PERFECT BEACH FOR THE PERFECT HAWAIIAN WEDDING
I’ll be pretty upfront and blunt here, in a perfect world, you shouldn’t have to worry about choosing the perfect beach for your wedding in Hawaii. You should have full trust in your coordinator and not have to second guess anything. BUT – we are not living in a perfect world are we? Most wedding companies have personal agendas to fulfill, not yours, and they will choose beaches that are convenient for them, not the best for you.
So let’s cut to the chase.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SUNSET PHOTOS/CEREMONY
- You’ll need to choose a beach that faces west. You can’t have your wedding on Waimanalo Beach, which faces east, and expect a sunset – that is, unless the world starts rotating in the opposite direction.
- You can have a sunset on the North Shore of Oahu, just make sure you choose a beach that faces west.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SUNRISE PHOTOS/CEREMONY
- Reverse everything I just said. Now you’ll be looking at east-facing beaches
- Make sure you arrive 15 minutes before sunrise and wait for the perfect moment to start
- Sunrise weddings are great for busy locations because the beaches are freaking empty in the morning.
- If you’re choosing an east-facing location, make sure you use a lot of hairspray to keep your hairdo in place. I’m not even joking about that.
NOON WEDDINGS?
- They say the worst time to shoot photos is between 10 to 2pm, that may be true if that photographer doesn’t know how to shoot photos. But if they are an experience fool like me, it’s not a problem. Noon weddings are hot, but the skies and ocean are extraordinarily blue. If you’re looking for blue sky, turquoise blue oceans, having your wedding around noon could be an option if your photographer isn’t a wannabe.
OAHU IS THE BEST ISLAND FOR BEACH WEDDINGS
- Out of all the islands in Hawaii, Oahu has the most white sand beaches. They’re not rocky or muddy.
- The Big Island has the least amount of white sand beaches, but they have black sand beaches.
- Kauai was a green sand beach, but I’m not sure how good that will be in pictures.
HOMELESS ON THE BEACH
- On certain beaches, this is a definite problem. And these are not poor Hawaiians are camping out on the beach. More so, they are mainland transplants that somehow, found their way to our islands. For the most part, they won’t bother you, but it’s just not a great look for photos. If you are concerned about homeless being on your beach, simply google the name of the beach you want your wedding at, followed by the word homeless. Or ask your coordinator -hopefully they’ll give you an honest answer.
- Here’s a news report on the homeless around Diamondhead Beach.
THERE ARE A LOT OF SECLUDED BEACHES
- If you look at my photos, you’ll notice that the majority of the shots make the beach look secluded. Well, that’s because most are. There are some that were taken at Waimanalo beach during peak hours and I was paid to photoshop out all the tourist. In some cases, that couldn’t be done because there was literally more tourist than sand.
- I’ve heard from my clients that other companies claimed that there weren’t any secluded beaches on Oahu. That’s 100% bullshit. They either don’t know what they are talking about or they are lying.
DON’T BOOK AT WAIALAE BEACH PARK
- This remains one of the most popular places to have a wedding on Oahu and it’s a piece of crap, at least in my opinion. I wrote an article about this that you can find by clicking here. Let’s just say that you didn’t fly 1000’s of miles, crossed an ocean, to get married behind a condo.
HOW I CHOOSE LOCATIONS
- I wrote an entire article on how I choose wedding locations that can be found by clicking here, but to sum it up, it’s much more than just choosing a photographic area.
- Sometimes, couples don’t care about crowds. Sometimes, couples need a beach that is wheelchair accessible. And then there are times where couples found something on the web and I’ll say, “Let’s do it!” or “Whoa nelly!”
- I do favor secluded locations
- I do favor west-facing beaches because the wind blows the hair of my brides the right way.
- I do favor west-facing beaches because the weather will be a lot more stable.
So that’s it peeps. Hopefully, that clears everything up. Oh, by the way, if you’re wondering why I don’t disclose publically where I go, that’s because I don’t want my competitors finding out my secret spots! They already steal my photos, I would hate for them to steal my locations – haha!
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Steve Young
THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii
I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!
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