A Hawaii destination wedding is getting away to a beautiful tropical location and having a romantic beach wedding, a honeymoon and a vacation all in one!

A Hawaii destination wedding is the best way to get married, hands down.

Think about it – it’s getting away to a beautiful tropical location, having a romantic beach wedding, having a honeymoon and taking a vacation all rolled into one! It’s hard to think of a place with more natural beauty than the Hawaiian islands, and the great thing is that they are not too far away for most, especially if you are coming from the US mainland.

A Hawaii destination wedding means an exciting wedding

Getting married on a tropical beach far away from home adds a lot of excitement to a wedding. Even if you get married at a place you love in your home town, it’s not quite the same. There’s nothing that can compare with traveling with your loved one (as well as family and friends) to a remote, warm and sunny location to get married. It takes you out of the routine and mundaneness of ordinary life (a change in scene we can all use, let’s face it!). It allows you the chance to let go of fears, anxieties and worries you might normally hold if you stayed where you live to get married. Hawaii will forever hold a special place in your heart and become a place of fond memories in the future.

Take a vacation and have a honeymoon in paradise with a Hawaii destination wedding

With a Hawaii destination wedding, you have the opportunity to really enjoy yourself before and after the wedding. Hawaii has so much natural beauty, friendly people, great food, fine dining, amazing outdoor activities and wonderful weather to offer. There’s something for everyone here, whether you’re into scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, camping, surfing or simply swimming and sunbathing at the beach. Getting married is one of the most enjoyable experiences of your life. Don’t hold back! Do it in style by having a Hawaii destination wedding and get married on a Hawaiian beach. Click here for some unbeatable Kauai wedding packages.

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A Hawaii Honeymoon is the perfect way to finish your wedding and begin your marriage.

A Hawaii Honeymoon is the perfect way to end your wedding and start your marriage.

The island of Hawaii offers an incredibly romantic atmosphere. With pure air, clear sea waters and the fresh and unpolluted sandy beaches, Hawaii is a idyllic place for a wedding and honeymoon alike. It’s a great place to relax with your new love. The temperature, magically, is almost always between 68° and 86° F (20° and 30° C) in a comfortable range which is rarely too hot or too cold.

A Hawaii Honeymoon Means Great Food

Make no mistake about it – a Hawaii honeymoon is going to provide you with some outstanding food choices! The food menu of Hawaii includes dishes of many different varieties from many different cultures. The native food of Hawaii has many types of fish such as cod, salmon and red snapper. Other than fish, other popular foods available in Hawaii are chicken, coconut pudding, rice, noodles and shaved ice. The tropical fruit in Hawaii is incredible and much is available year round (papaya, pineapple, banana) as well as seasonal mangoes (yum!), lychee, rambutan and passionfruit. The Chinese, Italian, Thai and Japanese cuisines are well represented too.

Activities Galore on a Hawaii Honeymoon

There are so many activities in Hawaii to choose from, ranging from snorkeling, surfing, scuba diving, whale and dolphin boat adventures, hiking, tubing and of course swimming at many warm, beautiful beaches. There are all sorts of accommodation available, from camping to fabulous resorts which are always perfect for a honeymoon couple. As a matter of fact even world’s most famous hotels and resort can be found on the Hawaiian islands.

Hawaii Honeymoon Packages

There are lots of Hawaii honeymoon packages which includes different accommodations and travel agreements. Unlike other traditional packages, these honeymoon packages are also with discounted prices. The amount of money one can save always depends on the type of the package one have chosen and also on from where it is being purchased. These are always reasonably priced so that one can save some money and have a pocket-friendly honeymoon!

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Beware … your mother-in-law may be try to take center stage and get in the middle of things!

Your mother-in-law may be the biggest challenge

you have to face in getting married. I’m not kidding! Even if you have everything else worked out – where you’re going to live, what jobs you’ll have, whether you’ll have kids or not – you may find the mother-in-law factor is so unpredictable and disarming that it can throw your relationship into turmoil. And for some strange reason, it’s normally the guy’s mother that seems to be the most difficult to deal with. What can you do about it? Try some of the following:

When conflict arises, side with your spouse against your mother

This is super important. Your mother-in-law can’t come between you and your spouse unless you allow it. If you make a point of always siding with your spouse (at least publicly) no matter what, then you can discuss controversial topics later on privately and try to come to some sort of resolution. Remember, it is a natural part of evolution to shift your center of focus away from your parents and onto your partner. Clinging on to the old focus is not living truly in the present and will cause problems. Find a way to respect your mother-in-law’s opinion and let her have it without needing to take it on or letting disrupt Who You Are in any way. She had her time getting married, raising kids or doing whatever it was, 20 to 30 years ago. Now it’s your turn.

Have clear boundaries

Get clear on what your domain is and express that as gently but firmly as you can. Of course you’re going to get parenting advice. If it reaches a point where it’s becoming too much, say that you appreciate her trying to help but that you have the situation under control. If she’s telling you horror stories about marriage that may cloud your vision, tell her you’re sorry that she experienced that, but that you hope to create something different and that you’d rather not hear it.

Be polite but assertive

It’s important to state your feelings and assert your needs in a given situation before the tension leads to anger and name-calling. You don’t want to say something that you will later regret and end up apologizing for.

Remember: your mother-in-law really want a relationship with her grandkids …

I’m not advocating using your kids as some sort of bargaining chip, but if your mother-in-law becomes intolerable, it would be wise to gently remind her that the more she can get along with you, the more she’ll see her grandkids and the more everyone will benefit. She gets a relationship with her grandkids, you and your spouse get some free babysitting and time off to relax, and the kids get to know their grandmother (and probably get spoiled by them!). It really is a win/win/win. Naturally, the better she can get along with you, the more likely you are to speak highly of her around the kids and encourage a relationship between them.

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A rainbow in the background of a typical Hawaiian Beach Wedding.

A Hawaii beach wedding can be a romantic, wondrous experience.

There are many ways to conduct a Hawaiian beach wedding, including water and sand ceremonies. Here is what a sample wedding looks like:

Hawaii Beach Wedding Introduction

Groom’s name ______ & Brides name ______ : This is a special day as you have chosen this beautiful corner of paradise that we call the Garden Isle of Kauai as the place you will declare your abiding love for each other. Here in the Hawaiian Islands when one leaves or arrives, people say “aloha”. For the Hawaiian people the word “aloha” has three meanings. I believe that each of these meanings has significance for y our marriage today.

The first meaning of “aloha” is “hello”. This signifies that you are beginning a new life together; a life of love and deep commitment.

The second meaning of “aloha” is “good bye”. This signifies that you are leaving the past behind as just fond memories and greeting the future with excitement and anticipation.

The third meaning of “aloha” is probably the most important. And that meaning is “love”. As you have been growing in your knowledge of each other, you have discovered together how special love is when it is shared. At this time will you turn to each other and express from your heart “ALOHA” (by exchanging leis).

______ and _____, you are two people from different walks of life entering into the marriage relationship of oneness – a relationship in which neither of you loses your personal identity but where you help each other be their best in all things. Marriage is the blending of each person’s interests, dreams and desires. Together you will work to make the marriage a relationship of love.

Let me read from I Corinthians 13:4-7 on love that you need to always model in your relationship:

“Love is patient and kind,
never jealous or envious,
never boastful or proud,
never haughty or selfish or rude.
Love does not demand its own way.
It is not irritable or touchy.
It does not hold grudges and
will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.
It is never glad about injustice,
but rejoices whenever truth wins out.
If you love someone
you will be loyal to them no matter what the cost.
You will always believe in them,
always expect the best of them,
and always stand your ground in defending them.”

______ (Groom) Are you willing to commit your life to ______ (Bride) ?

______ (Bride) Are you willing to commit your life to ______ (Groom) ?

Vows

(Couples face each other with their hand joined and repeat after officiant)

I _____, take you (bride, groom) to be my wife/husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. What may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold so I give you my life to keep, as God is my witness.

The Exchange of Rings

Though small in size, these rings are (this ring is) very large in significance. Made of precious metal, they remind us that love is not cheap nor common; indeed, love may cost us dearly. Made in a circle, their design tells us that love must never come to an end; we must keep it continuous. As you wear these rings, whether together or part for a moment, may they be constant reminders of these glad promises you are making today.

______ (Groom) I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

______ (Bride) I give you this ring as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

May these beautiful rings be a sign to each of you of the continuing love you pledge to each other today.

Blessing for a Marriage

Let me share four things that I believe are imperative for a growing and exciting marriage. You may imprint them on your mind by remembering that when you put the first letter of each word together it spells BEST.

Bless – Speak well of each other often. Express and share appreciation for the small things as well as the big things they do for you.

Edify – Cheer each other on in every area of life. This will encourage, strengthen and bring harmony and peace. Never criticize or tear each other down.

Share – Share your hearts and feelings everyday with each other. Another word for sharing is communication. Take time each day to focus attention on each other. Learn to listen to what each other means as well as what they say.

Touch – Marriage is a hands on relationship. Let there be plenty of caressing, hugging, touching and kissing.

Remember! You both chose THE BEST! Take care of each other the way you want to be cared for.

Hawaiian and English

E mau ke aloha me ke kai la,
E kupa’a me ke kuahiwi
E mehana i kala
E pa’a no ka olelo ho’ohiki aloha
I ka po me kea o
Mai ka la hiki a ka la kau
O ka noho pu
Me na hoku o ka lani

Let love continue as the sea
Stand firm as the mountains
Be warm in the sun
Let the vow of love be firm
Night and day (all times)
From East to West (all corners)
Many and sparkling be the days living together
As the stars of heaven

Final Pronouncement of a Hawaiian Beach Wedding

With this union of hearts and hands, and by the authority vested in me as a minister and by the laws of the State of Hawaii, I pronounce you husband and wife. At this time you may kiss the bride.

With this the family members introduced the couple with everybody and the Hawaii wedding ends – and a new life starts.

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You’ll be glad you invested in great wedding photography once you special day is over.

Great wedding photography is often overlooked when it comes to your big day.

Many people think they can just get by with one of the guests taking candid shots of the ceremony and the bride and groom. The problem is: how many of those types of pictures would you blow up to an 8X10 and put on your mantel? How many of those would you keep many years to share with your grandkids as the picture that encapsulated your wedding day?

When you choose a Hawaii wedding photographer, you’re choosing someone who is going to take that shot of the year that you send out to all your friends and family as the pictures that captured a love so deep that it brought you all the way out to have a Kauai beach wedding. That’s a deep love and a long expensive journey; not something so easily captured by your amateur photographer friend.

Let’s assume for a moment that a friend or relative has a semi professional camera and does indeed capture some good shots. To really have that amazing photo on your mantel the photo will look a lot better with some editing. Touching a photo up, whether it be enhancing it, altering it or actually removing or adding something, makes the difference between a nice photo included in an album of many nice photos, and that ‘must get enlarged and keep for posterity’ photo that become the photo from you wedding day.

What makes a photo great?

Is it just the editing? No, it’s much more than how a photograph is edited that makes it great. What makes a great photo is something that differs from person to person, but here are some generalities. In some cases it’s the classic big smile that makes the picture great. Often times it takes much more than that. At Aloha Ever After we think that great photography captures a deep sentiment between people. Sometimes you can set that picture up, but often you can’t. It takes a keen eye, lots of experience and a lot of intuition to catch that special moment when two people in love give each other the glance that lets you see into their souls. When you can look at someone’s eyes and see into how they feel, that’s great photography. When you have a child or shy person let go of that fear and open up for just a moment, that’s what makes a picture go from good to great.

Is Wedding Photography Just a Detail?

Your wedding photography isn’t just some wedding detail – it’s the images that you will look at for many years to come to remember your amazing Hawaiian wedding experience. They’re the photographs that someday your kids will look at and comment at how young and in love you once looked. Taking your wedding memories from good to great is why it’s important to get professional wedding photography for your Kauai wedding (or any wedding for that matter). We honestly believe that wedding photography is not only important now, but its value goes up as time goes by. That’s why we think it deserves to rate highly in your list of wedding priorities.

One last upside to hiring a professional photographer is the service you receive in addition to the photos. If you want something changed, cropped differently, or in any way altered, you have someone who will do this for you (often times included at no extra cost). If something happens to your copy of the CD of photos, or the photos themselves, you always have an extra back up too.

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It’s hard to beat the experience of getting married on a Kauai beach!

Getting married on a beach in Hawaii was a dream come true for me.

Since the moment my fiancé and I discussed getting married I knew it would be on the island of Kauai. Who wouldn’t want to get married in such a beautiful location? After deciding that the real work began: at which beach would we get married and who would we use as a wedding photographer?

I scoured the internet for wedding sites on Kauai and became fascinated with the Hanalei Colony Resort. Its remote location is perfect for the intimate wedding we wanted and the lush landscaping provides the tropical touch that was so important to me in my decision to marry in Hawaii.

We wanted these elements to be showcased in the wedding photography. And Timory, house photographer and coordinator for Aloha Ever After, was able to pull it all together. Of course it’s impossible to depend on the weather to cooperate on Kauai’s north shore, but Timory worked with us and our small wedding party through wind and rain to capture our event forever in the best possible way. She focused on the other elements that made the day so special for us, such as family, location, incorporating the lush grounds and the wedding party’s attire.

She exceeded our expectations with her determination and dedication to provide us professional pictures capturing that special moment in time, from the formal photos of my husband and I in the grassy garden area to the ensemble on the beach during the ceremony. I am thrilled with the outcome of our wedding and anticipate the day we return for additional fond memories. Getting married was a magical experience on Kauai!

Heidi Hastings – Aloha Ever After customer

The post What it Was Like Getting Married on a Kauai Beach appeared first on AlohaEverAfter.com.

Step number one in setting the right course for your marriage is choosing a kind partner who will be able to match many of your needs in daily life. Presumably you have already achieved this if you are reading this article and considering a wedding in Hawaii.

Step number two is to go about planning your Hawaiian wedding the way you’d like to see your life go after the wedding is over. Ask yourself these types of questions: What kind of life do you want? What things are most important to you?

If the answer to the question “What kind of life do you want?” involves the word ‘busy’ or ‘stressed’ then go ahead and create that kind of wedding planning, but who would want that? If the idea of a relaxed and easeful life attracts you, then I recommend creating a relaxed Hawaii wedding and a relaxed wedding planning process.

A relaxed Kauai wedding will of course be easier to have if you have less strict desires, but it’s certainly not necessary. You don’t have to take a mediocre or less than perfect wedding in Hawaii to avoid stress. You can have the wedding of your dreams and be relaxed too!

Start by making a short list of the most important things you want for your wedding. Some of those things might include being with loved ones, being surrounded by beautiful flowers and beautiful scenery, having a gorgeous dress that you look sexy in, getting great photos at a good price etc. Once you have an idea of what things are important to you then prioritize them (in a general way). If it’s more important for you to have great photography than an expensive archway, then you know where to allot your hard earned dollars and your time.

Knowing where to put your time and money will help relieve a lot of stress in the whole wedding planning process. Much of the stress that is created is because people want to have the best of everything at their wedding, yet they feel stress from paying for it. If you can simplify your desires that’s the easiest. If not, that’s ok. Then what you need to do is prioritize your desires. If wedding photography in Hawaii is more important to you than flowers, then spend most of the money on that and don’t put as much focus or money into flowers. Put the bulk of the money on the top 5 or 6 important things to you rather than the top 15. Look at your list of desires. If flowers are at the bottom but being married in a nice hotel is at the top, then get some nice simple flowers and put the money towards the site fee.

Another really important thing, maybe the most important thing, is to plan out everything as well as you can, and then let go just enough that you can have a good sense of humor about things if they don’t turn out the way you planned them! Your Hawaiian wedding will be perfect and it may not be exactly the way you planned. Maybe you plan for a certain song to be played at a certain moment. Great. Plan it out. Ask the musician to learn the song and tell them exactly how and when to play it. Then, if something happens and it doesn’t happen the way you planned, don’t look at it as not perfect; just find the humor in what did happen. Often times the bride is so stressed trying to micromanage the entire event and make sure it goes exactly as she wants that she forgets to let the universe have a say in it all and to just let the wedding happen. I’m not saying mistakes are desirable; I’m just saying that sometimes things don’t always happen the way we planed, and its still ok. Try – of course you should have your wedding day the way you want it (more or less). Just be willing to let go enough that you still have fun, and you still see the humor in funny events and most importantly that you still are relaxed enough to start your marriage out on the right foot!

Remember our motto at Aloha Ever After: You can have the perfect wedding of your dreams and be relaxed in planning it!

The post Setting The Right Course for Your Marriage From Before It Starts appeared first on AlohaEverAfter.com.

Getting Married in Hawaii? You need to choose which Hawaiian island to get married on (Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island).

Getting married in Hawaii?

From far away, it can be confusing knowing which of 4 beautiful and exotic islands to choose from for your beach wedding in Hawaii. Here is a brief breakdown of the 4 main Hawaiian islands based on my 10+ years living and traveling on these islands:

Oahu

This is where Waikiki and Honolulu are located. It is NOT the Big island, which is a common misconception. This island is where most of the people in the state of Hawaii live, and thus it is very much like a big city you would find on the United States mainland dropped onto an island setting, at least until you leave the Honolulu/Waikiki area. If you are looking for nightlife traffic and tourists, this is a good place to go. If you are looking for a quintessential trip to tropical Hawaii, this is not the best choice.

Maui

If you’re getting married in Hawaii, Maui is the next most populated and busiest island. It is not really like a major city, but it does have a lot of people, city grid-like streets, and reminds many of southern California put on an island. However, it is possible to get away on Maui if you head to the west side (which is dry) or around the other side of the island towards Hana (where unfortunately there are few to no places for tourist accommodation). Maui is full of social butterflies and its great nightlife is not consolidated into one place like on Oahu.

Kauai

This is the beautiful garden island and it is filled with tropical flowers, botanical gardens and lush beauty. Kauai does not have grid-like streets and is considered the ‘country’ get away from the ‘city’ of Oahu. It is the least populated of the Hawaiian islands. Kauai has a valley called Kalalau valley which many guide books and people consider to be the most beautiful place on the islands (I think it’s actually the most beautiful place on Earth!), so you will often find Kalalau on the cover of a book on Hawaii. (It’s like the cover girl of Hawaii, your quintessential gorgeous vista.)

Kauai does not have the nightlife options that the previous 2 islands have, but there are options of some bars and places to dance. There are many options of things to do during the day/night ranging from all of the normal tourist attractions (snorkeling, helicopter rides, luaus, boat rides etc.) to things found specially on Kauai such as kayaking, horseback riding, tube rides, taro patch tours, ziplining and much more.

It has great natural diversity, including a large colorful canyon, steep cliffs, jungle, and desert. Many people consider it to be the best of both worlds because you can have your tropical island getaway and romantic Hawaii wedding on a beach without 100 unwanted guests, yet you still have options of many things to do.

The Big Island (Hawaii)

The Big Island, or the Big I, is the largest of the main islands and is very large with very few residents. There is not much nightlife, but you certainly can get far away from everything. The Big Island of Hawaii also has an active volcano you can hike out to and actually see the hot lava enter the ocean. Other than that, you will not have so many things to ‘do’ (there are of course all the normal tourist activities), but it does have immense natural diversity. (Out of the world’s 33 climatic zones, the Big I has 26 of them.)

Getting Married in Hawaii: Kauai is the Best Choice

So, there is my personal overview of the 4 main islands (there are 7 in the state of Hawaii but almost all visitors go to these islands only). Having a Hawaii beach wedding is a wonderful experience. Having a Kauai beach wedding is even more special in my opinion because of the special nature of this garden island. Kauai has so many secluded spots and gorgeous backgrounds that the pictures always turn out better. There are beaches where you can stand facing one way and have a mountain scene behind you, face another way and have mountains and a beach and a pier, and face yet another way and have cliffs and a river next to a beach behind you! You can imagine how stunning the wedding photography is when you have that much variety in one spot.

Of course, no matter which island you choose, having a wedding coordinator or wedding planner will make your special Hawaii beach wedding day run so much more smoothly. It’s so comforting and relaxing to know that someone else is running around doing your worrying for you! Luckily for all the brides and grooms-to-be, if you’re getting married on Hawaii, there are many attentive and experienced wedding coordinators in Hawaii.

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Be bold and original: write your own wedding vows! Why just say what someone else wrote or said?

Writing your own wedding vows is way more original and interesting than just reciting someone else’s.

Why just say what someone else thought, wrote or said? Whether you’re getting married in Hawaii or elsewhere, on the beach or in a church, one thing is for sure: you are going to be promising something to your partner. So how do you go about finding the right words?

It seems like such a daunting task that many decide to leave the job to a minister, but it doesn’t need to be so overwhelming. Here are a few simple guidelines to follow when it comes to writing your own vows:

• Don’t get pressured into promising anything that you’re not ready to. If you’re not sure, then don’t postpone the whole wedding – just rearrange the words until you are sure. No one ever said you had to say or do anything specific. There are no rules (you don’t even have to say “until death do us part”!) – it’s your wedding. Your vows should reflect you, not your family or church unless that’s also what you believe. Avoid doing thing because someone else wants you to.
• Wedding vows do not have to be symmetrical. Just because one person is ready to promise something that the other one is not yet ready to, doesn’t mean anything is wrong or that the vows must be the same for both parties. It is perfectly fine for one person to say something that the other one does not say, or says a little differently. No one will probably notice anyway, and it’s more original.
• The more authentic your vows are the more likely they are to be followed. It’s better to have a marriage that lasts with vows that are followed, rather than lofty wedding vows committed to in a marriage that ends in divorce. If you’re the person pressuring someone else to promise something they are not fully ready to, think about this deeply!
• Start by making a simple list of the 5 or 10 most important qualities in life (not just relationships) to you (not your partner). Sit and reflect on these for days or months. Make your vows individual and base them (loosely) around what’s important to you. For example, if you found something like ‘honesty’ on your list of important values, than add a line in your vows that promises to try your best to be fully honest. Consider asking your partner to add in a similar line if this is really important to you, but do not demand that they do. Also, try not to be attached. It may turn out that your partner does not value a certain trait as much as you do. Everyone is at a different place in their own unique evolution and it does not mean that they will be more dishonest just because they don’t feel called to formally promise honesty.
• Don’t judge your partner based on their wedding vows. In our example of ‘honesty’ it may turn out that one partner is not ready to promise anything yet because they have their own path to follow. It may turn out that they need to grow or learn about a certain quality before being ready. If a certain quality is important to you, live it! Embody it fully. Your partner will grow with you and vice versa. It is very possible that it may be years before your partner learns (probably from your example) about a quality enough to make promises around it or embody it as much as you do. This is perfectly okay!
• Remember, we are not all the same, and don’t need to be – how boring would it be to marry yourself!?

Writing your own wedding vows is challenging, but can be quite fun. Make it interesting and touching at the same time. Look deep inside of yourself, and the answers will flow out.

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White Plumerias

The Plumeria, also known as Frangipani, is one of the most fragrant tropical flowers. It symbolizes perfection, springtime and new beginnings. Colors vary from white, yellow, pink and red to orange.

Pink & Yellow Plumerias

With its lovely smell, the Plumeria is popular worn behind an ear or in leis. A lei is a necklace of flowers given to express love, respect and to welcome arrivals. Plumerias also make great wedding bouquets and table decorations.

Orchids

Probably the most popular tropical flower used in wedding bouquets and leis are Orchids. Three of the almost infinite varieties are indigenous to Hawaii. Orchids are all colors of the rainbow and symbolize refinement and beauty. This is probably the easiest flower to match your wedding style.

The post Tropical Flowers and Their Meaning – Part 1 appeared first on AlohaEverAfter.com.