How Much Does It Cost to Get Married in Hawaii? What to Expect

With eight major islands, endless oceanside views, lush inland landscapes, and year-round warm weather, it’s easy to see why Hawaii is such a popular place to get married. The getaway is also a prime place to elope or hold a small, intimate celebration.

If you’re set on saying “I do” in the Aloha State (or just exploring your options), you’re probably wondering about prices. So, how much does it cost to get married in Hawaii if you’re keeping the guest list to close family and friends?

The total cost of a wedding depends on many factors. We’ll go over these below, along with practical tips for saving money and budgeting for a destination wedding in Hawaii.

Typical Costs of a Small Hawaiian Wedding

While prices for individual items and wedding vendors may be higher than in mainland states, Hawaiian weddings are usually smaller since the island is a destination for most couples and their guests. They’re also typically held outdoors, and outdoor events tend to cost less than indoor celebrations.

How much does a wedding in Hawaii cost if you keep things relatively small? It depends on where in Hawaii you’re getting married, the time of year, and what components are most important to you on your big day.

An elopement in Hawaii might be around $2,500,¹ and an intimate beach wedding surrounded by your closest loved ones could be closer to $10,000.²

The key expenses for a wedding in Hawaii include:

• Venue booking fee and various rentals
• Food, alcohol, and cake
• Florals and décor
• Photography and videography
• Wedding coordinator, music vendor, officiant, etc.

Here’s an example of how it might break down for a 15-person wedding in Hawaii:

• Venue, chairs, tables, and other location fees: $1,500
• Reception food and drinks: $2,000
• Cake: $300
• Flowers and other décor: $800
• Photographer and videographer: $1,500
• Coordinator and officiant: $1,000
• DJ and ceremony instrumentalist: $900
• Total: $8,000

Of course, if you don’t live in Hawaii, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of flights and lodging. But if you choose to stay there for your honeymoon, you may not need to add an extra leg to your trip.

Choosing the Perfect Hawaiian Venue

Hawaii has no shortage of wedding locations to choose from. Beyond sun-kissed beaches and sandy shores surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, you can elope in more secluded settings surrounded by rolling hills or majestic cliffs.

Here are a handful of popular places to tie the knot on the Big Island, Maui, and Oahu, as well as how many guests they can accommodate.

Many of these beach wedding destinations can accommodate small gatherings of up to 26 people. To book them, you’ll need a right-of-entry permit. For the State of Hawaii, these permits start at $20 (depending on the number of attendees) for a maximum of two hours, plus 10 cents per square foot of reserved space.³

Explore all-inclusive elopement packages in Hawaii to find pricing for your preferred venue and chat with a planning expert.

Travel and Accommodation Expenses

As noted, traveling to Hawaii for a destination wedding will add to the total cost. For most people, this includes flights and transportation around the island. Renting a car is common when visiting Hawaii, as many locations on the islands have limited availability for cabs and ride-share services.

You’ll also want to consider where you’ll stay while you’re there. Hawaii is home to some of the best hotels and resorts in the country, but lots of visitors opt for vacation rentals like houses or condos. This is often a more affordable option, plus it gives you access to a kitchen and allows you to experience Hawaii living like a local.

Hawaii Wedding Services, Vendors, and Décor

There are absolutely no rules in terms of what your dream wedding should entail. Having said that, the basics typically include a photographer, a wedding officiant, and florals.

Hiring a photographer for an hour to capture a beachside elopement may only cost around $300. However, if you’re planning a gathering of 20 or more people with a ceremony and reception, your wedding photography costs for the entire event could be closer to $1,000.⁴ If you’d like to have a wedding video, too, a videographer might add $200 to $500 more per hour.⁵ These wedding vendors may charge a range of fees for printed photos, high-resolution imagery, digital galleries, or editing services.

The cost of flowers can be minimal if you’re doing a single bridal bouquet for an elopement. Flower crowns and leis with fresh flowers or greenery are also popular options for Hawaiian weddings. However, if you’re including florals for a wedding party, ceremony décor, or centerpieces for reception tables, the price will add up.

You might need to hire an officiant for your wedding ceremony and get a Hawaii marriage license before the day of the wedding.

If you don’t live in Hawaii and are planning a wedding there, you’ll almost certainly need a coordinator to help with booking a location, getting permits, and organizing vendors.

Budgeting Tips for Your Hawaiian Wedding

The price of a wedding in Hawaii can quickly soar, but there are lots of ways to keep costs to a minimum without making your special day any less special.

Here are a few budgeting tips and ideas to save money on your Hawaiian wedding:

• Choose a beach venue. Wedding venue fees at Hawaii’s top resorts, golf clubs, and ranches can be expensive, but getting married at the beach might only call for a right-of-entry permit, which could be under $50.²
• Keep it small. When it comes to saving money on a wedding, keeping it as small as possible will have the biggest impact. Some couples stick with a two-person elopement, while others include just family and potentially a few of their closest friends.
• Skip the wedding party. Intimate nuptials often forgo the traditional wedding party, which saves on photography and florals. Instead of bridesmaids and groomsmen, it’s just the couple and their officiant standing up front.
• Keep the celebration short and sweet. Hawaiian beaches limit reservations to two hours, which might be in your favor if you’re trying to save money. You can trim down on costs by having a brief ceremony followed by a champagne toast with loved ones.
• Have a loved one officiate. Rather than hiring a local wedding officiant, consider having a close friend or family member officiate your wedding—just make sure they get ordained as a minister in the State of Hawaii ahead of time.
• Keep the décor super simple. With a stunning backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, rolling green hills, lush forests, and palm trees, you don’t need much to make a wedding in Hawaii look beautiful. To save on wedding reception décor, some people use pineapples as centerpieces in place of floral bouquets.
• Forgot the traditional wedding cake. Wedding cakes are famously expensive. Those planning smaller weddings might want to do donuts, cupcakes, or a cookie bar instead.
• Use all-inclusive elopement packages from Simply Eloped. We’re committed to helping cost-conscious couples save on their big days without sacrificing quality. And we offer financing for our packages with 0% installment payment plans.

See more tips on how to budget for your wedding.

Plan Your Cost-Conscious Hawaiian Wedding With Simply Eloped

Simply Eloped has assisted more than 13,000 couples in planning the weddings of their dreams while staying within a budget, with upwards of 1,400 elopements completed in Hawaii alone. We have a high success rate in helping brides and grooms-to-be cut costs on their big days so they can focus on what matters most to them.

Access to 80+ Wedding Service Providers in Hawaii

We work with over 80 service providers throughout the Big Island, Oahu, and Maui. Whether you have your sights set on a vibrant cityscape in Honolulu, a seaside gathering on the North Shore, or a grassy knoll on Maui, Simply Eloped can help you find the perfect spot to say “I do.”

Get Planning Assistance While Saving Money on Your Wedding

Simply Eloped Hawaii elopement packages start at $790, with plans involving just you, your SO, and an officiant. For a slightly larger celebration, you can choose a package that includes a customized ceremony, location permits, a few hours of photography, and coordination with other vendors.

Get a quote today for your small Hawaii wedding, or curate a customized package that aligns with your exact vision, needs, and budget.

Source:

1. Brides. The Complete Guide to Getting Married in Hawaii. https://www.brides.com/hawaii-wedding-5176611
2. Simple Maui Wedding. Getting Married in Hawaii – Best Island, Cost & Time Of Year. https://simplemauiwedding.net/getting-married-in-hawaii/
3. State Of Hawaii Department Of Land And Natural Resources. Application for Commercial Activity – Unencumbered Land, State Public Beaches. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ld/files/2013/07/Application-n-Terms-1601.pdf
4. Snappr. How much does a wedding photographer cost in Honolulu? https://www.snappr.com/how-much-does-a-photographer-cost/wedding/honolulu-hi
5. Airtasker. How much does it cost to hire a wedding videographer? https://www.airtasker.com/us/costs/wedding-videographer/wedding-videographer-cost/

Written by Karen Norian

Karen Norian is an elopement photographer and has photographed over a hundred elopements. Karen has also worked as an elopement planner for Simply Eloped. She's been quoted in the New York Times, Brides, Hello Giggles, Bustle, Yahoo, and more.