A Wedding on Oahu
by Jessica Royer Ocken
I have just returned from a fabulous vacation on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. Via the invaluable advice of friends who live there, my husband and I spent two weeks seeing and doing and enjoying the best of the island. It was as wonderful as our honeymoon, and that got me thinking a lot about our wedding, which was just two years ago and still fresh in my mind.
We had a small, family event, and we chose a destination location—Fort Morgan, Alabama. It turned out beautifully, and I could go on and on about it (but I won’t). However, strolling along Waikiki Beach in Honolulu reminded me that this tropical mix of big city and rainforest had at one time been in the running for our wedding destination. One reason we opted against it was my vision of the challenge of finding just the right location, vendors and details from so far away. Just for fun, while we were there I did some scouting and discovered that planning a wedding from afar is not so hard, particularly with all the conveniences those in Hawaii have already put in place. If you’re considering this, I hope the following will help you on your way.
When it comes to a wedding on Oahu, you can handle as many or as few of the details as you want. At one end of the world-famous Waikiki Beach, Chris and I came across the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, a bustling and beautiful world of its own—complete with shopping, dining and exotic animals (no kidding!). They’ve just put the finishing touches on their Ocean Crystal Chapel, an elegant, light-filled jewel box surrounded by lush greenery and flowing water that creates a lovely formal ceremony setting in a tropical location. The hotel can arrange for everything from officiant to food to photographs, if you’re taking the hands-off approach.
Many resort locations have done your research for you and offer packages with everything from minister to musician to flowers to photography pre-selected and ready to go. Many of them also have a spa right on the premises, so your desire for both inner serenity and outer beauty on your wedding day can be easily accommodated and are likely also included in your package.
Of course if you’re traveling to a beach, you may want actual sand between your toes, and there are bountiful sandscapes as well. Many hotels have private spots, or you can find a rental property on your own (just be sure to check their rules on holding an event). On our trip, Chris and I escaped the hustle and bustle of Honolulu for the serene setting of Oahu’s leeward side and enjoyed several days at Makaha Beach, which had the perfect palm trees for a wedding canopy.
Now, the trick comes in knowing which details you want someone else to handle and which ones you’d like to manage yourself to ensure that your ceremony, or your cake or your wedding photographs, bear out the true essence your personality. However, this is true of any wedding, even if you plan it in your hometown—or at least it was in my experience. Pick and choose a few elements that are really important and focus on making those just as you’d like them (for me it was the ceremony and the photographs). Then, the less-crucial aspects can be handled by the professionals you’ve hired to help you.
In fact, talking with local vendors or vendors familiar with working in your desired destination can be a good way to track down what you’re looking for. Michelle Davies of I Do Believe photography has captured an assortment of beach-based and Hawaiian-style nuptials, and Foster Gardens—just a few blocks away from the beach on the edge of Honolulu’s amazing Chinatown—offers fabulous foliage and flowers of all kinds, making it a great spot for your ceremony or a wedding day photo shoot. Plus, strolling the gorgeous grounds will give you and your guests another relaxing activity to enjoy.
Your guests will have to put forth some extra effort (and money) to attend your event, but in a great location like Oahu, you can reward them by providing an array of entertainment. Chris and I spent three fantastic days in scuba gear and wound up certified divers with a brand new view of the ocean. We passed boat after boat waiting to take us on a voyage to snare a 100-pound tuna or marlin. You can snag some surfing lessons on Waikiki Beach (touted as the world’s best place to learn), take a hike through Diamondhead crater for spectacular views of the island, then spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon at Duke’s, where tourists and locals mingle and dance to live music with tropical drinks in hand.
If we had it to do all over again—and honestly, I’m glad we don’t—we’d be planning a tropical wedding on Oahu, with the honeymoon built right in.
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