As your trusted Hawaii wedding planners, we do our best to ensure your day goes as smoothly and perfectly as possible. However, a few things are up to you. We always try to communicate these tips and reminders to our couples.
We speak from experience here, so please trust us that these are some of the best tips you should consider for your special day.
Here Are Our Top 10 Tips for Your Hawaii Wedding Day:
1. Bring Your Marriage License and Wedding Rings
Don’t forget your marriage license and wedding rings! Your officiant needs your license, and your rings are part of the ceremony. You must pick up your marriage license from the Hawaii Department of Health or a license agent before your ceremony to be legally married. Here are more details on the marriage license process.
Don’t forget the rings!
2. Don’t Be Late
We do not want you to feel rushed, so it’s much better to be early and have a relaxing ceremony than to be late and cut your time short. Whether driving or taking a limo, you do not want to be tardy. It will cut into your ceremony time and photo time, and if you are more than 15 minutes late, it will result in additional fees for your vendors to stay overtime.
3. Choose a Hairstyle for the Breeze
If you’re having a Hawaii beach wedding, consider the breeze when deciding on a hairstyle. Hawaii is blessed with near-year-round trade winds. These help keep the island cool but may not work with every hairstyle. Just something to keep in mind.
4. Eat Before Your Ceremony
We joke about this tip, but it happens a lot. With all the excitement and preparing for the big day, our brides and grooms sometimes forget to eat. Then they get to the ceremony and run out of steam. Don’t be “hangry” on your ceremony day! Make sure you have a meal beforehand that’ll keep you full.
5. Carefully Consider Your Footwear
This tip is for both the bride and groom. If you’re wearing new footwear, make sure you break them in first and not just the night before. We see a lot of blisters. For the bride, we recommend flat footwear at most of our locations. High heels may look great, but they’re unsafe for walking in the sand or on lava rocks. And yes, you could kick them off, but the sand can sometimes be hot. If you’re set on having heels for your photos, at least bring a comfortable pair of shoes along as well.
Check out our other tips on what to wear to your beach wedding, groom attire ideas for beach weddings, and beach wedding dresses.
6. Come Fully Dressed
Once you arrive at your wedding venue, you’ll want to be ready to start your ceremony. There isn’t always a convenient or clean place to change clothing. Plus, changing takes at least 10 minutes, which cuts into your ceremony and photo time. It’s best to get ready before you leave. That way, you won’t lose any time.
7. Add the Digital Image Photo Package
Purchasing your digital images is an option most of our couples choose. Adding them to your package before your wedding allows you to get them at the pre-sale rate! For various reasons, many couples wait to purchase the digital image package after their ceremony at a higher rate. We encourage you to make this decision before your ceremony day, as we don’t want you to waste that money!
8. Gratuity for Your Wedding Team?
While gratuity is by no means a requirement, it is greatly appreciated. If you’d like to show your appreciation through a monetary “thank you,” the vendors to consider are your officiant, hair and makeup artist, limousine driver, photographer, and videographer (depending on your package).
9. Add Photo Time for Large Groups
Yes, it costs extra, but one hour of photography isn’t enough to capture all your guests and still get the important couple’s shots as well. If you have a large group, our photographer will need to spend time getting your guests arranged for photos. With only one hour of photography time, it will feel rushed. Our photographers don’t like this because they can’t do the quality work they’d like, and we don’t want our couples to regret not getting good photos of all their guests. If you have a large group, please consider adding photography time to your package.
10. Contact Us When You Need Help
We don’t want you to wonder about things we can easily give you information on! We know planning such an important day from across the ocean can be scary. We’re always happy to discuss any questions or concerns you have, so please never hesitate to reach out. You’re always welcome to call or send us a message.
You may also like Five Regrets Couples Have on Their Hawaii Wedding Day.
