Wedding Traditions, Hawaii

At Hawaiian weddings, flower garlands known as leis are traditionally placed around the necks of the bride and groom. Leis symbolize love and respect, and they are created from some of the island’s most beautiful and fragrant flowers. Each lei is made up of some 40 or 50 fresh flowers, and tied with a colorful ribbon. These flower garlands are very symbolic of Hawaiian culture and an integral part of every celebration on the island.  In the marriage ceremony the lei exchange during the ceremony is a wonderful Kodak moment from a Maui wedding photographers point of view.

The ‘Hawaiian Wedding Song’, which was of course sung by Elvis in the movie Blue Hawaii is almost always a part of the wedding service. The couple’s names in the Hawaiian language may be engraved onto their wedding rings. Both the bride and groom will dress in white, and the groom will have a red sash tied around his waist.