Need help choosing Hawaiian island for elopement

Never been to either but it sounds amazing!!!! Try contacting a travel planner or a destination wedding planner, they may have some great ideas for you!

View Quoted Comment Thanks Nicole! That will be our next step.

I've been to Maui and Oahu and I loved Maui quite much better, but for our wedding we chose Oahu due to it being able to offer more (affordable) accommodation options for us and our guests. It gets quite crowded, but there are always options. North Shore of Oahu is less crowded and more peaceful and serene (we are going there for our mini-moon right after the wedding in Waikiki).

We stayed on Maui twice and only once on Oahu, and to me personally, Oahu seemed more expensive (food, drinks, entertainment), but I guess it all depends.

Good luck!

View Quoted Comment Thanks so much Zoola85! This helps a lot! It's nice to read that there is not much of a price difference besides accommodations.
What are some neat places to check out in Maui?
If we choose Oahu, we want to visit Pearl Harbor and the Dole plantation lol.

Hey lovelymely!! It's great to meet you!!

I've only personally been to Maui but I highly recommend it! We stayed at a resort that had it's own private beach attached to it! I did find it to be a bit expensive there, but I'm not totally positive how that compares to the rest of the islands! Food tends to be a bit more since a lot of things are imported. I've also heard amazing things about Oahu, but I've never personally been.

As for things to do in Maui, I highly recommend going on the Road to Hana! It's a scenic route up a mountain that has some of the most amazing scenery that you can stop and explore. We rented a car but I know there was other options if you just wanted to make it a day thing (I think there was Zip Cars in the area that you could rent!). I also recommend going snorkeling and on a whale watching tour! Whale watching was SO cool! We legit saw full-size whale breeching out of the water! I've been whale watching other places and have never seen anything like that. Ah this is making me want to go back so bad!

Kaanapali Beach and Wailea Beach (both on Maui) are beautiful. Wailea is nicer I think, and much more upscale, but also probably much more expensive so it depends on your budget

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I agree, Wailea might be on an expensive side. We stayed in Lahaina both times and loved it!! And just did a day trip to Wailea which was enough.

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If you’re spending enough time there, I would also recommend the Polynesian Cente - that would be a day trip. We ourselves have not done it yet but will try to go next time we’re there.

Diamond Head hike is a must!! You will not regret that 30 min hike

View from Diamond Head

As for Maui, we did not travel that much there but definitely will on our next trip! Beaches in Maui are incredible, you can there all day easily! We stayed in a small town Lahaina both times - the Main Street has everything you need - shopping, restaurants, entertainment (we did a magic show and loved it!), and a close drive from Lahaina are all the great beaches for snorkeling.

Road to Hana is great for sight views.

Life hack: [it’s not for all] we got a sightviewing helicopter ride half price (cost $200 per person, we bought it for $90 pp) but you have to commit to seating through their 2-hr presentation. My FH still thinks that was a waste of time lol, but i think it was worth it. So just keep an eye on offers like that, and ask questions, you may find something great

We are getting married on Oahu. I just found out because our wedding is in Oct 2019, the wedding planner won't officially book our wedding until we are 6 months out because Hawaii is trying to stop or change their beach weddings and not allow them on weekends. Thankfully our wedding is on a Thursday.
We are looking at Waimanalo Bay

View Quoted Comment Wow. Good to know. I wonder why they are trying to get rid of weekend weddings. We wanted to get married on a weekday in hopes there would be less people getting married next to us. Thanks for the info!

View Quoted Comment Thanks Rebecca! Those activities sound like so much fun!! I will definitely look into those! Do you suggest renting a car for the entire time or using public transportation?

View Quoted Comment Thanks for the info Gen! I will look into both of these beaches!

View Quoted Comment What a beautiful view! I definitely want to visit the Polynesian Center. Do you recommend renting a car for the entire trip? Also, do you suggest any specific sites for offers?

Sorry for all the questions. I find it really helpful to read recommendations first hand rather than reading articles and articles of recommendations. 😊

View Quoted Comment What coordinator are you using?

What are your opinions about Kapalua?

Sweet Hawaiian Weddings. They do it all from paperwork, i.e. permits, marriage licenses, certificate. Also photography, ceremony, Transportation, hair and makeup.
We are eloping so it's great, I just have to show up. I cant wait til may to actually start the planning.
Any coordinator you choose just remember they are on island time. Which is an adjustment when you are from the NYC area and everything is go go go.

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We rented cars on all islands except Oahu and have been regretting not having a car there. Driving in Honolulu is no fun and traffic is quite heavy, but gives you so much more mobility. For our May trip we have the car booked for the whole trip. My fiancé usually uses discounthawaiicarrental.com website.

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We rented a car just because we wanted to go on some road, day trips that didn't have public transit options (also I like to shop and we didn't know how many bags I'd end up with!). But I think it's totally possible to get to all the main attractions with public transit or other means such as Zip Cars or Uber! I believe that some resorts have shuttle services to some places around the island too! I totally recommend looking into that as well