Getting married in Hawaii can be a special event in anyone’s life. Before the marriage ceremony, you would be dreaming of walking with your spouse on the sandy beaches at Maui, making pictures in beautiful valleys of Kauai, or spend next days on a yacht enjoying sunsets and sunrises. For such dreams to be realized you may hire some wedding planners in Hawaii to plan your wedding which comes with additional cost.
Either you hire wedding planners or not, you need to do certain actions by your own and know certain info and terminologies.
License Agent
A certified person in Hawaii, who can issue the marriage license. You must find from the list and book an appointment even before visiting Hawaii. You can find list of some license agents on this link. When you are in Hawaii, you must visit the license agent and get the license before marriage.
Marriage Performer | Officiant | Solemnisers
Officiant is person who will perform the marriage ceremony. You will have to book the officiant as well before visiting Hawaii. You can look for list of officiants from the list of Hawaiian government website.
Marriage License
It is a document that gives permission to a couple to get married on the state of Hawaii. The license is valid for 30 days, after its issued by the License agent after your personal visit. You must keep it until your marriage ceremony in Hawaii and give it to the Officiant, once the marriage ceremony is performed.
Marriage Certificate
It is a document which is a proof that the marriage has taken place in state of Hawaii for the mentioned couple. This is normally issued by the government office but sent by postal mail to your home address, You must ensure that Forwarding address (after marriage) in the license form contains the correct address so that you can receive certified marriage certificate copy.
Documents to keep when applying marriage license in Hawaii
Important Documents to keep before applying for marriage license are
birth certificates, I.D cards, or driving license. The minimum age of marriage is 18 years, however, with the written consent of parents of applicant at age 15 can get married.
There is no requirement of blood tests, and both applicants must not be closer relative than first cousins.
How to apply for marriage license in Hawaii
To get Marriage license paper in Hawaii, you can apply in two ways.
A) Online method
i) you can apply online https://marriage.ehawaii.gov.
ii) (Both applicants)Appear in person in front of a marriage agent.(No Proxies allowed)
Although the online application form is a bit lengthy but you can find information about filling the form with following pdf file.
You must pay the fees for the license which is around $65-$70. The fees can be payed by debit and credit card.
B) In case you skip the online application.
i) Print the form bring it to the agent.
ii) (Both applicants should)Visit the marriage agent, Fill the form in front of Agent .
(No Proxies allowed)
iii) Pay the fees in cash. i.e. $65 -$70
Forms sent by email, scanned format, fax, etc are not accepted.
Getting Marriage License in Hawaii
Procedure for marriage license
The license agent will give u the license paper which is valid for next 30 days. It means, you must ensure getting married within next 30 days, otherwise, you will have to get another license. You must keep the license paper with you and bring to your marriage ceremony.
On the marriage day , the license paper must be shown to the Officiant, who will perform the additional filling on the form and and it will be his duty to fill out the necessary details and file it at the online portal that marriage has taken place. Once this document is processed, the marriage certificate will be sent to your home address.
Selecting a marriage officiant in Hawaii
During the time, when you are making an application for online marriage license, it will be good practice that you are also starting to search for Marriage officiant. Search for the officiant must be done at least 3-4 months before your Hawaii trip. It will give your more flexibility and options. It will be very difficult to find a officiant a couple of weeks before your marriage ceremony.
In case you have selected a wedding package from a hotel or resort, in most cases, it will include the officiant fees. In case you want to have a well organized wedding ceremony in Hawaii, you may select travel planners which will include officiants in their package.
Sometimes, in case of a very simple marriage, where you are looking for a photographer. Searching for a local Hawaiian photographer to cover your wedding pics can lead to a good officiant as well. As these are closely working professions and finding one may help you finding a good officiant.
Once doing the research for officiant, ensure the reviews on internet. Some even allow to have online sessions for free, or 15 to 20$ an hour to tell about the details of package.
In Hawaii, duration of marriage ceremony can be around 15-30 minutes depending upon the wedding event. It is definitely possible to get the license and marriage ceremony on same day in Hawaii. Just ensure that you have planned well. Although normally its a good practice to have a one day difference between getting license and married.
Hawaii marriage cermony
You can check with your officiant whether they support single religion, vow renewal, non-religious, and interfaith marriages. You can also check what religious affiliation are served by your officiant. Also check what location is your officiant licensed to conduct a marriage ceremony. Rates for officiant package in Hawaii may also depend if they offer rehearsals before the official ceremony.
Selecting a destination for wedding ceremony
In addition to selecting the officiant, you may want to have lovely photos of the most memorable moments of your life. Therefore, it is essential that you are selecting your venue of wedding based upon various considerations.
- How much budget you want to spend.
- Hotels and resorts can be pricy
- Any add-on(chairs/flowers) which is not part of the package will cost additional money.
- Getting ceremony on island has lower price.
- Some locations can be windy.
- Check the weather forecast for rain.
- Ensure there are less people on beach, if selected.
- Know the exact location
- For beach weddings, you need an additional license with some insurance.( cost around 100$)
There are numerous options for getting married in Hawaii. However, the available options depend upon the island. Farms, country clubs, Museums, Parks, Gardens, restaurants, Boats, waterfronts and Beaches.
The best thing about eloping and getting married in Hawaii is that there are no witnesses required. If you have checked the form for Hawaii wedding license, you will find there is no mentioning of witnesses. Therefore, it makes a lot easier for couples who plan to have a wedding in Hawaii.
Hawaii simple wedding cost estimation
A simple wedding cost in Hawaii can be broken own into following expanses.
License Fees $65-$70
Officiant Fees $300-$1500
(NOTE: ceremony, music, chairs, flowers, and photographers will come at additional price)
Deciding about time for your Hawaii wedding
Many couples who plan to elope in Hawaii are looking for best time and month to tie the wedding knot. From the historical data, the tourist peak season in Hawaii starts in December, this is when newly weds visit and prices of hotel are the maximum. however, for getting married, the recommended time is March till May, as its summer season and less rain is expected.
You may also consider the fact, that if you plan to stay in one island, but wedding spot you like is in another island, it will add more cost to the wedding as you will travel by plane or vessel.
0 Comments