A Hawaiian Wedding
In Hawaii, love is spoken in flowers. A lei settles over the shoulders like an embrace, a conch shell calls across the water, and the kahu’s blessing rises in a language that has honored the ocean and the land for a thousand years. Here, a wedding is not held against the scenery. The trade winds, the turquoise surf and the green spine of the Koʻolau mountains are guests at the ceremony.
Island Traditions
Hawaiian Theme Essentials
- Leis: maile for the groom, plumeria, orchid or pīkake for the bride, and leis exchanged as a vow of love
- Haku crown: a woven circlet of flowers and ferns worn in the bride’s hair
- The pū: a conch shell blown to open the ceremony and call in blessings from every direction
- Kahu blessing: a Hawaiian minister’s chant and the sprinkling of ocean water with a ti leaf
- Colors: sunset coral, hibiscus red, plumeria cream and lagoon blue
- Music: slack-key guitar, ʻukulele, or the gentle notes of a beach harp
A Beach Proposal on Oahu
Some stories begin before the wedding. On a quiet Oahu shoreline, a picnic was laid in the sand: a blanket ringed with red and white roses, palm fronds swaying overhead. As the sun dipped low and haloed them in gold, he knelt, she wore a haku lei, and the ocean seemed to hold its breath.
Fifty Golden Years
Hawaii is just as beloved for vow renewals. One couple returned to the sand after fifty years of marriage, standing beneath tiki torches wrapped in red ginger and orchids as the waves rolled in behind them. Golden anniversary leis, a rainbow of plumeria lining the aisle and the same promise, spoken again, made the day as tender as the first.
Planning your own Hawaii celebration? Our sister company Aloha Island Weddings has been creating beach weddings on Oahu and Maui since 2000.
