Best and Worst of Oahu Hawaii Weddings

Best Time to Have a Hawaii Beach Wedding

Mornings between 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

You can get married any time of day and sunset beach weddings are amazing. However, we say mornings over sunset for 5 logical reasons:

1. If it rains you can change your Hawaii beach wedding to later that day. You have a plan "B" so you don't have to worry about the weather.
2. Locals are at work, kids are in school and tourists are either sleeping or at an activity so the beaches are less crowded. You will have the best chance at privacy in the morning. The later in the day your Hawaii wedding is, the more likely others will be at the beach.
3. It's not hot out yet so everyone is more comfortable
4. The sun's light isn't harsh yet so you get better light for pictures than with mid-day, and also better lighting than sunset weddings.
5. The beaches are freshly groomed so there are no remains of other beachgoers or rubbish on the beach. By evening time, the beaches can have a little bit of litter or “remains” from other beachgoers. Simply put, the beach itself is prettier in the morning because it’s undistributed.

Some say that nothing is better than a Hawaiian sunset beach wedding, and in perfect conditions, we agree. However, one thing to consider is that about 65% of all weddings start late so if your Hawaii wedding starts late and the sunsets you’ll have no choice to get married in the dark. Don’t get us wrong, Hawaii sunset beach weddings are amazing and we absolutely will do a sunset wedding but the best time with the most options and security as well as privacy we feel are mornings.

Best Day of the Week to Have a Hawaii Beach Wedding

Monday – Thursday

You can get married any day of the week but we say Monday – Thursday for 3 logical reasons:

1. Locals are at work and kids are in school which means the beaches are less crowded. You will have the best chance at having privacy on a weekday than a weekend.
2. You'll save money, because many vendors have "week day specials" and charge less on the weekdays then weekends
3. You are more likely to get the location, service providers and things you want for a weekday ceremony as there is less competition than on the weekdays.

Best Locations for a Hawaii Beach Wedding:

Varies Greatly

It depends entirely on what you are looking for in a Hawaii beach wedding as far as views, distance from your hotel and more. Please give us a call and we’ll gladly make recommendations. However, locations that we really like are Waimanalo, Makapu’u, Ko’Olina, Sunset Beach and the private site called Secret Island.

Worst Location for a Hawaii Beach Wedding:

Magic Island

The name "Magic Island" is very misleading as it is not an island nor is it magical. Many other companies use Magic Island for weddings. In fact, so many use it that brides and groom's line up for a spot, and it is a classic "wedding mill" location. Despite the multiple weddings, it simply is not a very "magical" place. Magic Island is the eastern part of Ala Moana Beach Park, and is a family park with hundreds of kids running around, family's barbequing and playing games. It is loud, over-crowded and is home to many of Oahu's homeless. Please feel free to verify these statements by Googling "Homeless in Ala Moana Beach Park" and you will see countless articles on the subject. The city has worked very hard to clean it up, but several homeless still reside in the park and it's just not a pretty place compared to the other options on island. In our opinion, this is probably the most over-used and misrepresented location for Hawaii weddings.

Best Private Hawaii Wedding Locations

These are locations that we recommend.

Paradise Cove Luau: The Best for Wedding & Luau reception

Turtle Bay Resort Wedding Pavilion: Out of the way with breathtaking views

Waimea Falls: Simply Stunning Natural Waterfall with views every step of the way

Moli’i Gardens: Best place for water-front, private lush, tropical garden weddings

Secret Island: Best place for a mystical beach wedding with a lot of privacy.

Kawa’a’a Valley: It’s hard to explain how over-whelming beautiful this site it.

Most Unusual Hawaii Wedding Locations

Under Water
Get married underwater. Both the bride & groom must be certified divers.

In Mid-Air
Jump out of plane and into wedlock as you skydive during your wedding ceremony!

In A Shark Cage!
What witnesses you'll have! Exchange vows in the safety of a shark cage while apex predators circle the cage in a feeding frenzy!

Sand Bar
Get married standing on a sand bar in the middle on an ocean bay!