2024 Oahu Wedding Packages

Great news everyone!  Since the cost of living on Oahu has not gone up since 2023, the price of my Oahu wedding packages is NOT going up.  That’s N-O-T!  We still can’t do weddings from Waimanalo Beach all the way down to Makapuu, but to be honest, those weren’t good locations anyway.  The wind is way too strong there, and strong wind is horrible for hair, wedding dresses, and video.  411 – anything on the east shore, for all the islands, is usually not ideal, and that’s because of those strong 15 mph tradewinds.   The best locations, in my opinion, are always west and north shores, and yes, that also applies to all islands.

THE PATRIOT PACKAGE

I still only have two Oahu wedding packages, and this is the first one of them.  I named it “The Patriot” package beacuse it was designed for military couples who were being deployed.  Well, after September 11th, all that changed, and everyone became patriots, so I opened this package to everyone.  So here’s some crazy history on this package.  It was originally in the $200 range back in the late 1990s!   That’s how expensive things have got!  And, back then, I shot on film.  Inflation is freaking crazy, people.  Hopefully, if the economy does better, and the cost of living, and the cost of doing business goes down, prices will drop.   And trust me, prices will drop because of competition.

You can always add leis, video, you name it, to this package, and all of my packages.  But here’s what you get in this one:

• MINISTER – ordained and licensed in the State of Hawaii
• PHOTOGRAPHY 1-HOUR COVERAGE – will cover the ceremony pictures and posed pictures after the ceremony. The one-hour coverage is good for either blue sky pictures OR sunset, but not both.
• 75  DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS – High resolution, printable up to 20×30, exposure and color corrected/enhanced.
• WEDDING PLANNING/DAY-OF COORDINATION –  You’ll know what to do before your wedding, and on the day of your wedding.  I’ll be with you every step!

$777.50

EXTRA OPTIONS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER:

• HAWAIIAN CEREMONY ($50)
  • a ceremony revolving around the word aloha
  • a flower lei exchange (does not include the price of leis)
  • He’alo He’alo, this is where our couples share their first breath as husband and wife during a chant
  • Hawaiian blessing of Mahalo
  • These additions add around 5 to 8 minutes more to the length of the ceremony
• MINISTER HAWAIIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE ($150)
  • Our minister just happens to be a professional musician/singer as well!  Here’s an inexpensive way to add music to your small wedding
  • Music will be played and sung by our minister during the processional, recessional.  And if you want, a first dance song (usually on the beach)
  • This is great for small weddings, but not good for formal or gala-style weddings.

THE ELOPING PACKAGE

The only difference between the eloping package and the patriot package is that there’s more photography coverage here.  More photography coverage means a lot more picture opportunities and a variety of shots.  All of my packages are simple.  They don’t have all those phony extras such as: apple cider toast, a cheap cake from Safeway, shell leis that are made in China, or other cheap stuff.  My competitors add all those cheap things into their packages so companies can charge you more, and then skimp on the important stuff – like photography, video, and a great minister.  If you want leis, a real wedding cake, a haku, a bouquet, a wedding singer, you name it – those are ingredients you can get from me a la carte.

Here’s what you get in the Eloping Package:

• MINISTER – ordained and licensed in the State of Hawaii
• PHOTOGRAPHY 1 and 1/2 HOURS OF COVERAGE – This will cover the ceremony, family pictures, blue sky AND sunset photography.   
• 100 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS – High-resolution, printable up to 20×30, exposure and color corrected/enhanced.   100 photos equal more variety.
• WEDDING PLANNING/DAY-OF COORDINATION –  You’ll know what to do before your wedding, and on the day of your wedding.  I’ll be with you every step!

$965.00

EXTRA OPTIONS YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER:

• HAWAIIAN CEREMONY ($50)
  • a ceremony revolving around the word aloha
  • a flower lei exchange (does not include the price of leis)
  • He’alo He’alo, this is where our couples share their first breath as husband and wife during a chant
  • Hawaiian blessing of Mahalo
  • These additions add around 5 to 8 minutes more to the length of the ceremony
• MINISTER HAWAIIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE ($150)
  • Our minister just happens to be a professional musician/singer as well!  Here’s an inexpensive way to add music to your small wedding
  • Music will be played and sung by our minister during the processional, recessional.  And if you want, a first dance song (usually on the beach)
  • This is great for small weddings, but not good for formal or gala-style weddings.

to watch the video, use the password: love

VIDEO COVERAGE OPTION

You can add a video to any wedding package seen here on my website, or secure it as a stand-alone service. Serious consideration should be given to video if you are having a reception back at home or if you have loved ones who couldn’t make it to your wedding. There are two options for video coverage:

• ONE CAMERA CEREMONY VIDEO COVERAGE – One camera HD coverage of the ceremony of your Oahu wedding. Includes wireless microphones, Color correction is not included with this option. For an example of this video, please click here. The video is archived and streamed on Vimeo.com forever.  The video stream can be password-protected upon request.

$200.00

• VIDEO EDIT UPGRADE – This is an upgrade to the one-camera video coverage, so you get everything in the original camera package, and 2 HD cameras to record your wedding ceremony, giving you a total of 3 camera angles. In order to utilize this package, the original “one-camera video coverage” option must be purchased. All footage is edited and color-corrected to give you a “television-like” documentation feel for your wedding. In addition, two 15 to 20-picture animated slideshows are added to the beginning and end of the ceremony footage. And if you’re curious, you do get to choose the music for the slideshow. Most couples that are celebrating a reception back at home, usually purchase this option. The video on this page is an example of what the video edit upgrade would look like.

add $400.00

this is an upgrade to the 1 camera video coverage

ADVENTURE ELOPEMENT

I started doing these in 2023 after I teamed up with Trident Adventures, an adventure company owned and operated by a retired Navy Seal.  If you’re looking to do something out of the box, let me know.  As of now, we’ve married a couple on the cliffs above Waimea, and flew a helicopter to get there.   Then, that couple jumped out of a perfectly working helicopter into the ocean from about 30 feet up.   A second after they emerged, they scuba-dived into the Pacific Ocean and swam in formation with a sea turtle.  How freaking cool is that?

To learn more about their adventure, click here

You’re probably wondering how much an adventure wedding costs.  Well, it’s not cheap, and the price is all over the place.  More than likely we’ll use one of the packages above, and then add the extras like the chopper, scuba, etc…etc…  But I can tell you that it’s cheaper than throwing a gala wedding, which will easily cost you upwards of 50k.    If you want to plan an adventure wedding, and it doesn’t have to include a chopper, just contact me.  Anything goes.

Author information

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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SECLUDED PLACES TO GET MARRIED ON OAHU

If you clicked on this link looking to find my secret places to get married on Oahu, you better keep on clicking, because you’re not going to find them here.  Or – anywhere on my site, on my podcast, or – look, I learned my lesson.  Back in the early 2000’s when I started my company, and had a pretty awesome basic HTML website, I was out there – telling all of my secrets.  “I didn’t care that my competitors scoped out my site for information,” I told everyone.

Well, I was the new kid in town, thought I knew better.  Then the old-timers retired from the wedding business, and in stepped these new-timers who were cunning as hell.  They took my information, some even took my pictures.  One company, oh wait, I’m sorry, TWO companies even created names similar to mine – to steal my business and reputation!  So, I learned my lesson.  My competitors use my site as some type of Hawaii Wedding wikipedia.

So you know what happened?  Those “secret locations” back in the early 2000’s, are not too secret anymore because of big mouth!  But here’s the good news.  I didn’t give away all my secret spots!  And the only way to find out where these locations are, is by booking with yours truly.   But I’m not going to leave you high and dry.  Here’s what truly makes a good location.

Holy Shnikies, that’s secluded, Batman!

YOUR WEDDING LOCATION IS LIKE A BURGER JOINT…

Think of your wedding in Hawaii like a restaurant.  Location is everything.  The more secluded your location, the better.  The more secluded your location, the more romantic.  That’s usually the commonsense equation.  Taking it a step further.  What also matter is where the sun sets or rises.  If you’re looking for a sunset wedding, you have to choose a shore that faces west, because the sun sets in the west.  You can’t choose the east shore for a sunset wedding because the sun set is on the opposite side of the island.  If the sun sets on the east shore, the end of the world is probably near, and that’s not good news.

What’s better?  A West or East shore wedding?  Definitely West.

Why?

Well, not only are East locations filled with tourists, who wear too much speedos, and manifest themselves into every photo I take there – but it’s very windy.  The State of Hawaii is blessed with tradewinds, which blow from east to west.   These tradewinds help keep our islands cool, and our humidity bearable.   We may have 85% plus humidity, but it doesn’t feel like it because of those those strong cold winds coming in from the north east.  Tradewinds are great humidity, not great for weddings, because you guessed it, it’s bad for hair, which makes it bad for photos.  Also, strong winds affect which way you can shoot.   You always want your model to walk into the wind.  Well, if the wind is strong, you can only walk one way.  And unfortunately, when you walk that one way, on the east coast, the background isn’t very nice.

Now, on the West coast, the tradewinds are not as strong.  Plus, when you walk into the wind, the background – is cherry.

Yes, the wind is blowing into their face

WAIT, YOUR WEDDING IS LIKE A BURGER JOINT
THAT WANTS TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS

If you noticed, I’m doing horrible on these analogies.  Pretty soon, I’m going to tell you that your wedding is like a box of chocolates, because you never know when Tom Hanks is going to show up.  But why is your business now like a burger joint that wants to go out of business?  Well, it’s because you don’t want foot traffic at your wedding.  The less tourists, the better.  The less locals, the better.   And you want a lot of parking – but you don’t people parking, in the parking lot.  I know you’re laughing now, but this is all true.

Do you know that my competitors choose the worst of the worst locations for their weddings?  The majority of the weddings on Oahu either happen on Magic Island or Waialae Beach Park.   I wrote a review of Waialae Beach Park, aka Kahala Beach that you can read here.  To sum it up, most weddings at this beach venue happen 20 feet behind a freaking condo.  And of course, clients are not told this.  Imagine traveling thousands of miles, crossing an ocean, just to get married there.   Magic Island isn’t as bad, although it’s still not ideal.  It’s filled with locals and tourists. On Maui, a lot of couples tie the knot at Makena Cove.  There are so many couples there, sometimes, you have to wait your turn to find a good spot.  I do realize, seclusion isn’t for everyone, and sometimes these locations work out.  But companies need to tell their clients the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – right?

Guess where this is? I’m not saying!

THE PERFECT LOCATION IS VERY SUBJECTIVE

All joking aside, there really is no such thing as the perfect location. Every client will have their own definition of perfect.  This year, we had a vow renewal for a couple who had to have wheelchair access.  Well, the perfect location in that scenario was Magic Island.  And you guessed it, it was far from secluded.  There was, in fact, homeless people at this park (not year the ceremony).  But this was the only place the groom could go, get a great shot of Diamondhead, and exchange vows with his wife of 50 plus years.  So, it was perfect.

Perfect to me is a secluded location, perfect for sunset, lots of parking, and very little wind.  But that’s my opinion.  Of course, your idea differs from mine, and it most likely will, I can find that perfect location for you on Oahu.  Just call me.  It may be private estate, a public beach, or a tucked away cove behind a resort that very few people know about, but I can find it.

Give me a buzz at (808) 479-0685, or an email at info@dreamweddingshawaii.com, or just fill out the form below.

Author information

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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BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN ADVENTURE HELICOPTER WEDDING

I’ve planned over 10,000 weddings in my life (honestly, I stopped counting after I hit that number 10 years ago) and zero of them, could be considered an adventure wedding.  Well, that changed this year, when I got a call from Mark and Jen, and they asked me if I could step outside the box, and plan an adventure wedding for them.   Of course, I couldn’t say no.  As soon as I talked on the phone with Mark and Jen, we hit it off.  Our chemistry was on point!  We were like-minded to the T!  And let me tell ya people, chemistry is the primary ingredient you need between you and your wedding planner!

Mark wanted to do something extraordinary.  His ambitions – to take a helicopter to the bottom of a waterfall, and to exchange vows there.   Now, I knew there were helicopter companies on the outer islands that did this, but on Oahu, where I do 99% of my weddings, we didn’t have any waterfalls that were helicopter accessible.   And the really cool waterfalls, such as Sacred Falls, were off-limits to hikers, primarily beacuse landslides had killed many tourists there. Waterfalls may sound cool, but they are extremely susceptible to rockfalls.  It’s best not to be at the bottom of them.   So, knowing this, I forwarded Jen the websites to the helicopter companies on the outer islands, and thought I wouldn’t hear from them again.

But the next day passed, Mark and Jen called, and said, “You’re our guy!”   They really wanted to work with me, and they were willing to compromise.  They told me they wanted.  A helicopter was at the top of their list.  They wanted to fly to their location, tie the knot, take some awesome photos, and have the best day of their lives.

I thought to myself, Oh great, no pressure there.  They just want me to plan the best day of their lives.  Haha – But I can do that.

Luckily, three months before Mark and Jen contacted me, I ran into Steve Kaplan, the owner of Trident Adventures, at an expo here on Oahu.   Steve is a Navy Seal, and he created an adventure company for tourists, that evolved around his special skillsets: scuba, skydiving, shooting, and helocasting (which is the skill practiced by special forces to insert themselves into a body of water, by jumping out of a helicopter)  His company is the only one in the world, that shares this SEAL experience with the public.  And they are the only company in the world that is certified to do so.   Steve and I hit off real quick (same first names), and we started to figure out ways our company could work together.

WANNA WATCH THEIR WEDDING VIDEO?
Password: jump

Before Mark and Jen had contacted me, Steve told me that he wanted to do something with weddings, but he wasn’t sure what it was.   Well, you know what happens when you put things out in the universe, right?  It happens.   Because of Steve, I had access to a helicopter, and something even more I didn’t know.  See, Steve wasn’t just a Navy Seal, and owner of Trident Adventures, he was also an ordained minister, and a real man of God.   That meant Steve could not only supply the helicopter to me, but he could also perform the ceremony as well!  I shared the news with Mark and Jen, and they were stoked.  They couldn’t believe that they were going to get married by a Navy Seal!

On the way to the choppa!

Steve had tons of cameras mounted on heli, and got great angles for the video edit

So, we had the chopper, we had the minister, and I knew what they wanted for their package.  But we couldn’t figure out where to land.   Steve and his pilot, Dave, suggested we land high on the Ko’olau mountains.  I forwarded Jen a picture of how high we would be, and as soon as she saw that we would be 3,000 feet up, and inches away from death, she said,”No way!”  Steve and his pilot searched for locations, then finally found a landowner who would allow us to set the chopper down on their property, and to do a wedding there.   It was still rather high above the ocean, about 500 feet or so, and it was on a cliff.   You would still die if you fell off, but this height passed the test for Jen.  It wasn’t dizzy heights.  We quickly got the green light from Mark and Jenn, booked the property, Steve filed the flight plan, and we were ready to rock-n-roll.

And the adventure began…

Right after landing!

Steve marrying Mark and Jenn, above the famous Waimea Beach

The ceremony for Mark and Jen was a Christian ceremony like I never heard before.  Steve took 1st Corinthians Chapter 13, and changed it into vows.   That’s a first.  Mark and Jen eloped.  And like all elopements, there weren’t any guests.   There were no arches to block the beautiful scenery.  Jenn just wanted a tropical bouquet, her hair and make-up done, and great pictures.  Lexi, my usual make-up artist was busy, so I booked Dorys Foltin, a professional make-up artist who I worked with for decades.  Lexi and Dorys are both at the top of their game, if you’re wondering.

And Mark’s ring goes on

A few hundred-plus feet above Waimea Bay

If you’re wondering, I didn’t ride in the helicopter with Mark and Jen.   In the chopper were Dave (the pilot), Steve, Mark, and Jen.   There was room for me, but I didn’t want to appear in all of the video footage.   So, I drove up to the wedding location.  Driving there was actually way more dangerous than taking the helicopter ride there.   I had to navigate along the cliff, off-road, in my cousin’s small Toyota Corolla.   I swear, I’m never doing that again in that car.

After the wedding, we roamed the property for photo opportunities, then took a handful of snaps around the helicopter.  We spent about an hour or so on the ridgeline taking pictures.  Then, Dave, Steve, Mark, and Jen took off.   Dave took them on a tour of the North and West Shores of Oahu before returning back to the landing pad.  In the meantime, I drove to Magic Island, in town, and planned to them there at sunset, to continue picture taking.

Yes, Jen’s got legs, and she knows how to use them!

Magic at Magic Island

Before Mark and Jen arrived at Magic Island, I had them dropped off back at their hotel to freshen up.  This was actually by design, as it allowed me time to fight the traffic to get back into town, and also it provided a moment for Jen to fix her make-up.    Once we reconvened at Magic Island, we were off to the races.   The first thing on the agenda was to cut the cake!   After that, we hit all the great locations around Magic Island to get great photos.   And of course, we had to get sunset photos.

After we took the last shot, I got Mark and Jen to Michele’s, the most romantic restaurant in Hawaii.    The day before, I called Michele’s to confirm the reservation I had made them.  I told the manager there that they were getting married, and asked, “Is there anything special you could do for them?”  They told me for $35, they could arrange flowers for them, put out some candles, and give them the best seat in the house to see the fireworks.   I said, “Deal.”  I actually paid for this out of my pocket, and didn’t charge Mark and Jen.  It was my tiny gift to them.

I actually ate at Michels before.   It’s not a cheap ticket to eat there.   You’ll drop a few hundred dollars, easily.   But, by far, it is the most romantic restaurant in Hawaii.  Book it for your wedding if possible.

So you’re probably thinking, their adventure wedding was over, right?  Nope.   Far from it.   The next day, they had a helocast jump planned with Trident Adventures.  And the plan was to jump into the ocean, and scuba dive, in their wedding attire.   And they basically did just that!

Do they look a little nervous? They’re about to jump out of a perfectly working helicopter

Steve actually gave Jen a little shove, a little help, to get her out of the chopper

Once you jump out of the helicopter, a team of trained divers pulls you to safety, and quickly takes you to their boat.  From there, you change into your scuba gear, and Navy Seal Steve takes you scuba diving, as though you’re in the special ops.   You get to use these underwater machines that propel you through the ocean at a nice clip.  It’s awesome.

How much did this all cost?  Well, I tried to save them money wherever I could. My father actually played uber-driver to Mark and Jen, on their wedding day, while they were in town.  After Magic Island, I was their driver.  At first, Mark and Jen wanted to hire a limo driver to do all of this, but I told them that they would spend thousands of dollars on a limo, that would just wait for hours while they were on the chopper, wait for hours while they were at Magic Island, and wait for hours while they were at Michels.  Because my father drove them around in our company van,  Mark and Jen saved a couple of thousand dollars, which made it possible for them to do a helocast the next day.   I’m not going to disclose how much they spent on their wedding, but it was a lot cheaper than if they had planned a gala wedding back home.  But, it was probably the most any of my couples spent on an elopement.  This was a lot more difficult than planning any gala wedding.  There were so many moving parts that had to be timed perfectly.  If you’re wondering, It was the helicopter that cost a lot, not the ceremony, or the pictures.

Is an adventure wedding for you?  It could be.  Just know, it’s not cheap, but it’s still way cheaper than spending 12-75k, on catering.

Did I succeed?  Well, Mark and Jen did tell me before they left Hawaii, “It was the best day of our lives.”

More pictures and videos to come, by the way.  I’m still working on their stuff.

If you want an adventure wedding, just contact me through the form below.  After planning Mark and Jen’s wedding, as long as it’s legal, and my couple has the budget, I can plan anything.

Author information

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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GETTING MARRIED IN HAWAII IS GETTING EXPENSIVE

Let’s face the facts here.   Everything is getting expensive and there’s really no relief in sight.   I went to McDonald’s the other day, I paid close to $15 dollars for an extra value meal!  In Waikiki, prices for an extra value meal are creeping toward $20!!  Gas on average is about $5 a gallon, milk is $7 a gallon, don’t even get me started on the price of beef.

What does this mean for your future Hawaii wedding?  Honestly, if you’re not careful, you could end up spending a good portion of your life savings on a party, and end up starting life’s next chapter, in debt.  Luckily, I’m here to save the day!  Here are some 10 tips on how to keep your Hawaii affordable.

1. KEEP YOUR WEDDING GUESTS LIST SMALL – The largest expense for your wedding is your reception.  If you want to save money, only invite the very important people to your wedding.  Am I asking you to rank your friends and relatives?  Yes, I am!  You’ll spend around $100 per person you take to dinner.   If you have a guest list that totals 200 souls, that’s $20,000 you’ll be spending on just food.  And, here’s the kicker, you’ll be spending most of that money so your guest can have fun.  Not you, your guests.  You are entertaining your guests.  By the time you throw in the cost of a venue, decoration, photography, videography, and everything else, you could be looking at a bill that’s greater than $50,000.  If you ask me, I can think of a lot of things you can buy for 50k or more, that will last you longer than one day.
2. SET A CASH BUDGET – Okay, I understand this is common sense, but did you know that many couples don’t set a budget to their wedding?  Establish a hard ceiling that you don’t want to go over.  And that ceiling should not be set by how much you can borrow.   Don’t listen to bankers that want to encourage you to plan the wedding of your dreams, by taking out a loan.   By the time you pay off that loan, you would have spent three times the amount you borrowed.  Don’t set your budget according to how much your credit limit is, either.   Your wedding budget needs to be measured in cash.
3. SET YOUR PRIORITIES – What’s important to your when it comes to your wedding?  Do you need your family there?  Do you want great photos?  Are flowers really important to you? Establish your goals, and then establish ingredients to your wedding that you are willing to let go, or compromise on
4. ELOPE – Want to save $50,000?  Eliminate all your guests and elope.  It doesn’t matter where you elope, whether it’s here in Hawaii, your home state/country, or on mars, you’re going to save a lot of money.  How you elope is really up to you.  You could marry on the beach, or take a chopper to a remote spot.   Even if you spend thousands of dollars, it’ll be all on yourselves, not on a party for others to enjoy.
5. ELOPE ON THE BEACH –  While we’re on the subject of eloping, the cheapest and best place to do it, is on the beach.  Private venues can get rather expensive!  Make sure you choose a secluded beach, one with very little wind, and one that has a great view of the sunset.
6. HIRE A COORDINATOR/PLANNER THAT’S ON YOUR SIDE – Yeah, I guess this seems to be a bit of common sense.  But trust me when I say this, a lot of coordinators are not on your side.  They get paid commissions by their vendors, which means they are actually agents for your vendors!  And – that means they are not on your side.
7. SHOP SMART – Make sure you know who you’ll be spending your money on.  A lot of times when you book a package with a wedding company, you won’t know who your minister, photographer, make-up artist, coordinator, and so on, will be.   It’s great that you cut your budget from 50k to 2k, but if you spend $800 of that 2k on a photographer right out of college, you’re still wasting your money.  Shop smart!  Know who you’ll be paying!
8. USE COSTCO – Costco is a great resource for travel.  They probably have the best deals on rental cars, that I know of.   Full travel packages are great as well.  You can also get fresh leis from them too!   And if you plan on making your own bouquets, they have a plethora of fresh flowers to choose from.
9. USE LOUPED.COM FOR INEXPENSIVE AWESOME RINGS – Looking for great wedding rings, or even an engagement ring, check out this site.  This site was formally known as I-do-now-I-dont.  And it’s exactly what you think it is.   Engagements and weddings gone wrong.  And, while it’s bad for them, it’s great for you.
10. USE HOPPER.COM – to alert you when airfares are the cheapest.  You don’t need to use their app to book your flights.  You can just use it as an alarm.

Need more advice, or want to hire me?  Contact me at info@dreamweddingshawaii.com, (808) 479-0685, or just fill in the form below:

Author information

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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IT’S OFFICIALLY BOOKING SEASON!

2022 is finally here, and it’s time to move forward.  2020 sucked, and 2021 didn’t suck as much, but it still sucked because you really didn’t know, if our government was going to shut us down, or not.   Now, 2022 is here, and it looks as though Hawaii is finally open for good!  Just for the record, though, our Governor never really did shut down tourism for a second time, he just asked if tourists could stay home, when we went through our Delta surge.

So, let’s talk 2022, and what’s new…

PRICES AND INFLATION

As of now, I’m not raising prices for photography, video, minister, travel charges, or the wedding singer.  I did bump up the price of leis.  The Maile Lei went from $50 to $75…and the Bridal Lei from $35 to $60.   Yup, that’s how crazy it’s been.   If lei prices come down, I promise, I’ll drop the prices.   Just to let you know, gas prices here in Hawaii are hovering just below $5 for the cheap stuff.   A gallon of milk is $7 to $8!!!   Brisket is $5.99 a pound (usually $2.49).  What does this mean for you?   Well, everything will just be more expensive, especially if you’re planning a reception.   A healthy market, low cost of living, and competition, will always drive prices down.  I honestly want prices to go down as much as you!  Living in Hawaii is expensive!

OMICRON?  LOCKDOWN?  COVID RULES?  VAX CARDS?

As I write this, Omicron is spreading through the United States quickly.  It hit our islands hard right before Christmas, but numbers are leveling off.  After record cases of 4500 a day, we are now seeing a dramatic decline to 2600. Omicron hits hard, then disappears as quickly as it arrived.  But very few were hospitalized because of COVID, most were hospitalized with COVID.  The great thing is that in a study from South Africa, the antibodies produced by Omicron neutralized all other variants.  That’s pretty good news.  It could actually mean that COVID is coming to an end, and governments can stop ruining our lives in the name of “safety.”  I’m an optimist.  In 2022, I expect no lockdowns, no Covid rules, after the Omicron variant cases begin to take a nosedive.

Now, cases are going up.  Yet when I went to the movies yesterday, the entire theater was packed to 100%, there was no social distancing whatsoever!  And there is no threat from our government to install any more restrictions.

So, let’s talk weddings, covid, and travel:

• IN ORDER TO GET MARRIED IN HAWAII, YOU NEED TO BE VACCINATED – Isn’t that a stupid rule.  But, if you want to have a bbq on the beach, with the same people, no one needs to be vaccinated.  Does this make any sense?  Will I enforce this mandate, which is not a law?  Hmmmm.
• IF YOU’RE INDOORS YOU NEED TO BE MASKED – I’m a rebel.  It’s a rule that I rarely follow.
• IF YOU WANT TO DINE AT A RESTAURANT, GO TO THE MOVIES, OR HAVE FUN INDOORS, YOU NEED TO BE VAXED OR HAVE A NEGATIVE COVID TEST ON HAND – If you’re vaccinated, you just need to show a picture on your phone of your vax card, plus your ID, and you’re good to go
• IF YOU WANT TO FLY TO HAWAII, YOU NEED TO BE VAXED, OR PRODUCE A NEGATIVE COVID TEST – If you don’t have either, you will be required to quarantine for five days (down from ten)
• RIGHT NOW, I’M ONLY DOING WEDDINGS ON OAHU – The other islands just have too many crazy regulations.

INTERESTED IN A  HAWAII WEDDING?

Yeah, so getting married in Hawaii, let alone vacationing in Hawaii, comes with some rules thanks to our rather liberal and stupid government.  I’m sorry, I can’t do anything about most rules, but I can make your wedding as normal as possible.  In other words, I won’t be a mask nazi.

To get started, fill out my little form, so we can start a very candid dialogue:

Author information

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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I’ve been in the wedding industry for over twenty years, and have planned, photographed, and also been a part of all types of weddings throughout the United States.  And I can say without a doubt, tying the knot on the beaches in Hawaii, from my observation, is probably the most romantic.   Screw the hotels, the golf courses, or resort weddings – none of it compares to exchanging vows on the beach, with your toes buried in the sand.   If you do it right it can be inexpensive and romantic.  And then, if you do it wrong – well I’ll keep you in my prayers.

Here are my five tips so to having the perfect beach wedding in Hawaii.

#1 REALIZE THAT YOUR WEDDING ISN’T GOING TO BE PERFECT

Isn’t that kinda strange?  To have the perfect wedding you have to realize it’s not going to be perfect?  Well, it’s 100% true.   Your perfect partner in life isn’t perfect, think about it that way.  You can try to plan for everything to go right on your wedding day, but for one reason or another, something may go wrong.  And it’s really not that big of a deal – unless you make it a big deal.

I have two true stories to share.

I had one couple (pictured above) who spent thousands of dollars on an outdoor beach wedding on the North Shore.  Like all my couples, they flew halfway around the world say their “I do’s” on the beach.  They were a bit nervous about the weather reports as a huge storm was scheduled to envelop the island from coast to coast.  We couldn’t move the dates because of their tight schedule so they decided to tie the knot rain or shine.

On their wedding day, it poured; cats, dogs, guinea pigs, lions, you name it.   Luckily, they had a vacation rental nearby and we performed their ceremony on the porch, overlooking the ocean. After the ceremony, we headed to the beach to take photos.

“It was perfect!”

As with all my couples had the bad luck of getting stormy weather on their wedding, I offered a free shoot on another day.  I feel really guilty when mother nature doesn’t cooperate.

To my surprise, they refused.

“It’s perfect Steve.   The rain, the wedding, we couldn’t ask for a more perfect day.  We had so much fun.  This is our story. I wouldn’t want it any other way,”  The groom told me after talking to his wife.

Wow.  What a perfect couple with the perfect attitude on an imperfect day.

Now onto the next couple, featuring Godzilla – uhm, I mean Bridezilla.

Bridezilla didn’t want to spend much money on her wedding and booked a vow renewal package to use for her wedding.  I had no problem with that as sometimes people are just on a budget.   A few days before her wedding she ordered a bouquet and also a limo.   Everything seemed to be flowing smoothly until the day before her wedding when for some reason, some idiot from the government decided to send out a text, warning everyone in Hawaii of an impending ballistic missile strike!

For about 45 minutes, all of Hawaii thought they were going to get nuked – except me.  I was fast asleep.

From what I learned, it was quite the site.  People were hiding their kids down sewers, tourists were charging down the sidewalks of Waikiki as though Godzilla was about to strike.  People were traumatized.

Since Bridezilla’s wedding was in the morning of the next day, I headed to the florist to pick up her bouquet the evening before.  Unfortunately, the florist’s supplier wasn’t working.   In fact, supermarkets were closed down, along with a lot of shops. Hawaii was pretty much a ghost town because everyone thought they were going to get nuked.  They just dropped everything and left.  And after the incident, they pretty much stayed home to comfort loved ones, it seemed.

I called up Bridezilla, to inform her that more than likely, that because of the circumstances, here bouquet was a no go.  She had no problem at all.   On another note, she had placed the order for her bouquet a few days before her wedding day, which in most cases, usually was too late.   My florist usually requires a three-week advance warning so they can fly in fresh flowers.  I had to beg my florist to put something together at the last minute.  They were going to try to string together a bouquet with what they had left over from other weddings, but there wasn’t anything to go around because the supplier had not dropped off any fresh flowers.

About ten minutes after I ended my call with the Bridezilla, she called back up to very strangely asked me if I had any drugs on me that she could have.   The nuke warning had rattled her and she was looking to calm down.  I told her I didn’t have any drugs because I don’t use drugs.  She then made a snide comment and told me that I was surprised because I looked like the type of guy who would use drugs or know a dealer.

The next morning, her wedding rolls around, and everything is great.   Pretty much everything goes off without any problems.  She’s a bit late to her limo, and she is a bit high maintenance, but other than that, we push through and make everything work.  She seems happy that she has no bouquet, everything ended on a good note.

So I thought.

A few days later, I receive a call from her demanding that I give her a full refund for not delivering the bouquet.

Full refund?

She got a refund for the bouquet, obviously – but she wanted a refund for the minister, photography, and limo service, because she felt “emotionally distressed.”   She even had the nerve to blame the nuke scare on my company.  Last I checked, my wedding company couldn’t issue ballistic warning threats to the State of Hawaii. When the Bridezilla didn’t get her refund, she went ballistic, swearing at me, insulting my company, my photography, my minister, and then threatened to ruin me by writing fake reviews on social media (which she did).   I countered by writing a review of her on my website.   Luckily, a lot of my former brides came to my defense (who she called my goons) and flooded Yelp and Facebook with good reviews to offset her bad reviews.   Her reviews were eventually deleted off of Facebook because she used a catfish profile (which was pretty old, haha).

If the Bridezilla would have just accepted the fact that a nuke scare was just part of her wedding story, this would not have been a nightmare for her.  But to make literally make a mountain out of a molehill.

The truth is, the odds are on your side that everything will flow smoothly on your wedding day.   But there’s a 1% chance that something will hit the fan.  You may run a bit late.  Your hair may not look exactly like the way you thought it would.  You may stutter through your vows.  You may even forget your groom at the hotel (that happened before!)  And if it does, just roll with it.  If you roll with it and have the right attitude, you’ll have an amazing story to tell – and it’ll still be PERFECT.

If you want everything to be perfect, you’re going to freak out and turn into an emotional wreck.

#2 LEARN TO LET GO

This is a big step if you are a control freak.   I would tell you right now, flat out, if you are a control freak, you should pass on the idea of a Hawaii Wedding.  Planning a destination wedding requires surrendering a lot of control over to strangers.  Even if you fly down here to meet your vendors, you’re still won’t have 100% control of everything.

If you’re a bride who is easy peasy, then saying your “I do’s” here is a definitely an option.

#3  MAKE SURE YOU CAN AFFORD IT

This is just my personal opinion, but you should not start the next chapter off by going into debt.   This applies especially to university graduates.   If you’re a recent graduate, you more than likely have a huge student loan that you need to pay off.   Throw in a mortgage and car payments, chances are that you’re probably up to your waist in bills.  You don’t need another weight dragging you down.

If you’re planning a Hawaii wedding, make sure you can pay for it, the travel, and the cost of being a tourist in Hawaii in one swoop.

If you can’t afford it, do something very affordable at home.  You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a gala wedding.  A college education can cost $30,000 or more for 4 years.   The average cost of a gala wedding is around $30,000, which you will burn through in 24 hours!  A Hawaii wedding can cost as little as $175.00, by the way.

#4  HIRE A TRUSTWORTHY AND GOOD WEDDING PLANNER

This is pretty obvious, right?

But what is a trustworthy wedding planner?

• Someone who has the brides interest first, not their own.  There are many planners who love to use their “preferred vendors” because they get a hefty commission from them.
• Someone who’s not from Nigeria asking you to wire tax-free money to them in Africa.

What is a good wedding planner?

• Someone who returns your messages promptly
• Someone whose quality is outstanding, not just by their own word, but by their Yelp reviews.
• Someone who is punctual.  If they say they are going to return your call in a few minutes, they better return it a few minutes, not a week from tomorrow.
• Someone who knows their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Be very aware of planners who think they can fill in the shoes for a vendor.  Most planners are not that talented at all.

Also, make sure when you do hire a wedding planner, make sure that they are actually based in Hawaii.

#5 KEEP YOUR GUEST COUNT LOW

Mo people – mo problems – also, mo money!

The reason why weddings are expensive is because the food bill that comes with the ceremony, is astronomical!  On average, wedding couples will spend $130 per guest.  Easy math here.  A hundred guest amounts to a $13,000 food bill, without tax.  Throw in a drunk buddy at an open hotel bar, that food tab comes to $17,000 pretty easily.

The reason why destination weddings are so cheap is because not everyone can afford to travel.

Less people mean less stress, and less drama.  If you want zero drama and stress – elope!  I’m not kidding about that.

So that concludes my five tips to planning the perfect hawaii wedding.  Have anything to add?  As always, comment below!

Author information

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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Oh no, it’s another one of those frigging lists!   Don’t worry, there’s no click bait here or a gallery full of advertisements.  You’ve entered Steven’s Hawaii wedding-safe-space.   A nice place where there are unicorns and nothing but free-flowing information that will hopefully “un-confuse” you, when it comes to planning that big day in Hawaii.

So, onto the topic of Four essential ingredients to the Perfect Hawaii Wedding.  If you don’t have these four ingredients, sorry, you’re Shit Out of Luck or you didn’t book with me,  (Oh no!  I swore! Sue me)

1. THE RIGHT ATTITUDE –  A beach wedding isn’t for everyone.  If you or your significant other have a fig tree stuck up your ass, make mountains out of molehills, and have a habit of overreacting, I would pass on the idea of having a beach wedding.  You can plan for the perfect wedding, but mother nature may have something different in mind.  It can rain on your wedding day.  And other than running to another location that’s away from the rain, there really isn’t a plan C.   Then there’s the other God created circumstances that you can’t plan for.  Big Waves, Hurricanes, and the occasional endangered monk seal that decides to take a nap on the beach.   Add fake nuclear missile crisis to that list.Just the other day, I had a perfect couple, with the perfect attitude.   On their wedding day, it stormed; dogs, cats, and elephants.   There was no real safe outdoor venue to run to as the entire island was under a gigantic thundercloud.   The decision was made to have their wedding at their vacation rental.   After we did the ceremony on the porch, the rain subsided for just fifteen minutes and we were able to grab a handful of beach shots.   There were no blue skies, no sunset pics. So, I asked my clients if they would want a quick complimentary photoshoot on another day, where we could grab sunset shots.   They answered no.  The groom pointed out to me, with a huge grin on his face, “Steve, this is our story.   The rain, the running around.  It was a lot of fun.   Everything was perfect.   There’s no need for a shoot, I don’t want to tell a different story.”  This groom and his wife knew what was important.   Not the weather, not the wedding sunset photos, but the journey.
   
2. AN AWESOME WEDDING PLANNER – Let me tell ya, it’s hard to find a dependable wedding planner who knows their stuff.   If you find one (other than me), let me know.  I’ll hire them out.  So what are the characteristics of a great planner?
   1. They’re not lazy.  I’ve encountered way too many planners who take forever to return phone calls and emails.
   2. They are looking out for their clients, not themselves.  If you’re wondering why the majority of wedding planners do their weddings at Waialae Beach Park, it’s because it’s convenient for them.  It’s not the best location on Oahu.
   3. They are honest about their pricing.   Too many wedding companies pad their wedding packages with cheap stuff then mark it up through the roof.  Hey, I’m all for making a profit, but have at least some value to it, right?  By the way, if you’re booking with a hotel wedding planner, don’t think they have to be honest either.   I know a person who got married at a very popular hotel and they were charged $7 per “slicing” of prime rib.   Not per slice…per “slicing…” the action.  They were charged for the prime rib roast, then every time the carver sliced a prime rib for their guest, it was $7.   Total charge, just for slicing came out to $1200!   What the hell right?   Tack on that charge and an open bar tab, slicing charges for their cake, their bill was much more than what was promised.  Oh yeah, they were charged for the set up of the chairs and the transportation of them, even though they were on the hotel grounds.   That’s freaking bullshit.
   4. They know much more than just wedding planning.   To me, wedding planning is very easy.  It’s just glorified order taking.  You want this, I’ll get you that.  But the real art to wedding planning comes when things don’t go according to plan.   Say it rains on the North Shore, what does that planner do?   How do they react?   What happens if the brides dress rips.  What happens if she falls into the mud?   What happens if the groom gets lost?   When I’ve worked as a photographer at weddings I’ve seen planner just crumble under the pressure of chaos.  I’ve seen them panic, cry.  One gal just upped and left.   Hate to toot my own horn, but this where I really separate myself from the competition.  When the shit hits the fan, operating and presenting realistic plans helps.  I’m like the Macgyver of wedding planners!   
3. THE IDEAL LOCATION – The right location for your beach wedding is like finding a good location for a business.  It’s all about the location.  If you have a big wedding party, you need a beach that has a lot of parking.  If you are wearing your hair down, you need a location that isn’t windy.  If you’re looking for a sunset, you need to be on shore that faces the west.    If you’re looking a sunrise wedding, you need to be on a shore facing the east.  Maybe it’s all about convenience for you, and need a location near your vacation rental.     What’s strange is that I find so many wedding companies that only offer locations that convenient for them, not you.   Try asking them if they can do a wedding on the North Shore.  Most would pass.   They want you to get married in town, at a park, that’s very ugly, so they can pound out conveyor style weddings.  Did you travel halfway across the world to get married on a crappy beach behind a condo?  I don’t think so.
4. GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR VIDEOGRAPHER – You’ve traveled halfway around the earth to tie the knot, you better get some damn good photos to make everyone jealous!   That’s what half-jokingly say.  But the truth of it is that great photos are what you’ll have to remember this special day.  Shooting at the beach isn’t too hard (I think), but for some reason, not many people do it right.   They look cheesy.   Book a great photographer to get you those nice shots.  And if you want to document your wedding ceremony, which is great if you have a reception back at home or family who can’t make it, then booking a videographer is also ideal.  Oh, let’s not forget.  BOOK A GREAT HAIR AND MAKE-UP ARTIST.  Hair and Make-Up is basically everythign when it comes to getting great photos and video.By rule of thumb, photography tends to glamorize everything.  A video, on the other hand, tends to document everything.   Technically, you can glamourize video production and make it more cinematic, but when you do that, it tends to be more artificial than real.  It’s like watching a football game.   When you see an NFL game in the movies, it’s glamorized, and you have no idea what’s going on.   But when it’s on TV, you know exactly what’s happening.    As a last note on this topic.  You want to make sure the photographer and videographer that show up at your wedding, is the person you want.  Not some college graduate, not some friend of the photographer who just got a camera at Costco.  I know a dude who runs a video company, charges an arm and a leg for his video services.   He doesn’t show up at his weddings, but these guys he hired out on craigslist do.    I know of a gal who just shows her face at weddings, then gets people she doesn’t know to shoot her weddings for her.    Crazy huh?  This industry is filled with characters.

So, by now you’re probably pulling out your hair and thinking about backing out of the idea of having a Hawaii wedding.  Hey, if you can’t get pass step-one and see yourself turning into a bridezilla or groomzilla, by all means, back out.  But if you’re cool, then definitely take that leap forward and look into Hawaii.   Hawaii’s a magical place.  You’ll love it here.  It’s a great place to start the next chapter in your life.

[srizonfbalbum id=96]

Author information

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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HOW TO GET YOUR HAWAII MARRIAGE LICENSE

Chances are, if you’re looking to get married in Hawaii, you’re also looking to make it legal as well! To make sure you are eligible for all those wonderful marriage tax penalties, you’ll need a marriage license.  Luckily, here in the State of Hawaii, obtaining a marriage license is very easy, because:

• There is no blood test involved
• There is no waiting period to obtain your marriage license: no requirement to post a public notice of your intentions to marry, and no requirements to live in the State or towns in Hawai,i for any amount of days, prior to obtaining your marriage license.
• Divorce decrees, proof of divorce, is not needed. Just the date of your divorce (if needed), is good enough

There are two ways you can get the acquired paperwork for your wedding:

1. Apply and pay online (click here to go to DOHs online application center), then pick up your license at the Department of Health.  (this the new COVID routine)
2. Do everything in step one, and pick up your marriage license at an independent wedding agent who works from their house, or even a place of business.  By the way, the wedding agent should not charge for this service!

*If you are getting married on the island of Maui, Kauai, Lanai, the Big Island, or Molokai, or need to obtain your marriage license on the weekend or holiday, you must exercise this option

What you will need to get your Hawaii marriage license:

1. $65 cash if you get your license in person at the Department of Health. possibly more if you pay by credit card when you apply and pay for it online. *This price is subject to change as our government finds ways to profit from everyone
2. Official photo identification – i.e. passport, driver’s license, military ID
3. Your fiancé – you cannot pick up your marriage license alone. Your fiancé must accompany you; and he or she, must also bring their official photo ID as well!

What you WILL NOT need:

1. Even though there is a space for you to put the name of your officiant on your marriage license, you will not need it to obtain your marriage license.
2. Location of your wedding ceremony
3. Birth certificates, divorce decrees, etc..etc.. Just bring your driver’s license or passport and you’ll be fine.

The color of the marriage license varies from white, pink, to yellow. Don’t ask me why, or how they picked those colors.
I’ve seen some marriage licenses from other States, and they are very pretty. Ours…are ….not as good.

THE BIG NEXT STEP…

Once you get your license, just make sure to bring it with you on the day of your wedding. After we are through with your ceremony, you will then sign your marriage license to make it official (even though it’s not needed). Our minister will then take your wedding license and register it online. It will take the Department of Health two to three days to process your marriage license. After that short wait, a printable copy of your marriage certificate, which can be used for health insurance and bank name changes, will be available for download. Your official marriage certificate will arrive in the mail within 2 to 3 months. You will need your official marriage certificate for anything government-related: passports, citizenship. If you must receive your marriage certificate sooner than later, you can request that your certificate be expedited sooner by filling out a form, and paying $10 USD, via check or online.

This where you need to go to get your marriage license

IF YOU NEED TO GET YOUR MARRIAGE LICENSE ON THE WEEKEND OR A HOLIDAY YOU CAN!

You will need to apply and pay for your marriage license online.   Then, you will need to contact an independent wedding agent.  That list of agents can be found by clicking here

IMPORTANT LINKS:

The Department of Health’s official marriage license website – includes great information on who’s is eligible to get married. Unless you are marrying your brother, or are a minor, you have nothing to worry about.

It’s an online application center – apply and pay for your license online.

If you need your marriage license faster – fill out this form and mail it in to them is a $10 money order or check.

Author information

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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Hopefully, this never happens again

HAWAII IS OPEN, WE’RE OPEN TOO!

And Here’s What You Need to Know

NOTE FROM AGUST 2, 2021:  FOR AN UPDATED ARTICLE ON COVID PLEASE CLICK HERE

It’s finally here.  Hawaii is opened for business and tourists are flooding back.  God, 2020 has been hell, hasn’t it?   I was so bored I bought a PS3, and I thought I was going out of business!  I really did!  I know a handful, more than a handful bit the bullet and to the mainland.  But we made it through and I’m happy to say, we are looking forward to working again!

Here is some stuff that you need to know:

MASK MANDATE:  As of today, October 28th, 2020, we still have a mask mandate when you’re indoors, or outside when you can’t social distance.   If you can social distance when you’re walking around, you don’t need to wear a mask.  But if it’s crowded, which Waikiki is, you’ll need to wear a mask when you’re outdoors.  You don’t need to wear a mask when exercising.   And you plan to burn down a Wendy’s, you don’t need one either.

SMALL PARTIES: We can only have parties of five or less, but they don’t have to be within your family anymore.  That means we can only do very small weddings or elopements.  Unless you want to peacefully protest.  Then you can have 10,000 or more people gathering.   I don’t see anything wrong with having two people elope and 15 family members show up to protest your marriage.  That would actually be legal.

14-DAY QUARANTINE STILL IN EFFECT:  For those who travel to Hawaii, a 14-day quarantine is still in effect.  You can bypass this with a covid-free test WHICH YOU NEED TO GET BEFORE YOU BOARD THE PLANE!

BARS AND LUAUS ARE STILL CLOSED:  This sucks doesn’t it.  Clubs too, they’re closed.  Don’t worry, I bet most of you are horrible dancers.

MOST RESTAURANTS ARE OPEN: With limited seating or takeout.

IF YOU ARE THE MAYOR OF OAHU: All of what I mentioned doesn’t apply.  This piece of work who created all these mandates was caught at a drinkie bar, getting close with a girl who was not his wife, and he wasn’t a mask when he french kissed this 20-year-old.

I’ll just leave this here for a bit. That’s our Mayor!

HERE’S SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT!

When you plan to come to Hawaii, you need a NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) from a certified lab from a travel partner listed below:

• AFC Urgent Care Portland
• American Samoa Department of Health
• Atlas Genomics
• Bartell Drugs
• Carbon Health
• Capstone Clinic
• CityHealth Urgent Care at Oakland Airport
• Clarity Lab Solutions
• Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii
• Color – United Airlines
• Costco/Azova
• CVS Health
• Diagnostic Laboratory Services (Hawaii)
• Discovery Health MD, Hawaii Pacific Health
• Go Health Urgent Care
• Hawaii Pacific Health
• Hawaiian Airlines Testing
• Kaiser Permanente,
• Minit Medical
• Quest Diagnostics
• National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii’s Consortium
• S&G Labs hawaii LLC
• UC San Diego Health
• University of Washington Medicine
• Urgent Care Hawaii
• Vault Health – SALIVA TEST!
• Walgreens
• WestPac Labs
• ExpresCheck

Out of all the tests, I recommend Vault Health, because you can do this at home, and all you need to do is spit into a tube.   You just order a test, get onto their zoom call, and they will tell you how to do it online.  Apparently, spitting is something that most people don’t know how to do.  You ship it off, and you’re good to go.  Don’t try to get a test from those who don’t make the list.

If you get a test from a non-travel partner, you’ll be quarantined in your hotel for 14-days.

BIG CATCH-22!  YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR TEST RESULTS BEFORE YOU GET ON YOUR PLANE TRIP TO HAWAII

One of my couples who got married by their brother

HOW YOUR WEDDING WILL BE DURING THESE COVID TIMES

There are some companies that will always wear masks, some who will always social distance.  Even when it comes to family photos, there are some pictures that I saw where everyone is spaced part as though someone farted.  Personally, I’m one to go without a mask and social distancing.   Let’s be freaking normal, that’s my philosophy.   If my minister and the bride and groom are wearing masks, it’ll just look stupid in pictures.   Seriously.   But if you want us to mask up like ninjas, and want everyone to stand in safety circles, we’ll do it.  I’ll do almost anything for money.

By the way, my crew will be first in line to take the vax, so we’ll be good to go later this year.

To get started, just contact me.  Here’s my form:

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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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COVID-19, aka CORONAVIRUS, HAWAII WEDDING UPDATE

This post will be updated whenever I hear more news about the Coronavirus, and its effect on your Hawaii Wedding.  I will only post what I know, and if you feel there are corrections that I should make, please comment below so I can correct this thread.

10/28/2020 UPDATE:

HAWAII IS FINALLY OPENED!

Yup, we’re open, with the Catch-22 that you need a negative COVID test to galavant around.   Find more info by clicking here.   It’s been really tough people.  Really really tough.   Virus infections are down though.  I think we built some type of herd immunity, but we’ll have to see.   We are rounding the corner on this though.  Even though infections are up, most are youngins who won’t die.   On top of that, we have vaccines and therapies coming out that will kick COVID’s ass.

I’m pretty confident that I can close this message thread.  I’ll still keep it up as memories, though.   What a journey 2020 has been.  It sucks almost as much as the Cowboys suck right now.

5/20/2020 UPDATE:

TOURISM IS STILL SHUT DOWN, UNFORTUNATELY

Infections in our state are bouncing near zero.  On some days we hit zero, then we hit one, then zero.   The Coronavirus is definitely close to leaving the building.   Out of all the states, Hawaii is probably the safest.   Restrictions are slowly being lifted.  We still need to wear masks to stores but are not required to wear them outside, but we are recommended to.  Malls are being slowly being opened.  Inter-island travel will hopefully open up by the end of this month.

There are no solid plans to open up tourism yet, though.  The 14-day quarantine has been extended to June 30th.

I’ll keep you update on what’s happening.

3/21/2020 UPDATE:

HAWAII TOURISM HAS LITERALLY BEEN SHUT DOWN

and some positive thoughts of mine.

Starting on March 26, 2020, incoming tourist and returning residents must undergo a 14-day quarantine:

• Visitors would be responsible for any costs associated with quarantine.
• Those who break quarantine would face a $5,000 fine and a year in jail.
• The quarantine would apply to international and mainland flights. Inter-island travel is not affected.
• The mandate would not apply to emergency responders and other essential workers, including those who are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. It would also not apply to flight crews.
• Residents would quarantine in their homes.
• The rule would not apply to any of the visitors already in Hawaii.

This will be enforced.  And I don’t know how long this restriction will last.  I’m thinking it may go until we get COVID-19 under control.

And that pretty much ends Dream Weddings Hawaii wedding ceremonies officially, although most of my clients were already rescheduling given the State of the Nation.

Am I bummed?  You bet I am, but I saw it coming.   This year was gearing up to be incredibly good.  Business was booming and the economy was cracking.  Then this happened and slowly things got worse.  And now suddenly, people are looking at Italy and thinking that could be the United States in a few weeks.  It could be, but we’ll see.   The cases in Hawaii are still rather low.  It’s 48, and most of the cases are a result from tourist, not locals.   There may be a community spread, or not.   What’s important that we’ve closed off our borders.  And once we separate the sick from the healthy, that curve will go down faster than it will from the rest of the nation.

We’ll all get past this.  The flu takes about two weeks to get over.  And around that time, we should see light at the end of the tunnel.   COVID-19 has pretty much gifted us with a rare opportunity.  If you stay home, you’ll save the world, haha.   It’s that simple.

While I say this, don’t worry too much about COVID-19 as it’s not a dangerous virus.  It is literally like a bad case of the flu.   If we look at China, only 3,200 people died from COVID-19.   Well, around 18,000 Americans died from the flu this year.    Worldwide, 13,000 people died from COVID-19.  Again, 18,000 Americans died from the Flu this year.   Zero kids died from COVID-19 worldwide.  In America, 149 kids died from the Flu this year.   If I’m a crazy sensationalized journalist I can say that the Flu is 149% more dangerous than COVID-19 this year.

Everyone’s hunkered down right now and that’s how we’re going to end this.  When the virus fails to find a host, it’ll eventually mutate into a very weak version of itself to survive, and it will become a horrible cold.

About a month ago, China and South Korea were making headlines, now they pretty much have everything under control.   We’ll get there….

Now, in the meantime, there’s no need to postpone your wedding planning.  You can still contact me and figure out what you want for your Hawaii Wedding.   And then, when this blows over, we can set a date, and you can make everything official with a 50% down payment.    My company will still be around when this is all over.   I may be selling BBQ or doing odd jobs on the side to pay the bills, but once tourism starts up again, this will be once again, be my full-time gig.

CONTACT ME TO START A CONVERSATION!

3/17/20 UPDATE

TEN CASES IN HAWAII
ONE MAY BE A RESULT OF COMMUNITY SPREAD…MAYBE
EVERYTHING IS CLOSING, NOW IS A TIME TO NOT TRAVEL TO HAWAII

What’s going on in Hawaii, you are probably already experiencing in your country or State.  COVID-19 is spreading, businesses are doing their part and shutting their doors, and too many people are panic buying at your local grocery store.   Here in Hawaii, all our tourist activities are closed, from Kualoa Ranch to Pearl Harbor.   When I walked around Waikiki yesterday, restaurants and stores were open, and you honestly couldn’t tell that we were living in a pseudo-Zombie apocalypse.  But all of that fun came a screeching halt when we got our first case of POSSIBLE community spread (which I doubt).

A tour guide at Kualoa Ranch was diagnosed with COVID-19.  She’s 25-years-old and asthmatic.  She is currently self-quarantined. Her family is undergoing testing right now.  How she got it, who she gave it too, is still unknown.  The good news is that she’s tested, and those that were in contact with are being tested, and the correct measures of quarantining them from the public are happening.

Is it from a community spread?  It’s hard to say, but most likely not.   She probably got it from a tourist.

Right now, business for me has come to almost a complete halt.  I’m still working on photos and I’m getting an inquiry here and there, but other than that, business has ground to a standstill.  All of what is happening now is just temporary.  But who we are, when we emerge from this pandemic, will be different.  For some of us, we may not come back to the same jobs.   The companies that some may work for, may not be there anymore.  Companies may merge to stay afloat.   And people may just be a little jumpier when a person sneezes.   I’m still going to be doing weddings, but I’m going to have to do something else for the time being to make ends meet.  I’m honestly thinking about selling my BBQ on the Facebook marketplace!

If you have a wedding planner, and if you still want to get married in Hawaii, I’m all game.  But something tells me that you’re hunkering down as well.  And I’m not even sure of domestic travel will be on lockdown.    At this point, I really wish they’d close all travel to and from Hawaii turn Oahu into some anti-COVID-19 utopia free zone.

If you want to postpone your wedding, just email me, call, whatever.  I heard airlines and hotels are giving 100% refunds or discounts.   That means we can just reschedule when all of this becomes a funny story to tell the next generation.

COVID-19 is serious.  But it will get better if we all limit our exposure socially, and quarantine ourselves if we get sick.  There’s a lot of misinformation out about there so I wanted to share some information just to put you at ease.  Here is what I wrote on facebook a day ago:

COVID-19 will not affect 70% of the population. In Hubei, the epicenter of the virus where the Chinese lived in close quarters, the virus only affected 3% of the population.

On the Diamond Princess Cruiseship, which was a Petri dish for COVID-19, the infection rate did not surpass 20%, which leads many scientists to believe that most people are just naturally immune to this virus.

From what I recently have read, if your immune system is high, meaning your Vitamin A, C, an D levels are topped off, COVID-19 has a very high chance of literally bouncing off your healthy cells. https://youtu.be/lzC59WiW_Fs If you don’t believe me, you can listen to this MIT Doctor of biological engineering.

3/14/20 UPDATE:

TWO TOURISTS ON KAUAI TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

They are currently isolated on the Island of Kauai.  Reports are that they spent time on Maui while they were symptomatic and did not self-quarantine.  Don’t they sound a bit selfish, huh?   If you’re sick, stay home.  Don’t travel.   This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Hawaii to 4, which is one too many.

We will see if their trip here set off a community spread, I’m hoping it won’t.  But we’ll see.   We are fully ready to test and quarantine.  I’ll let you know the updates.  But Hawaii is set up pretty well.  Not only is our climate not ideal for spreading COVID-19, everyone is kinda fearful, washing their hands, avoiding crowds.  So, that’s a good thing.

Still, NO ONE here has contracted COVID-19 from the community.  We only have cases, all of which were imported into our state by idiots.  Geez, does it take one idiot to kill a village?  Our first idiot decided to go onto a cruise, even after they knew it was infected.  Then we had another idiot who went to the epicenter of Washington State while it was infected.   They are quarantined at the moment, but something tells me this should last for the rest of their lives.

CANCELLATIONS

I have been getting cancellations and it’s completely understandable.  If you can’t get toilet paper or food at home, have no job security, and your kid’s school is shut down, now is not the best time to travel to Hawaii even if it’s safe.  I swear, the fear caused by COVID-19 is hurting us all more than the virus itself.  Is there a pandemic of fear?   Hmm…quite possibly.  There’s a thin line between being concerned and flat-out paranoid.

If you do still want to come to Hawaii to get married, I’m here, ready, and virus-free!  But just to let you know, a lot of group activity places are shut down.  The luas, the museums, events, even the freaking movie theaters, are all closed.   So, if you come down here, you’ll probably have to do a lot of outdoor activities such as surfing, hiking, ATV’ing, horseback riding, zip-lining – hmm, doesn’t sound too bad does it?

3/13/20 UPDATE:

SHOULD YOU CANCEL YOUR HAWAII WEDDING PLANS?

Before I address this serious topic, let me first give you the latest news here in Hawaii:

• We have zero new cases in Hawaii, all cases are still on Oahu, and they were not from a result of community spread.  One patient was from the Grand Princess Cruise Ship, the other was a local returning visiting from Washington State.
• In early February, an infected Japanese visitor spent time on Maui and Oahu, and there was zero evidence of a community spread.   This leads many to presume that Hawaii’s high humidity and temperatures detrimental to the spreading COVID-19.   This correlates with other global data, where high humidity and heat, community spread seems to be minimal or non-existent.    For example, Florida, which is very humid, has 30 cases, but none seem to give evidence of a community spread.  Most resulted from a Cruise Ship port.  So, let’s hope it warms up fast.
• Drive-through testing for COVID-19 is available in Hawaii and free of charge.
• The Merry Monarch has been canceled along with many events.  The University of Hawaii has made the decision to cancel all sports and to put all courses online.

Now onto the topic at hand, “Should you cancel your Hawaii wedding plans?”

No.

But, you may want to postpone it.

I may have a bias here.  Of course, I want you to come to Hawaii to get married, and to use my company, haha.   If you are eloping, are young and healthy, I believe you’ll be very safe, it is my opion you will not have to worry about contracting this virus at all during your trip, and during your flight here and back.   Plane trip prices are insanely low right now, as with hotel prices.   So, this may be a good time to ironically get married.

Then there’s the fact that COVID-19 is much more than just a virus affecting your health.  It’s a virus that could be affecting your bank account.  Is your job stable enough to see this through?  If it isn’t, you may want to think of putting off your wedding plans, at least until this blows over.  There will be a lot of layoffs as the economy slows to a complete standstill.  China, South Korea, and Italy, had to grind their country to a standstill.  Right now, that’s slowly happening in the United States.  The NBA, PGA, NHL, and XFL, have suspended their seasons.  Disneyland is closed.  Movie premiers are halted.  A local helicopter tour company informed me that they have gotten zero business in for the past few days and they are starting to panic.   If your job is affected, it’s best not to get married in Hawaii right now.

If you have a large wedding with a party that includes seniors with underlying health problems, I would consider moving your date as well.

If you’re wondering if you should buy wedding insurance, forget it.  I found out that they don’t cover pandemics.   Isn’t that convenient?

If your wedding date takes place during the summer, next year, or the latter portion of this year, I wouldn’t break a sweat. This virus will blow over once the weather changes.

3/12/20 UPDATE:

UNITED STATES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS TRAVEL FROM EUROPE
NBA POSTPONES SEASON
TOM HANKS GETS INFECTED IN AUSTRALIA
ZERO NEW CASES ON OAHU

Checkout those headlines.   Are you panicked yet?  I have to admit, it does get to me.  I’m VERY concerned, but the panic has caused more damage than the virus at this point.   I do believe that our President is doing all he can to get us through this, but we have to do our part too, and I’ll address that later.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.   This does not mean it’s the end of the world.   Does anyone remember the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic that infected 6.8 billion and killed anywhere between 150,000-575,000?  We got through that fine, and we’ll get through this.   I honestly forgot about that…

And here’s some good news:

This graph was taken from John Hopkins Realtime monitoring system, which you can find here.   Very soon, we will see more total recoveries from COVID-19 than those infected in China and the world, put together.   Quarantines, cleanliness, travel bans, are working.  Getting through this is just ugly.

Winter is just about to come to an end on March 19th, which will bring about the end to flu season, and hopefully an end to COVID-19.  There’s something about the cold weather that creates the perfect storm to help these viruses spread.

What does this mean for your Hawaii wedding?

• Well, if you’re coming to Hawaii to get married, you don’t have anything to fear.  There’s no community spread here.  We have had two cases, and we didn’t get them from the community.   And so far, no one here has tested positive that would indicate a community spread.   The people of Hawaii don’t live tightly in condos.   For the most part, we live mostly in single-family homes, and in the suburbs, so that’s a good thing.   If there are no events going on, you’ll find the most people either at Costco, the malls, or the beach (where the Coronavirus probably has zero chance of surviving).  In other words, we’re not a city like New York.
• There’s no need to fear flying on the plane as no one, to my knowledge has contracted COVID-19 via a plane.
• The moral of the story is that there’s honestly nothing to fear in Hawaii unless you’re elderly with health conditions.

Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t change your routine.   Changing our routine is how we will beat this quickly when the weather gets warmer.

• You should still wash your hands frequently when you enter and leave an establishment, and avoid touching doorknobs to the bathrooms
• You should try to avoid crowds whenever possible: concerts, events
• You should not visit elderly loved ones because they are the ones who are the most vulnerable.
• You should not take a cruise right now
• You should eat at home more often
• Speaking of elderly, if you fit in the category of a senior citizen, and have existing health conditions, you should be extraordinarily vigilant and not think about traveling at all.
• And you should be very choosy on where you fly, not flying.   For example, I wouldn’t recommend taking a vacation to Seattle, New York City, or Los Angeles right now.
• If you feel sick, quarantine yourself immediately.  Don’t go to work.

3/11/20 UPDATE:

I TOOK THIS PHOTO AT COSTCO TODAY

BE VIGILANT, BUT DON’T PANIC

I love zombie movies, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live during end-times.    I think I’m getting my wish because right now, the entire world seems to be acting as if everything hit the fan, and humanity is about to end.   Today, I saw an old dude wearing around a gas mask that reminded me of videogame, FALLOUT 3.  That’s the picture above.   Costco was empty.    There were no new cases of COVID-19 today in Hawaii, which is great news.   Still, no community spread.    And I think the paranoia, which I think is silly, is also one of the reasons why this virus will die once the warm season begins.   Don’t we all want Global Warming, now? haha.  But on a serious note, Costco wiped down every gas pump after each use.  They wiped each shopping cart.  They were moping and wiping down panels, counters, handles.

And on another serious note, Coronavirus means no line at Popeyes.  So I finally got to eat a chicken sandwich.

So, this is the real zombie apocalypse?  No toilet paper or hand sanitizer, no lines at fast-food restaurants, and crazy people shopping at Costco as though they are deep-sea diving.   Geez, all these zombie shows got it wrong huh.

I’ve still been researching whether or not there were any reports of anyone in the world contracting COVID-19 from a plane trip with an infected patient, and so far, I could not find one person.  I always thought that you get sick when you travel on the plane because the air gets recycled.  Well, though my research, I’ve found out that the air in a plane is heavily filtered, through High-Efficiency Filters that make the air you’re breathing, cleaner than what you inhale in the office or movie theater.   All the tables and trays are wiped down, even more so now.   So the chance of catching COVID-19, is very low.    Especially if the airline begins to check the temperature of passengers before boarding, as they do in the east now.

So, I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s not the flight that will mostly give you COVID-19, but the city that chose to land in.  In other words, I wouldn’t recommend flying into JFK now and trotting around Manhatten.

Hawaii on the other hand, is still very safe.

3/10/20 UDPATE:

TOTAL OF TWO CASES IN THE STATE OF HAWAII NOW, BOTH ON OAHU

There is another case of COVID-19 In Hawaii.  Not from a community spread, as we don’t have an outbreak to my knowledge.  This was from a man who was symptomatic after returning from Washington State.   His age wasn’t released, but all clues point indicate that he is elderly.

What I really want to know right now if there are any cases of anyone contracting the coronavirus via a plane trip.  We know that cruise ships have just been oversized Petri dishes, but what about planes?  Does anyone know?  I’m doing my internet research and haven’t been able to come up with one case.

3/7/20 UPDATE: 

THE CORONAVIRUS HAS MADE ITS WAY TO HAWAII

Yes, we have our first confirmed case of the virus here, but there is still nothing to panic about yet.  A returning local male contracted the virus during the Grand Princess tour.  As soon as the infected individual began to show symptoms, he reported himself for testing, and then quickly self-quarantined himself.

Here is what we know:

• He did not get this from a community infection in Hawaii
• We don’t know if he infected the community (which I must admit is concerning)
• The State is currently testing individuals who came into contact with this individual while he was asymptomatic.

Important notes to remember, so we all don’t freak out:

• A Japanese tourist came to Hawaii in early February, infected with COVID-19, then later returned to Japan with symptoms and as diagnosed in his country.  He contracted the virus in his country.  While his stay in Hawaii, he as asymptomatic for the duration of his journey and fell ill in Hawaii during his last days.   We are past the two-week mark, even the four-week mark, and no one in our State who came into contact with this individual has tested positive for COVID-19
• Our high humidity, 75% on average, and 75 to 80-degree weather may be perfect honeymooning weather, but it’s not perfect for the Coronavirus to survive.
• From recent scientific journals, the virus looks very similar to the flu.  That’s not to say that it shouldn’t be taken lightly because the flu kills tens of thousands of Americans per year.  And who the hell wants to get the flu while you’re on vacation, right?
  • Wash your hands and try to avoid touching your face
  • Be aware of handles and elevator buttons, as they tend to carry all types of viruses, not just COVID-19
  • Wipe down surfaces that you are on sure of, airplane seats and trays, movie theater seats, etc…etc…
• It looks as though the Coronavirus is spread through coughing and sneezing, and when patients are symptomatic.  According to the CDC, while there are reports of the virus being spread while a patient is asymptomatic, it is not thought of to be the main vehicle.

Wedding Advice:

My advice right now still remains the same.   I would get married in Hawaii after winter is officially over, temperatures start to really rise, and this virus dies off.  But, I would definitely commence planning and buy your travel immediately, because travel is HELLA CHEAP!  Make sure to buy travel insurance just in case this virus hits the fan, but chances of this turning zombie apocalypse on us are very slim.  So keep inquiring, there’s no need to hold off on planning.  Just make sure you plan your wedding dates when temperatures are warmer.

3/4/20 UPDATE:

We’re getting more information out there about the COVID-19 and it’s really looking like a though it’s very similar to the flu.  And it looks as though this virus only affects the elderly, not kids, and kills only those who have underlying health problems.  Check out this study for more information

On other news, Hawaii is still free of the virus.   Recently, we had six people were suspected of being infected, who ended up testing negative.   As of now, our own local lab can test up to 250 cases per week, and we have been testing people, with zero positives.

Here’s something really cool. Airfare has been super cheap to Oahu lately.  I’m not sure what’s happening, but it looks as though all of the flights that were once going to Asia are now coming here.  Wedding couples have been showing be fares lower than $200 from Oakland to HNL.   I think a couple just got three roundtrip tickets from San Jose to HNL for $700.   That’s $233 per head.

There are some tips you should take when traveling on the plane during this time.

• Wipe down your seats and tray then wash your hands
• You can wear a mask, but it’s not needed.  I would take one just in case you’re seated next to someone who is coughing.
• I would take some zicam before you board.   Zinc prevents the flu and many doctors are saying it may prevent the coronavirus from getting into your lungs

2/28/20 UPDATE:

Still no reports of the virus here, but there are many locals who are panicking.  Today in Costco parking lot, there was a mad dash to buy – toilet paper – AGAIN!  So much that it made the national news.  That was kinda embarrassing.  Really?  Out of all things, toilet paper?  This happens all the time when locals face emergency situations.   A hurricane is on its way, and then they stock up on toilet paper, not food.   I wasn’t part of that mad dash, I went for a bike ride instead.

The Coronavirus is nothing to joke about, but I want to put a few facts out there:

The kill rate of the common flu is .01%, during the 1957 and 1968 pandemic it was 2-3%

The kill rate of SARS was 2.3%

The kill rate of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrom) was 37.1%

The kill rate of ebola was 22% to 88%!

And the kill rate of the Coronavirus is 2.3%

Just in the past two weeks, just in the United States, 5000 people have died from the flu.

Around 50,000 people die from pneumonia each year in the United States, that’s also 5000 a month.

3 million people die from pneumonia each year around the world versus 3000 deaths from the Coronavirus.

As of today, only 17 people have contracted Covid-19 here.   The rest of the people who got it, contracted it from other countries, then evacuated here and are in quarantine.

And so far, zero people have died from the Coronavirus in the United States.

The Coronavirus is a minor respiratory disease compared to MERS or even pneumonia.  If you contract the virus, you have a 98% chance of survival in China, 100% chance if you’re in the United States.

What it comes down to is that you have a higher chance of catching the flu or pneumonia, that the Coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned.  If this does reach pandemic levels, which it may, then we really need to worry about it.   We need to be vigilant, not paranoid.

Also, from what I’m reading, the mask are not very helpful from preventing you from catching the virus.   If you have the virus, it most likely will prevent you from spreading it to others, no the other way around.  The best way to not get the virus is to avoid crowds and to wash your hands with soap and water.  Also, avoid touching your face and mouth after you touched a dirty surface.

Here’s an article that may help:

Lastly, there is some good news.  We are able to test for the Coronavirus now, and there have not been any reported cases.

2/27/20 UPDATE:

Here’s what I know so far about the Coronavirus’s introduction into the State of Hawaii.

• An infected Japanese Couple traveled to the island of Maui between January 28th and February 3rd.  The couple did not report to have any symptoms.   I did not hear what hotel they were staying at, or where they went.  The State, for some reason or another, I believe the fear of this virus affecting our tourism, has kept us in the dark.
• This couple then traveled to the island of Oahu between the dates of February 3rd and February 6th. During their stay, the man developed flu-like symptoms.  He did stay Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations.  What room he stayed has not been released to the public.  As of now, we do not believe any of the hotel staff has exhibited any coronavirus symptoms.  The man, reportedly wore a mask when he developed flu-like symptoms, but continued to vacation around Honolulu.
  • Where this man vacationed is not being disclosed.
• Upon returning to Japan, the man checked into his local clinic where he and his wife were diagnosed with the coronavirus
  • Last reports, the man is in critical condition but did not hear if he’s gotten better.
  • The wife may have already recovered.  I heard this, but can’t verify.
• It’s been over two weeks since the couple vacationed here, three actually, and no one here has reported any symptoms of the novel virus, but we’re not out of the woods because we don’t have a test kit readily available.
  • No one has self-quarantined.
  • No cases that come even close to being classified as the Coronavirus has been reported to the media by hospitals.
• AS OF NOW, NO ONE IN HAWAII HAS THE CORONAVIRUS and we are past the two week incubation period.

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS:

• ALL FLIGHTS FROM CHINA TO HAWAII HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED – This was done in late January
  • It’s not to say the Chinese are not coming to Hawaii.  I have seen a handful of Chinese tourists here.  From what I have heard is that they made their way down here through Japan or Korea.
  • Travel bans on incoming flights from South Korea and Italy may be on their way.
  • Many airlines are already dropping routes, here is the worldwide list created on 2/27/20

HAWAII WEATHER MAY BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE CORONAVIRUS?

There is speculation, not confirmation, that humidity and heat, severely handicaps the ability of the Coronavirus to spread.  According to Linsey Marr,  professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, “We know that some respiratory viruses in the air or on surfaces lose their ability to infect cells under warmer and moderately humid conditions.”  This may be the reason why there are no cases of Covid-19 here, despite two infected Japanese tourists coming here.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR HAWAII WEDDING?

At this moment in time, personally, I believe you can carry on with your Hawaii wedding plans, but be vigilant.   Make sure you buy travel insurance on everything, so just in case there is an outbreak, and ALL TRAVEL is suspended, you’ll get a 100% refund.  You can wear a mask when you travel, I know some of my friends are already doing it when they head west for vacation.   Here in Hawaii, I don’t see many people wearing masks.   The ones who are, are just paranoid Asians (that may sound racist, but it’s the truth.  And if you must know, I’m Asian, but don’t wear a mask.)

My suggestion is to keep planning without any fear.  If there is any real reason to be scared, I’ll let you know.  Be concerned, don’t be scared.

I’m planning a vacation to California and Iowa in August and I’m not worried too much.   I’m buying insurance.  And if things change, they change.

THE CURRENT STATE OF PANIC IN HAWAII?

Well, basically zero.   It’s almost impossible to get masks here.  Everyone is buying them to send to either China or Korea, no one is wearing the mask.  There was a run on toilet paper at Costco today, which I find rather interesting.   If the Coronavirus hits, apparently locals are more concerned about wiping their butt than buying canned goods.  But everyone is still going out to movies, restaurants, concerts, churches.  It’s business as usual.

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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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