Aloha Ever After’s list of Kauai Beach Wedding Locations is the place to start when seeking the perfect spot for your Hawaii wedding, vow renewal ceremony, or civil union. The beautiful Garden Isle has some of the most beautiful beaches in the state.
Lydgate Beach (East Side)
Located near the sacred Wailua river, on the east side of Kauai (near Kapaa), Lydgate Beach is a hidden jewel and our personal favorite. Since most visitors do not know about the private hidden area within the longer beach, it is rare to see another wedding there (unlike the crowd of weddings at Shipwrecks!). Every beach on Kauai is public, so there is never a guarantee that you will have the beach to yourself, but this is the most likely of the beaches (with easy accessibility) to have a private ceremony. If someone is there, they will likely be at the other end of the beach, fishing or taking a walk. Because of its privacy, we recommend Lydgate Beach as the best beach location for a private wedding.
(Note: in the unlikely event of a rain plan being necessary, Lydgate beach has pavilions which provide a covered area to conduct the wedding free of charge.)
Anini Beach (North Shore)
Anini Beach is a thin, long beach with a lot of trees. It has almost no waves (shallow reef) but a lot of pavilions, a camping area and a general beach area. It is often quite populated near the camping area, but since the beach is so long, it is easy to find secluded sections for a more private ceremony.
Hanalei Bay (North Shore)
Hanalei Bay has a variety of beautiful backdrops: the pier, the large mountains and the long, wide beach, curving around the bay. It is a beautiful bay, calm in the summer and with large waves in the winter, and thus has many visitors. The two main places to get married at Hanalei Bay are by the pier and by the pine trees, but of course you can choose to get married wherever you like best.
Shipwrecks Beach (South Shore)
Shipwrecks Beach (aka Keoniloa Bay), located in Poipu, is a long, lovely beach. However, because of its proximity to large resorts, it is quite populated every day and you will never be alone on this beach. It’s the most popular wedding beach on Kauai, so depending on the day, you may be one of many weddings happening at the same. Understandably this is not preferable to most couples who would rather have a more private ceremony. For this reason, we generally recommend Shipwrecks as a back-up beach in case of rain, and not as a first choice.
Mahaulepu (South Shore)
Mahaulepu is located in Poipu, past Shipwrecks beach, at the end of a long, bumpy dirt road. It’s a beautiful beach, off the beaten path. There are plenty of pine trees for shade, and often a monk seal may be seen resting on the sand at the end of the beach. The beach has cliffs and mountain views. Visitors are allowed at this beach only until 6pm. (There may be a possible extra travel fee for some vendors.)
Tropical Garden, Waterfall and River Locations
Remember, you can have your wedding anywhere you want it! Kauai’s beauty is definitely not just limited to beaches or vacation rentals. There are a variety of private grounds, gardens, waterfall locations or botanical gardens, all of which are stunningly beautiful and which would provide the perfect setting and backdrop for an intimate wedding. Kauai is an extremely diverse island, with terrain ranging from flowing, pristine rivers to eucalyptus forests to pine woodlands to bamboo groves and more. Just tell us what your dream is and we’ll help you create it!
What happens if it rains? It rarely happens that there is rain during our weddings – we have wonderful luck with the weather, and even if it does rain it’s normally so brief it does not matter (tropical Kauai sprinkles pass in just a few minutes).
Note: There is a $50 to $75 extra charge for any of the beaches north of Hanalei.