Weddingbee boards

What island are you looking into?

LittleMissMango will probably be able to advise you better than me because she actually lives there. My family is from there and my dad still lives there so I spent sort of half-time there. You probably should figure out which island you want to get married on because honestly, you can find competitive prices on any island.

That said, airfare is a big cost factor for you and your guests and the cheapest flights will probably go into and out of Honolulu. You can find direct flights from the mainland to Kahului (Maui) or Lihue (Kauai), but they're likely to cost more. To get to the Big Island, you have to fly into Honolulu (Oahu) and island-hop. You can also island-hop from Oahu to and from Maui or Kauai if you want to try that route as well, but of course, you will be paying to get to Honolulu and then another flight on top of that. If you are concerned about the cost to your guests and/or their entertainment, one option is to get married on Oahu, which offers tropical paradise with all the comforts of a major city and then honeymoon on the outer islands.

Honolulu/Oahu is sort of the de-facto Hawaii spot because Honolulu is a major city and there's tons to do, from luxury shopping to hiking and surfing, and a whole tourist infrastructure in place for things like vacation and weddings. Tourists tend to complain Waikiki is too touristy--and it is--but as someone half-raised on Oahu, I think the island doesn't get enough credit. Oahu is best if you get bored laying around and like access to things like sampling new restaurants, visiting museums or art galleries, and all those other comforts of town. The flipside is that while Honolulu is still gorgeous; it's not hideaway. Kauai has a sleepier feel and it's definitely got that "authentic" natural getaway vibe but do remember that the oceans tend to be much rougher (rocky shorelines, rip tides etc.) and if it's anything to you, we spent summers boogie boarding down storm drains and my cousins who live there either want to die in the same house or cannot WAIT to get off the island...it can be kinda, um rural. Hawaii has a gorgeous landscape with black sand beaches and rainforest and all and two sides: Kona (dry) and Hilo (wet). Lots of opportunity for hiking in the interior, exploring the volcano etc. But also can feel a bit sleepy. I can't remember the last time I went to Maui, but it's sort of a classic for tourists and also has a good infrastructure in place. Haleakala is on Maui and that's a neat thing to see.