Living in Hawaii gives you an undeniable sense of our planet’s beauty and the importance of living sustainably. From Hawaii’s lush green mountains and jungles to our tropical blue oceans and lively coral reefs, we cherish our islands natural magnificence. A sustainable wedding is not just eco-friendly but rather an elevated level of wedding planning. As wedding coordinators in Oahu, HI it is our duty to help clients design their wedding experience to be more “green” adding to the overall beauty.

BELOW ARE 6 TIPS FOR HAVING AN EARTH-FRIENDLY SUSTAINABLE WEDDING

Also, check out the styled shoot at the bottom to see just how to accomplish an eco-friendly wedding”.

1. KEEP YOUR GUEST COUNT SMALL

At Simple Oahu Wedding, we specialize in intimate weddings because less can be so much more and we believe Simplicity = Beauty. There are many benefits of a small wedding, from cost savings to the quality time you get to spend with each guest. Keeping wedding guest count small reduces the environmental impact of your wedding. It’s estimated that one round-trip flight between New York and California, generates about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car would emit over an entire year. The fewer people you have flying and driving from far distances to your wedding, the smaller the environmental impact.

2. HAVE YOUR RECEPTION AT A RESTAURANT

A private reception in an epic location looks amazing in photos and has lots of options for decor and design. However the more “Disposable Details” you include in your wedding, the more waste goes into the local landfill. When you are on an island with limited land, it’s very important to reduce the amount of wedding waste to decrease pressure on the local infrastructure.

Restaurants are a great option for an eco-friendly reception. They often already have a great deal of reception dinner decor. Restaurants can usually reuse the flowers from their wedding arch for table centerpieces and almost always have candles. There is a significant cost saving having your reception at a restaurant as well because you don’t have to rent everything down to the forks. You can easily spend $15- $30 dollars per guest renting table settings for a venue style reception dinner and you haven’t even got food on your plate yet.

Many restaurants in Hawaii use locally sourced ingredients reducing the distance your food has to travel. Meanwhile when food is shipped it increases the carbon footprint of your reception dinner or brunch. Most importantly you can find ocean-friendly certified restaurants by the Surfrider Foundation to make your reception even more sustainable! See Ocean Friendly Certified restaurants on Oahu.

3. USE LOCALLY SOURCED FLOWERS

Hawaii is full of beautiful flowers that grow year-round here. If you want something that doesn’t grow here, it has to be flown from somewhere else increasing your carbon footprint. Why insist on Peonies when you can similarly get lush fresh Protea?

Local flowers add a sense of place to your wedding rather than importing flowers. Embracing the local flora and fauna adds to the specialness of a wedding. Our styled shoot below features locally sourced flowers harvested in Oahu. The vibrant colors on the arch set against the striking green mountains are simply gorgeous and complement the location! The floral for the below eco-friendly wedding shoot was designed by the local floral shop Sweet Blossoms Hawaii.

4. RENT YOUR WEDDING DRESS

According to sustainyourstyle.org, clothing has become disposable. As a result, we generate more and more textile waste. A family in the western world throws away an average of 30 kg or 66 lbs of clothing each year. Only 15% is recycled or donated, and the rest goes directly to the landfill or is incinerated. Reduce your wedding’s environmental footprint by renting your clothes so they can be reused. Many people think of renting the Groom’s suit, but there are lots of perfect island wedding dresses available to rent as well! We rented our model’s dress from Rent the Runway a service where you can rent special occasion dresses as well as everyday fashion.

5. RENT AN ELECTRIC CAR

You would be surprised how many cars there are on an island as small as Oahu. The more you can reduce the toxins that gas-powered vehicles produce and put into the environment the more you can feel good about cruising the island with zero emissions! You can rent electric vehicles through most rental agencies and even easier on Turo the car-sharing app. When you use Turo you are also supporting a local family rather than just a big rental car agency. We rented a Tesla model 3 for this shoot from a local resident through Turo click the link above to rent this model 3.

6. USE NATURE AS YOUR DECOR

When thinking of having a sustainable wedding the key is to really get back to nature and enjoy earth’s beauty. By surrounding yourself with nature as your wedding backdrop you don’t need to bring in a lot of stuff to make your wedding beautiful. I know all the wedding blogs and magazines are constantly pushing “More Stuff”, “More Details”!! The truth is it’s just more stuff to have to manage and more stuff to have to throw away.

When you decrease the amount of “wedding stuff” you instantly become closer to a sustainable wedding and are on your way to an eco-friendly marriage experience!

Simple Oahu Wedding – Team

By employing just a few of these sustainable wedding tips you can make your wedding more eco-friendly yet still stress-free. Our whole company philosophy is stress-free wedding planning and our wedding coordinators are happy to help you embrace a more environmentally friendly wedding!

SEE THE ENTIRE ECO-FRIENDLY WEDDING – BELOW

ABOUT THIS SUSTAINABLE WEDDING-STYLED SHOOT IN OAHU, HI

We chose the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club as our venue for this shoot as it shows off the natural epic beauty of Hawaii! We love that you can take an electric golf cart ride about 5 minutes to a LUSH tropical wild jungle. You can see our Oahu Wedding package at this awesome venue on our website here.

We rented the gorgeous Badgley Mischka gown from Rent the Runway and we loved the simplicity of the lines and the romantic swooped back.

The bridal hair and makeup were done by our friends at Reveal, the soft curls and bold lip look was perfect with the vibrant flower crown.

The locally sourced floral was designed by Sweet Blossoms Hawaii, how gorgeous is that cascading white orchid bouquet!

The hexagon arch was rented from Aloha Artisans. We love the sleek yet simple design of it and how well it went with the dark wood chairs. It added to the natural scenery without taking attention away from it.

Of course, our favorite Oahu wedding photography company, Karma Hill Photography, took these epic wedding photos!

Special thanks to our models Megan and Tim. Megan is one of the photographers at Karma Hill Photography so not only is she great behind the camera, she is stunning in front of it! Thanks to her boyfriend Tim for playing along 🙂

We love that even though Marissa and Ryan actually got married a year ago, they still had an Oahu Venue Wedding to celebrate with their families. And these two definitely know how to do a celebration right considering they met in downtown Oahu during St. Patrick’s Day Festivities! How fun is that?

We feel so lucky they asked us to help plan this Oahu Venue Wedding, especially since they chose one of our most popular locations. And it’s easy to see why! With a grassy lawn setting perfect for their ceremony, a view overlooking the ocean, and the nearby beach for beautiful wedding portraits this setup couldn’t be more perfect. So thank you, Marissa and Ryan, for inviting Simple Oahu Wedding to participate in such a beautiful occasion. Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

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Oahu Wedding Coordinators: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Oli of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Wedding Photographer: Megan of Karma Hill Photography

Oahu Officiant: Rev. Kimo Taylor

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Oahu Wedding Venues: Paradise Cove Luau

Time of Day: Afternoon

Check out our last Oahu wedding here: https://simpleoahuwedding.com/yuka-tim-oahu-beach-wedding/

After meeting while Yuka was on vacation here 6 years ago, these two couldn’t imagine a better way to get married than at an Oahu Beach Wedding! And since they both live here now, this couple only had to travel from Waikiki for their ceremony. We love that they have made Hawaii their home and we are so excited for them to start the next chapter of their lives together as husband and wife!

Who would have thought that an outing at a local Waikiki bar called Moose McGillycuddy’s aka Mooses, would turn into meeting the love of your life? It might sound like an unlikely place to find true love but we are so glad they did! And that we got to celebrate with them at their Oahu Beach Wedding. Thank you, Yuka and Tim, for choosing Simple Oahu Wedding to help plan all your dreams come true! Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

Oahu Wedding Packages: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Oli of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Wedding Photographer: Megan of Karma Hill Photography

Oahu Officiant: Pastor John Fuchigami

Musician: David Asing

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Oahu Beach Wedding Location: Papa’iloa Beach

Time of Day: Sunset

Check out our last Oahu wedding here: https://simpleoahuwedding.com/nakretia-jerel-oahu-destination-wedding/

Surrounded by loved ones Nakretia and Jerel were so excited to get married at an Oahu Destination Wedding. And how could they not be? I mean just check out this amazing setting! With the ocean behind them, sand beneath their toes, and palm trees all around these two were more than ready to say “I do” in paradise.

This location’s not the only thing that made their Oahu Destination Wedding memorable though! Our bride and groom’s wedding attire of all white with gold accents created a festive vibe and left our couple radiating in the Hawaii sunlight. We especially love that Nakretia requested a flower crown to match her dress for a final touch. She seriously looked so beautiful, and it was obvious Jerel agreed since he couldn’t take his eyes off of her! Which is exactly how it should be :). As our time together wound to a close, our happy newlyweds took off for a celebratory dinner at Monkey Pod. What a perfect way to end an already perfect day! Thank you, Nakretia and Jerel, for choosing Simple Oahu Wedding to help make this a day you would always remember. Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

Oahu Wedding Coordinators: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Mai of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Wedding Photographer: Sarah of Karma Hill Photography

Oahu Officiant: Kahu Pomaikai

Musician: Alika

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Hair & Make-up: Our Bride 🙂

Oahu Beach Wedding Locations: Paradise Cove Beach

Time of Day: Sunset

Check out our last Oahu wedding here: https://simpleoahuwedding.com/brianna-nathaniel-oahu-beach-wedding/

Brianna and Nathaniel had the best time celebrating with their loved ones at their Oahu Beach Wedding. And how could they not? With the groom and their wedding guests arriving in a party bus and our bride arriving in a limo, this ceremony was off to an epic start. As soon as Brianna made her entrance with her father, the smile on her face said it all!

She could not have been more excited or looked more radiant in her Hayley Paige wedding dress! With a fitted top and princess skirt that fell perfectly across the sand at their Oahu Beach Wedding, she was a true bridal beauty. We especially love how this couple decided to create an aisle with our pineapple and palm leave decor. The perfect festive touch! Our favorite moment from this wedding was when Brianna and Nathaniel shared their first kiss as husband and wife with flower petals falling all around them. It was so beautiful in real life and on camera! Just see for yourself.

And if that wasn’t enough to make this a day to remember, after taking wedding portraits our newlyweds headed to the Royal Hawaiian for a celebratory Luau! What an incredible ending to an already incredible day 🙂 . Thank you, Brianna and Nathaniel, for letting Simple Oahu Wedding participate in making this a day you will never forget! Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

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Oahu Wedding Planners: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Vy of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Wedding Photographer: Mike of Karma Hill Photography

Oahu Officiant: Rev. Kimo Taylor

Musician: Jeremy

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Hair & Make-up: Whik’d Hawaii

Oahu Beach Wedding Locations: Waimanalo Beach

Time of Day: Afternoon

Check out our last Oahu wedding here: https://simpleoahuwedding.com/hunter-janti-oahu-destination-wedding/

With family surrounding them, Hunter and Janti were filled with love and excitement to get married at their Oahu Destination Wedding. Which is exactly how a couple should feel on their wedding day! As our bride made her way down the aisle, her groom couldn’t stop smiling while they made eye contact. It was obvious these two were more than ready to take their relationship to the next level!

And we have every confidence they will have the most amazing life together as husband and wife! Their love is absolutely inspiring, we can’t get over how sweet they were together. Just see for yourself! We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have been part of their Oahu Destination Wedding. Thank you, Hunter and Janti, for letting Simple Oahu Wedding celebrate with you on such a special occasion. Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

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Oahu Wedding Planner: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Mai of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Wedding Photographer: Mike of Karma Hill Photography

Videographer: Orig Media

Oahu Officiant: Pastor John Fuchigami

Musician: David Asing

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Oahu Wedding Venues: Kualoa Beach Park

Time of Day: Sunset

View our recent wedding: The Best of the Best ~ Diana & Rudy’s Oahu Venue Wedding

We love that this bride and groom decided to have an Oahu Venue Wedding even though it would just be the two of them at their ceremony. Who say’s an elopement can’t still be epic and special?! And we can’t imagine anything more epic or special than sailing on a private boat to a secret island with an intimate beach setting to say, “I do”! Just check out these wedding photos and we think you’ll agree it doesn’t get more amazing than this destination location.

Diana and Rudy are both locals to Oahu and live in a beautiful area of Kailua, so their choosing to get married at Kualoa Ranch is an indication that it truly is the best of the best. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to have been asked to help plan their Oahu Venue Wedding of their dreams! As this couple gathered under the trees with the ocean behind them, we knew this would be a day they would always remember and hold close to their hearts. So thank you, Diana and Rudy, for sharing such a special evening with Simple Oahu Wedding. Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

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Oahu Wedding Planner: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Oli of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Wedding Photographer: Mike of Karma Hill Photography

Oahu Officiant: Rev. Kimo Taylor

Musician: Jeremy

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Hair & Make-up: Reveal

Oahu Wedding Venues: Kualoa Secret Island

Time of Day: Evening

View our recent wedding: Tender Moments ~ Alexis & Logan’s Oahu Beach Wedding

Samantha and Nathan have known each other since childhood due to being neighbors their whole life! So being part of their Oahu Elopement was truly special. A real story of the girl next door, how cute is that?! And we love how excited they both are for the journey ahead as husband and wife!

Prior to their ceremony beginning our bride shared a first look moment with her dad just before he walked her down the aisle. It was an incredibly touching experience for them both and we can’t get over the sweet hug they shared! An Oahu Elopement that includes just family members always makes for a memorable occasion ad we are so glad we got to be part it. Thank you, Samantha and Nathan, for trusting Simple Oahu Wedding to help plan the wedding of your dreams. We hope you are both enjoying our sister island of Maui for your honeymoon! Congratulations and Warm Aloha!

Oahu Elopement Coordinator: Simple Oahu Wedding

Onsite Coordinator: Vy of Simple Oahu Wedding

Oahu Elopement Photographer: Megan of Karma Hill Photography

Oahu Officiant: Pastor John Fuchigami

Videographer: Tone Hawaii

Oahu Wedding Floral: Sweet Blossoms Hawaii

Oahu Beach Wedding Locations: Waimanalo Beach

Time of Day: Evening

View our recent wedding: A Celebratory Vibe ~ Emiko & Brandon’s Oahu Venue Wedding