Many of our Hawaii wedding clients want the class Hawaii experience – getting married on the beach. Who wouldn’t want to do that? The weather is usually cooperative here on the Islands and it’s one time when fully dressed people don't mind some sand and water exposure.

One thing to keep in mind when planning your Hawaii beach wedding is that the State now requires a permit for them. That means every wedding on the beach, no matter how small (more on that later).

Why this new requirement? We can’t do any better than to quote to you the actual, official reasons:

(1) "_ protect our natural and cultural resources",

(2) "_ provide for public resident recreational access that does not damage those resources", and

(3) "_ allow commercial activity that does not damage the natural and cultural resources, or negatively impact the public_s recreational use." (Violations may result in a $5,000 fine.)

Basically they want to apply some regulation because of the growth in the beach wedding industry here in Hawaii. Understandable as the growth of the Internet has made it easier to hire local wedding coordinators and, yes, wedding photographers to arrange these very popular ceremonies.

There are a few beaches that are off-limits for weddings because they’re located at or near sites that have cultural or historical importance. At certain times, Hawaii may restrict other beaches for other reasons, but the vast majority of locations are open as long as you get your permit.

Another thing to note is that you must get the permit application in at least 1 week before the ceremony. There may be an expedited online option when you read this, but as of this writing it is not available. Make sure you check to see if that has been implemented should you want to accelerate the process.

Lastly, we have noticed that a few vendors are stating that you don’t need a beach wedding permit if you have only a certain number of people attending. Not true.

To the State of Hawaii, a wedding is a wedding, no matter if it's just you + minister or if it’s your entire extended family and all their friends, too. So get the permit or make sure your wedding coordinator does. Better safe than feeling very sorry as you’re chased off the beach!