What is the best month to get married in Hawai‘i?

Avoid the rainy season (November - February). Choose a weekday, if possible for additional savings. Avoid holidays and long weekends for fewer crowds. Choose a date that is meaningful and important to you.

That is the short answer, but let’s get into more details …

“What date should we choose?” is a question I hear over and over again and unless you live here in Hawai‘i there is no real way to know which months are busiest? Which have the worst weather? Which months can you get the best pricing and deals? Which months have the best weather with the least amount of rain? Let’s go over a few basics here - all very relevant if you’re starting to get serious about a simple Hawai‘i beach wedding. I am about to give you the inside scoop coming from a Hawai‘i resident raised here on the islands, who also happens to be a full-time wedding planner here on O’ahu for the last 10+ years - Me!

THE WEATHER. What you have herd about Hawai‘i is true. It’s almost always beautiful here, and yes, the weather is almost always perfect. What does this mean exactly? It means that usually, it is comfortably warm - not too hot and not too cold with a nice breeze and very little rain.

Let me elaborate - Most months are about 80-85 degrees with light trade winds, so even on hotter days (closer to 90) it never actually feels that hot outside because of the trade winds. What are trade winds? Trade winds are light perfect breezes that come from the ocean and blow over the island, keeping it cool even when it’s hot outside.

RAIN. Yes, we have rain. I know, what a bummer! Frequent rain in the Hawai'‘i mountains is what keeps our islands beautiful, lush and green - think of Disney’s Moana. It’s really like that here! Frequent rain showers generally stay near the mountains and although near the mountains there are frequent showers, it rains far less often near the ocean. So, the beaches are usually warmer and dry and if it does rain near the sea, it is more of a small rain shower that will pass within 10 minutes or so. This is perfect news for beach weddings because they very rarely get rained out. Waiting 10 minutes or so is usually the cure for a small rain shower on a wedding day and once the rain passes, the sky opens to a beautiful clearing and an amazing still blue ocean. It’s really incredible and almost more beautiful than a completely sunny day.

The way we usually work with rain at beach weddings is that we study the radar and keep a close eye on the rain showers as they are passing through. I have found that even on the rainiest mornings inland, it is usually not raining at all once you get near the ocean. We watch the radar report and see how the rain is moving. I then time the wedding so that we go before a rainy patch comes by or right after. I usually keep my couples up to date by phone that morning if there is a bit of rain and just have them wait in the car if it is drizzling that day until the rain passes.

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT RAINS HARD ON MY WEDDING DAY? I would say about 90% of the time it does not rain hard near the beach. If it is a rainy day we usually go ahead with the scheduled ceremony time and if it is still rainy when the wedding party arrives we hold off for a few minutes until it passes. In my decade of planning weddings, I have so far only had one wedding get completely dumped on. This particular wedding was on the beach and started perfectly. Mid-way through the ceremony a large rain shower moved in quickly. Luckily I was prepared with umbrellas and handed one to all the guests while my assistant and I held larger umbrellas over the bride, groom, and officiant. The ceremony continued on through the rain and because it was raining so hard, the bride, groom and all the guests had to move in closer and it felt much more intimate. Everyone was laughing and smiling, completely in the moment. My speaker got ruined and some of the umbrellas ended up breaking because of the wind, but everyone huddled in close and by the time the ceremony ended, the rain passed and the sky cleared. My bride and groom at this point didn’t care about being wet and decided to walk back in the rain to their vacation rental which was just a few blocks down. The photographer we hired got some amazing photos of them. The day was unexpectedly fun and sweet, a memorable wedding day they’ll tell their kids about and one I’m sure the guests will be chatting over for years to come.

Hopefully, that didn’t scare you, because one wedding out of 100’s, that’s not bad odds. If I’m being honest, I think a beach wedding in Hawaii is just about ideal as far as beautiful beach weddings go and as long as you have a good planner looking out for you that day, you will more than likely have a perfect Hawai‘i beach wedding.

WHICH MONTHS ARE BEST FOR BEACH WEDDINGS IN HAWAI‘I? Generally, November-February can be a little colder, windier and rainier than March-October. I’m sure you’ve read this before, I keep seeing it in other blogs but - what does this really mean? NOTHING. It’s almost always nice here in Hawai‘i. Rain is rare and if it happens to be a more rainy week, this could just as likely happen in June as it could in December. As mentioned earlier, the weather here is almost always nice. I’m not kidding when I say this, we are blessed and truly live in paradise. Don’t plan your wedding around the so-called “sunny” months, instead chose a date or month that works for you and your family. Choose an anniversary or special day, choose a day that will be perfect for you!

WEEKDAYS VS. WEEKENDS? Weekdays generally are less crowded and nicer at most beaches than weekends are. This is because many local residents go to the beaches on weekends so they just feel way more crowded than weekdays. Knowing which beach to choose helps a ton. Some beaches are far less crowded, less windy, easier to get to, and just more beautiful than others. Choose a weekday if you can and make sure you have an expert helping you. It can really make all the difference.

ARE SOME MONTHS MORE CROWDED THAN OTHERS FOR BEACH WEDDINGS? Not really. November, December and January tend to be a bit less busy for us and beaches are a little less crowded during these months but the truth is - if you choose a weekday and with a good time slot we are usually able to get a nice empty-ish beach even in June. Just make sure you choose the right beach location and time it so that you are not there between 11am-2:30pm (too hot and crowded!).

WHICH MONTHS HAVE THE BEST DEALS FOR TRAVEL + WEDDINGS? Some wedding vendors (photographers, private venues, videographers) give discounted pricing on weekdays. I see this a lot with private, rented-out wedding venues, like hotels and villas. Discounted airfare and hotel rates also vary but I have seen a lot of amazing price breaks around Black Friday and Christmas so if you have a specific date in mind and are ok with booking on the fly this might be something to consider. Hotels also give discounted rates year-round if you have a large group and can book 10 rooms or more. Most hotels are open to discounting rates if booking all the rooms at once but each hotel is different and you’d have to call and ask about “room blocks” to find out more.

CHOOSING A WEDDING DATE IN HAWAI‘I. My best advice is this - Choose a date that is meaningful to you, don’t worry about the rain or specific business of the month. Make sure you can make a short vacation out of your trip, maybe get married on one island and then honeymoon on another. About a week or two is a perfect amount of time. Choose a weekday if possible for a nicer less crowded experience. Hire a planner at the start, even for simple beach weddings (before booking travel). To save money have your planner book out most of your vendors (photographer, officiant, musician, etc.). They get better pricing and have the inside scoop on who the best vendors are and who are most reliable. Have your planner also recommend the exact beach location and ceremony time (request a time that is quieter and less crowded, a beach that is pretty and with bathrooms - if your guests need them, a location that is not too far of a walk from the car, and someplace less windy).

In closing, it is pretty difficult to narrow down which month is most ideal for a wedding here in Hawai‘i as the islands beauty varies little throughout the year. Whether you get married in January or July, it really doesn’t matter too much as long as the date works for you and your family, the date is one that is memorable to YOU, and you choose a location and time that has a rain back-up plan.

What’s your biggest planning struggle? Comment below - We’d love to help!

✌Nicole

Nicole Salmoiraghi is the author and owner of Best Day Ever Hawaii Events + Weddings, where she helps brides + grooms bring their dream weddings to life. She is an expert planner and has over 10 years of planning experience. Follow her on Instagram, on Facebook and on Pinterest for more wedding inspiration, and Hawaii wedding insider tips.

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