5 Reasons Not To Get Married in Hawaii

Many couples believe that getting married in Hawaii would be the perfect option. After all, it offers a tropical beach setting and warm weather year-round, making it seem ideal. But there are challenges to consider, and for many couples, that makes weddings in Hawaii a poor choice. Before you commit to a venue or start making travel arrangements, here are five reasons not to get married in Hawaii.

1. Some of Your Loved Ones Can’t Afford to Come

One of the biggest reasons why getting married in Hawaii isn’t always the best idea is that some of your loved ones can’t afford the trip, so they won’t be at your wedding. Plane tickets to Hawaii can be surprisingly expensive, and the same can be true of accommodations. Similarly, food costs can add up fast, and your guests might have to get a rental car, depending on the exact location.

While guests may encounter some of those costs even if you get married closer to home, the trick is that going to Hawaii is typically a long journey. Even from the West Coast of the United States, travelers will usually spend more than five hours in the air, so they aren’t going to want to fly out, attend the wedding, and immediately head home.

Essentially, each of your guests has to prepare to pay for an entire vacation to make the journey worthwhile. If that doesn’t fit into their budget, then they aren’t going to attend.

2. Making Decisions Sight Unseen

For most couples, making a trip to Hawaii before the wedding to select a venue, wedding cake baker, caterer, and various other service providers isn’t an option. As a result, they often have to make major decisions about their big day sight unseen. Instead, the only resources you may have available are websites, and what’s posted online may or may not accurately represent the actual experience.

Similarly, all communication with vendors may be entirely online or over the phone. You can’t meet them in person unless you’re able to fly out there in advance, and that can be unsettling in some cases.

Plus, since you can’t go to venues, sample cakes, or otherwise experience a service firsthand, you’ll have to spend a lot of time researching to make various decisions. In the end, if you or your spouse would be uncomfortable with having to trust what you see online or what you learn using long-distance communication methods, a wedding in Hawaii isn’t the best choice.

3. Accommodating Jet Lag

While jet lag is a potential issue if you get married in any time zone other than your home one, there’s a guaranteed time difference if you get married in Hawaii (unless that’s where you live). That means you have to plan your trip specifically to account for a time zone adjustment.

Depending on where you’re coming from, that could be surprisingly challenging. There’s a two-hour time difference between Hawaii and the West Coast of the US. If you’re coming from the East Coast, you’re dealing with a five-hour time difference.

The general rule of thumb is that it takes one to one-and-a-half days per time zone crossed to overcome jet lag symptoms. And those symptoms aren’t just a bit of tiredness. Sleep issues, gastrointestinal problems, irritability, impaired thinking, and more can be part of the equation. So, unless you want to experience the symptoms during your big day, you may have to arrive in Hawaii with enough time to recover. If that’s not feasible, then a wedding in Hawaii might not be the best move.

4. Becoming a Makeshift Travel Agent for Your Guests

When you invite family and friends to attend your wedding in Hawaii, many of those who decide to come will turn to you for advice about the trip. Essentially, they may treat you as a makeshift travel agent, as they’ll assume you can answer many of the questions that come to mind as they plan.

Dealing with their inquiries can be surprisingly tedious and cumbersome, and considering that you’re planning a wedding as well, it can quickly get overwhelming. And while you may assume that sending out information to guests or posting details on a wedding website would prevent that, don’t expect those moves to altogether avoid the issue. Questions will come, often in higher quantities than you’d hope. So, if the idea of dealing with that while you’re also trying to plan your big day is unappealing, getting married in Hawaii might not be for you.

5. More of Your Time Is Spent with Family and Friends

For most couples, one of the reasons weddings in Hawaii are appealing is that it also works as a honeymoon destination. You can transition right from your ceremony and reception to having fun together as a couple.

However, don’t be surprised if the guests that do attend expect more of your time after your big day. After all, they’ve likely spent a significant sum to come to your wedding, and there’s a good chance your guests are either staying at the same hotel as you and your new spouse or one close by. Plus, many of the islands are far smaller than you’d expect. Even if your family and friends are at different hotels, there’s a good chance that you’ll bump into some of them on occasion.

While this might not be problematic for couples who’d enjoy spending their time with family and friends, for those who want a private honeymoon, it can be an issue.

Do you know any other reasons why having weddings in Hawaii (if you’re not a local) isn’t necessarily the best idea? Did you get married in Hawaii and want to tell others about your experience, both the positive and the negative? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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