Hawaii Wedding Reception Information

Receptions

For destination beach weddings, flexibility is the key for weddings on the beach where you want to be at the best location (you like) at the best time (for photos and other considerations) for the best wedding ceremony. You can get married at any time during the day that's appropriate for the location you select and you and your guests can go directly to a reception venue if the timing works or go back to the hotel, go to the beach, freshen-up, and then suit-up later for a reception later in the day.

Simply, you can get married in the morning and go directly to a lunch reception or get married any time during the day and go to an evening reception or get married at sunset and go straight to dinner. For hotel and private estate weddings, you'll usually get married and then have your lunch or dinner reception to follow at the same location or venue. FYI: If your reception is more important than your ceremony and photos, than you can choose to be at any given location any time you want and irrespective of our suggestions. Up to you.

BASIC CONSIDERATIONS:

If you are expecting less than 25 guests, you're looking at a restaurant using regular seating in their main dinning room and or a private room if the restaurant has one available. At 30+ guests, you're probably looking at a handful of restaurants that can handle that amount, a hotel banquet room, a private estate that allows reception parties, or a commercial luau.

Our clients are given special room rates with the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and it also has a great reception venue. If you are having 25 to 120 guests, want something easy, an awesome view, and in Waikiki for either just cocktails and pupus, or a simple banquet or a luau food dinner, click on the photo to learn more.

Restaurants:

If under 25 people and you want the best cost value per person, you're probably looking at a restaurant. You might also consider The Coconut Room Club 21st Floor of the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel.
Restaurant inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.
See restaurants here: http://www.ahawaiiwedding.com/hawaii_wedding_links_restaurants.html

Luau receptions:

For a Waikiki luau, you can schedule your wedding for just about anytime during the day. No worries, we'll schedule appropriately for you is you let us know the luau before we make your contract.
Luau inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.
For a Waikiki luau, most will start at 5 pm or later depending upon the time of year, so sunset weddings will not work. 3 pm or 4 pm at the latest would be our suggestion depending upon the ceremony location.
For a luau dinner show outside of Waikiki, you'll want your wedding in the morning or 2 pm at the latest which should give you enough time to get back to your hotel to freshen-up and be prepared to catch the transport buses at pick-up points around Waikiki, usually a 4:00 departure. FYI: You can have our limo transportation or a 27 passengers minibus to take you directly to the luau facility. We suggest you use the luau facility transportation if possible or use us to transport you there and take the luau facility transport back to Waikiki, it's less costly, but we have had clients have our transportation wait there for them and take them back to Waikiki as well. Please make sure you check with the luau company for pick-up locations and times for the luau. If using our transportation to a luau which provides transport, please make sure you let them know that you will be using their buses for the return trip
We list the main luaus available year-round though you may find other seasonal luau shows available in Waikiki at various hotels and venues. Go here: http://www.ahawaiiwedding.com/hawaii_wedding_links_luau.html

Private Estate receptions:

Private estate are for outdoor, under tent receptions. The less guests you have, the less cost effective and reasonable a site like this will be.
Private estate inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.
Private estate receptions can be as casual or as exquisite as your pocketbook can afford. Generally, because everything has to be brought in, these receptions can be as costly as at hotels and it seems that nowadays, these sites are charging site fees which are as high as hotel site fees, but you'll have a lot more flexibility and freedom to get what you want without the "hotel mentality".
There are 2-3 "commercial" type private estates which you can rent just for the evening. All others are vacation rental homes in residential areas which you must rent for a few days and others for a week.
Some private estates are really private homes in residential areas. They have restrictions about what you can do regarding a party i.e. no amplified music, shutting down by 9 pm or 10 pm, valet parking mandatory, no partying, etc. If you are thinking such a location, check with the rental agent about restriction first.

Hotel banquet receptions:

Most of the major hotels have banquet facilities. If you are having many guests and have not been satisfied with any on the above options, this may be your only choice.
Hotel inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.
Unfortunately, in the last 10 years, many hotels have gotten very expensive. Consequently, in Hawaii, we no longer have the 200-500 guest weddings we once had and hotel venues are no longer fully booked a year in advance as they once were. People are now choosing instead to have smaller more reasonably affordable weddings, just like the one's we do. If you can avoid a hotel, we suggest you do so, even so much so as to just invite less guests to avoid having to use a hotel.
FYI: Many hotels offer their own wedding ceremony packages and they are ridiculously costly for the services you get, with our without their site fees. If you can have your wedding at a public beach (or private estate), we suggest it. Here’s what a client said: "We are getting an impression from the hotel that they are trying to squeeze out as much as they possibly can from us, which we feel is a bit intimidating. We now think that it was a great decision for us to book the venders thru you, you were very honest and up-front with all fees from the start. Well, just letting you know."

EVENT PLANNER/COORDINATOR SERVICES: Except for The Coconut Room we don't make availability inquiries or reservations for reception venues and restaurants as part of our main wedding ceremony service. If you would rather have us do it for you, we have an Event Planner/Coordinator. See here: http://www.ahawaiiwedding.com/hawaii_wedding_faq_wedding_event_planner_coordinator

Receptions

Restaurants:

If under 25 people and you want the best cost value per person, you're probably looking at a restaurant. You might also consider The Coconut Room Club 21st Floor of the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel.

Restaurant inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.

See restaurants here: http://www.ahawaiiwedding.com/hawaii_wedding_links_restaurants.html

Luau receptions:

For a Waikiki luau, you can schedule your wedding for just about anytime during the day. No worries, we'll schedule appropriately for you is you let us know the luau before we make your contract.

Luau inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.

For a Waikiki luau, most will start at 5 pm or later depending upon the time of year, so sunset weddings will not work. 3 pm or 4 pm at the latest would be our suggestion depending upon the ceremony location.

We list the main luaus available year-round though you may find other seasonal luau shows available in Waikiki at various hotels and venues. Go here: http://www.ahawaiiwedding.com/hawaii_wedding_links_luau.html

Private Estate receptions:

Private estate are for outdoor, under tent receptions. The less guests you have, the less cost effective and reasonable a site like this will be.

Private estate inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.

There are 2-3 "commercial" type private estates which you can rent just for the evening. All others are vacation rental homes in residential areas which you must rent for a few days and others for a week.

Hotel banquet receptions:

Most of the major hotels have banquet facilities. If you are having many guests and have not been satisfied with any on the above options, this may be your only choice.

Hotel inquiries, reservations, or payments to venues are not part of our initial wedding package services, so this is something you need to do by your own efforts. If you just don't want to do it, we do have reception planner/coordinator services available. See bottom of this page.