not sure what you'll get for that price though, as mine cost a bit more.  

We did our wedding at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach hotel in Waikiki, on their Voyager Deck.  They had a nice package that we liked, since we planned from Canada.  The deck overlooks the beach and we also did many of our photos on the beach and in Ft Derussy park which is next door.  There were a lot of places we wanted to check out, but with everyone traveling in, it just seemed easier to plan form afar a wedding all in one place versus having everyone travel all over the island for the day.  

Other popular places are Beyer Estates, Da Pink House, Ko Olina resort area, Paradise Cove (where they do Luaus), Loulu Palm Estate, Sunset Ranch, Kualoa Park (where lots of Tv/movies are filmed) and Turtle Bay on the North Shore.  Most hotels will have some sort of packages, so check their websites (there is a nice chapel on the Hilton resort too).  And remember that places which are further away (North Shore, Kualoa, etc.) will have less access to large number of vendors, or will come at a higher price for vendors to come out there. 

pintSizeSlasher

Hi there,

I just got married in Oahu a month ago today! My ceremony was at the Ocean Crystal Chapel at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. The reception was at the Loulu Palms Estate out near North Shore.

If you are looking for somewhere beautiful, private, right on the beach, definitely check out Loulu Palms!!  It was such a beautiful, peaceful place. We looked at a bunch of different private estates, and this one was the most secluded (has a gated entrance), furthest back from the road, and you can set your tent up far back from the house, closer to the beach, and you have a perfect view of the sun setting in the evening. The lady that runs this place is SO kind and sweet, and will really work to make you happy.

As far as price, for both venue locations we spent about $6k--had we had both the wedding and reception at Loulu Palms, we would've paid only about $3k, but we compromised because I wanted a chapel wedding and he wanted a private reception. I think you have the option of having the ceremony on the grass that overlooks the beach, or on the beach itself (though it might be small if you have a lot of guests).

The only thing about Loulu Palms is you literally have to rent everything for yourself, and they make you go through a rental company they partner with. The lady who works there (Pacific Party Rentals) is also very nice and easy to work with. Their prices weren't too bad at all. My husband insisted on a clear top tent which was way more expensive than the regular canvas tent, so you could save money by just having the regular one. So just keep in mind that using a private estate as opposed to a resort, you will need to figure out all the rentals yourself (they can help though), as opposed to the hotel providing everything. You will also have to book all other vendors yourself like caterers, cakes, flowers, etc, and a lot of them just won't deliver out to North Shore area. I had to specifically find vendors that were on that side of the Island.

Overall, I think it is the perfect location for a wedding/reception. Let me know if you have any questions about it or if you want me to give you the contact information for the woman who runs it.