Bridal Boutique Honoululu

Destination Wedding Tips

What to do When Your Destination Wedding is a Vacation for Everyone

So, you’re planning a destination wedding in Oahu. (Yay!) Really, is there anything more fun? However, if you’re very far into the planning process at all, you’ve probably already learned that there are few things more stressful than planning a destination wedding as well. And a big part of that stress stems from the question of whether this is a destination event for others or for you. Because if you and your fiancée already live on the island— that’s awesome! Whether you’ve lived here for years or you’ve just moved in preparation for starting a new island life together, your Oahu wedding is off to a magical start. (Especially since your venue is now local for you).

But chances are, you’ll be inviting friends and family from other places too, and that’s where it starts to get tricky. So, take a look at a few of our top tips on what to do if your destination wedding is a vacation for everyone on your guest list.

Invite Etiquette 101

One pro of a destination wedding is that you get to share one of the most special moments in your life with everyone you love in a new and magical place. Plus, everyone gets a vacation! But that’s kind of where the pros end and the cons begin, because attending a destination wedding can be really tough—or even impossible—for your guests’ budgets. So, in order to do the best thing for everyone, you might want to narrow down your guest list to only the most important people. (Ouch!) While that may sound harsh, it’s important to think practically.

Does your third cousin twice removed really need to go to the trouble of booking an expensive plane ticket and hotel? And if your venue only allows 30 guests max– as a lot of beach venues do— whose presence would you miss more, your third cousin’s or your best friend’s? Keeping considerations like that in mind is a great way to do the best for your guests. (And, let’s be honest, it takes so much stress off you as well!)

Create a Wedding Website

That might sound like a wacky idea, but hear me out! Your guests have questions; you have a life. And especially when it comes to a destination wedding, those questions can get so out of control that you don’t have time for your real life (or, you know, the thousands of other wedding planning tasks you have to do!) So, in an effort to consolidate and make things easier for you and your guests, there’s something to be said for creating a one-stop wedding website with links that answer everyone’s questions.

Questions about your venue? Link. Where are you registered? Oh, look, a handy link! The exact date, address, and time, because everybody keeps forgetting? …No worries, it’s all on this link. So, if you want to start creating a wedding website right now, here are a few extra handy tips for what needs to go on it:

  • Any details about hotels, room blocks, or local guest house info associated with your wedding
  • If your accommodation option has a discount code for your guests, list that too!
  • A specific list of every event you have planned so your guests know how long to plan for
  • Any weather or location-specific information your guests might need to know

While it may not be the solution for everyone, a wedding website can definitely be a quick and user-friendly way of simplifying your life and wedding planning process. (Plus, if you’re super tech savvy, you can even add a feature for tracking your RSVPs!)

Sending Out Your Save-the-Dates

In addition to neatly consolidating all things wedding-related on a website, sending your save-the-dates early enough in advance is one of the kindest things you can do for your guests. Keep in mind that everyone will need time to book flights, take off work, and maybe even renew their passports, and send out your save-the-dates six months in advance. Giving them these details far enough in advance will ensure that everyone’s prepared by the time you send out your invitations at T-minus twelve weeks. (Trust me, your guests will thank you!)

Traveling with Your Wedding Dress

This part was never going to be easy, but there’s no getting around it. This part is probably a no-brainer, but if you want to avoid wrinkling, don’t pack it in your suitcase. Instead, carry it on the plane with you in a garment bag and ask if your plane has a closet where it can hang for the duration of the trip. If not, you can try laying it on top of the carry-ons in the overhead compartments.

Planning a destination wedding can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. And at Bridal Boutique Honolulu, our goal is to make your planning process as stress-free as possible so you can be your happiest on your special day. If you have destination wedding questions that aren’t answered in this blog, please feel free to drop us a line and ask!

The Everything Destination Wedding Guide

Let’s get real—destination weddings are the BEST! Whether you’re traveling to a place you’ve always wanted to visit or a location that has a special place in your heart, destination weddings— especially Oahu weddings! —always have that extra little wow-factor. But planning for them? Not so much. Because unfortunately, the not-so-fun side is the side no one ever prepares you for, and to make matters worse, it’s also kind of the deciding factor in whether you get your destination wedding or not. So, if you want to get all the annoying logistics out of the way and get right down to the fun part, take a look at our planning guide first!

Boring Legal Stuff

Cake tasting is a lot more fun, but you kind of need this. Fortunately, Hawaii’s state guidelines make it super easy to knock this out. Here’s what you need to know about getting married in the Aloha state:

    • Both applicants must be at least 18 years old (So far, not so bad, huh?)
    • Both applicants must appear before the marriage license agent at the time of application (You can do that, right?)
    • Official proof of age, such as a certified birth certificate (age 18 and under) or a driver’s license (age 19+), must be provided (Cool! Now, where’s my birth certificate…?)
    • Applicants must pay a $65 fee for the license and processing (Just add it to the growing list of wedding expenses!)
    • As far as officiants go, any already licensed religious official or judge can register to perform a marriage ceremony in the state of Hawaii. It’s also important that they file your marriage license online or via mail within three working days of your ceremony.

And there you have it! As far as legal requirements for your Oahu wedding go, that’s all you have to worry about. That wasn’t so bad, right?

Beach Permit Rules

Kind of the same as boring legal stuff, but a little different. Because— and we’re just taking a wild guess here— getting married on a beautiful beach is probably your number-one reason for an Oahu wedding, it’s important to be aware of the beach permit rules surrounding beach weddings so you can stay on the right side of them. Here’s what you need to know:

      • There’s a two-hour time limit. (Seriously???)
      • If you want to invite more than 30 guests, you might need to get special permission from Oahu officials (Bad news for big wedding parties…)
      • If random people are hanging out on the beach that day, you can’t ask them to get out of the way for your wedding (…you’re kidding me…)
      • You’re not allowed to have any structures or big decorations (So, there goes the cute flower arch).
      • If you want chairs, tough luck. Chairs are only permitted for the elderly or disabled, and even then, you’ll have to prove why you need them. (At that rate, maybe that two-hour time limit is a good thing!)
      • You’re also not allowed to block off part of the beach (You’d think we could have just a little corner of it…!)

This information may not be the most fun, but obviously, it’s important to know. Oahu officials are used to their beaches being a popular destination wedding spot, so they tend to take these rules pretty seriously in order to protect their beaches and the normality of everyday life. As a result, violating these rules might mean that you run into some fines or other awkward moments that could ruin your big day. So, if you want to avoid any sticky situations, you might want to invest in a local wedding planner who specializes in these details… or just plan really, really carefully.

Weather and Timing

Given Hawaii’s lovely climate, you might think you wouldn’t have to worry about the weather. But think again! Although you’re definitely free to plan on a winter wedding with beach vibes for days and you can safely count on warm weather, there are still a few weather details to keep in mind.

Peak Tourist Seasons

Unsurprisingly, people love going to Hawaii when the weather’s terrible at home, so don’t expect the island to be uncrowded or airfare to be cheap if your wedding is planned at any point during December-April. Unfortunately, this time frame is one of Hawaii’s peak tourist seasons, so it’s important to consider how inflated costs and lots of tourists might affect your wedding plans. If you want to shoot for a better time, you might consider planning your wedding in May, June, or any time in September-November. Because most people’s lives are taken up with work or school during these months, this is more likely to be the tourism off-period you’re hoping for.

Weather

Because Hawaii doesn’t experience Spring or Fall in the same way as the mainland, they technically have only two seasons, and the good news for you is that there’s little difference between them. Even in the middle of winter, the low drops to (get your sweaters out!) a chilly 70 degrees, so as long as you plan accordingly for tourist seasons, you’re pretty much guaranteed the temperatures you want.

So, although we haven’t quite covered every single thing you’ll face in the destination wedding planning process, these are a few of the biggest and most common concerns for you to be aware of as you plan your special day in Oahu.