About Hawaii Wedding Websites
Hawaii destination weddings have evolved from small, primary-vendor driven websites by to big business websites. Each has it's place in the market and it depends which you're most comfortable with. We are a vendor driven website.
Awards & Banners:
Impressive right? The truth is, simple pay the advertising and website listing and get an "award". In 2020 Hawaii was shutdown from the end of March to October 2020 because of COVID an still an award? LOL.
Packages:
It's easy to get confused given the differing terminolgy, descriptions, and lists. Basically, you want a minister to do the ceremony and a photographer to take photos. Everything else is incidental. When you see a long list of service descriptions, lets say for the minister for example, everyone does about the same thing but, it's just not listed. If you see something on one website but, not on another, just ask. Always remember, just as a higher price doesn't mean higher quality, getting more stuff or free stuff doesn't necessarily mean a better deal. We keep our packages simple and competitive in services and prices.
Free Stuff:
Free stuff is great but, websites rarely give you "free" stuff just to do it. You'll see free cake, shell lei, etc. and there's always a reason. We might offer "free" stuff but, only because it's easier to just not charge you. Everything we charge for has value. Never book a package just because of "free" stuff.
Ministers:
Many of the top ministers work with multiple websites so, you may see the same minister in photos on different websites. With that said, websites often differ on what's expected and maybe this is obvious but, ministers vary greatly on how they perform their services.
Photographers:
Bigger websites who have a huge overhead must do multiple wedding a day and consequently, require a stable of photographers assigned to jobs. Nothing wrong with that, it's just that you may not know who's gonna shoot your event or if what you see on the website is what you'll receive. On our website, you already know what to expect.
Videographers:
Professional video cameras , computer, editing software, etc. are costly and complicated so, it's going to cost for a true professional. Select a professional videographer if you want an edited multi-camera edited video. If you just want a video and sound, mobile phones do a pretty good job if used with remote mics. We offer both options. You can allso set up your own camera or phone if you want.
Musicians:
Good voice, musicianship, and a presentable appearance is all that's required. There's quite a few good musicians. Importantly, you want a musician who understands how beach weddings work and knows what songs are appropriate. Don't just select someone out of the blue.
Hair & Make-Up:
You can have the artist come to your hotel room or visit their salon if close to Waikiki. Your hotel or a hotel nearby may offer this service though, they are usually more costly. You want someone who has experience with outdoor beach weddings and knows the styles that work in open air conditions.
Transportation:
True wedding limousine service usually requires a 2 hour minimum. Nowadays, our clients find it more economical to drive a car rental or use Uber, Lyft, or a taxi service. Because of this, we no longer offer this service.
Lei, Bouquet, Hair Flowers:
You can always purchase basic lei yourself at Walmart, Costco, etc. but, you have to decide if the effort may not be worth it. Websites (and us) either mark-up lei prices to account for ordering, pick-up, and delivery to the ceremony or add a standard fee for this service on top of the product cost. We offer simple bouquet good for beach weddings. If you're looking for a more fancy or custom bouquet, consider your own custom florist. For hair flowers, we suggest considering artificial flowers. You'll find a pretty good selection in Waikiki shops.
Site Set-Ups:
Site set-ups create a "sense of place" when out in the open. We use simple floral set-ups allowed under the DNLR permit. Either or both a chair and arch set-up has never made sense to us for a beach wedding irrespective of the number of guests (limited to 30 for beach wedding permits) unless, using a private venue or hotel setting . Believe us, not even considering the huge additional expense, it's just not a good idea. Ask us why.
