Getting Married

Maui is a great place for a wedding. Not only does the entire island exude romance and natural beauty, but after the ceremony you're only a few steps away from the perfect honeymoon.

More than 20,000 marriages are performed each year on the islands, and nearly half of the couples married here are from somewhere else. This booming business has spawned dozens of companies that can help you organize a long-distance event and stage an unforgettable wedding.

The easiest way to plan your wedding is to let someone else handle it at the resort or hotel where you'll be staying. Most Maui resorts and hotels have wedding coordinators who can plan everything from a simple (relatively) low-cost wedding to an extravaganza that people will talk about for years. Remember that resorts can be pricey -- be frank with your wedding coordinator if you want to keep costs down. You don't have to use a coordinator: You can also plan your own island wedding, even from afar, and not spend a fortune doing it.

The Paperwork

To obtain a marriage license, contact the Marriage License Office, State Department of Health Building, 54 S. High St., Wailuku, HI 96793 (tel. 808/984-8210; www.state.hi.us/doh/records/vr_marri.html), open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. The staff will mail you a brochure called Getting Married and direct you to the marriage-licensing agent closest to where you'll be staying on Maui.

Once on Maui the prospective bride and groom must go together to the marriage-licensing agent to get a license. A license costs $60 and is good for 30 days. The only requirements for a marriage license are that both parties are 15 years of age or older (couples 15-17 years old must have proof of age, written consent of both parents, and the written approval of the judge of the family court) and are not more closely related than first cousins.

After a protracted legal battle and much discussion in the state legislature, in late 1999 the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the state won't issue a marriage license to a couple of the same sex.

Planning the Wedding

Doing it Yourself -- The marriage-licensing agents, which range from the governor's satellite office to private individuals, are usually friendly, helpful people who can steer you to a nondenominational minister or someone who's licensed by the state of Hawaii to perform the ceremony. These marriage performers are great sources of information for budget weddings. They usually know great places to have the ceremony for free or for a nominal fee.

If you don't want to use a wedding planner but want to make arrangements before you arrive on Maui, my best advice is to get a copy of the daily newspaper, the Maui News, P.O. Box 550, Wailuku, HI 96793 (tel. 808/244-7691; www.mauinews.com). People willing and qualified to conduct weddings advertise in the classifieds. They're great sources of information and can recommend locations, caterers, florists, and everything else you'll need.

Using a Wedding Planner -- Wedding planners can arrange everything for you, and charge anywhere from $150 to a small fortune -- it all depends on what you want.

Planners on Maui include First Class Weddings (tel. 800/262-8433 or 808/877-1411; www.firstclassweddings.com); A Dream Wedding: Maui Style (tel. 800/743-2777 or 808/661-1777; fax 808/667-2042; www.maui.net/~dreamwed/dream.html); A Romantic Maui Wedding (tel. 800/808-4144 or 808/874-6444; fax 808/879-5525; www.justmauied.com); Dolphin Dream Weddings (tel. 800/793-2-WED or 808/661-8535; www.dolphindreamweddings.com); and Simply Married (tel. 800/291-0110 or 808/572-7898; fax 800/368-6933 or 808/572-1240; www.maui.net/~married). For a more complete list, contact the Maui Visitors Bureau (www.visitmaui.com).