7 Tips to Plan an Affordable Destination Wedding

When we researched about How Much a Hawaii Destination Wedding Costs, we were surprised at how affordable it could be compared to a traditional wedding.

Is a destination wedding really cheaper than a traditional wedding? Yes, in most cases it's cheaper.

It was surprising that a traditional wedding averages over $25,000, yet many of our couples spend less than $7000 to fly to Hawaii, spend seven nights in a hotel, and have a beautiful Hawaiian wedding ceremony.

Every couple is different, of course, and there are many options when planning either a destination or a traditional wedding.

A destination wedding is cheaper on average, and we thought of some ideas to help you plan the most affordable dream wedding possible.

(Updated)

While we do have couples who are last-minute elopements or vow renewals, many of our couples spend months or more planning their Hawaii destination wedding. As the departure date gets closer, you can take comfort in knowing we’ve taken care of your ceremony details, but there are some things you need to do to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible.

One of the most common questions we get from couples when making their travel plans is whether they should get a rental car or not. It’s an added expense, after all, and it’s good to know what other options are out there, especially if you're trying to have an affordable destination wedding.

Everyone is different. Some people like to hang out at the hotel, while others like to get out and explore. While there's never a one-size-fits-all answer, we like to provide as much information as possible to our couples and their guests. 

In this article, I’ll try to cover all the transportation options available to get around Oahu.

Walking

If you don't mind walking, you can get to a lot of places in Waikiki. From end to end, it’s about a 30-minute walk down Kalakaua Avenue, the main street loaded with shopping, restaurants, and hotels.

There are certain moments in your life that you only get once. Your wedding day is definitely one of them. All couples do their best to plan ahead and make sure their day includes everything they want. However, hindsight can truly be 20/20.

Here are the top five regrets couples have from their wedding. Hopefully this helps you plan accordingly for your big day!  

5. Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Select shoes so you’ll be comfortable! Gentlemen, if you are getting new shoes, make sure to break them in beforehand. Ladies, high heels may look great with your dress, but are they going to kill your feet? And then there's the sand, of course! Or the lava rocks at some of our wedding locations. Not great spots for heels.

Once you decide to have your wedding or vow renewal in the beautiful state of Hawaii, what steps are involved in to make sure you and your partner have an amazing, stress-free experience?

1. Apply for Your Marriage License (not required for vow renewals)

It's super easy to get a marriage license in Hawaii. Although it can be done last minute, it is required, so plan in advance.

To apply for a Hawaii marriage license, fill out the online application on the State of Hawaii's website.

Once you arrive in Hawaii, you'll both need to meet with a licensing agent to pick up your license. The process takes around 15 minutes.

For details on requirements, process, and more, visit our marriage license page.

FAQs:

• There are no state residence or U.S. citizenship requirements.
• Blood tests are not required.
• The legal age to marry is 18 years for both applicants.
• A valid I.D. (passport) or driver’s license may be presented for anyone 19 years of age or over.
• If previously married, proof of original divorce decree or death certificate needs to be presented to the marriage agent by the applicant if the divorce or death was final within 30 days of applying for a marriage license.

Everything You Need to Know About Sherwood Forest Beach

Sherwood Forest Beach (aka Waimanalo Bay) is one of our most popular Hawaii beach wedding locations. Not only is it a great beach for a wedding, but it’s also a personal favorite of many of us here at Weddings of Hawaii. Although we have descriptions and photos of all our wedding locations, we wanted to share more details that may help you in choosing the perfect beach for the big day!

As you probably have seen in the pictures, this location features soft white sand, clear turquoise blue water, and the striking ironwood tree forest.

The stark contrast between the beach and forest gives couples a "two-in-one-location” photo opportunity. Because of its logistics, it is also our most secluded beach location.