Marry You in Hawaii

Maila Gibson-Bandmann is a Na Hoku Hanohano Award winning singer/songwriter/recording artist. She is half of the popular wedding music duo, Ben & Maila. Maila’s wedding experience dates back as far as the early 90s when she was in high school. She sang at her first wedding at the age of 15 for a friend’s sister and cried as the bride walked down the aisle even though she was practically a stranger. That’s the day a passion for weddings was realized.

Over the last few years, Maila’s wedding experience has grown from entertaining and emceeing to officiating. Maila is happily married and passionate about her own marriage and loves to bring that same sense of passion and commitment to her ceremonies. Maila was raised Christian, so it’s very natural to weave scripture and prayer into her ceremonies in a real, applicable, and light way. It is important to her to get to know every couple and to allow them to bring what’s important to them into their ceremony.

Maila lives in Honolulu, is a real estate agent, loves CrossFit, and loves to enjoy the outdoor island life as much as possible with her husband and Cocker Spaniels.

I was born and raised on Oahu and have a deep love for Hawaiian culture, language, and our natural resources. I have a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies and a B.A. in Hawaiian Language from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. One of my passions is Hula. I am a member of an award-winning Halau (hula group) and have danced Hula for over 15 years and have been trained in Oli (chant) for over 10 years. I truly love performing weddings, blessings, and vow renewals; however, I also work a full-time job with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) as a Land Management Specialist for our lands that have significant cultural and natural resources. I look forward to working with you…ALOHA!

Kelehua was raised on the Windward side of O’ahu, where she learned to dance hula at a young age. She competed in the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, and later began dancing professionally, at home and in Japan. She was given an opportunity to officiate a wedding by a dear friend, and has been performing wedding ceremonies and vow renewals ever since. She embraces her culture each day through Hawaiian music, language, and dance.

As an officiant, Kelehua delicately weaves Hawaiian cultural elements into her ceremony, blended with familiar, traditional elements, allowing each couple’s experience to feel truly unique to the Islands. The result is a warm and memorable time where each couple feels embraced by the spirit of Aloha and the beauty of Hawai’i. Kelehua tailors each ceremony to the couple’s liking, incorporating elements such as personal vows, Scripture, or the couple’s own cultural traditions. She also performs Japanese ceremonies.

Kelehua continues to dance hula professionally and is a voice talent for TV, radio, and internet commercials for local and national companies. She has worked in education, social work, and marketing/advertising, and found her greatest love to be in marrying couples each day. Kelehua loves to surf and hike, watch a good Netflix/Hulu, make silly dance videos with her children, and travel the world with family and friends.

Kelehua is grateful when a couple chooses Hawaii for their wedding ceremony or vow renewal. Knowing they could choose anywhere in the world, she feels privileged and honored to facilitate their most cherished memory in a place she loves with all her heart.