You’ve decided that you want a Hawaii wedding, but how do you determine your venue(s)?
Hawaii Weddings and Events – Lanikuhonua
First, you’ll want to ask yourself the following questions:
1. Do I want a hotel/resort or an off-premise location?
2. Do I want a garden view, rustic environment, oceanview or unique venue?
3. Do I want a combination of indoor/outdoor space or all indoor, or all outdoor?
4. How many guests will I invite and how man do I think really will be able to make it (low and high)?
5. What is my overall budget for ceremony and reception?
6. Do I have a specific date in mind that may be significant or are we flexible with date/days of the week?
7. How far in advance do I want to start planning?
8. What Island do I want my wedding?
9. What type of “feel” do I want for my wedding (elegant, rustic, tropical, etc.)?
After answering the above, have you narrowed down your search yet? For many, they may have only narrowed it down to the island and type of venue, but still have no clue on how many guests or what venues may be appropriate.
The first answer needs to be what island, as that is going to impact everything else. Secondly you need at least a ballpark figure on what you are comfortable with on your budget. Each venue will have different site fees and/or minimum requirements that must be met and also have different booking guidelines.
For example, Lanikuhonua, which is a beautiful oceanfront location on the West side of Oahu is a popular location for destination weddings and it will accept reservations up to 14 months in advance. Kualoa Ranch and most hotels will not except reservations until 1 year in advance, and some convention type hotel venues may be only 6 months out.
Your Hawaii wedding planner can help streamline the above process as they work at venues all over the island and continually see invoices from hotels, caterers, vendors, etc.
