Maui, the Romantic Island

Maui has been called the heart chakra of the Hawaiian Islands, a place where the heart opens and romance reigns. That’s why Maui is Hawai‘i‘s premier wedding and honeymoon destination, favored by many thousands of couples who choose to marry, remarry, or reaffirm their vows each year on the Valley Isle.
 
With its sunrises, sunsets, beaches, waterfalls and rainforests, Maui’s storybook scenery is an unparalleled backdrop for the most important moments in life. Are you dreaming of descending in a helicopter to a remote waterfall to tie the knot while a violinist plays Pachelbel? You can. There are those who sail on a yacht to a pristine beach and get married on the sand, in a gown or tuxedo and bare feet. There are couples who say “I do” at 10,000 feet high, as the first rays of dawn appear beyond the crater, and those who say their vows underwater, with scuba tanks bubbling amid turtles and Moorish idols. Small wedding, large wedding, indoor wedding, outdoor wedding, aloha-shirt casual or formal affair, anything is possible on Maui.
 
Couples choose Maui not only for its beauty, but for its extensive services as well. Full-time, expert and experienced wedding coordinators are standard offerings in the hotels and resorts, and independent wedding planners number more than 100 and burgeon by the year. In the hands of a good wedding planner, the bride can be as involved or as uninvolved as she chooses in the details of the wedding day.
 
Weddings free of worry and stress are the goal of the wedding coordinator, who can attend to every detail leading up to the big day. The planner can work closely with the couple to arrange for the wedding license and finding the perfect wedding official for the occasion. Hair, makeup, catering, photography, flowers, music, limousine, and even spa arrangements for the bridal party can be arranged by the planner. Maui’s bountiful farms provide fresh, beautiful flowers for the bridal lei, bouquet and arrangements. The all-important pikake and maile wedding lei – or any custom lei of your choice – magically appear at the right moment to add a Hawaiian touch if you choose.
 
Many a sunset ceremony has been visited by breaching humpback whales or dolphin sightings from the shore. From Kapalua to Ka’anapali to Kihei, Wailea and Makena along Maui’s west and south shores, sunset is a brilliant visual extravaganza and a custom-designed wedding backdrop. With 120 miles of shoreline and more miles of swimmable beach than any other Hawaiian island, the nuptial possibilities are limitless.
 
Wedding and honeymoon packages are available at Maui’s resorts, and they come with many surprises. We won’t spoil them for you, but here are some clues: chocolates and chilled champagne, pathways of petals in the bridal suite, a heart-shaped Jacuzzi, orchids floating in the bathtub, a heart-stopping hula moon…  Let your imagination run wild.