Planning an elopement in Maui is one of the single most exciting and simultaneously stressful things you can do. Do you get to plan an elopement in a literal island paradise? Absolutely! What all goes into planning an elopement here though, and where should you start in your planning process? We’re here today to answer these questions and more as we take a look at 8 things you have to know as you plan your elopement in Maui!

1. What Do You Want Your Elopement to Feel Like?

The first thing you’ll want to think about when planning your own Maui elopement is what you want it to feel like. Many people instantly think of the beach when planning an elopement in Hawaii, and believe me there is NOTHING wrong with that! Maui, and the other islands of Hawaii for that matter, are home to more than just their beaches though. Whether it’s the stunning mountains, the charming towns, or breathtaking cliffs, it’s important that you and your partner discuss what you envision your elopement feeling like. This is a crucial first step as it will guide many of the other decisions you’ll be making about your day!

2. Where Should You Elope?

There are a lot of aspects that affect the overall feel of your elopement, but the one that has the most impact is likely where you plan to actually have your elopement ceremony! As I alluded to above, there are plenty of locations throughout Maui to choose from when planning your elopement. Some of my favorites are Baldwin Beach, Iao Valley, Olinda Forest, South Kihei, and a ton of others though I don’t want to give ALL of my favorites away! Truly though there are SO many locations to choose from throughout Maui that you honestly can’t go wrong when making a decision, it all just depends on the setting you want to be in for this moment!

3. Does Your Location Require Permits?

While not every location on Maui requires a permit for photography or for an elopement ceremony to be performed there, there are still some that do. That’s why it’s SO important to look into the permit requirements of where you plan to elope as well as have your elopement portraits taken to ensure that you’re abiding by the laws in place. The last thing you want is to get into legal trouble on what’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of your lives!

4. What Vendors Do You Need?

The next question you’ll want to ask yourselves when planning your Maui elopement is what vendors you need to bring your elopement vision to life. There are some must have vendors like a photographer and officiant that you’ll need to document your day and make your marriage official, but outside of that the choice is yours on what vendors you need for your day! Depending on what you picture your elopement experience looking like you may want to consider the following vendors:

• Hair and Makeup Artist
• Florist
• Videographer
• Catering
• Entertainment

Again, the choice is yours on what vendors you deem necessary for your day, so don’t be afraid to make your day your own!

5. What are the Marriage Laws of Hawaii?

The next step of planning your Maui elopement is knowing the legalities to make your marriage official! Thankfully, Hawaii’s marriage laws are pretty straightforward all things considered. First you’ll want to apply for a license using this link, and from there you’ll have to pay a $65 fee. After purchasing your license you’ll then have to meet in person with an agent and provide valid forms of ID in order to receive your license. Once you receive your marriage license you’ll need to have your elopement ceremony within 30 days and then return it to your agent for your marriage to become official!

6. When Should You Have Your Maui Elopement?

Deciding when to have your elopement in Maui is one of the most important steps in the planning process! Maui and the Hawaiian islands thankfully have consistently gorgeous weather for the most part, though some seasons are prone to more rain than others. The biggest factor in deciding on what season to elope in Maui actually comes down to tourism season! 

Summer and winter are typically the busiest times of the year for tourism thanks in part to the lack of rain, but mostly due to the fact that families with children are more free to travel at this time thanks to summer and winter vacations. You of course can still make an elopement during these seasons work, you’ll just need to be prepared for the island to be a bit busier!

Spring and fall are usually less busy in terms of tourism, but Maui does experience more rain showers during these seasons. Thankfully storms often pass quickly on the Hawaiian islands, so even if a storm does happen the likelihood of it interfering massively with your elopement is very low!

If you do want to have your elopement during a busy season for tourism there is a strategy I like to recommend to avoid the crowds. While the sunsets of Maui and Hawaii get a lot of the praise and hype from people, sunrise is JUST as gorgeous and a much less popular time for people to be up and about. I strongly recommend planning a morning elopement during Maui’s busy season, and even during the slower times of the year as you’re then able to enjoy the entire day celebrating as a newly eloped couple!

7. Will You Have Guests Attending?

Yes you read that right, you can actually have guests present at an elopement! Elopements are technically gatherings of 10 or less people, so you can invite guests to celebrate your Maui elopement at your side. This of course means you’ll have to do more planning when it comes to logistics as you’ll need to choose a location that can accommodate a small group of people, find a place where everyone can stay, organize travel arrangements, and more. Lucky for you, there’s a hidden trick you can use when eloping on Maui to make your planning process incredibly simple, full service elopements!

8. Do I Need a Full Service Elopement?

Here at Olson Productions we offer what’s called a full service elopement package. As the name implies, a full service elopement is where we handle EVERY detail of your elopement day so that all you have to do is show up and enjoy yourselves! From booking vendors, finding the perfect location, planning your timeline out to a T, and more! For more information on full service elopement, and to see if they’re the right option for what you want out of your Maui elopement check out this article that covers all of our different elopement packages.

There’s 8 things you need to know when planning your own elopement on the tropical paradise known as Maui! For more elopement planning tips be sure to check out my blog, and if you’re ready to book with Olson Productions to document your elopement head to our contact page to send over an inquiry!