Did you get engaged over the holidays? Congratulations! Have you already started thinking about wedding planning? It is never too early to plan a destination wedding in Hawaii. Are you dreaming of an exotic wedding in Hawaii but don’t know where to begin or how to plan the destination wedding of your dreams? Are you starting to think about wedding planning details and what you need to do or when to do it? Wedding planning doesn’t need to be difficult, overwhelming, time consuming or frustrating! Getting married in Hawaii has never been easier! Even the most ardent do it yourself wedding planner will want to scan through our short list of essential wedding planning tips:

1. Select the wedding location and catered reception location – our number one Maui wedding planning tip continues to be to choose a Maui wedding location before making other wedding plans. Unlike many mainland wedding destinations, there are very few large wedding reception facilities or banquet halls on Maui. And only a few Maui wedding venues offer options for large weddings. To save the most money on a Maui wedding, we recommend considering housing your guests at the same venue you’ll be using for the wedding ceremony. Maui offers a plethora of private estates for weddings with guest accommodations available for the entire wedding party and guests.
2. Choose the Date of the Wedding – Once you know the Maui wedding location, the next important step is to select a date for the wedding in Hawaii! Knowing the location prior to the date permits you to select a wedding date knowing your preferred wedding location will be able to accommodate your wedding day on Maui. After the date is selected and your guests have been informed, the rest of the planning should commence as soon as possible. Since you’ll still be early in the process and without guest confirmations, be sure your wedding service providers are flexible to changing guest counts. Initially, you’ll want to estimate the guest count and then finalize the services needed based on the actual number of guests attending. Although most Maui weddings average between 35 to 50 persons, larger Maui weddings are possible and many are small with just the bride and groom or accompanied by only their closest family members and friends. Just let your service providers know the rough head count expected and then keep them informed as you receive confirmations.
3. Consult with a Maui chef or wedding caterers before hiring a separate wedding planner – Many Maui catering companies and their chefs are experienced catering large events and weddings. This makes them more than capable of planning a wedding or other events on Maui and you may be able to save money without the need for a full service wedding planner. In fact, we include FREE wedding planning advice with catered wedding receptions. You can choose as much help as you need or even plan the entire wedding yourself and utilize our services for the catering or even use self-catering with pick up for smaller weddings or events. If you do decide you want want to pay for a full service wedding planner, verify they are flexible to working with the caterer and other professional wedding service providers you want to utilize. Some Maui wedding planners provide a small list of catering choices and other wedding services. Other only allow their preferred wedding service providers, often motivated by commission rather than best fit for the bride and groom.
4. Find Accommodations for your Guests and Let Them Know to Save the Date – Once you know where you are getting married, the date of the wedding and found help from the catering company, a chef or a dedicated wedding planner, the next step to planning a Maui wedding is to find accommodations available to house your guests who have travelled to celebrate your special day. One option we recommend is to consider staying in private vacation rental accommodations with an onsite wedding location. Doing so will likely save money by utilizing the wedding rental equipment for multiple functions and often eliminates or reduces the fees for a separate wedding location for the ceremony and reception. If you decide not to host your wedding guests at the same place you are getting married, then you’ll probably need to utilize a stand-alone wedding venue such as the Olowolu Plantation House. Another option is to house the wedding party and some of the guests at the beautiful Outrigger Eldorado hotel and utilize the beachfront cabana as the wedding reception site. Check with us for details about the hosting a wedding at the Eldorado Cabana in Kaanapali. Other guests may decide to stay onsite or they could stay at any of the Kaanapali resort hotels or in one of many West Maui vacation condo rentals. For small wedding groups, many Maui vacation rental condominiums will allow small weddings onsite without additional fees or at nominal cost so long as some of the wedding guests are utilizing vacation accommodations.

What your wedding plans? Share your holiday engagement story in the comments section below or let us know your most burning Maui wedding planning questions. Or, are you ready to start planning a Maui wedding and to find out how much it will cost to get married on Maui? If so, then hit the button below to get started! We’ll ask a few questions about your Maui wedding dreams and then provide a no obligation quote along with advice and tips to help you plan the Hawaiian wedding of your dreams!

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Still in the early research phase to find out if a Maui wedding is right for you? Peruse more helpful suggestions for planning your wedding or download a FREE eBook highlighting the best Maui beach wedding locations with beautiful photos of the best beach wedding locations on Maui. And, be sure to subscribe to our Maui catering blog for more timely advice and recommendations about planning weddings on Maui! You’ll likely love the recipes, tips, advice and ideas for Maui weddings.