Oahu Wedding FAQ

What is unique about weddings on Oahu?
What is a typical Oahu wedding like?
Are there high quality wedding vendors on Oahu?
Do you have recommendations for wedding venues on Oahu?
What are the legal requirements to getting married on Oahu?
Do you recommend I hire a Oahu wedding planner?
Do Oahu hotels offer wedding planning services?
What types of group activities are available for my wedding party on Oahu?
How do I get group rates on Oahu for my wedding party?
What is the typical size of a wedding on Oahu?
Do I need to rent a car when I get to Oahu?
How far in advance do I need to plan my wedding on Oahu?
Should I consider spending my honeymoon on another Hawaiian Island?

What is unique about weddings on Oahu?

Oahu, or the "gathering place" is the population and financial hub of the Hawaiian Islands. Home to the city of Honolulu, Oahu is a cosmipolitan and varied landscape. The city of Honolulu boasts world famous Waikiki Beach, where you will enjoy fantastic hotels, fun beach scene, great night life and fantastic shopping and dining.

The other shores of the island of Oahu offer all the adventures and beauty of Old Hawaii. You can enjoy outdoor activities, secluded beaches and romantic dinners.

Oahu has a great selection of talented bridal professionals. Please visit the Wedding Section of our Oahu page here.

What is a typical Oahu wedding or Honolulu wedding like?

There truly is not a "typical" Oahu wedding, as the options on the island are so diverse. The primary wedding locations on Oahu are either the grounds of a Waikiki hotel or on the beach with an independent Oahu wedding planner. Finding an Oahu wedding coordinator that you trust and feel comfortable with is one of the keys to a successful wedding on Oahu. The question to ask yourself when considering a wedding on Oahu is "what is my dream wedding?". If you can articulate this vision to your Oahu wedding planner, your chances of it becoming a reality become much better.

Are there high quality wedding vendors on Oahu?

Yes! Honolulu is a bustling urban center. There are great options for wedding planners, catering companies, entertainment acts, florists, photographers, videographers, hotels, etc.

Do you have recommendations for wedding venues on Oahu?

Preview Hawaii has the most extensive listing of Oahu wedding venues available. Whether you are looking for an elegant Waikiki resort, a beautiful Oahu beach or a private Oahu estate, we can point you in the right direction. Please review our list of Oahu resorts here.

Most of these properties offer in house wedding coordination services. Feel free to call us with any questions about these properties.

You may also view our list of Oahu wedding venues here.

What are the legal requirements to getting married on Oahu?

You will need to obtain a marriage license at least 24 hours prior to the wedding ceremony. In order to obtain this, please have a current photo ID. There are a number of locations on the island to get the marriage license. Again, this is one of the reasons to hire an Oahu wedding coordinator, to assist you with details like this.

Do you recommend I hire an Oahu wedding planner?

Yes, we do! Though Preview Hawaii is a very extensive resource in planning your wedding on Oahu, we could never replace the personalized service of a wedding planner. Even if it just the two of you, you are probably planning the wedding from at least three thousand miles away (if not more!). If you work with a qualified Oahu wedding planner, you will have all the little details of the wedding day covered. The most important thing is finding a wedding coordinator that you relate to and that you really like! This person will become a friend and confidente, and needs to be a personality you can relate to. There are two main types of wedding coordinators on Oahu, the resort wedding planners and the independent wedding planners. Both has pros and cons. If you are planning a large, formal wedding on Oahu, a resort wedding planner may be a good choice. If you would like to find a unique venue, or get married just the two of you on a deserted beach, an independent wedding coordinator may be a more logical choice. Go through our list of Oahu wedding planners below, and call us with any questions you may have.

Please review our list of Oahu wedding planners here.

Do Oahu hotels offer wedding planning services?

Most Oahu hotels have an in-house Oahu wedding coordinator. If you are interested in getting married on property at the resort you are planning on staying at, working with the resort wedding coordinator can be a great choice. If you have a large party coming with you from the mainland, you may need food and beverage or function space for your reception. Often working with a resort wedding coordinator really streamlines these various functions for your wedding on Oahu. Most of our resorts are also listed under Wedding Coordinators on Oahu and can be contacted directly for more information.

What types of group activities are available for my wedding party on Oahu?

Oahu has an enormously diverse group of activities to choose from. Whether you are looking for an adventurous boat ride on the Na Pali Coast, a helicopter tour of the interior of the island, a kayaking adventure in the open ocean or a beautiful hiking tour, Oahu has numerous options. Please review our list of Oahu activities here.

We take care to select the most professional companies on each island in each category.

How do I get group rates on Oahu for my wedding party?

The best way to negotiate a group rate for your wedding party coming to Oahu is by contacting the activity company directly. Our Wedding Planner allows you to do this in a streamlined, electronic fashion. Please review the Preview Hawaii Planner here.

What is the typical size of a wedding on Oahu?

Destination weddings on Oahu range from just the two of you to many hundreds of people. The average number of people joining wedding couples traveling to Oahu for their wedding seems to be between ten and eighty guests.

Do I need to rent a car when I get to Oahu?

It is not really necessary to rent a car on Oahu, as the public transportation is so good. Also, there are car rental stands in every major hotel if you want to rent a car for one day.

How far in advance do I need to plan my wedding on Oahu?

Some couples begin planning their Oahu wedding years in advance, some plan their Oahu wedding last minute. It really depends on a number of factors, such as the size of your wedding party, the budget for your Oahu wedding, the planning you want to do for your weddings guests traveling to Oahu, and more. Here at Preview Hawaii, we recommend you begin planning your Oahu wedding, even if it is just the two of you, at least six months in advance.

Planning a destination Oahu wedding can be a very challenging organizational task. Most members of the wedding party are traveling to Oahu from at least three thousand miles away. All guests need to arrange airfare, lodging, car rental, activities and inter-island transportation. It is often the bride and groom became the de facto travel agent for everybody attending the wedding on Oahu. This can be a very challenging job for the couple as they are planning the details of their rehearsal dinner, wedding day, reception and honeymoon in Hawaii. Even if an Oahu wedding coordinator has been hired to assist you in planning the details of the Oahu wedding, they often to not assist you with all of the travel details for your entire wedding guest list.

This planning process is what Preview Hawaii and our Hawaii Wedding Planner feature are designed for. Preview Hawaii can assist you with your entire procurement process for your destination wedding on Oahu. We can aid you in the selection of your
Oahu wedding venue, Oahu wedding coordinator, Oahu wedding suppliers, Oahu lodging for your wedding party, and both individual and group activities on Oahu for the enjoyment of your guests.

Should I consider spending my honeymoon on another Hawaiian Island?

This is a question we receive all the time. And the answer is unequivacably YES! The beauty of planning your wedding in Hawaii is that you then can combine your dream honeymoon into the experience! The various wedding options on each island are very diverse and unique. If you are not familiar with Hawaii, please take some time to learn about each island. Email us at info@previewhawaii.com with any questions you have about which island is best suited to your destination Hawaii wedding.

Once you have chosen the island in Hawaii for your wedding, you can then think about which other island(s) you would really like to see while you here. Or perhaps which of our fantastic Hawaii resorts you would love to steal away to with your beloved after your wedding in Hawaii. Preview Hawaii has a wide variety of fantastic Hawaii honeymoon itineraries available, and can assist you with every part of the honeymoon planning process.