How much does a Hawaii wedding cost? — HNL STUDIOS (2024)

A wedding is a day full for celebration and usually consists of a wedding ceremony and a reception. There are several other things that happen during a wedding day depending on a couple’s needs and vision for the day.

You just got engaged and want to know how to plan your dream Hawaii wedding and just asked yourself, “how much is is it going to cost?”

That’s a very good question and being able to plan your wedding expenses effectively is definitely one of the first steps in minimizing stress while planning your wedding in Hawaii. Read on to find out just how much your wedding in Hawaii will cost and how you can prepare for it.

How much does a wedding in Hawaii cost?

10,000?… 30,000?… $100,000?! Let’s start with some facts: the average wedding in Hawaii costs roughly about $34,000 which is just slightly higher than the national average. Aside from being a top wedding and tourist destination, Hawaii is also geographically isolated compared to other states, which contributes to services and items being at a premium. Who doesn’t want to get married in Hawaii, though? Hawaii is a rich and diverse location with beautiful scenery and wonderful weather year-round. It’s easy to understand why plenty of couples choose to have their weddings in Hawaii.

Planning a wedding in Hawaii can cost you anywhere between the range of $20,000-$150,000. The top 3 factors that will affect your total Hawaii wedding cost are:

1. The type of wedding you are planning.
2. The expectations you have.
3. The size of your guest list.

So you may be asking yourself, well how much is MY wedding going to cost? To give you a rough estimate and get you in the ball-park, choose what type of wedding below best describes what you are planning or expecting to have:

TYPE A - The DIY Wedding

This is for couples who want to keep expenses to a bare minimum low and are willing to do plenty of DIY and can accept a lot of wedding day stress. You are okay with a not-so pretty venue and your photographer will probably be your fiance’s co-worker who will take blurry/grainy photos of the free cake your best friend made. You will doing a lot of the heavy lifting before, during and even after your wedding because that is all you want to spend and a professional wedding team is not in the budget.
With this type of wedding you can expect to pay about $150-$250 per person.

TYPE B - The “Stress-Free” Wedding

Couples who are planning this type of wedding understand what it means to have no regrets. They plan ahead knowing that they want to have wonderful and joyful memories of their day. They carefully seek people who can guide them. They delegate and entrust certain key aspects of their wedding to professionals while still allowing for some DIY-ing of low priority items to keep the costs down.
This type of wedding can be at $250-$300 per person.

TYPE C - The “Pinterest Worthy” Wedding

This type of couple know that their wedding is something they having been saving up for. They are looking to book wedding professionals to provide the services and the theme they want for the absolute best experience. Your wedding photographer and videographer will have the easiest time creating beautiful images easily, worthy to be featured in an elegant wedding magazine.
For this type of wedding you can expect to spend around $300-600 per person.

TYPE D - Ultimate Dream Wedding

Example Couple #1
TYPE A Couple x 150 guests = approx. $22,500 - $37500 total cost

Example Couple #2
TYPE B Couple x 100 guests = $25,000 - $30,000 estimated total cost

Example Couple #3
TYPE C Couple x 75 guests = $26,250 -$45000 estimated total cost

Now you try!

Wedding Venue, Wedding planner, Photographer, Videographer

When planning your Hawaii wedding, the wedding venue, planner, photographer and videographer are some key items that you will most likely be looking to book and reserve at the beginning of the planning process. Your Hawaii wedding venue is definitely a priority as it sets the canvas for the festivities. Your venue will become the backdrop for your wedding vows, will determine exactly how you want to decorate for your wedding. It’s also the setting for much of your wedding photography.

A wedding planner or coordinator is also an important part of your Hawaii wedding team and should be selected early in the process. Whether you choose to have a planner or coordinator, having one early can give you an idea of what wedding tasks fall largely on your hands which will help you effectively manage your time as you plan your wedding.

Your Hawaii wedding photographer and wedding videographer have a unique role in your wedding. While you don’t see their finished product until after the wedding, their services provide you with a way to look back and remember not only the results of your hard work in planning your big day, but they also help preserve important memories for you. Your wedding has no do-overs, which makes wedding photography and videography a key aspect of your wedding day.

Other wedding vendors

There are plenty of other wedding vendors that compose your Hawaii wedding team such as your caterer, officiant, rentals and decor, photobooth, DJ/Emcee, and a lot of others. We’ve provided a list below with guidelines and estimates of how much you would spend for each Hawaii wedding vendor:

Airfare, Transportation and Hotels

When planning a destination wedding in Hawaii, airfare is something that you should be looking at as early as when you have your venue secured. You can end up spending from $700-$1500 on airfare from continental US to Hawaii, depending on the time of year, airline, and the type of fare you end up booking.

For hotel room for getting ready and for your stay in Hawaii, you can set a budget of $350-$600 per night depending on whether you are looking for budget or luxury lodgings.

Should you DIY to save on costs?

We definitely get it. Weddings can be expensive, especially weddings in Hawaii. Aiming for a DIY wedding can definitely reduce the costs significantly. However, while DIY weddings can help reduce expenses, it can also be a source of stress and regret. Being able to have professionals working with you can help reduce worries and provide peace of mind and confidence knowing that the people you have on your wedding team have years of experience in planning weddings, and that these professionals share your goal of making your wedding the best it can be.

What should you prepare for?

Sometimes couples forget about little wedding costs that seem inconsequential, but can be significant if they accumulate and are forgotten. When planning a wedding in Hawaii, it would be a great idea to keep in mind that Hawaii has a sales tax of 4.712%, and you should factor this in when looking at prices.

One thing to also keep in mind is that choosing to get married and go to Hawaii during peak season can increase expenses. High season is usually in January, November and December while low season is in August. As for Hawaii wedding vendor tips and gratuity, while they aren’t required, it is appreciated by many vendors so if you choose to tip, keeping track of the amounts is a good practice.

How you can effectively budget for your Hawaii wedding

Start saving early

It’s never too early to start saving up for your dream wedding. It would be worth it to take a look at your current income and choose expenses which aren’t essential and put it toward your wedding fund. It might mean not choosing to eat out too often or just staying in to watch Netflix on weekends, but these little sacrifices can help achieve your wedding goals and vision.

Keep the wedding fund separate from other accounts

Your wedding fund should be in a separate account from your savings and emergency funds. This will make it easier to keep track of your wedding expenses and see how much you have left and allow you to plan for it. It also makes sure that you have enough set aside in your personal savings for personal emergencies.

Don’t be afraid to ask family and friends for help

As they say…. “YOGMO!” (You only get married once). Well, people don’t really say that but it’s definitely true. It’s an experience your closest family and friends can share for a once in a lifetime celebration. Your family is also just as excited as you are, and it isn’t unusual for parents or siblings to make a contribution to the wedding. While it isn’t always guaranteed that they will contribute, it definitely doesn’t hurt to ask if they would be willing to help out.

Discuss your wedding must-haves and priorities

Being able to talk about what your Hawaii wedding must-haves are with your spouse-to-be is a good way to make sure that your wedding costs are planned effectively, and that you are both investing in the key aspects that are important to both of you. It’s all about prioritizing. This also allows you to have a better idea on how to allocate your budget and prioritize the aspects of your wedding that matter the most to both of you.

Every couple should be able to fully enjoy their wedding day. Planning your Hawaii wedding can take a lot of work and involves careful preparation. Knowing how to plan your expenses for your wedding can make the process less stressful and give you the freedom to enjoy the journey.

Visit HNL Studios