We often get asked, “what’s the best time for my Hawaii beach wedding?” As with many other things for your special day, the answer is “it depends.”

What you think will be “best” all depends on your preferences and priorities. To help you decide, we have some tips for your consideration.

Before we get into details of the time of day, here are three things we'd like to mention: 

1. The most important recommendation we have is to choose a weekday as opposed to a weekend or holiday. The beaches are significantly less populated at any time of day during the week, allowing more seclusion for your ceremony.
2. If you’re wondering about the best time of year for a beach wedding, here in Hawaii it’s literally any time! Florida beach weddings are recommended in March, April, May, November, or December, but all twelve months in Hawaii are lovely. We have amazing Hawaii wedding-day weather year-round so whenever you’re available, you can do a Hawaii destination wedding.
3. The information below is based on typical lighting conditions for that time of day, but the weather matters. Mother nature can make a mid-day ceremony look like dusk, but our photographers and videographers know how to get the best shots in any weather conditions. 

Morning Ceremonies - 8am-10:30am

Although it’s a non-traditional time to have a wedding, this is a great time for a wedding for many of our couples.

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 beach wedding dress, but they are dangerous in the sand! Or the lava rocks at some of our wedding locations. Not great places to wear heels.

We've been doing both Oahu elopements and outer island Hawaii elopements since 1978, so we understand how elopement packages are an excellent option for couples looking for a stress-free way to plan their wedding. With some of the most stunning beaches in the world, eloping in Hawaii is a no-brainer!

Did you know that elopements and destination weddings can be much more affordable than the cost of a traditional wedding? Many couples can fly to Hawaii, stay seven nights, have their wedding, and still spend less than they would for a wedding at home. This is also true for most elopement locations around the world.

You might also like our Tips for Eloping blog post for the "do's and don'ts" of eloping in Hawaii.

We already mentioned that Hawaii has affordable destination wedding options, but what’s “affordable,” you ask? Our Hawaii wedding packages range from $395 to $8,995, with most couples spending a small fraction of the cost of a traditional wedding (2024 prices).

Waialae Beach is a short distance from Waikiki and is known for all its iconic palm trees, making it one of our popular Oahu wedding locations.

Details: 

• Location: South Shore, 10 minutes from Waikiki.
• Available: 7 days a week, 8:00am-6:00pm.
• Recommended for up to 30 guests.
• Decor: No Arches and Chairs. Runways are available 7 days a week.
• Recommendation: Lighting is great throughout the day. 

Ceremony Considerations at Waialae Beach

The ceremony is held on the beach with the ocean as the backdrop. (If you’re interested in having your ceremony on a lawn right next to the ocean, especially for larger groups, check out Magic Island.)

Following the ceremony, we take the couple along the beach for a variety of photos.

Waialae Beach is perfect for an intimate beach wedding.

Everything You Need to Know About Kawela Bay

Kawela Bay is our top North Shore wedding location. For couples staying on the North Shore, the drive to many of our other Hawaii wedding locations is a bit far, and considering the proximity to Turtle Bay and other North Shore accommodations, Kawela Bay is a great choice. Although we have descriptions and photos of all our wedding locations, we wanted to share more details that may help you choose the perfect beach for the big day!

As you probably have seen in the pictures, this location features soft sand, calm blue water, and one of Hawaii's most amazing Banyan trees.

The combination of the beach and forest gives couples a "two-in-one-location” photo opportunity.

Introduction to Micro Weddings

Micro weddings are rising in popularity, and now more than ever, it is a great time to consider if it may be right for you. Here at Weddings of Hawaii, we’ve been specializing in destination weddings of all sizes for over 40 years.

Thousands of couples have benefitted from the happy-medium of a micro wedding, and we’d love to help you determine if you could be one of them!

Small, intimate beach weddings are the perfect kind of micro wedding.

What Is a Micro Wedding?

A micro wedding for many places in the world is a small wedding, usually with around 20 and no more than 50 guests, but a Hawaii micro wedding is usually smaller, often with the couple and a few guests.

Generally, it is more streamlined but similar to a traditional wedding, with everything on a smaller scale.

Aside from the guest count, the biggest difference is that the reception is more casual and less structured than a traditional wedding reception.