Weddings In Hawaii

Because we have a chain of four major islands, there are many places to have weddings in Hawaii. Let me take a few moments and review the four major islands and what each has to offer.

Hawaii -- is the least most popular destination for weddings in Hawaii. Affectionately known as "the big island", the reason it is not popular for Hawaiian island weddings is probably because of the fact that it has almost no sandy beaches. (The few that exist are always very crowded). Most couples coming from the mainland want to walk hand-in-hand on the beach at sunset, Hawaii is therefore a poor choice for a beach wedding. You'll find that there are very few wedding companies working on the big island, because there is simply no demand for weddings. (Some friends of ours moved to Hawaii to do weddings and came back to Maui soon afterwards because they just couldn't make a living there).

Kauai -- is the third most popular destination for weddings in Hawaii. Known as the "garden isle", it certainly has its share of weddings. Kauai is a lovely island and there are many places to get married. But it's biggest problem is that the best beaches for weddings are located on the eastern side of the island where it tends to be more windy. That also means, if you get married there, you might be able to have a great sunrise, but you won't see much at a sunset (as the sun will be setting on the far side of of the island). For this reason, Kauai is only the third in tourist wedding popularity.

Oahu -- is the second most popular destination for weddings in Hawaii. It is the home of Honolulu, the state capitol. Honolulu is Hawaii's largest city and it has freeways and traffic congestion that rival many mainland cities. The island is heavily populated with over a million people, and although there is a lot to see and do, the sheer number of people (and cars) on the island makes transportation a little bit of a hassle. Oahu certainly does its share of tourist weddings, and is ranks number two within the islands.

Maui -- is the most popular location for weddings in Hawaii. Almost half of all tourist weddings take place on this island that has consistently been dubbed "the world's best island." So why is Maui such a popular destination for weddings in Hawaii?

Probably the most important reason is that there are so many great sandy beaches on the west and south sides of Maui. These beaches face right into the setting sun, and so this makes having a beautiful sunset wedding so easy. There are many Maui wedding companies here (probably too many) because weddings are such an important part of the island's economy.

Maui also offers great recreational opportunities, varied accommodations, and a less crowded environment. There are only about 150,000 people on Maui (and about 40,000 tourists on any given day) as compared with Oahu's million-plus tourists. I have written an entire web page on the benefits of coming to Maui which you can find if you click here: http://www.maui-me.com/MauiFunBenefits.html

So if you're thinking of having a wedding in Hawaii, you don't want to miss what coming to Maui can offer you.