How to Get Married in Hawaii for Cheap

Co-authored by Alison Hotchkiss and Amber Crain

Last Updated: September 25, 2022

Hawaii is a beautiful and romantic place to tie the knot, but many people fear that the cost of a tropical destination wedding is beyond their means. However, it’s completely possible to plan a gorgeous and truly memorable Hawaiian wedding while still keeping to a budget. With its great weather and magnificent natural settings, Hawaii provides countless options for low cost venues and doubles as the perfect place for your honeymoon. Whether you want to elope or plan something more traditional, with a little planning you can have the Hawaiian wedding of your dreams.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Establishing the Basics

1
Make a budget.^{[1]
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Research source} Figure out how much money you have to work with before you start looking at any costs or making any plans. Once you dive into your wedding planning research, keeping track of pricing can get confusing and overwhelming.
- By setting a clear amount at the outset, you can save yourself a lot of grief and be more incisive as you make your decisions.
2
Choose a wedding date during the off-season.^{[2]
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Research source} Mid-April to early June and September through mid-December are the off-seasons in Hawaii. During these times everything is far less crowded and much cheaper. Keep in mind that the dry season in Hawaii is April through October, so if you are thinking about an outdoor wedding, that time period is least likely to be rainy. Additionally, weekends are much more expensive and crowded than weekdays.
- Avoid planning your wedding in June or July. This is peak tourist season in Hawaii, and during those months the cost of everything is very high.
- Even during dry season, rain is a possibility. In general, most of the rain occurs at night, so an evening wedding outdoors could be affected by this.
- Consider having an indoor back-up venue, just in case.
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3
Opt for the island of Oahu. Hawaii consists of 8 main islands, each with their own characteristics and price points. All of the islands are beautiful, but getting married on Oahu is considered the easiest and cheapest route. Prices for everything are generally significantly cheaper there than on the outer islands. Even better, Oahu has the most options for wedding venues.
- Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian islands, and is home to Honolulu, the capitol. There is a lot to see and do there, so you'll have no lack of pre and post wedding activities to choose from.
- The international airport of Hawaii is located there, so it is also the most accessible location in Hawaii.
4
Hire a wedding consultant or coordinator. This may sound like a luxury choice, especially if you are on a tight budget, but planning a wedding remotely is extremely hard to do. Unless you have friends or family that live on the island, hiring a coordinator will actually end up saving you money.
- Coordinators can assist you with finding the perfect venue, hiring the minister, and are often marriage license agents themselves, allowing you to kill a lot of birds with one stone by working with one.
- Most coordinators will provide you with wedding package options that vary in price, with many being quite affordable.
- These packages are often all-inclusive (the more expensive the package, the more it includes), so choosing a package could provide everything from the hotel all the way down to the wedding cake and decorations.
5
Have the ceremony on the beach. The state of Hawaii now requires that you obtain a permit to marry in the sand on the beach. Luckily these permits are cheap (about $20) and easily obtainable online without a waiting period or delay. If you work with a coordinator, they will usually take care of securing the permit for you, but it wouldn't hurt to inquire and confirm with them, just in case.
- Other low cost wedding venues to explore are national parks, state parks and botanical gardens. Rules vary, as far as number of guests allowed and whether or not a permit is required, so give yourself plenty of time to research and take care of these details.
- Don’t forget to ask about any noise ordinances, and be sure to follow them.^{[3]
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  Research source}
- Remember that beaches can change from one season to the other. Make sure to check the weather during the time of the year you plan on getting married just to avoid issues or surprises.
- During the summertime, know that you might need to build a platform that takes people out to the area where you want to get married, because the sand is hot and it might be uncomfortable.
6
Have guests send wedding gifts to your home address. If they bring them along to give to you at the ceremony, you will have to haul all of them back with you, which could end up costing you a considerable sum. Instead, ask everyone to mail them to your home address.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Determining Wedding Size

1
Elope. A romantic ceremony for two is the most budget-conscious wedding option. Many resorts and wedding coordinators have “Just The Two of You” wedding packages that are extremely affordable. Start by checking out the major hotels and resorts for wedding packages, and go from there.
- Most basic wedding packages include the ceremony set up, minister, flowers and decorations, cake, champagne and sometimes even the photography and a romantic dinner for the two of you.
- After the ceremony, the rest of your stay will be your honeymoon, so there are no additional costs to travel elsewhere.
2
Organize a small wedding party of 10-12 guests. Many resorts and wedding planners offer affordable packages for a small number of guests, which would include the ceremony, champagne and cake.^{[4]
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Research source} In lieu of a reception, arrange for everyone to enjoy dinner at a large table at the hotel’s restaurant, or in their garden or nearby on the beach.
- Check airlines for discounts that cover the airfare for small wedding parties. Look for any wedding packages that might include accommodations and multi-room discounts.
3
Arrange a wedding brunch or lunch for under 20 guests. This works best for guests that are close friends and family only. Keep the details simple and have your wedding in the late morning, to be followed by a wedding brunch or lunch that essentially functions as a reception. This is a particularly lovely idea for outdoors, when the temperature is just right.
- Cost for alcohol will be very low, since the event is so early, and you won’t need to worry about spending money on a band or DJ.
- After brunch, guests can either go off and do their own activities or you can plan activities that everyone can do together.
4
Ask guests to pay their own travel and hotel expenses. When it comes to destination weddings, guests are typically expected to pay for their own airfare and travel accommodations.^{[5]
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Research source} This is not unusual and makes things very affordable for you. Of course, if your wedding budget allows it, paying for those things is a wonderful sentiment on your part. However, it is not expected or required.
- Since guests will be expected to pay their own way, you will need to send out invitations quite early, in order to give them plenty of time to prepare for travel. No less than 6 months out is a reasonable time frame. 8 months prior to the event or even a full year is much better, though.
- Think carefully about who you want to invite, especially considering the financial burden that will be placed on the guests to attend. Keep things simple and small.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Organizing Ceremony Costs

1
Keep flowers and decorations to a minimum. Instead, incorporate Hawaii’s natural beauty into your ceremony. This is especially easy to do when you’re planning an outdoor wedding, since paradise is all around you.
- Have a wedding coordinator assist you with finding the perfect spot where you can take full advantage of Hawaii’s natural beauty.
- Botanical gardens are a popular and beautiful choice, but you have plenty of options.
2
Go with a more casual approach to wedding attire.^{[6]
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Research source} Destination weddings typically aren’t traditional, and that includes the approach to attire. Tailor your style of dress to your surroundings. Keep it simple and consider a less formal dress code.
- A traditional white wedding dress with a train would be out of place on the beach, and a tuxedo will probably be hot and uncomfortable for a groom in Hawaii.
- Consider casual and beach attire for both the couple and the guests.
- Make sure that your guests know ahead of time what to wear so that they can plan accordingly.
3
Enlist tech savvy guests to help with photography. A professional photographer is a great investment, but try going with a very basic photography package at a low cost. You will still have gorgeous professional photos from the wedding, but your tech savvy friends and family can help you get plenty of additional pictures from the event.
- Technology is such that almost anyone can get great photos with a decent digital camera and even a cell phone, especially when you factor in all of the filters and editing possibilities that apps can provide.
4
Book services as early as possible.^{[7]
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Research source} Generally, booking services and locations early will help you lock in a much lower price. The closer you get to the wedding date, the more the services will end up costing you, so give yourself plenty of time to book in advance.
- If you choose to go with a wedding coordinator, this is yet another area that they can significantly help you out with.
- If you plan on marrying during peak season, try to book everything a whole year in advance, not only for the best prices, but also to make sure you'll have access to everything you want to.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do I decide on a wedding venue?

Alison Hotchkiss
Event Planner
Alison Hotchkiss is an Event Planner and the Founder of Alison Events Planning, Design, and Travel based in Sausalito, California. With over 21 years of experience, she specializes in planning luxury travel for clients in both the honeymoon and leisure travel sectors. Alison Events Planning, Design, and Travel was named as one of Vogue’s best wedding planners around the world and is at the top of the list of wedding planners for Goop, Brides, and Martha Stewart Weddings. Alison received a Bachelors degree from Colorado State University.

Alison Hotchkiss

Event Planner

Expert Answer

Determine your guest count and budget first. Then, head to Google and look up the type of venue you're interested in or the city in Hawaii where you'd like to host your wedding. There should be plenty of websites and blogs that provide different venue suggestions.
Question

How long before your wedding should you start planning?

Alison Hotchkiss
Event Planner
Alison Hotchkiss is an Event Planner and the Founder of Alison Events Planning, Design, and Travel based in Sausalito, California. With over 21 years of experience, she specializes in planning luxury travel for clients in both the honeymoon and leisure travel sectors. Alison Events Planning, Design, and Travel was named as one of Vogue’s best wedding planners around the world and is at the top of the list of wedding planners for Goop, Brides, and Martha Stewart Weddings. Alison received a Bachelors degree from Colorado State University.

Alison Hotchkiss

Event Planner

Expert Answer

Start planning your wedding 10-14 months before you plan on hosting it—definitely at least a year if you're looking to plan during peak season. If you're hoping to get married in a touristy area (like Hawaii), be open to having your wedding in the cusp season right before things get busy.
Question

Does the city hall in Hawaii conduct weddings?

Community Answer

Yes. These wedding ceremonies are non-denominational and affordable. They are performed by licensed commissioned State of Hawaii Judges.

Warnings

Before committing to a destination wedding, have a thorough look at the logistics. How easy is it to get there from where you're from? How many flights a day go there? How many links does it take to get to the destination? Take all those things into account, especially for your guests.

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