Which island!?

[amj913]

Hello everyone!!! I need a little help on choosing an island. They are all beautiful but I was wondering which one is the right one. Could you ladies give me a little advice, which island did you get married on?? And why did you choose it?!? Also could you tell me which wedding coordinator you choosed? I'm just starting to plan my wedding and any advice would be appritiated . Thanks you

[Geraldine]

I think all islands in Hawaii are marvelous so we should bump from one island to another to really see all the best of Hawaii. But if you really have to choose, try the Big Island because it's the biggest and can offer unique activities and remarkable views.

[TAkathy]

Each island is unique with its own pros and cons.  Budget could be a large factor in helping narrow down your realistic options.

This would include: cost of travel from wherever you live, number of guests that will attend (it is usually going to be 30-50% of the number that say they will come when you first mention you are going to have a DW in Hawaii).  The more who travel, the larger the fees for the ceremony and reception.

Also, are there islands that are more expensive to get to from where you live?  It's great if you can keep the travel part simple and cost effective for you and your guests.  Connections eat up time and add complications to any travel these days so if you can get somewhere non-stop it's always a plus. 

Do you envision having a small ceremony on the beach and go to a bar with your friends to party afterward or a blow-out formal event at an established wedding venue with a sit-down dinner at an oceanfront restaurant? There are HUGE differences in cost and planning for these.

All the additional ceremony costs need to be factored in as well (minister, flowers, music, local licensing fees, photography and transportation.

And lastly, what are you going to do for your honeymoon - and how much of your budget will be left over to do it with?

So it's best to start with how much you realistically can and want to spend for the whole thing.  Then start breaking that down into categories.

Each island offers incredible beauty and many wonderful adventures for visitors.  If you have something particular in mind (like  visiting the USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu or Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii) your choice will be made for you.  So how you want you and your guests to spend the time while in the islands could impact where you decide to go.

There are many other things to consider but this should help you begin to narrow things down.

Happy Planning!

[1BeachBride]

I wanted to do dw in Hawaii but we would have had no guests. No one was willing to do the flight.