As a Hawaii wedding photographer, there are so many reasons to love the various islands that makeup Hawaii.  One of my favorite islands as of late though for photographing weddings is Maui!  Working as a Maui wedding photographer, I have put together some of my top tips I wish every couple knew when planning a wedding on Maui!  

Why Plan a Maui Wedding?

Maui, the second largest island of Hawaii is known primarily for its endless beaches, and gorgeous valleys, making it the perfect location for both beach lovers and lovers of adventure.  Maui has some of the most beautiful wedding venues for both intimate and larger Maui weddings.  As a Maui wedding photographer, with the balance of great venues paired with beautiful landscapes, I LOVE documenting weddings on Maui.

1. Give Guests Plenty of Time to Plan for Travel

If you have guests flying in for your wedding, you will want to make sure you send the invitations out early so that they have plenty of time to book their travel accommodations.  When flying in for a Maui wedding most guests will fly into Kahului Airport and then they will more than likely stay at one of its’ many resorts throughout the island.  Maui is known for its’ many luxury resorts making it a dream location to spend time with your friends and family for a wedding weekend. 

2. Plan Extra Time for Wedding Portraits on Maui

If you have the room in your schedule to plan extra time for your wedding portraits or even better yet plan a session the night before your wedding, there are SO many beautiful places to explore throughout Maui.  Booking an engagement session or a newlywed session the night before or after your wedding day is one of the best ways to celebrate your marriage.  Explore places like Kapalua Bay, Wai’anapanapa State Park, Haleakalã National Park or the Road to Hana together, and we’ll even explore some of my favorite secret locations I have saved just for my wedding couples for your session!  For more ideas on newlywed sessions and pre-wedding engagement sessions, check out Ally + John’s pre-wedding engagement session!

3. Plan your Ceremony for Later in the Day

If you’re planning to get married on a beach, avoid high noon if you can.  The lighting gets extremely bright between 10am and 2pm and can be hard for you and guests to see throughout the ceremony if you have full sun on your wedding day.  This is also often the warmest time of day in Maui.  If you have the option, try for a late afternoon ceremony so the sun is lower in the sky making it easier for both you and your guests to witness your beach front ceremony.

4. Hire a Wedding Planner

If you’re planning a destination wedding and flying in from out of town for your wedding, I highly recommend hiring a wedding planner for your Maui wedding.  Your wedding planner will be able to assist you in finding your dream vendors, they will allow you to relax throughout your wedding weekend and be the primary point of communication throughout your wedding planning.  Planning a destination wedding on Maui can be challenging if you don’t frequently travel to Maui.  So having a planner there to guide you through the process is a must!

5. Hire Hawaii Wedding Vendors

There are SO many reasons to hire local wedding vendors for your Maui wedding day, but one of the most important reasons to hire locals is knowing that your wedding vendors will understand the climate of Hawaii.  Living on the islands as a wedding photographer I understand how the weather works, I understand the climate, and I have the BEST locations scouted for my couples’ wedding portraits throughout their wedding day.  This also goes for other vendors such as hair and makeup artists, planners, and your other vendors too!  Hair and makeup vendors will know how to deal with the humidity that comes with being on the island, and local wedding planners will have the best connections to vendors on the island, need I say more?

To check out some of my favorite Hawaii wedding vendors, check out my blog post here!
Maui is by far one of my favorite islands as a Hawaii wedding photographer. If you’re looking for more inspiration on how to plan a wedding or an elopement on Maui, check out some of my most recent blog posts here!  Or if you’re ready to take the next steps and start planning your Maui wedding fill out my contact form and we can take the next steps!