Tips On Choosing Your Hawaii Wedding Venue!
Picking your venue is one of the very first steps in planning your destination wedding in Hawaii, which rightfully so can be a stressful part of the wedding planning process! So in an effort to curb the pressure, we have some questions you should be asking yourself while weighing out your options.
Wedding Date:
What day of the week do you have the wedding? Contrary to tradition of a “weekend wedding”, all days run the same in Hawaii. Meaning a Sunday feels like a Monday, a Tuesday feels like a Friday and while yes, a Saturday wedding date would in theory make the most sense, with destination weddings in Hawaii, there really is no right or wrong way, or should we say day? On that note, make sure to inquiry with the venue about pricing and how that is affected or not by the day of the week you choose to host the wedding. Or even what day of the week they might be closed if any.
Layout of Venue:
Do you want to have your ceremony and your reception at the same venue? Oftentimes, especially given that many guests have traveled from abroad, couples will choose to host the wedding in one location, which if this is the case, just make sure to understand the layout of your venue, as well as the maximum guest occupancy. Details to consider are the actual ceremony locations the property provides, and how those co-exist with the possible cocktail hour and reception locations. The flow of the wedding is HUGE, and that should be at the forefront of your mind when choosing your wedding location.
Restrictions:
Does the venue have any deal breaker restrictions? Is it owned by a caterer that requires you to order their food and use their bartenders? Maybe they only allow you to get in at 3pm that day and you wanted to have a lot of decor that would require more setup time. Or what if, which is very standard in Hawaii, they require your event to finish by 10:00 pm. And another, what do they allow in the way of live entertainment?
Venue Inclusions:
What does the venue include? Make note of any items included with the venue: A/V equipment, chairs, tables, linens, etc. These could mean huge cost savings for you if you don't have to rent them through a separate vendor!
Catering:
What restrictions does the venue have? See if the venue has restrictions on catering, such as an in-house caterer or a preferred list of caterers you are required to work with. If you have your heart set on a specific food truck for instance, you'll want to make sure the venue will allow something like that.
Guest Experience:
What will guests remember from the wedding? The entire experience beginning to end will matter, which means arrival to departure!! If they need to drive around for 30 minutes to find parking, they may be grumpy when they walk in the door, which means all the money you spent on your decor will mean much less in the end. Or what about a nanny service if you choose to allow children to attend the reception? Or what about the bathroom essentials; will you have them there to assure they are comfortable as can be? Even the very chair they sit in, will it be comfortable for the hour long dinner. Whatever it is, remember guest comfort to ensure the best guest experience!