Known for its lush mountains,  pristine beaches, and aloha spirit, the State of Hawaii has long been a destination of choice for couples around the world. Amid all the stunning scenery, it's easy to overlook one of the little-known perks of romance in the Aloha State: Hawaii happens to be one of the easiest places on earth to get married.

If you're coming to Hawaii for a wedding, honeymoon, or renewal ceremony, where you choose to stay can make all the difference. Whether you're looking for the beauty of the Hawaiian mountains and beaches or the energy of the Honolulu nightlife and shopping scene, the island of Oahu has plenty to offer.

We get asked all the time where we recommend staying. We usually say Waikiki, which is next to Honolulu on the island of Oahu, as that’s often the best fit for what our couples are looking for. However, the whole island is beautiful, as are the other islands of Hawaii.

Here are our thoughts on some areas you may want to consider.  :-)

You may already know that we have two offices in Waikiki, and about 97% of our couples stay in in the Waikiki area. We recommend Waikiki for lodging because of all the hotel options available, the convenience of the area, and all of the events nearby!

As locals, we have tons of "things to do" that we’d recommend, but we also wanted to let you know about some current events and activities coming up.

Many events in Waikiki happen throughout the year, so if you’re reading this but coming later, you should know there will likely be similar events to choose from. We mainly want to give you an idea of some activities other than enjoying the beaches and natural beauty of Hawaii.

What Makes a Good Hawaii Wedding Planner?

When having a destination wedding, there are a few important things to look for in your wedding planners. Writing this article was a great chance for us to reflect an make sure we’re doing all the important things for our couples. We teamed up and went over everything we focus on to be successful.

We believe there are four important characteristics you should look for in your wedding planner:

1. Trust
2. Good Communication
3. Value
4. Experience

1. Trust - Weddings of Hawaii has been in business for over 40 years. Although we’ve grown over time, we remain a small family and know the importance of what we do. We’re helping you prepare for one of the most important days of your life, and we want everything to be perfect! We take great pride in our online reviews (Yelp, Wedding Wire, Google), and we’re always looking for new ways to continuously improve.

2. Communication - We work as a team to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible for your ceremony. We are open Monday through Saturday, and we even try to work a few hours on Sunday. Our goal is to never leave you waiting too long for an answer. While we’re not perfect, we try to reply as soon as possible. We also try to stay logged in to our online chat bubble as much as possible to answers those quick questions you might have.

Capturing memories with photo and video is an important part of your day, and we want to give some tips to make sure you look your best and are comfortable with your team.

Photography

Our professional photographers will greet you with a warm aloha and lead you through everything from start to finish. They know it’s not every day you turn up for a photo shoot, so they’ll do their best to make you comfortable.

Tips to Remember:

• Relax and enjoy yourselves. The day is meant to be fun, so don’t take the photo shoot too seriously.
• Let your photographer know if you have any special requests. If there’s a particular pose or photo you’ve seen on our website that you know you want, just ask.
• Have good posture. Standing and sitting up straight are more flattering.
• Not sure about your smile? Mix it up. Your photographer will take a lot of pictures, so feel free to try a variety of expressions.
• Don't be late to your ceremony or it'll cut into your photo/video time.
• Following your ceremony, your photo shoot will start with group shots. If you have a large amount of guests, prep them so they know not to disappear. These take more time than you might think. 
• Love on each other. You’ll see the emotion and joy in the final pictures!

Will reality meet your expectations?

When dreaming about your Hawaiian beach wedding, you probably imagine beautiful blue skies with a handful of white, puffy clouds. You’re both wearing sunglasses as you make your way onto the beach. The trade winds are blowing. Your photographer’s snapping away, framing the moment around an amazing backdrop of ocean and mountains. The temperature’s a comfortable 83 degrees, which is around 27 degrees Celsius for our international couples ;-)

You’re probably picturing something like this: