All of our Officiates are licensed and registered with the State of Hawaii and can perform all of the ceremonies we offer. Each provides their own personalized decorative wedding certificate which is included in our wedding packages as part of our service for free (this is not a marriage license).
Our wedding ceremonies and vow exchanges are emotional but not mushy, thoughtful but not "preachy", just long enough and not too long and tiring (we don't like that either :). We do include a lei exchange with our Kukui Nut lei included in our packages or with any flower lei you may order.
Ceremonies average about 10-20 minutes in length. Length may be longer with ceremony extras i.e. long personal vows, sand ceremony, breaking of the glass, jumping the broom, larger weddings with bridesmaids and groomsmen, processionals, etc.
Ceremony Types:
Romantic non-religious ceremony: A traditional ceremony with vows, lei and wedding ring exchange, etc. without reference to God. Officiates wear aloha or beach wedding appropriate casual attire. FYI: Our officiates do a lot of weddings of all types and many are actual denominational Christion ministers consequently, while we do our utmost to avoid it, sometimes a reference to God will slip out. If you hate the reference or mention of God, we suggest you use another company.
Christian non-denominational: A traditional Christian based ceremony appropriate for the beach with traditional vows, lei and wedding ring exchange, and reference to God as you would normally expect at such a ceremony. Minister wears aloha or wedding appropriate casual attire. If you would like traditional minister vestments, select this on our Order Form.
Christian Hawaiian or Romantic Hawaiian accented ceremony: A ceremony incorporating Hawaiian words, a conch shell blowing by the officiate, Hawaiian theme officiate attire, Hawaiian blessing, and other accents which will make your wedding uniquely Hawaiian in look and feel.
FYI: There is no "traditional" Hawaiian wedding ceremony other than those made-up by the people performing them or wanting you to believe there is one (including the stuff you read on the Internet) with many of the so-called "traditions" being just touristy additions or "Hawaiianized" western practices, Hawaii movies, and Elvis :) As well, there is no ancient Hawaiian wedding ceremony either. They did perform human sacrifice though :) Traditional marriage is a western idea, not a Hawaiian one. We offer only those Hawaiian elements which we feel adds to your wedding day experience and within the framework of a western style ceremony i.e. vows, exchange of rings, blessing, etc.
What happens on wedding day?
- Bring your marriage license to the ceremony... and the rings!
- We'll meet you at the designated area or at the parking lot of the site. Please keep your eye out for us and do not walk out to or try to find the site. Also, it does no good to sit in your car, to walk around the park, etc. where we can't see you.
- It is important that you be ready to walk out to the ceremony site at the start of your coverage time. You should have your car parked and be ready to go at the listed time or before.
- After we meet, we'll walk out to the ceremony location.
- The officiate will give you ceremony instructions just prior to the ceremony. If you have special words you wish to share with each other or vows, just let the officiate know what you have in mind at this time.
- We're going to set you up "in-place" or give instructions for a processional if appropriate.
- If you want to "not see" each other before the ceremony, we'll work with you on that. Note: People say they want to be "traditional" but hey, you're on the beach, a church with the door closed is "traditional" :) Just let the officiate know and arrive earlier than scheduled on your contract.
- Once everything is set, the ceremony will commence and you'll be married forthwith :)
- After the ceremony, you will sign the marriage license. You do not need a witness.
- The officiate will take possession of the marriage license as required by law.
- Your marriage license will be registered at marriage license at the soonest opportunity.
- A copy of the marriage license will be mailed to you by the State of Hawaii. As of 2012, we understand that you'll be able to access your State certified marriage license on-line and download it within 24-48 hours from the State website.
Can we exchange special vows/words in our ceremony? Yes. Let the minister/officiate know when you are being given instructions prior to the ceremony that you have special words to share with each other before or after the ring exchange.
Can we include cultural traditions in our ceremony? Yes. You can add your own personal or cultural traditions but, if you do, please keep in mind that this may lengthen the ceremony and shorten the time for photos, video, etc., so let us know before we make your contract. Also, any extra ceremony items for these traditions must be brought by you i.e. sand ceremony implements, broom, etc., we do not provide any items which are not on our Order Form.
Can we meet or speak with the Officiate before our wedding day? Sorry, no. Mainly because, he may be substituted before your wedding. Additionally, our price does not include the extra time for meeting or email correspondence with individual vendors (who provide for this for their own clients by charging them higher prices). No worries, all instructions are given on the day of the wedding and it's pretty straight forward. If you are having a "regular" type wedding at a hotel or estate which will require more instruction for a processional, your bridal party, and your family, you might want to schedule a rehearsal on another day, let us know and we'll give you the cost.
Can we see the ceremony words? Sorry no. We understand that some may want to know exactly what will be said, but that's not how it works with most officiates and churches. You cannot "cut and paste" the wording your ceremony. Also, we don’t share samples of ceremony words for review, approval, or for any other reason. Why? Each of our minister/officiates have their own specific ceremony (we don't have stock ceremonies), most have them memorized, and words spoken vary depending upon the specifics of your wedding or vow renewal from any written script. Also, we may assign another officiate other than the one we initially assign to your wedding. Finally, ceremonies are proprietary and our officiates don't want them copied by others. No worries, all of our officiate perform a ceremony with nothing that would be objectionable to the average person for the type of ceremony you’ve selected. We don't use oddballs, cosmic spiritualists, part-timers with day jobs, or any of the sort. We use the same consummate professionals used by the most expensive venues at a fraction of the cost they charge.
Can we use our own Officiate/Minister? Yes, with our agreement. With that said, we highly recommend using our officiates for a variety of reasons including the efficiency of our "team", the outcome of your photo/video ceremony coverage (doesn't affect the scenic or other shots after the ceremony) and the time allowed for your ceremony. FYI: It's not a problem to have others participate in the ceremony as co-officiate without having them to actually "officiate". This will relieve you of the problem of making sure your license will be valid.
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