While wanting to know the cost of a Maui wedding is where most couples begin, my advice is to make a few other decisions about getting married on Maui before asking about fees. Accurate wedding costs cannot be determined without an estimate of the guest count and knowing the Maui wedding location. After planning and catering hundreds of weddings over the past 14 years as a Maui catering company and as the executive chef at one of the Kaanapali resort hotels before opening my Maui restaurant, I’ve discovered a few tips that always help most couples plan a wedding and get the most out of their wedding budget. Below, you’ll find 5 of my favorite Maui wedding planning tips. And, if you still want a wedding cost estimate, jump to the end for the easiest way to start planning a Maui wedding:

1. Plan Early – Once you are engaged and considering getting married on Maui, you’ll want to start thinking about the style of wedding you’d like. Outdoor or indoor? A church official or a Hawaiian wedding officiate? Casual or Formal? A luau for entertainment at the wedding reception? Once those choices are made, you’ll want to choose a Maui wedding venue. Keep reading to find out why selecting a location for the wedding ceremony and reception is one of the first things to do to plan a Maui wedding.
2. Verify Most Important Guests Will Attend – Before deciding a wedding on Maui is for you, check with your most important guests to determine they are willing to attend your destination wedding in Hawaii. You’d be surprised how many couples think they are getting married on Maui only to find out their mother, grandfather or best friend simply won’t be able travel to Hawaii. Ask to be certain or be prepared to accept some guests may need to miss your wedding. And don’t worry if your original guest estimate is not exact. Most Maui wedding caterers and planners will accommodate a few more guests or reduce service and catering fees if your original guest count is unable to attend, so long as you inform a reasonable amount of time before the wedding. Once you receive guest confirmation, you’ll want to let your wedding caterer and planner know the final count as soon as available.
3. Select a Location – Unlike many mainland wedding locations, you won’t find an abundance of wedding reception halls on Maui and few dedicated banquet halls suitable for large weddings. Fortunately, there are numerous Maui wedding locations on private property adjacent to the beach offering a gorgeous alternative to traditional banquet halls. All beaches are public so if you are planning a Maui beach wedding understand that you’ll need a permit and you’ll need to abide by the regulations for beach {{cta(‘c1354916-fcdd-4e60-8623-19868a9866a3′,’justifyleft’)}} weddings, including not using fixtures (chairs, chuppas or arches) on the beach while and limiting the time allowed for the wedding ceremony and the wedding attendance count. Planning at least a year in advance and securing a wedding location is one of the best ways to ensure the venue you want is available and professional wedding service providers are not already booked on the day of your wedding. One of my favorite Kaanapali wedding locations is the El Dorado for smaller weddings. You can’t get any closer to the water and you it’s only a short walk from the Kaanapali resort hotels. To use the cabana, you’ll need to reserve accommodations for the wedding party or guests at the Eldorado. Larger west Maui weddings will want to consider the beautiful Olowalu Plantation House wedding venue. If your heart is set on a toes in the sand wedding, download our FREE Maui Beach Wedding Locations ebook for images with details of the most popular wedding beaches on Maui:{{cta(‘fa43fd78-ee95-43c1-840d-5f4a2fbf6804′,’justifycenter’)}}
4. Purchase Your Own Alcohol – One of the best ways to save money on Maui weddings is to purchase your own alcohol and utilize a bartender licensed by the county of Maui to serve guests. Ask your bestman or a couple of the groomsmen to pickup the liquor at Costco when they arrive at the airport. Note some venues will not permit you to supply your own alcohol but those that do provide an opportunity to reduce the wedding reception budget or reallocate wedding budget. Read about more ways to save money Maui weddings.
5. Get Married Where You are Staying – If you are able to choose a Maui wedding venue with accommodations onsite you are often able to greatly reduce the fee and sometimes eliminate a venue fees. Many private estates on Maui offer plenty of room for small weddings and a few are permitted to host large weddings and events. Confirm the venue will allow you to host a wedding and don’t just assume you’ll be able to before booking a vacation rental condo or private estate. Ask for advice or recommendations for a wedding reception location suitable for your estimated guest count.

Use those 5 Maui wedding planning tips above and your wedding planning will be off to a great beginning! One of my favorite tips and a bonus for anyone considering getting married on Maui: Have fun and don’t let wedding planning make you stressed. Though many Maui weddings are casual, rest assured the Maui wedding professionals take planning weddings very seriously and are legitimate business professionals striving to make your Maui wedding everything you dreamed it would be while showing off our beautiful island of Maui in the best ways possible. If you need help, just ask. I’m happy to provide as much or as little wedding planning advice as you prefer. As a professional Maui chef, I’m equally happy supplying just the catering and working with full service wedding planners or do it yourself wedding planners looking to plan the affordable Maui wedding. Thinking about a destination wedding and wondering what getting married on Maui would cost? Find out! Use our short Maui Wedding Planning Questionnaire where we’ll guide you through a few short questions to share about your wedding plans. Then, we’ll provide a No Obligation realistic wedding cost estimate and share a few tips to help plan the destination wedding of your dreams! Hit the button below to get started with your Maui wedding planning:{{cta(‘3fd99430-bb9b-40e2-a372-39f437755dfb’,’justifycenter’)}}

Need more affordable Maui wedding ideas? Read about ways to reduce costs of a wedding on Maui. Be sure to subscribe to our blog for the latest destination wedding advice with tips and recipes from our Maui restaurant kitchen. For other event planning questions please leave a note in our comments section below.