Suggestions on
How to Easily Create a
Hawaiian Theme Wedding!

If you aren't able to have your wedding in Hawaii you can still make your dream Hawaiian wedding come true! Below are suggestion on how you can easily create an "island style" wedding. 
Having a Hawaii theme wedding is a very unique and elegant way to accent your special day. Guests at Hawaiian theme weddings tend to be more relaxed and have a great time. You will also find having a Hawaiian theme wedding will not cost as much as a more formal wedding ceremony and reception.

There are many ways to incorporate Hawaii traditions and a Hawaii theme so review the suggestions and choose what appeals to you and will make your special day even more memorable.

 
Whether you are having your wedding on a beach, on a boat, at a lakeside, in a garden, in a backyard, in a home, or in a church it is easy to incorporate touches of Hawaii to your special day...

Send Hawaii Theme Invitations to Your Wedding Guests
You can create your own wedding invitations using your home computer and printer or add touches of Hawaii to professionally printed invitations.
Incorporate Hawaiian words and phrases. Click here to review our resource of popular Hawaiian words and phrase.
Translate the invited peoples names into Hawaiian. Click here to review our resource of first names into Hawaiian.
Include the Lords Prayer in Hawaiian. Click here for the translation of the Lords Prayer in Hawaiian.

Encourage Your Wedding Guests to Wear Hawaiian Attire
Hawaiian attire is very popular and many people have a Hawaiian shirt or dress in their wardrobe, especially those who have visited Hawaii. Since Hawaiian attire is popular many stores offer it. Thrift stores are also a great resource for Hawaii attire. The internet also makes acquiring Hawaii attire anywhere just a click away.
Click here to review our links to a few places that offers Hawaii attire online.

Have Your Wedding Party Dress in Hawaiian Attire
There is no right or wrong way to go about dressing your wedding party for a Hawaii theme wedding. Some people have all the ladies in Hawaiian print dresses and the men in Hawaiian print shirts. Some have the men wear pants while other have them wear shorts. Some wedding couples have the ladies in the Hawaiian print dresses but the men in full tuxedos. How formal or informal you have your wedding party is up to you.
Click here to review our links to a few places that offers Hawaii attire online.

Have Your Wedding Party Wear Leis
A lei is a garland or necklace made from fresh flowers, fresh leaves, silk flowers, nuts, shells, or pretty much anything. There are leis for the neck, head, wrist, and ankles. In Hawaii a lei is given as a symbol of love, respect and appreciation for all kinds of celebrations. For weddings it is popular to have the entire wedding party wear leis. For men who do not want to wear flowers popular masculine leis are maile leis or kukui nut leis. Maile leis are green leafy vine looking leis. Kukui nut leis are made from the nut of the state tree and in ancient Hawaiian times were only give to people of great importance since they were very sacred. Silk leis, kukui nut leis and shell leis which are a nice economical alternative to fresh leis which require expensive express shipping and special packaging.
To view authentic kukui nut lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view lifelike silk lei options, silk wedding lei sets, and real shell lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

The Bride Wear a Head Lei Rather Than a Formal Veil
For a Hawaii theme wedding a bride can wear a lei on her head rather than a traditional veil. The head lei is know as a haku and sits like a crown of flowers on the brides head. Some brides add a veil on a hair comb to the haku so they have both the formal traditional and the Hawaii traditional options. The veil on a hair comb is typically available through any bridal shop.
To view the lifelike silk haku available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Acknowledge Special People at the Wedding with Leis
For significant people who will be attending the wedding but who are not in the wedding party like the parents and/or grandparents of the wedding couple, children of the wedding couple, god parents of the wedding couple and the wedding official a special way to acknowledge them and have them stand out as special people at the wedding is to give them leis.
To view authentic kukui nut lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view lifelike silk lei options and real shell lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Have a Hula Girl or Girls Welcome Your Guests with Leis
If you would like to adorn all of your wedding guests in leis a great thing to do is have one or a few girls dress in Hawaii attire or as hula girls and greet each guest before they are seated for the ceremony with a lei. Silk leis, kukui nut leis, or shell leis are economical options when adorning a number of people. Shell leis are the most cost effective lei available and make great keepsakes from the wedding.
To view hula girl outfits available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view authentic kukui nut lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view lifelike silk lei options and real shell lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Use Strands of Flowers to Decorate Arches, Alters, and Isles at the Ceremony
Strands of flowers are the easiest way to add a tropical touch to arches and alters, line the isle, decorate fences and more.
Click here to review 10-foot long lifelike silk plumeria strands available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA.

Forever Leis and Decorations
Lifelike silk leis, shell leis, kukui nut leis, lifelike silk plumeria blooms, lifelike silk plumeria garland strands, and lifelike silk lauae ferns make great keepsakes from your wedding. Forever leis and lifelike decorations are a more economical option than fresh leis and fresh decorations which require special packaging and expensive express shipping.
Great ideas for using forever leis and decorations are:
* Wear the forever leis for your wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and/or wedding. Forever leis are available for the neck, head, wrists, and ankles.
* Use lifelike silk plumeria blooms for your flower girl to drop, sprinkle on ground where you will exchange vows, decorate tables, decorate cake boxes or favor boxes, use for flower toss instead of a rice toss.
* Use lifelike silk lauae ferns in vases or lay flat on table for centerpieces. They have wire stems and are great for wrapping around trellises, chairs, fences, flower girl basket, etc to add a tropical flare.
* Use lifelike silk plumeria garland strands to line the isle the bride will be walking down, to create a circle of flowers where you will exchange vows, on chairs, on trellises, fences, alters, etc. 
* Drape your forever wedding leis around a photo enlargement from your wedding.
* Create a shadowbox with keepsakes from your wedding including the forever leis. 
* Do a lei exchange with your forever leis every anniversay to relive your special day and recommit your love.
* Have a luau to celebrate your 1st Anniversary and wear your forever wedding leis to your celebration.
To view dozens of lifelike silk leis and silk accessories, lifelike silk decorations options, and real shell lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view authentic kukui nut lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Tiki Torches Make Great Decorations for Day or Evening Luaus
Tiki Torches are a great way to add a tropical atmosphere. If the wedding is in the evening the torches can be lit, if the wedding is during the day the tiki torch makes a great flower arrangement holder. To use as a flower arrangement holder as shown above remove the fuel holder and put the fresh or silk flower stems in it's place. Orchid sprays, shower tree branches, anthuriums and other tropical flowers are great for tiki torch flower displays. Silk leis are ideal for tying on to the torch stand to add more tropical flare. Lightweight chiffon fabric can also be tied between the tiki torches to create an isle, section off areas, etc. Tiki torches are typically available in home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes and can also be found in the patio section of stores like Walmart and Kmart.
To view lifelike silk leis you can use to decorate tiki torches available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Have Romantic Hawaiian Music Playing Before, During, and After the Ceremony
You can have a live Hawaiian band serenade your guests or play a cd of romantic Hawaiian music. Rather than the typical Wedding March song playing while the bride walks down the isle the traditional song in a Hawaii theme wedding is the Hawaiian Wedding Song. 
Click here to review a romantic Hawaiian music CD available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA.

Have the Flower Girl Drop Blooms Down the Isle During the Opening Ceremony
A tropical alternative to the flower girl dropping rose petals is to have her drop lifelike silk plumeria blooms. The flower girl can carry the orchids in a traditional basket or for more of a beach theme in a beach pail.
To view lifelike silk  loose plumeria bloom options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Have the Ring Bearer Carry the Ring in a Shell or Coconut Shell
Rather than the ring bearer using a pillow for a more tropical twist have him carry the rings in a real shell or coconut shell. An abalone shell or a oyster shell work great. Craft stores typically have a nice selection of real shells and coconuts.

Have a Circle of Flowers
In Hawaii it is common for the wedding couple to have a circle of blooms mark the spot where they will exchange vows. The circle of flowers is symbolic of their never ending love for one another and their eternal pledge they commit to one another in the circle. It typically takes 250 blooms to create a thin circle. It is more common to use 500-1,000 blooms to create a full circle of flowers or use strands of blooms to more easily create the circle.
To view lifelike silk  loose plumeria bloom options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
Click here to review 10-foot long lifelike silk plumeria strands available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA.

Incorporate Hawaii Theme Wedding Vows
For religious or non-religious weddings you can easily incorporate some touches of Hawaii into your ceremony and vow exchange. We offer a few specific options on how to do so.
Click here to review Hawaii theme wedding vow suggestions.

Incorporate a Lei Exchange into the Ceremony
Rather than wearing leis from the start of the wedding some wedding couples incorporate a lei exchange as part of the wedding ceremony. Like the exchange of rings the exchange of leis symbolizes love, respect, appreciation. If either of the wedding couple has children some wedding couples incorporate a lei exchange ceremony to include the child or children to symbolize the uniting of the family. We offer several specific suggestions on incorporating a lei exchange to a wedding ceremony.
Click here to view suggestions on incorporating a lei exchange.
To view authentic kukui nut lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view lifelike silk lei options and real shell lei options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Incorporate a Sand Unity Ceremony into the Ceremony
A sand unity ceremony is a more tropical alternative to a candle unity ceremony. The wedding couple starts off with two separate viles of sand representing their lives. They then simultaneously pour their viles of sand into another bottle or vile symbolizing their lives joining together as one, just as the sand. Most craft stores offer beautiful decorative bottles and vile options as well as sand. If the ceremony is held on a beach it is customary for the couple to use the sand they are standing on when doing the ceremony. We offer specific suggestions for incorporating a sand unity ceremony to a wedding.
Click here to view suggestions on incorporating a sand unity ceremony.

Incorporate a Hawaii Theme Candle Unity Ceremony into the Ceremony
You can add a Hawaii twist to the traditional candle unity ceremony by using a tropical candle from Hawaii in a real coconut shell or in bamboo. We also offer specific suggestions for incorporating a Hawaii theme candle unity ceremony to a wedding.
Click here to view suggestions on incorporating a candle unity ceremony.
Click here to view Hawaii theme candles available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA.

Have a Shower of Flowers
After the couple is pronounced by the wedding official it is traditional to toss rice or blow bubbles at the wedding couple. A more tropical alternative is to have the wedding guests toss blooms. Some wedding couples provide a small pouch of orchids on each seat at the ceremony while others have several baskets of blooms at the ceremony for the guests to take a handful to toss. The shower of flowers looks great in wedding photos!
To view lifelike silk loose plumeria bloom options available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Have a Hawaii Theme Wedding Cake
It is easy to turn a simple cake or a formal wedding cake into a Hawaii theme cake by adding fresh an adorable Hawaiian kissing couple cake topper, lifelike silk plumeria blooms, lifelike silk lauae ferns, lifelike silk leis, or fresh tropical flowers and ferns to the cake. The cute Hawaiian kissing couple cake topper are actually high quality salt & pepper shakers and are used by a lot of couples as their wedding cake topper and then make a great keepsake from the wedding!
To view the adorable Hawaiian kissing couple cake top/s&p shakers available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.
To view dozens of lifelike silk leis, lifelike silk plumeria blooms, and lifelike silk lauae ferns available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA click here.

Have a Hawaii Theme Wedding Reception
Once the wedding couple are official you can celebrate by having a luau style reception. We offer additional resources of  specific decorating suggestions, popular luau recipes, and fun Hawaii theme game suggestions to easily create a luau anywhere.
Suggestions for creating a luau anywhere.
Popular luau recipes.
Listings of caterers who offer luau menus.
Listings of hula performers you can hire to dance at the reception.
Resource of fun Hawaii theme game ideas.
Additional Hawaiian music CD options for luaus.
Dashboard Hula Wigglers and Fresh Pineapples from Hawaii to use as centerpieces, Hawaii Theme Guestbook, Island Snacks and more available for shipping from Hawaii to destinations in the USA.
Photos of Hawaii theme cake and table centerpiece decorations

Do you have an idea for a Hawaii theme wedding? We would love to hear about it! Email us the details to islandfriends@aol.com

If you have photographs from your Hawaiian theme celebration showing how you transformed your party or wedding into a Hawaii oasis that you would like to share and have posted on this web site please email them to us at islandfriends@aol.com

Be sure to check out our
additional tips and resources
for having a Hawaii theme luau!

This web site filled with FREE Hawaii theme information and resources is sponsored by our online Island Gift Shop at www.alohafriendsshop.com where you can enjoy or share treasures from Hawaii anytime and add authentic touches of Hawaii to your celebration. If you enjoy or web site and find the information useful please support our site by buying something from our online Island Gift Shop!

Disclaimer : This page was created by and is maintained by Mike & Kim Crinella. All information, graphics, and photos contained in this web site are property of Mike & Kim Crinella. If you would like to contact us with questions, orders, or to notify us of any problems while navigating through our site please email us at islandfriends@aol.com

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