planning my wedding on Oahu
 

Help--Here are my options for my wedding to be held this May 20th in Oahu--Turtle Bay Hilton, Ihilani Marriot, or Mandarin Kahala. My fiance and family/friends are from NYC/Cleveland and this is the first time visit to Hawaii for most people. I'm planning to have it on Oahu b/c my sister and some of my immediate family live on Oahu..making it easier to plan. Most attendees will be 25-50 years old..My Fiance and I are in our mid 30's..any pros and cons would be greatly appreciated. If you strongly think another island like Maui or Kauai is better for wedding please let me know! Mahalo!

Congratulations! The Turtle Bay and the Ihilani are a bit isolated, all your guests would need to stay there as well. With the Kahala, people could choose to stay in Wakiki, it's only a 15 min. or so drive.

Aloha Nolita,

O'ahu is a wonderful choice... ((R))LOVE the north shore and the wedding chapel at Turtle Bay is breathtaking... all glass with breathtaking views at every angle.

If you're interested I will scan some of my photos and email them to you...
you won't be disappointed there, and there are many home rentals in the surrounding area.

Congratulations... much aloha! >:D<

BTW,

We love to stay at Ke Iki Beach Bungalows... oceanfront just down the road from Turtle Bay.

keikibeach.com

Pleny of inexpensive, very simple, quaint accomadations... definitely not posh, though. Those looking for resort type accomadations would be better off at TBR.

Happy planning whatever you decide!

Congratulations! Actually, if it were my wedding, I'd have it at the Mandarin. Their food is very good and I think they will be less expensive than the Ihilani. One thing that struck me is the ballroom--you can open it up, at which time you have a lovely view of the waterfalls and dolphin lagoon.

The Ihilani wedding set up is nice also. Actually, my friend got married there and had her reception out on the lawn, which was very romantic since the sun sets on that side of the island. The drawback was that it was very windy. I don't know if it's like that all the time.

I love the Ihilani, and you can't beat the lagoons for beauty. They have a glass wedding chapel that looks out onto one of the lagoons, and it is just stunning. I haven't experienced windy conditions the 3 times I've been there. The nice thing about the Ko'Olina area, where the Ihilani and chapel are located, is that it's only about a 30 min drive into Waikiki for those people who want some action, but it's very relaxed, secluded and gorgeous for those who want a slower paced visit. A perfect combination, IMHO. Congratulations!

Oh, and I don't think you can go wrong by having the ceremony on Oahu. I think Maui is a bit overrated (again, that's just my opinion), and I think Oahu has much more variety of beautiful beaches with still plenty of things to do, then most of the islands. Good luck!

I've seen them at all three places and think if it was my wedding I would do the Turtle Bay. Larger grounds with a more private wedding area. A very dramatic spot for great photographs too.

I've stayed at all 3, and I would go with the Turtle Bay or the Kahala Mandarin. I like the secluded feel of both, though the TB is more remote. The wedding chapel at the TB is really lovely. The ocean view rooms at TB are much less expensive than those at the Kahala Mandarin, if that is a consideration for your guests (they are also not as luxurious, but still very nice). However, if nightlife is important, the Kahala Mandarin would probably be a better choice, since it is so much closer to Waikiki. Both hotels have spas, with the edge going to the Kahala Mandarin. Good luck!

Thank you soo much to everyone--this info has been really helpful. WE have narrowed it down to TBR or Ihilani...we now just have to figure out costs!
Does anyone have any ideas for hotel options for guests who can't afford the ihilani or TBR but still want to be near these resorts--

There really aren't any affordable hotel options near either of these.

You can have your guests look into vacation homes (VRBO.com), but Waikiki (40 minutes away in light traffic, 90 minutes during rush hour) will be the next available spot with rooms cheaper than your resorts.

I have worked with a wonderful florist for events on many of the islands.

Not only she can provide the most beautiful flowers, she also made me a Haku for me for my wedding. But she can refer you to a wedding planner or perhaps give suggestions on private beach venues for the site of your wedding.

Mamo Inc-A Mamo Howard Ornellas Enterprise
(808) 941-6274
2005 Kalia Rd
Honolulu, HI 96815

Good luck!

Aloha Nolita,

Here are a couple of sites to look at for north shore home rentals...
www.teamrealestate.com
http://www.hawaiianvacation.com/regi...e--Hawaii.html

Team Real Estate has a nice map showing the area of the north shore.

Happy planning!

thanks for the wedding planning tips!