As a Hawaii wedding photographer I’ve had the pleasure of documenting so many stunning, thoughtful, intentional, and emotional weddings over the years on these beautiful islands. From luxurious, effortless celebrations at the most extravagant venues, to intimate and intentional elopements, and everything in-between, I’ve seen and photographed it all! During this time I’ve seen firsthand many times just how stressful and difficult planning a wedding in Hawaii can be, which is why I’ve put together this article. Today we’re going to go over 10 tips I have to help you plan the best wedding day for YOU here in Hawaii!

1. Book Your Vendors Early

First on my list is one of THE most important steps in the planning process, booking your Hawaii wedding vendors. Hawaii is home to many incredibly talented and wonderful wedding vendors, but it’s also one of the most popular locations in the world for destination weddings! Knowing this, it’s important to start searching for your wedding vendors early on in the planning process so that you’re also able to book them early, especially if you intend on having your wedding during the more popular seasons here in Hawaii (spring and summer). Having your vendors booked early means this crucial piece of wedding planning is out of the way for you, giving you peace of mind as you work through the rest of the process!

2. Be Thorough when Creating Your Timeline

As a Hawaii wedding photographer I can’t overstate how important creating your timeline is to the wedding planning process. Your timeline is your guide and your roadmap for the entirety of your wedding day. It’s what helps you, your wedding party, your guests, and your vendors know where they need to be and when, which helps keep the entire day running smoothly. My tip here is to be extra thorough when creating your timeline! 

Consider every detail of the day. From the different locations you’ll include and the travel time between them, to the amount of time it takes to have your hair and makeup done for you and your wedding party members, every detail is important to know and plan for in the timeline of your day. For a deeper look into how to build the timeline of your wedding day check out this article!

3. Decide on Feel of the Day

One aspect that will help to guide you through much of the wedding planning process is deciding how you want your wedding day to feel. A lot of factors can impact this like your vendors, the location of your wedding, how many guests you invite, whether or not you have a multi day wedding, whether you include a first look or not, and still many more. As a wedding photographer here in Hawaii, I want you to know that the vision you have in your head for your wedding day is possible. With a clear goal in mind for the feel of the day, something you and your partner should should discuss with one another, you can then take the next steps in planning a day that brings your unique vision to life!

4. Find the Venue(s) that Best Fit Your Vision

As mentioned above, something that drastically affects the look and feel of your wedding day is the venue or venues that it takes place at! Whether your ceremony, reception, and cocktail hour all take place at the same location or not, choosing spaces that fit the feel you’re going for is crucial to the enjoyment of your wedding day. Thankfully Hawaii is FULL of wonderful, breathtaking locations for hosting your wedding day at. From mountaintop venues, to beachfront resorts, and so much more! Check out some of our favorite spots in this article for some inspiration.

5. Find the Right Island

Just like with finding the right wedding venue, choosing the right island to host your wedding day is another crucial part of the planning process! Each of the Hawaiian islands offers something unique to enjoy, so it really comes down to what you’re looking for. Some of the locations and venues in the article above may guide your decision, or the feel of the islands themselves could narrow your search for the perfect wedding venue.

There are 6 main islands to choose from for hosting a wedding. The more established, easier to access, and popular islands include:

• Hawaii (The Big Island)
• Maui
• Oahu
• Kauai

The more remote, challenging to access, and intimate islands include:

• Molokai
• Lanai

When choosing an island, consider the experience you want to have and the one you want your guests to have. A wedding on the more established islands will make travel arrangements much simpler for you and your guests, but the more remote islands can offer a more private, intimate setting that’s hard to come by elsewhere! There’s no right or wrong answers here, it all just comes down to what YOU want.

6. Plan in Extra Time for Travel

Something often overlooked or underestimated is the travel time needed to get from one location to another on your wedding day. This isn’t an issue if you have your wedding at one of Hawaii’s many astounding resorts as you can comfortably have the entirety of your wedding day take place there. If you intend on including multiple different locations into your day though, I strongly encourage you to overestimate the amount of travel time needed to get from space to space. The last thing you want is to get stuck in traffic and have to push your entire timeline back, potentially missing out on some special moments from your wedding day! 

7. Send Invites Out Early

Especially if you’re having a destination wedding in Hawaii where many of your friends and family will need to travel to the islands, I strongly encourage you to send your invites out early! Let your loved ones know well ahead of time that you plan to celebrate in Hawaii and that you want them there with you. This will give them plenty of time to plan their travel arrangements, take off work, book their stay, and have everything in place so that they can be present and have THE best time during your Hawaii wedding!

8. Book a Hawaii Wedding Planner

Something that you may have considered is booking a wedding planner for your wedding day in Hawaii. This is something that can be a life saver for many couples throughout the planning process. A planner can help you bring your wedding vision to life while you only have to put in a fraction of the work to make it happen. Some wedding venues on the islands actually require a wedding planner in order to book their space, so you might as well book one early that you can trust to bring your vision to life flawlessly!

9. Stay Somewhere Close

An exciting part of planning your wedding day in Hawaii is choosing where you and your partner will stay during your time here. Now, if you plan on having your wedding at one of the many incredible resorts throughout the islands you’ll likely end up booking your stay there as well. If that isn’t the case though, and instead you have your wedding take place at a separate venue, I recommend choosing a place to stay that’s relatively close to the venue. As a Hawaii wedding photographer I cannot stress enough how important your time is on your wedding day! Minimizing the time you need to travel between locations is one of the best ways to enjoy your wedding to the fullest, and something this tip will really help with!

10. Set Time Aside for Yourselves

Speaking of making the most of the time you have on your wedding day, this last tip is a very important one. Whether you like it or not, your wedding day is going to FLY by. Between the emotion, the events of the day, the excitement of it all, and the joy of celebrating your love with your favorite person, there’s hardly any time to catch a breath during it all. For this reason I recommend actually setting aside some time for just the two of you on your wedding day where you can truly be present with one another.

Consider setting aside time after sunset portraits as an example where you and your partner can just relax with one another and take it all in. Taking a moment to look back on everything that’s happened, how the day all came together, and the excitement you share as you venture into this next chapter together is something you won’t regret!

Those are my 10 tips as a Hawaii wedding photographer on how to make the most of the wedding planning process! For more planning tips and resources check out some of my other articles, and if you’d like to see more of my work head on over to my Instagram. Finally, if you’re ready to book me to document your wedding day here on the islands head to my contact page to send over an inquiry!