Wedding Location and company to Help?

Looking to get married in Kauai this May. Small affair just my Bride and myself. Would like to see if anybody has any recomendations for a coordinator or company to help with details for us. Also any suggestions for fantastic location for ceremony, preferrably north shore on a beach with fantastic background or sunset but I am open to other suggestions as well such as Waterfalls, overlooks, etc? Looking forward to responses or any photos from your weddings if you would like to share.

mahalo

Wedding Location and company to Help?

North Shore locations are many and to me the perfect place for a wedding. I love Hanalei Bay with Bali Hai in the background, but you could get married on the beach or at a garden location.

I highly recommend Diana Gardener as a wedding coordinator. Her website is:

http://www.alohanaweddings.com/

If you just want an officiant I recommend Julie Wirtz at:

http://kauaiofficiant.com/

Hanalei Bay Resort has 2 locations to hold weddings. I had my vow renewal at The Wedding Walk which overlooks Bali Hai. If you want to see pictures of the backdrop PM me and give me your email. The other location is on the beach. I also have pictures from a guest of mine of their friend%26#39;s wedding on that beach I can send you. May is a super popular time for weddings on Kauai so I would hop on it.

Congratulations and happy planning.

Wedding Location and company to Help?

There are many many people who can coord a wedding here. Google around and get a sense of prices and services. The resorts generally have people they steer you too (with a healthy markup) as well.

Keep in mind the beaches are public so unless you pay up for a super remote location like at Na Aina Kai Gardens, it may not be just you 2 + officiants/photogs.

There are some older threads here and websites specifically devoted to wedding planning including picks and pans. One old thread here is pretty amusing as a bitter bride and a more bitter planner faced off.

Aloha,

I’m a wedding officiant on Kauai, specializing in small affairs like you mention. Feel free to PM me if you want some information or photos of particular spots.

Some wedding officiants and coordinators limit their services to only a few choice locations. Some travel island wide to accommodated the couple’s wishes. So, if having a particular location is important to you, be sure to convey that to your officiant or coordinator up front.

Another thing to mention is any religious requirements you might have. The officiant or minister should share your spiritual views, if that’s important to you, just google officiants that offer services in your particular spiritual genre.

Your wedding location might depend on where you are staying, where you plan to celebrate afterwards, and what kind of backdrop you are envisioning… Total privacy, or a spot where a few people strolling by won’t bother you, or maybe a spot where a few dozen of hotel room windows peering down at you doesn’t bother you… or perhaps you have in mind a mountain background, a jungle feel, etc.

Do you feel like hiking a bit to a remote location? Or is a helicopter ride to a private location in your budget? How about a boat on a sunset cruise?

The reason to consider a spot near where you are staying or celebrating afterwards is that if you plan to drive to the wedding all dressed up, seatbelts are not always kind to wedding attire in warm weather, creating wrinkles in a pretty short time. If you are able to change into your clothes after a long drive, or are planning a super casual wedding with wrinkle free clothing, then that’s not an issue.

If you thinking of a beach wedding, standing barefoot in the sand at sunset, there are over 60 beaches on Kauai, some aren’t suitable for weddings, but some are just gorgeous spots! Don’t let the state mandated “beach permit” scare you off. It’s a very simple procedure and only costs the officiant or coordinator $20 and a few clicks of the mouse to obtain. Your officiant or coordinator can steer you toward beaches where weddings are permissible.

For non-beach locations, there are vistas above the Kalalau Valley and the Waimea Canyon that are breathtaking for photos. Also along hikes, if you are adventurous.

If you want to pay for privacy and a beautiful location, there are some private wedding venues that do charge a fee to have a wedding on their property, but to ensure privacy, that might be worth it to you. Na Aina Kai, like Dave820 mentioned, is beautiful.

A more affordable example up north, but perhaps less grand, is Kauai Waterfall Weddings, on the Goo Family Farm, which will allow weddings alongside the Kalihiwai waterfall on their property. It is a beautiful spot for a wedding, almost like a cathedral! Their site fee is $400 at this time.

If you are concerned about rain, you might want to choose a south shore location, where it’s usually drier than other parts of the island. The National Tropical Botanical Garden allows weddings in their visitor garden for a fee, $375 fee, which I feel is pretty reasonable. Their Lotus Pond location is beautiful. It’s not too far from some beach locations if you want some beach photos afterwards.

If you like the idea of a waterfall, but are on a budget, there are hidden natural waterfalls that are not publicized as wedding spots. But as long as the weather cooperates and if you aren’t bothered by mosquitos or give yourself a nice dousing of mosquito repellant, it can be beautiful.

Nature is unpredictable, but of course, when there are flash flood warnings in effect, remote natural waterfalls and streamside locations are totally out of the question.

Often, you can find a vacation rental house that has a private yard or is beach front, which is a nice option for an intimate wedding, and also for celebrating afterwards. You can have a private dinner catered.

Wedding Officiants and coordinators all have their favorite spots and might have special places not advertised to the public. Definitely ask around and see what kind of information you can come up with before making your choices. Have fun planning your wedding!

I want to thank those who have responded. We have responded via personal message

I was married in a private sunset ceremony on Hanalie Bay in May 2007. Diana Gardner was our wedding coordinator and did a great job. For more information, check out our wedding blog at http://andreaandwade.blogspot.com

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and much aloha to you both!

Hi Quincymom:

Long time, not type.

PM me and tell me how life is in FL.