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Eloping on Oahu, photographed and filmed

An Oahu elopement is a license, a permit and a small garden or a public beach, photographed and filmed by one crew. For a larger guest list, see our Oahu wedding page; here we cover the paperwork, the rules and the half-day plan.

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Vows at a small ceremony
The two of them close together
The couple seen from behind in a tall frame
Coverage
Photo · Video · Photo + Video
Collections
Half day · Full day · Two days
Travel
In the quote
Booking
Direct with your photographer

In short

An Oahu elopement needs a Hawaii marriage license and a permit set by the landowner: the city for botanical gardens, DLNR for state beaches. Garden permits are filed weeks ahead and cap guest numbers, so we pick the site first and plan a half day around it.

Eloping on Oahu

An Oahu elopement chooses between a garden and a beach, and the choice sets the group. The smallest guest limits among Honolulu's botanical gardens are 25 at Liliʻuokalani and 30 at Wahiawā and Koko Crater1. On state shoreline, the average event is 10 people and the public may not be asked to move2.

The half day is short and unhurried. We meet at the site, walk it with the officiant, hold the ceremony, then spend the remaining hours on portraits. One crew shoots photo and video, so there is one schedule, and the ceremony audio is recorded on the officiant where the permit allows it.

The two settings behave differently. A garden permit comes with guest limits and, at Foster, an end time of 3:30 pm1; a beach permit comes with two hours and a shared shoreline, because the public may not be asked to move23. Pick the one whose limits you can live with, and we plan the rest.

Getting married on Oahu: the paperwork

The Hawaii Department of Health issues the license: apply online and pay $654, then both of you meet an agent in person with valid photo ID, no sooner than 30 days before the ceremony4. The Honolulu office is at City Financial Tower, Suite 100, 201 Merchant St., open Monday to Friday, 7:45 AM to 4:00 PM, and private agents are also listed4. The license is valid only in Hawaii, and the officiant must hold a Hawaii Department of Health license4.

In the botanical gardens, file the permit at least three weeks ahead with the DPR Permits Office at Sheridan Community Park, 833 Piʻikoi St., with proof of liability insurance1. The rules are strict: no receptions, alcohol, confetti or rice, and instruments, amplification, tents and chairs only if the permit allows1. On the beach, a DLNR Wiki Permits permit applies, and some shores are off-limits to commercial work: Ko Olina's lagoons are private, the Kahala Hotel shoreline is under the hotel's permit, and Magic Island and Ala Moana Beach belong to City and County Parks2.

Wedding detail

Marriage license

Issued by
Hawaii State Department of Health marriage license agents (online application at emrs.ehawaii.gov, then an in-person meeting with an agent); one statewide license covers every island
Fee
$65 ($60 application + $5 portal fee), non-refundable4
Waiting period
none4
Valid for
30 days from pick-up4

The place

Highest point (Kaʻala)
4,025 ft (1,227 m)5
Population (City and County of Honolulu, 2020)
1,016,5086
Weather by month, Honolulu International Airport
MonthAvg highAvg lowPrecip.
Jan780.5 °F66.8 °F1.84 in
Apr783.1 °F70.1 °F0.77 in
Jul788.1 °F75.1 °F0.52 in
Oct786.9 °F73.9 °F1.51 in

The day

A half day on Oahu

Wedding detail

This sample is a January morning in a garden, built on sunrise at 07:12 and sunset at 18:10 on January 158. Hoʻomaluhia is closed on Thursdays, Christmas and New Year's Day9, so a Thursday date moves to another garden. It is a city garden at 45-680 Luluku Road, Kāneʻohe, with free entry9, though the ceremony itself still needs a permit1.

  1. Getting ready and a quiet first look.
  2. The crew walks the garden with the officiant.
  3. The ceremony.
  4. Couple portraits among the planting, with the morning light still low.
  5. Final frames, then lunch.

Honolulu International Airport averages an 80.5 °F high and a 66.8 °F low in January, with 1.84 in of rain7: warm, with a shower now and then, so we carry a small umbrella and a dry towel for the walk.

Sunrise and sunset
MonthSunriseSunset
Jan07:1218:10
Apr06:1218:51
Jul05:5819:17
Oct06:2718:07

Sunrise and sunset computed for the 15th of each month, local time.8

Wide frame with the couple small in the landscape

Where we shoot an elopement on Oahu

Five ideas for a small Oahu elopement, each with its own rule and its own permit office.

  • Sunset Beach three Wiki Permits sites on the North Shore, centered on Sunset Beach Park near Ke-nui Road10.
  • Kualoa Beach a permitted site where the county does not allow parking in, or crossing, the park to reach the beach10.
  • Liliʻuokalani and Koko Crater Botanical Gardens small city gardens with guest limits of 25 and 30, which suit the smallest, quietest elopements1.
  • Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden part of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens, with a guest limit of 501.
  • Duke Kahanamoku Beach a Waikīkī-area beach that is on the Wiki Permits list, while most of Waikīkī Beach gets no commercial permits2.
The couple at dusk

Collections

Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Oahu is built into the quote, not added later.

Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Oahu rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.

Coverage
I

Half day

4 h · Photo + Video

Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
II

Full day

8 h · Photo + Video

Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
III

Two days

12 h · Photo + Video

Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
Get the Oahu price list

How booking works

  1. Send the form with your date and location.
  2. We reply within one business day with the Oahu price list and the partner's recent work.
  3. Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
  4. A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
  5. The day.
  6. A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.

Questions about eloping on Oahu

01Do we need witnesses to elope on Oahu?

The Department of Health page we read does not list a witness requirement, so we do not state one. Ask the licensing agent when you meet, since both of you must appear in person and the officiant must hold a Hawaii Department of Health license4. The agent confirms what the signed license needs.

02Can you help us choose a time and a spot for the ceremony?

Yes. Garden permits are filed at least three weeks ahead1, and Foster Botanical Garden permittees must end by 3:30 pm1, so garden ceremonies lean towards the morning. Beach permits allow two hours for set-up, event and clean-up3. We match the site to the light and your group.

03How long does an elopement session take?

A half day collection covers getting ready, the ceremony and portraits. A beach permit fits set-up, event and clean-up inside two hours3, and the rest of the half day goes to portraits as the light moves. If you add a dinner or a second morning, a full day or two days suits better.

04Can family join us for part of the day?

Yes, within the site's limit. Honolulu's garden limits are 25 at Liliʻuokalani, 30 at Wahiawā and Koko Crater, and 50 at Foster and Hoʻomaluhia1; the average state-beach event is 10 people2. Foster adds garden admission for guests and staff1. Tell us the guest list and we choose the site.

Say when.

Tell us the date, who is coming and whether you want a garden or a beach. We reply within one business day with the Oahu price list and a partner's recent work.

We reply within one business day with the price list for your place. Privacy policy · Terms

Sources

  1. City and County of Honolulu DPR — Honolulu Botanical Gardens Permit Information (Weddings and Photography) honolulu.gov/dpr/honolulu-botanical-gardens/hbg-permit-information
  2. Hawaii DLNR Land Division — Wiki Permits FAQ (PDF, dated 01/13/16, linked from the current Land Division page) dlnr.hawaii.gov/ld/files/2013/07/Wiki-Permits-FAQ-1601.pdf
  3. Hawaii DLNR Wiki Permits — General Terms and Conditions for Commercial Activity, Unencumbered Land, State Public Beaches wikipermits.ehawaii.gov/permits/terms.html
  4. Hawaii State Department of Health, Vital Records — Marriage and Civil Union Licenses health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-licenses
  5. Wikipedia, "Oʻahu" — infobox highest point Kaʻala, 4,025 ft en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%CA%BBahu
  6. Wikidata Q487704 (Honolulu County): population P1082, 2020 census (preferred) wikidata.org/wiki/Q487704
  7. Wikipedia, "Template:Honolulu weatherbox" (used in the Honolulu article) — Honolulu International Airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Honolulu_weatherbox
  8. Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm) for the 15th of the month at 21.4389, -158.0001, Pacific/Honolulu (HST, no DST) github.com/mourner/suncalc
  9. Wikipedia, "Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho%CA%BBomaluhia_Botanical_Garden
  10. Hawaii DLNR Land Division — Wiki Permits Permissible Unencumbered Shoreline Beach Locations (PDF, as of May 9, 2025) dlnr.hawaii.gov/ld/files/2025/06/Beach-Locations-1601_V.5.pdf