Your Wedding Photographs

There are two kinds of wedding photographs - bold statement, yes?  Those two types are your wedding photos and other people's wedding photos.

I have photographed enough couples now that I have lost count. The setting for these photos recently has been the Big Island, Hawaii Island. I love this place, and the couples who choose to come here to become married generally love it too. But nothing is guaranteed in this life.

Awhile back, the bride in the photos was unhappy with the shots I liked best. I felt dreadful for her, and sought to understand what was amiss so I could edit appropriately. She told me she didn't like her expressions in some photos, her husband's in others, that they generally did not look interested enough in each other, and that the photos were not flattering. Most of that commentary is not subject to editing. She was unwilling to discuss further, leaving me to sort through the experience from this end and learn from it.

I wish I could put up that selection I liked from that shoot so you could see their photos for yourself, but she has forbidden their use. To my eye, they are among the best I have done. Based on her remarks and looking at the photos, I think she would have preferred a more animated set of photos on the one hand, and something more studio-like and posed on the other. I am also pretty certain that in future years, perhaps as few as two or three, when she looks at those photos, she will be stunned at how pretty she is, how handsome her husband, what a great looking couple they are.There is also something else - during the shoot she repeatedly remarked about how little she cared for this island, for its culture, and for what it is about.  Perhaps that has something to do with her perception of her photos as well. 

The photo above is of other people. I have chosen to use it here to illustrate what wedding photography is for me as a photographer - it is an opportunity to make a record of what this experience was for these people, in the context of this place, Hawaii island. Here the couple is studying the ground, the a'a and pahoehoe lava in a somewhat recent flow. There is a look of geologists about them, because they had a sincere interest in the lava. Their intelligence and sparkle and shared enthusiasm comes through, despite the sunglasses. They are in a place they have not been before, and it is fascinating. This is both one of their favorite photos from the shoot and mine as well. It is right for them - it is them. For you, it would be another sort of picture altogether. 

So here is my take as a wedding photographer. If you are looking for verve and animation, dress casually and be prepared to jump about, run, and be excited. That sort of look does not happen in a dress with a long heavy train and a suit, tie, and heavy dress shoes. As a wedding photographer, I always suggest the couple take some photos in their wedding attire and the remainder in casual dress. Both sets look lovely, and the contrast tends to be between the solemnity and joy of taking marriage vows and the playfulness of having succeeded in becoming married and being happier than you had even imagined. If you are looking for studio shots, use a studio photographer. There everything is controlled. The camera person sets you in position and moves you and the lights until everything is as flattering as it can be, for each shot. 

If you have seen an effect or a set shot in someone else's photos you would like to try, by all means tell the photographer about it. But do not keep trying to recreate it as your photos are being done. This is likely to have peculiar results. In the photo session that disappointed the bride, she repeatedly asked her husband to lift her vertically into the air. She was wearing a dress with a long train. The effect was that she appeared over him in a surreal column. She did not look like she was floating, being held down like an unruly balloon, but more vampire like. And no, she did not see any of the photos where she looked like that! And there were dozens of them, because everywhere we went, she would repeat the pose  And yes, I included a couple of them that sort of worked in the set of photos she received. Be prepared to find out that the set shot you imagined is not at all what you envisioned. It was someone else's photo, not yours. 

In viewing Pinterest wedding boards, I note there are certain genre shots that are popular now where a heart appears in the photo. Sometimes the heart is drawn in the sand. Sometimes it is fashioned from rocks or shells or flowers. More often it is formed using the hands and arms of the wedding couple, the setting sun behind.  If you desire shots like this, it is vital to tell the photographer. Do not expect your photos to duplicate what you have seen elsewhere. Your photos are not and cannot be what you have seen somewhere else, of someone else. I know that sounds remedial, but that is a fact.  You may have been told you look like a certain celebrity. Do not expect that in your wedding photos you will look like her double.  If you ordinarily do not wear makeup or wear very little, and then have your face done for your wedding or your photos, you will look different than you usually look. Be certain you like that look. Makeup is not an essential part of wedding photos. The best photos of you are the ones that look like you. Again, this sounds so very basic, and yet we do not always think in basic terms. 

Everyone and anyone, any couple, can look wonderful in wedding photos.  By wonderful, I mean like your own best self.  As a photographer, that is what I am after.  You as your shining, happy, most radiant self.  I am also after the you of you, whatever person is beneath your skin.  This is why I love doing this work.  It is a treasure hunt, and there is always treasure to be found and shown.

When we do wedding photography, it happens on the scheduled day, out of doors for the most part. We can do some indoors, incorporating the sense of place. We can always use the treehouse, even in the pouring rain, and get sweet results. We can also go somewhere the weather is nicer. We have not had a wedding shoot yet where we could not find good weather and pretty light. We do half day and full day shoots.  Half day seems to work the best. You do not want to appear tired in the photos. What every couple always comes away with is an experience that was unlike any other - a journey around and about the island that was recorded for them in dozens of photos, where the context of the island frames who they are, in this time, in love, in this gorgeous place. 

Why Choose Hawaii Island for Your Wedding?

Those who have either been to or dreamt of the Hawaiian Islands have heard them call "come to me, come to me...". From the ultra blue water and skies that change color at dawn and dusk, to the scent of the very air the moment you step from the plane, these islands are softly alluring. Hawaii's romance is a guitar softly playing as waves lap against the shoreline in the moonlight, while your hand lingers on the sun warmed skin of your lover.



Hawaii Island is where you will find Kilauea Volcano, lava churning and spilling down the sides of the mountain, falling in burning orange rivers down the cliffs into the sea.  It is where the ferns of the rainforest grow to be thirty feet tall, and the curved beak red apapane greets you with a morning song in mid-canopy of the rainforest when you stay in a treehouse for your honeymoon.

On Hawaii Island you will find world class dining
You may choose amongst the oceanfront restaurants of Kohala and Kona, where in the winter time the whales breach and spout as the sun goes down and the sky changes through an array of colors from gold to deepest red or brilliant pink, from peach tones to gleaming carnelians then purple.  You can arrange for a special post wedding photo shoot to capture those colors that have decorated your evenings on the Kohala Coast.  The musicians who so casually entertain you as you enjoy your evening meal are among the finest in their genre.



When you choose Hawaii for your wedding,  you will then select a destination within your destination. Many hotels offer wedding services on site. Should you prefer something more personalized and private, wedding coordinators like Mahinui Na Lani can help you find the venue that meets your expectations, whether beachfront, rainforest, waterfall, or private residence.  All details are handled according to your wishes.  Your ceremony and celebration will unfold like your fondest dreams of Hawaiian paradise.
www.mahinui.com
PO Box 531 Laupahoehoe HI 96764
808-238-0633

Best of the Best Hawaii Wedding Destinations

Aloha from Hawaii Island.

When you begin planning a Hawaii wedding while living on the mainland, or on some other continent, what you will notice right away is there are so many choices it can be bewildering. Maybe you have a picture floating in your mind of how your wedding will look or even how it will feel.  Or perhaps you have the romance of Hawaii firmly rooted in your being, and being married in Hawaii is perfection.

Where do you start?

Your venue matters.  Many people think of a beach wedding, and that can absolutely be your first choice.  Bear in mind that all beaches in Hawaii are public.  Some are more remote than others, and if very remote, getting there can pose difficulties you do not want as part of your wedding day. The very best way to have a beach wedding in Hawaii is to rent a beach house. We have thoroughly researched what is out there, and frequently check all over again. There is one rental house that is a complete stand out from everything else.  It gives you privacy, a lovely lawn, beach beyond, and an open lanai leading into the house itself that is gorgeous.  It has a turquoise infinity pool and sumptuous interior.

The lanai of this house is broad and deep enough to hold several tables for the wedding feast, and beyond the pool is the beach.   Picture this lanai simply decorated with hanging candles in glass bubbles at sunset, the tables in pristine white linen, table runners of tropical flowers with candles nestled amongst them.

The venue cost for this house is $4000 for up to 50 guests.  If you rent the house at $1500 a day for 4 nights, the venue cost drops to $2000.  Cost of table and chair rental is additional.   When you choose this as your wedding location, we take care of every detail while you relax and think about how spectacular it will all be.

This home offers you a level of privacy simply not attainable at a resort, and the cost is about half what you would expect to pay for the use of a comparable home at the island's premier Kohala Coast resort complex.

At the right you will see a large and enchanting older structure from the sugar cane days.  This location is just outside Hilo, and is available as a wedding destination.  The cost to use this venue includes their wedding tent, as well as the set up and removal of the tent after your celebration. The cost for tent and venue is $3800 for up to 4 hours, and $4200 for up to 6 hours.  What you get is a venue for large celebrations and privacy. The beauty of the location is rooted in its history and ultra tropical location.  Future blogs will have some photos of the grounds.

We can arrange for large weddings here and coordinate catering and decor.  Specialty lighting, live music, lei, a profusion of island flowers, an amazing cake, your photography and videography, sounding of the sacred triton shell and custom ceremony are all a part of what you can expect should you choose this venue and ask us to handle the details.

The venue costs can be pushed way down by staging your celebration at a beach park.  Costs for the tent, chairs and tables will drop price by 2/3.  However, you will sacrifice privacy, and not have the use of the kitchen for catering.  This venue adds the option of a sunset wedding, whereas beach parks close their gates when the sun goes down.  An East Hawaii sunset means colors in the sky but no setting sun in your eyes as the sun sinks low on the horizon.

Our specialty continues to be weddings in the pavilion at Kilauea volcano.  If you are planning a small destination wedding, this setting can be yours. The pavilion is perfect for a romantic wedding or civil union if it is just the two of you, or if you are including a few people who matter most.  The $2500 cost includes everything, even a 2 night honeymoon stay in the treehouse nearby.  For a look at the treehouse, come visit it virtually on Facebook at Hawaii Treehouse.

What is everything, you may wonder.  Flowers and music, cake and a toast.  Custom ceremony.  Tiki torches if your celebration is late in the day.  Candle light.  The sacred triton shell is sounded to announce the beginning of your celebration.  You will have the use of the chalet on the grounds to dress and relax before the ceremony.  You will have fully edited professional photographs to commemorate your ceremony, digitally delivered and easily converted to a photo book or slide show or video.

The caterers we use can offer you resort quality menus and preparation of the highest caliber.

If you have friends who need a place to spend the night, the chalet is available.  If you would like to spend the night before at the chalet, that too may be arranged.

Our goal is to give you the wedding of your dreams and desires with no stress, always with an eye on your costs.

We leave you now with an East Hawaii sunset as illustration of just how glorious they can be.

Contact information:  gail@mahinui.com or by phone  808-238-0633

Mahalo nui loa ~ thank you so much!

Weddings, Wedding Planners, and Costs

Aloha!  Today there are three photos of candles on the page.  These photos will illustrate how weddings can end up costing less rather than more, and how a wedding planner is invaluable as you put together your wedding.

At the right is a simple candle in glass.  There are bits of fern from our rainforest, called uluhe, tied to the candle with a bit of raffia.  The fern fronds shield the candle flame from the eyes, and bring a perky bit of rainforest feel to the candle.  As it happens, this candle treatment is a bit work intensive.  The fern pieces need to be gathered and trimmed, as in their natural state they are too long and curly to be of much use for this.  Then they have to be tied to the candle.  Prep time for say 40 candles will be maybe 3 hours.  If you add an hourly wage of $15 for someone to put this together, this adds $45 to your wedding costs.
This is not a lot in the grand picture, but as it happens, almost every addition to a wedding carries a cost.  It can be mind boggling if you are paying for your wedding a la carte.  At Rainforest Weddings, we try not to charge a la carte prices.  Instead, we try to work within your budget.

To the left is another candle treatment.  A piece of ribbon is tied in a bow on the same candle.  The ribbon can match any color scheme.  It can tie into the orchids or other flowers for the wedding, match the bride's sash, be white...  This is not nearly as work intensive.  Although the cost to the planner is higher for the materials, the time to tie 40 pieces of ribbon to 40 candles is only about an hour.  Savings:  not $30 as there is a cost for the ribbon.  So, $25 or $20.

Are you thinking, maybe you will do this yourself?  On your wedding day?  Maybe you have a friend who will do this.  Savings:  $35 - $40!

We are not counting the costs of placing the candles, as that will be the same no matter what.  Where will they go?  If depends on your venue.  Perhaps on a railing, like this one.  Perhaps defining the edge of a swimming pool, or as part of the table decor.

At the right is choice number three.  The flame is clearly visible here.  If the candle glass was frosted, the flame would be hidden.  Maybe you like the look of the flame.  And, notice how the ribbon color matches the orchid.  And there is the uluhe in its natural form.  For this treatment the uluhe still must be gathered, and the orchid purchased, and those costs are absorbed at Rainforest Weddings into the standard package.  The placement is also absorbed in a standard package.  Savings on this treatment is $45.

The wedding planner ~ where does the wedding planner factor in?   Wherever your wedding will take place, there are things to think about.  Lighting is one of them.  When you rent a venue, you get the house lights.  Candles are more romantic.  How many candles do you need?  Where will they be?  Are they going to be an important source of light, or mainly for the mood? And how much do you want to spend on candles?

At Rainforest Weddings, when we do everything at our own venue, we include candles in the basic package price, with the orchids and ferns included.  When we go off site and have to bring everything along, the pricing is different.

If you were to go online and purchase candles like this, you might end up with votives in glass, and those are different.  They will burn out after a couple of hours. Tea lights burn out even faster, and are not good at staying lit. The candles need to be lit before the guests arrive.  We use candles with a 9 hour life.  Your chances of spending from $7 to $10 per candle are pretty good.  That is $280 to $400 for 40 candles.  And if you need 80, the costs begin to crescendo.  We will not spend your money like that.  If you are spending $280 for candles with us, maybe you are getting candles suspended in glass bubbles because in your dream wedding there is that effect.  It is costing more because having just sourced glass bubbles the best we can do for the cost of each is $11.  And that is without the candle.  You probably will not need forty bubbles.  But chances are you will need 40 candles, or like one wedding, "a million" candles.  We asked for a candle budget, and it was $200.  They had a dazzling array.

Maybe you are wondering what you are paying the wedding planner, and if it is worth it.  At Rainforest Weddings, you get a wedding planner, with every package.  You can't have a wedding here without the planner.  The cost is built in to the package.  Elsewhere, you will pay $60 an hour, or perhaps $1500 to start.  What you get is a wedding where someone else thinks through every little detail and makes sure everything is as you wish and dream.  That someone will look after you like a fairy godmother.  And when you walk into your wedding, it will be like magic.

Dreams Come True

Rainforest Weddings began as an idea that it is possible to have a elopement style wedding that has in it such elements of romance that it brings to life dreams of a fairytale wedding.

It began with the forest itself, emerald green understory of giant ferns, mossy paths, swaying ohia high overhead.  We found a high point in the forest, and added a Balinese style pavilion for creating private space and shelter.  We had an altar carved with shell ginger flowers, the flowers that grow at the end of the drive onto the grounds.  The altar converts to a bar for parties, and serves to add a sense of the sacred to the place that is already heavily imbued with the aura of Pele.  This is her sacred forest, and you can feel that as you walk up the mossy path set with beach washed lava stones.

Fire bowls bring Pele's element right into the pavilion and add warmth to cool afternoons and evenings.  Tiki torches illuminate the path.  Balinese benches and moss green velvet chenille upholstered chairs provide seating.

Island flowers such as the ones pictured to the left flank the pavilion entry.  The flowers that greet you there always depend on what is in season.  An ultra large arrangement of island flowers adorns the altar, usually a mix of anthurium, ginger, heliconia, fern, orchids, maybe bird of paradise, tuberose - again, the flowers of the season.

Clusters of candles sit amidst greens from the forest upon the railings.  A crystal and sea glass chandelier hangs overhead.  When you look out into the forest, you overlook the mid canopy of tree ferns due to the elevation of the pavilion.  In summer and fall, you will find the fragrance of ginger and tufts of bright yellow flowers.  Orchids planted in the ohia and hapu'u re-bloom year round.

And this is just the setting.  It is also just one setting, one venue, you may choose from for your remarkable island wedding.  If a beachfront wedding is what you have in mind, there are some locations that are far more spectacular and more private than others.

If you bring us your dream, it is with the same sense of place and beauty and respect we brought to our forest, to Pele's forest, that we will help you make that dream happen on this island.

Aloha!

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