Planning a Hawaii Island Wedding?

Aloha.  Welcome to our beautiful island.  Today you visit virtually, and if you are thinking about a Hawaii Island wedding, you will be here for real soon enough.

The Buddha face to the left represents the serenity we try to create for you as a wedding experience.  We have performed ceremonies and put together wedding packages both including our venue or others for many couples, in all seasons.  There are probably hundreds of purveyors of Hawaii weddings, and hundreds more vendors who provide the myriad parts that go into a wedding.

What are those parts?  The most basic piece is the venue.  Many people want a beach wedding.  There are beaches here, some of them white and pristine and remote, some black and oft visited by tour buses, one green, some golden.  All Hawaiian beaches are public.  The rules as to the use of the beach for weddings are such that many celebrants who have no venue to offer in particular will not do a beach wedding.  You may have seen photos of beautiful arches decorated with flowing silks and draped with orchids.  Those cannot go on the sand in Hawaii.  It's a rule.  So if you want a wedding with an arch, what do you do?  You will need to pay for a venue.  You may be thinking, wait, I have been to countless Hawaiian beaches and there are those pop-up pavilions all over the place.  I have seen Beach parks with wall to wall canopies where tarps are tied to poles, and you say I cannot have a beautiful arch?  It is not me who says that, but Hawaii.  You can have your beautiful arch on the lawn, and if you look closely, you will see those canopies are on the lawn too.  At private venues.

The very best way to have a beach wedding in Hawaii is to rent a house on the beach.  Our favorite beachfront location will run you $10,000 all inclusive, with the use of the house for three nights.  This includes your wedding dinner served to you ocean front or food served party style for up to 30 guests.  And your cake.  And your photography.  If you can afford a $10,000 wedding, and you want it in the sun, at the beach, in Hawaii, this is an elegant and happy choice.  And if your have more than 30 guests, this venue can be used for up to 50.

There are open air parks in Hawaii, and for celebrations in the out of doors on this island, there are tent rentals.  When you bring a tent to a wedding, you will be wanting to decorate those poles and probably drape the interior ceiling part.  To get it looking spectacular will require two people working a full half day each, at minimum, and that is after they bring in the greenery and flowers and drapes.  You may be thinking, why would I need a tent in Hawaii?  The answer is that it can rain anywhere, any time.  If you choose a dry side wedding in the summer or fall, your chances of not needing shelter from rain are better.  But then it is hot, and your guests will like shade.  For any outdoor wedding in Hawaii, a tent is a good investment.  If you find a house to rent on the island for your party with an open air pavilion, you will not need the tent.  Count on spending $1000 or more for a tent rental, delivery etc and decor to dress it up.

There are beach pavilions in Hawaii you can reserve.  The cost is very slight.  However, these pavilions have tables bolted down inside so you do not have floor space underneath, but tables.  This works nicely for having a sit down meal, but is not conducive to a wedding where people are watching the event.  Mostly these pavilions are used for birthday parties.

There are non-beachfront rental houses on the island that have grounds and sometimes covered spaces amenable to weddings.  The typical way these places do business is they have a fee for the use of the grounds for the wedding.  That fee may be $1000 or $4000 or $8500.  It is important to consider what you may have to bring in if the rental house is not fully equipped for an outdoor wedding.  There should be shelter for the wedding party in event of rain, shade from intense sun.  If not, shelter will need to be brought in. This can amp up the price considerably - figure $1000 for a tent with decor.  You will not want naked poles and a pop-up style ceiling, but soft drapes and flowers.

There is a lovely bed and breakfast on the Hamakua coast, on the east side of the island, that offers a wedding option.  When you open the page and see how the pricing structure is, they break down each part of the venue and charge a fee.  So it costs $250 to dress inside and have the bride come down the staircase.  There is a separate charge for use of the grounds, with a per person charge of $50 added onto  that, and in fact there are 3 separate site fees, all necessary to have the wedding.  The fees each go up with additional people, and the bride and groom must be guests of the facility.  To have the place to yourselves, all 8 rooms must be reserved, at a cost of $5800.  This is one of the prettiest locations on the island, and the cost of having a private wedding there tops $10,000 for a party of 16 without any decor, lei, food, drink, or taxes.  And they also have an hourly charge to talk to them.

There are also wedding services at nearly all the hotels.  It is the nature of hotels that their grounds are public.  This means that people will stroll by, and may stop and watch.  And talk.  Many hotels have private residences on site that may be reserved for weddings or simply for privacy.  Count on paying $5000 a night on up for these, usually with a seven night minimum.

Welcome to our wedding pavilion.
Here you have shelter from rain and sun, a hardwood floor, a carved altar.  We do not demand that anyone be our overnight guests, although most couples opt for a treehouse honeymoon.  There is a house on the grounds, and not only do we include its use  for the day in our standard fee, we make it available for guests of the bride and groom to spend the night.

The orchids you see flanking the entry are part of the decor, included in our pricing.  If you look closely behind the orchids on the left, you can see the sumptuous tropical bouquet gracing the altar.  No additional charge.  And outside the pavilion, everywhere you look are giant tree ferns and tall swaying ohia trees.  The path to the pavilion is lit by tiki torches, lined with anthurium and orchids. There will be seasonal orchids at the entrance for your wedding.  After your ceremony, they will be planted in the tree ferns along the path - the hapu'u.  Should you return for an anniversary stay at the chalet on the grounds, you may revisit your wedding flowers, perhaps in bloom again.

We love doing weddings, and will find a way for you to have the wedding of your dearest delight on our island.  We will do what we can to help you stay in budget.  Our prices include our conversations, and all the planning needed.  $2500.  That is for an intimate wedding in the pavilion with live music, the sounding of the triton shell, on site photography, lei, cake, use of the house on site before the wedding and after for guests as well, and a two night treehouse stay for the bride and groom.  We are on top of the volcano, with rainforest all around.  Private.  Emerald green forest, birdsong, orchids in the trees.  It is magical.  Clearly we will go elsewhere, but elsewhere there are significant additional costs.

as always, prices shown are subject to change.  These are prices in effect as of this writing August 2012
mahalo!

Pavilion & Big Island Oceanside Weddings with Price List

Aloha and welcome to Rainforest Weddings.  Our specialty is intimate small scale weddings at either our own venue, the rainforest pavilion, or at certain island locations such as not-so-public beaches or oceanside outdoor sites.

The photo at the left shows the last part of the natural path through the forest into the pavilion.  The beach washed lava forms shallow steps.  As you enter the pavilion, you walk between a Sugi pine and a hapu'u tree fern.  A bromeliad grows at the foot of the hapu'u.  Tiki torches help light the path.  Moss forms a soft carpet along the perimeter of the path.

Beyond the pavilion, the views are out into the forest of kahili ginger, hapu'u, Sugi pines, ohia trees, orchids and other epiphytes and bromeliads.  The chalet on the grounds is hidden from view by the forest.

The photo at the right shows the carved altar and wedding altar piece of heliconia, ginger, anthurium and orchids, as you walk up the stairs into the pavilion, between a display of living orchids.

During a wedding, candles burn on the altar.  There is island music.

A vintage chandelier reworked with glass and crystal beads and copper wire wrapped sea glass provides lighting at the right side of the pavilion.

Carved Balinese benches provide seating.

Firebowls stand in the corners to provide ambience and warmth in the cool evenings.  The fire is a tiny echo of the burning lava of the volcano Kilauea, upon which we are situated.  The caldera itself is about ten minutes drive from this site, and readily visited after dark when the glow of the lava rising and falling within can be seen.



Below is price list.  Your wedding may be customized from the a la carte price list, or you may select a package already designed and specially priced.

Rainforest Weddings Packages and Prices

The pricing below is current for calendar year 2012.  Any reservations completed in calendar year 2012 for calendar year 2013 will be at this same price level.  Future reservation prices, for reservations completed in calendar 2013 and beyond are subject to change.  For a full description of services and amenities, please refer to our website www.mahinui.com and to our Facebook page Rainforest Weddings for additional information and photographs.  Please call or email with any questions.

Packages:

Zen:  day time wedding, vow renewal, civil union celebration.  Includes:  pavilion site, island music, sounding of the  triton shell, decor, custom ceremony, licensed officiant,  lei, cake, bubbly toast, certificate, on site photography, use of adjacent house for dressing etc, timeline coordination, three night honeymoon stay in either chalet on grounds or off site treehouse.   . . .  $2500

Zen without honeymoon stay  . . . $2000

Rainforest aloha:  day or evening wedding, vow renewal, civil union celebration.  Includes:  pavilion site, island music with guitar player, sounding of the  triton shell, decor, tiki torch path lighting, candle light blessing circle, fire bowls, custom ceremony, licensed officiant,  lei, cake, bubbly toast, certificate, on site photography, use of adjacent house for dressing etc, timeline coordination, three night honeymoon stay in either chalet on grounds or off site treehouse.   . . .  $2900

Rainforest aloha without honeymoon stay . . . $2400

Rainforest aloha plus 12 - 16 living orchids freshly interplanted along path . . . $3500

Rainforest aloha plus intimate meal in pavilion with live music  … $3500 for 2, $3700 for 4 … $4000 for 6, $4300 for 8

Off site ceremony (beach or park) includes celebrant, certificate, custom ceremony, flowers, musician,  photography at celebration, site coordination, permit facilitation … $2500    add 3 night honeymoon at treehouse or chalet … $3200

**all package prices are inclusive of clean up

Photographic excursions:  

half day  Hilo area, morning with waterfalls, beaches, gardens, lagoons  … $850

half day Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Black Sand Beach, heiau and environs  … $850

half day into sunset either of the above  ... $1000

half day Waipio Valley or Kohala Coast beaches & countryside, meet at Waipio overlook …  $1000 

full day west Hawaii park and beach excursion with sunset … $1600

A la carte pricing, pavilion site:

facility use for up to 12 people, includes use of house and pavilion for up to 4 hours . . . $750 

   *please note number 12 includes all using site 

additional hours . . .  $150 per hour

clean up post ceremony  . . . $300 

use of house and grounds inclusive of pavilion from 4 pm day prior to celebration until 10 pm night of celebration, with facility use for 12 people, including clean up: . . . $1200

standard decor, includes altar flowers and  plate rail flowers . . .  $300

add celebrant at pavilion site and custom ceremony …$400

on site photography … $850 

Full living orchid decor along path  . . .  $800

Blessing circle with candles, orchids, ferns, liko, etc:  …  $400

triton shell sounding with lei … $250 

guitar player … $250

lei for celebrant, wedding party of 2  … $100  .. add $12 for each guest

tiki torch path lighting … $200

three night honeymoon at chalet or treehouse … $800

intimate catered candle light meal for two at pavilion … $750   for four… $1000  
                                                                                         for six … $1500   for  eight… $2000

wedding planning services … $1500 and up

other specialty items, such as custom wedding cakes, bridal bouquets, limousine service:  inquire for pricing

The purpose of our package pricing is to facilitate a stress free wedding experience for all involved.  The use of our pavilion allows your ceremony to go forward regardless of the weather, in a totally private setting,  The pavilion provides shelter and enclosure without a sense of separation from the out doors.  It is our goal to provide a romantic Hawaii Island alternative to a justice of the peace or indoor wedding chapel style experience.  Our packages include almost everything broken out in the a la carte pricing if the ceremony is held in our pavilion at Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island.  We also provide off site ceremonies including beach weddings.  

The three night honeymoon as shown a la carte includes flowers, breakfast food and treats, turn down service, all cleaning fees.  Both the treehouse and chalet are situated in a private forest, with lanai hot tubs, top quality beds and linens, less than five minutes from the entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  Both have kitchens, outdoor showers, and views out into the forest canopy.

Availability:  currently there are openings as early as late July for a pavilion wedding and chalet stay and third weekend in August for pavilion wedding and treehouse stay.  Four to five months out is generally sufficient to find open dates to fit a somewhat flexible time frame.  For specific dates, over six months ahead is recommended.  

We may be reached as follows:

land line  808-238-0633

cell phone 510-965-7367 

email gail@mahinui.com

website www.mahinui.com

Hawaiian Rainforest Elopement

Although we happily perform weddings and civil unions all over the island, our rainforest pavilion is at the center of our imagination.  It gives us the versatility to offer a romantic experience that derives from the place itself, this ultra green forest on top of Kilauea Volcano.

This is Sara and Jason.  Sara's favorite flowers are hibiscus.  The hibiscus flower is so delicate it begins to wilt almost as soon as it is picked.  Up in the rainforest, there is enough moisture in the air that the flower holds up a bit longer.  We collected the flowers on the woody stems in the morning, and they retained enough hardiness to stand up in the blessing circle for the wedding, and to adorn the plate rail for the celebratory wedding supper.

Sara wished for a brilliant  pink in her lei, to do with her pink sash.  The pink in the lei is pink ginger petals, braided with ti leaves.  Jason's lei is the traditional maile, a fragrant vine.

The guitar player is William Jaiva.  William plays for us and he plays along with the best of the best island musicians in recording sessions and big events.  We are so lucky he enjoys being a part of the rainforest wedding celebrations.  He plays Hawaiian music and sings.  Some of what he does is all Hawaiian mele, some in English so you can appreciate the lyrics if you do not know the Hawaiian.

Jason and Sara chose a private wedding feast with tiki drinks to complete their wedding celebration.  The sea glass chandelier is our newest addition to the pavilion.  It is an old crystal chandelier reworked with copper wrapped sea glass and an assortment of glass and stone beads.  The lights can be made bright or dimmed down to candlelight level.

The wedding couple arrived late after a long flight, and settled into the chalet on the pavilion grounds for the night.  The next day they had a leisurely visit to waterfalls, and came back for their late day wedding.  After their romantic supper, a treehouse honeymoon.  The first day of their married life starts with a transit of Venus.

If you are not familiar with Hawaiian music, there is a lot on YouTube.  Some Hawaiian families like the Beamer ohana, the Kahumoku ohana, Cyril Pahinui and friends and family have brought Hawaiian music to a level where you do not have to show up here to hear it.  Thanks to YouTube and the internet generally this culture is at your fingertips.  Listen if you have a moment, and be transported to our world.  Here's Darlene Ahuna with Akaka Falls.   http://youtu.be/WCoXbcSfhwg  mood music to be certain, and views of our beautiful east Hawaii falls.

Aloha!

Hawaii Beach Wedding

The Hawaii Beach wedding is such a popular idea that you would think it would be super easy to arrange.  And in many ways it is.  You do an internet search and up pop a plethora of possibilities.

When you look closer, you may notice some of these details:

You cannot put up an arch or canopy at the beach in Hawaii.  When you see an arch in the photo, that is on grass, near a beach, sometimes on private property.  There is no beach ownership of property, hence no private beach.

So since all beach access is public, there is no private beachfront wedding site, other than a private home with beachfront access directly adjacent.

If you long for a sand between the toes Hawaii wedding with maybe no one wandering right through your ceremony, there are a couple of spots we like.  One is pictured right here.  These Keawe trees form multiple corridors between a walking path and the water.  The beach is fairly narrow, and the trees lie right down on the sand.  There are more open areas at either end of this stretch, but right here, for a significant length of beach, the trees form almost outdoor rooms.

We also like this for the photo possibilities.  This is a difficult back lit shot, where the sky is gone white on a sunny day so the texture of the trees shows.  We see a billowy chiffon wedding dress, colorful aloha shirt.  We see a path of orchids and plumeria.  We see candles in glass surrounded by orchids balanced along the branches, tied in raffia streamers from some of the overhanding boughs.  We see tree branch climbing in full wedding regalia.  And we see no one else in the picture.  That is partly because of the way the trees cordon off sections of sand.  That is partly because this beach is just enough off the beaten path that it is possible to claim a spot and secure some privacy.  Not 100% privacy, but enough for a lovely ceremony and lots of fun photos.  Plus the snorkeling is phenomenal.

We can set this up with table and chairs, quilts and pillows, cake and champagne.  It can become an opulent arrangement for a day or an evening. We can bring in candles in hurricane glass and tiki drinks.  A caterer.  The picnic of your wedding dreams, complete with white tablecloth and sunset, guitar player and a long linger in the twilight into evening on a beach now deserted but for you.

Night Magic and Music

The winter palette is soft and subdued, with muted colors and firelight warmth.  In the forest on top of the volcano, the beauty of winter is evident year round, especially as night falls and the emerald greens of the surrounding forest fade with the forest filtered light.  Unlike winter weather on other mountaintops, what chill may be in the air may be staved off with fire bowls and candle light, so the wedding party may go on barefoot with aloha attire.  When it is over, the winding curvy path down from the pavilion is illuminated with tiki torches.

Here the ceremony has just concluded.  Outside a thunderstorm is sparkling up the night and rain is streaming down.  The open sides of the pavilion allow the couple to experience the storm from this romantic vantage point.  Loud storms happen once in awhile on top of the mountain, most often in winter.  The thunder will sound and lightning flash and between nature's symphonic percussion the music of the wedding plays the story of the lovers who happily unite within the passionate soundings of the storm.

When planning a wedding in Hawaii, embracing the weather is a significant part of the experience.  If you are seeking pure sunshine, you are best with a west island destination.  For the drama of winter weather, our rainforest pavilion lets you be right there and stay dry and warm.  The surrounding forest is red flowered ohia trees, cedars, and Sugi pines. There are also giant tree ferns, flowering orchids, and anthurium.  It is lovely to walk up through the forest while it is still daylight.  Night falls quickly, so the procession amidst the ferns can happen in the fading light, and the candlelight in the pavilion will already be prominent as the couple enter.  This same effect may be achieved any time of the year, and in summer months, the perfume of the night flowers adds that extra dimension to the experience.

Sand as white as snow

Who has never had a deserted island fantasy?  Imagine yourself on this beach.  The sand so white, the sunlight a mellow 85 degrees.  The only footprints are yours.

This is a beach in Hawaii that is on the Big Island.  You can drive in with four wheel drive, if your vehicle is high enough to manage the deep deep ruts and you are willing to take the time to creep along.  You can hike in, with whatever you can carry.  Or, what about a helicopter drop?  This is where it can become one of life's ultimate adventures ...  

Here is how it could work.  You are visiting Hawaii.  Your amazing life partner is with you.  You are moved to do something to honor this person.  What about a helicopter tour over the active volcano, then touch down here?  You have with you a picnic lunch prepared to match your palates. Perhaps something like this:  Tiny island greens, a cold bottle of wine.  Opakpaka prepared with wasabi and flying fish eggs.  Quinoa with Hamakua mushrooms sautéed lightly in a sherry sauce.  A desert of dried starfruit dipped in Hawaiian chocolate.

You bring this along in a basket with a lounging cloth for the beach, and a couple of folding chairs, cloth napkins, bottled water and calamansi.

You are the only two people on this beach.  The helicopter will return in 3 hours.  Meanwhile, leave behind all the constraints of civilization and let yourself become as a Hawaiian of days so far gone by ...  and there can even be music.

We can arrange this ... are you ready?

Rainforest Romance ~ Intimate Supper

From time to time we romantics ponder what might be the ultimate romantic dinner.  

There is a scene in the movie Out of Africa where Robert Redford sets up a table on the desert sand, wooing Meryl Streep.  It is a swooningly lovely scene, with the white table cloth and the elegant setting in the middle of the wildness.  

The original idea of the romantic supper in the rainforest pavilion was to offer an alternative to bridal couples to going out to eat at a restaurant.  The romance of the setting is somewhat conveyed in the photo above.  What is missing is the fragrance of the forest, of the orchids and perhaps the tuberose bouquet across the floor on the altar/tiki bar.  You cannot hear the music.  And of course, there is no food showing!

If you are planning on coming to the Big Island to become engaged, or celebrate an anniversary, or if you simply would love to surprise your partner with what could well be the most memorable and most idyllic dining experience you have ever had, consider this.  We can arrange a private and festive supper for you, with the menu of your choice.  We work with some of the most outstanding private chefs on the island.  The ingredients are sourced locally insofar as possible.  We encourage you to try seasonal island cuisine, prepared healthfully, and presented magnificently.  

You may have music via iPod or go all out and have a local guitar player.  Island music or flamenco.  

With enough notice, you may have the choice of finishing your evening at the treehouse, or enjoying the main residence on the same grounds as the pavilion.

If you wonder how you get to this spot, it is very near the main entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  The pavilion itself is up a curvy forest path, interplanted with heart shaped anthurium, orchids, and fragrant ginger.  The path is lit with tiki torches.  

For more photos and an introduction to the treehouse, you may visit our website:

http://www.mahinui.com

Aloha!