Maui has long been one of America's favorite honeymoon destinations. But increasingly, couples choose to hold wedding ceremonies on the Valley Isle as well. Sometimes the whole entourage comes for the wedding, meaning a Maui vacation for all. Sometimes just the lucky pair appears for the ceremony, escaping the family dynamics back home. As soon as the vows are spoken, the couple is already on their honeymoon.
Weddings have become a thriving business on Maui and Lanai. Lots of planners are available to handle the details. Hotel concierges and wedding consultants can be helpful. Plenty of Internet sites offer information and services. Lovers can get married at sunset on a scenic golf course overlooking the sea, barefoot on the beach at dawn, on a knoll by a tumbling waterfall, underwater amid tropical fish, in special wedding chapels and churches old and new, on sailboats, and even in midair while skydiving. Or pick your favorite location when you get there. Your selection runs from free-of-charge at public beaches to $10,000 to rent a popular chapel, such as the Grand Wailea's.
Today, thousands of couples are wed each year on Maui. Some hotel chapels average multiple weddings daily. But in old Hawaii, marriage ceremonies were reserved only for high-ranking alii class. The first Christian marriage took place in 1822, two years after the arrival of the American missionaries. For a time, it was illegal for non-Christian marriages to be held in the Islands.
Lanai is another prized wedding location, famous as the place where Bill and Melinda Gates were married some years ago. Its elegant resorts, great outdoors to explore at will, private and secure atmosphere, and scenic backdrops comprise a dream setting for a bride and groom.
Molokai isn't fancy, but it offers picturesque historic chapels and natural settings for couples who enjoy ecotourism activities or find comfort in the homey atmosphere.
How to Get Married in the Islands
Getting a marriage license is relatively easy in the Aloha State, since there are no residency, citizenship, or blood-test requirements. The legal age to marry is 18. However, with the written consent of both parents or guardians and a family court judge, bride and groom may be married at 15. Consent forms may be obtained from a marriage license agent. Teenagers 18 and under must bring a certified copy of their birth certificates, and people over 19 should have proof of age in the form of a military ID or driver's license.
Cousins may legally marry. Formerly married participants should be prepared to provide the date and location of divorces or deaths of prior partners on their new marriage license application.
The names of each partner's parents and places of birth must also be provided.
You can review the rules and download a marriage license application from the State Department of Health (www.state.hi.us/health) before you arrive or pick up an application at a marriage license office after you get to the Islands.
Both bride and groom must be 19 years or older and present to file the application for a license with a Maui County licensing agent. The fee is $25 in cash. Once approved, the license is issued then and there, good for getting married within 30 days anywhere in Hawaii.
To plan the actual event, you have a choice of more than three dozen wedding coordinators on Maui. You can find out what several have to offer on the Internet-just search for "weddings" in combination with Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
After the wedding, your officiant will file the necessary paperwork and you will get a copy of the marriage certificate, the document that proves your legal marriage, but be advised that it may take two or three months to receive your certificate at home by mail. If you need a copy faster, or additional copies in the future, the State Health and Human Services/Vital Records division offers specific instructions online at the above Internet address.
You can obtain a license in Honolulu at the State Department of Health's Marriage License Office, 1250 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, HI 96813. A free "Getting Married" pamphlet is also available from Hawaii's Marriage License Office. Write to the address above or call them at tel. 808/586-4544. The Marriage License Office is open Monday to Friday from 8am-4pm (closed on holidays).
Call the registrar on these Maui County islands for information on contacting a marriage agent:
- Lanai: tel. 808/565-6411
- Maui: tel. 808/984-8210
- Molokai: tel. 808/553-3663
The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau has a list of wedding planners on all islands at www.gohawaii.com.
Romantic Wedding Settings
Maui
Hamoa Beach, Hotel Hana-Maui, Hana: Down on the sands, with ocean breezes teasing your veil and waves for your soundtrack: make it a Hawaiian-style wedding in Hana, with wedding lei, a traditional service, hula, and a luau to celebrate with your family and friends. Then later, steal away to your Sea Ranch Cottage with its private hot tub on the deck and contemplate your future. Contact: Hotel Hana-Maui, tel. 800/321-4262.
Overlook at Kapalua Beach: Picture this -- watching the sun set on a grassy point overlooking the sea, Molokai in the background, beautiful beach below, pineapple fields forever up the slopes behind the gracious hotel with its lush tropical gardens and huge trees. If it's wintertime, look for the spouts of party-crashing humpback whales out in the channel. Contact: Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, tel. 808/699-6200.
Wailea Golf Club: High on a hill, with a breezy view and a fiery sun setting into the sea, or outdoors on the course, or on the clubhouse deck: scenic grandeur adds an element to your wedding preparations that could even upstage the loving couple. Contact: Wailea Golf Club, tel. 800/888-6284.
Waterfall Garden, The Maui Prince Hotel, Makena Resort: The peaceful waterfall pool garden in the open-air atrium, a patch of green surrounded by black-lava tide pools where golden Japanese carp splash, is a popular wedding site in South Maui for local and visiting brides-to-be. Contact: Maui Prince Hotel at Makena, tel. 808/874-1111.
Lanai
The Conservatory at Koele: Exchange vows amid thousands of exotic orchids in the glass-paned Conservatory, then dance your wedding waltz in the Lodge at Koele, a most romantic setting for weddings and honeymoons. Contact: Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele, tel. 808/565-7300.