Running in circles - beach or estate???

suwannee79 · June 2010

I am starting to drive myself crazy trying to decide between a beach or estate ceremony. Every time I look at pictures of weddings on a beach it seems so beautiful and tropical and I think "Well if we're going to get married in Hawaii it should be on a beach"....but then I look at estate pictures and I like the option of being in one place for the whole day and having the options of canopies and chairs etc. Has anybody else had this dilemma? If so how and what did you decide to do? Thanks!

mauidandy · June 2010

I loved the privacy we had getting married at an estate, and the security of knowing the property was ours for the whole day, and we could bring in tents, chairs, whatever we wanted to! I didn't want to deal with fighting for prime beach space, beach permits, having people walk by and stare, etc. Our wedding was right next to the ocean and still had the beautiful, tropical "Hawaii" feel. My only concern would be if you have a small budget...it's definitely pricier to rent out an estate.

carrieoz_76 · June 2010

We can't answer that for you, silly! That's totally personal.

Try this - When you close your eyes and imagine yourself getting married, is it on the beach or on the grass near a beach? 10 years down the road, do you think you'll regret it if you didn't get married on a beach?

FI's and my answers to those questions dictated our choice (beach), but yours may lead you a different direction.

suwannee79 · June 2010

I guess that's my problem, I close my eyes and have no idea what I want

I like both options and could see myself at both. As far as privacy I do like the idea of an estate; we were looking at the Makena Beach cove for a beach site as it's supposed to be more private and we're getting married on Wednesday so hopefully we wouldn't be competing with other weddings and maybe there would be less regular people. I guess that's what the scouting trip is for, see the different locations and pick which one feels right!

carrieoz, which beach did you end up picking, and how did you choose it over other beaches?

AKWinterBride · June 2010

We chose to go with Olowalu because the last time we were in Maui we saw 3 beach weddings and all of them had rude beach goers literally running THROUGH their wedding. I hope that was a rare thing, but it didn't appear to be. I would be so upset if that happened at our wedding. But, as the others have said, it's a personal choice.

55pawsh · June 2010

If you're considering Oahu, you may want to look at Secret Island at Kualoa Ranch. You can take a few minute boat ride across the water to "secret island" and get married there on the beach, then take the boat back to the Moili Gardens where you could have the canopies, chairs, etc set up for the reception. http://kualoa.com/event_locations.htm
A friend got married there and it was beautiful, a turtle came up on the shore as the ceremony was going on. Plus, the only way to get there is via boat so no random tourist running around

55pawsh · June 2010

Another place on Oahu is Ke Iki Beach Bungalos. If you're having a smaller wedding this would be great, would not recommend it for a wedding larger than 75 people though. We went to one with about 100 guests and it was too crowded. They let you get married on the beach fronting the property and there are a few cottages you can stay at. If you rent the entire place its private. http://www.keikibeach.com/
HTH

carrieoz_76 · June 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_running-circles-beach-estate?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:537938cd-71d4-4236-940d-0a378532542dPost:40f76ccd-4bc6-40ff-92be-f05d1e886e03">Re: Running in circles - beach or estate???</a>:
[QUOTE]carrieoz, which beach did you end up picking, and how did you choose it over other beaches?
Posted by suwannee79[/QUOTE]
We chose our beach based on the recommendation of our WC and photographer. There are tradeoffs to getting married on a beach, as well as to getting married at an estate. Budget is one. Formality is another.<div>
</div><div>I'm not saying our locations publicly until after the wedding, so when I get back I'll include info in my reviews. FI is an internet security nut. :)</div>

ETweet · June 2010

We were mainly sold on an estate due to the convenience of having everything in one place. We still had the ocean, for the tropical feel, and the security of knowing that our day was private.
On the other hand, you may be able to do a beach wedding for much cheaper. This is a tough decision. Either way your days is going to be amazing. You really can't go wrong with either setting!

kaesha · June 2010

For me it was two things: privacy and the fact that I didn't want to travel between ceremony and reception.

jackcody · June 2010

Privacy won out for us. We looked at hotels and their beaches, and even then you have people all around you that aren't your friends and family. No good. The estates still have a beachy feel to me--plus, I hate getting sand everywhere

fabutan · June 2010

Ditto what everyone else said... it's really up to you and your preferences. Admittedly, I ruled out having a beach wedding from the start, because of the privacy issue. I don't need it to be 100% private, but semi-private would be nice. Since beaches are public, anything could happen and it would be out of your control. For example, a surfer could be paddling in the background, a guy might come running through the scene in speedos, you name it! LOL

That being said, however, there have been some BEAUTIFUL beach weddings that I've seen on this board. It certainly has that romantic, classic Hawaiian feel. Keep in mind that you won't be able to have chairs/seating/chuppah set up though.

I think a beach wedding would work fine for a small group or just the couple. Larger groups would go better on a private estate. You could always have your beach photos taken afterwards and get the best of both worlds. HTH!!

Silverlegacyga · June 2010

I am going with beach. I want to keep things simple, and budget friendly. The ceremony its self is 15mins, and if for those 25 mins that people are there on the beach for the wedding, and have to be rude (the onlookers, well Karma is a B*TCH).

The important thing for us was we are getting married because we love each other, our ceremony will be small with close friends and family. I much rather have the extra money for a fabulous reception. Honestly, the guests are there to celebrate with you. This is why we chose the beach. Again, your personal preference and what you as a couple want are and should be entirely different from what others want and why. It is you guys as a couple who need to make those decisions.
HTH

AKWinterBride · June 2010

Silver, I have a friend who got married on the beach and the best way for them to get around all the onlookers was to have it early in the morning. Just a thought!

sandyhorne · June 2010

Totally personal decision. For me, the beach in front of Diamond Head was the only option. We looked at a few estates and for us it gave too much of a privacy and secluded feel. We like action and people around us (maybe it's a Vegas thing lol). The beach at the Hilton where we got married was perfect. People were around, not rude, views were awesome, perfectly ideal. I like the close your eyes and see what the picture is that Carrie recommended. Whatever decision you make you will be happy with!

Silverlegacyga · June 2010

Thanks AK! Ill keep that as an option... Maybe it might work, FI is not the best morning person though.

burichan · June 2010

We are all staying at North Shore Keiki Beach and we are getting married on Loulu Palm which is only 2 miles away. Loulu Palm has a private beach and then a huge lawn that the reception is going to be. We are doing everything there.

It's only private because it was declared by the state as a monk seal habitat.

http://www.Loulupalm.com

nahokulele · June 2010

I couldn't have been more pleased with the setting of Olowalu - we were on the beach for pics, but really, the grass practically ran right up to the water. Plus we had privacy.

Running in circles - beach or estate???

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