Essentials of a Traditional Hawaiian Weddings

Dreaming of the best and most romantic beach wedding ever? Then look no further than the beautiful and breath-taking island of Oahu, Hawaii. With its clear crystal waters, endless stretch of pure white sand and delicious native dishes, you will feel like you have caught a glimpse of heaven. While Oahu is the third largest island, it is the most populous and has the primary and only intercontinental Honolulu International Airport. It is also home to the world famous Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor and Diamond Bay.

Flowers: As a symbol of eternal love and respect, the bride and groom exchange flowers that are more commonly called leis. Typically, a groom wears a green maile lei or maile style ti leaf lei, while the bride wears a white ginger or pikake lei. Exchanging of leis may vary depending on what you choose to do. You may opt to exchange leis with the bride wearing the groom’s lei and the groom wearing the bride’s lei at the start of the wedding or you can have the flower girl present the leis at the right moment. 

Officiant: The holy man known as kahuna pule or kahu sings a chant while walking the groom to the front during the ceremony. Then he blows the pu or conch shell to call the earth, sea and fire to bear witness to the ceremony.

Music: The slack key guitar and ukulele are staples of Hawaiian weddings. They are used to play the Hawaiian Wedding Song “Ke Kali Nei Au- Waiting For Thee” with hula dancers interpreting the song. 

Attire: The groom gets to wear an all-white ensemble with the exception of a brightly coloured sash, usually red, tied around the waist while the bride wears a long white, flowing dress with haku flowers as headpiece.

Ceremony: The couple gets to exchange rings while standing in a circle of fragrant tropical flowers. In addition, the bride and groom get to pour sand of two different colors into a single glass container, mixing them together to symbolize the joining of two people. To commemorate the union, a lava rock is wrapped in a ti leaf and left on the ceremony site as an offering.

Reception: Guests can party the night away with delicious and unique Hawaiian dishes. Since Hawaii is an island surrounded by clear waters, you can get all the fresh seafood that you like. Ahi, commonly known as tuna, is seared and crusted with sesame seeds. Seafood cooked in broth combined with different fresh fruit sauces creates a uniquely Hawaiian weddings flavour. While the world famous kalua pig makes for an out of this world experience.It is truly an experience worth remembering.

To get a feel of authentic Hawaiian weddings, you can have a traditional Hawaiian wedding ceremony. You can hire a professional Oahu wedding photographer to document and record the entire event. This way you get to remember and re-experience the wedding of your lifetime. Nevertheless, before you decide to do this a, get to know the essentials and details needed to have the perfect Hawaiian weddings.