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It seems that many people have never thought about Maui as a place where
they can get married. Generally, couples think of Hawaii as a destination for
their honeymoon, not a site for their wedding. But that perception is
changing. Each year the number of weddngs in Hawaii increases, and Maui
consistently leads all of the other islands in the chain. Maui sees almost 50
percent of all the tourist weddings performed in Hawaii.
My name is Susan and together with my husband John, we have been planning and
performing weddings on Maui for 7 years now. Maui is a great choice because
you can get married right on a sandy beach year round. Weddings on Maui can be
very romantic.
Maui has been voted "Best Island in the World" for 12 years in a row by the
readers of the Conde Nast Traveller Magazine. Why is it so popular
with tourists? We have the best beaches in Hawaii, great activities and sites
to see, good quality air, limited traffic congestion, and lots of open space.
Often couples will come to Maui and it just feels so romantic so they pick up
the phone and call us: "Can we get married tomorrow?" We received a call like
that just two days ago. Rick and Melissa from the San Francisco Bay area
called up and booked their last second wedding. My husband John, performed the
wedding on a beautiful beach down in Makena on the south side of the island.
After the simple wedding (which included just the two of them), Rick commented
about the words John used in his ceremony. "We both smiled when you said that
part about accepting each other as you are. I've said that to Melissa many
times. That was just 'us'."
Because John is both a minister and a professional photographer, he also took
some photographs of this couple's last second wedding. It's so much fun for us
to help create a romantic atmosphere for our couples. Maui's great weather,
the palm trees hanging over the ocean, the incredible colors of the sunset on
the horizon and the smell of flower leis all contribute to the romantic
atmosphere. No matter how big the wedding, we like to encourage the couple to
stand there for a few intimate moments, or walk down the beach hand-in-hand,
savoring the emotion of their day.
So often our couples tell us, "our wedding was beyond what we had imagined it
could be." We love to hear those words. And I must admit, we do have a lot of
"secrets" about how to plan our weddings here in paradise that will help you
plan your own Maui wedding. There are definitely things you want to think
about and plan for before you come here.
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