The flower lei exchange
Your hand-picked leis, strung in the old way with love and aloha, are exchanged during the ceremony as a symbol of your love for one another. Many couples also drink from a coconut, honoring niu, the 'tree of life'.
Traditions
Ma'ane'i no ke Aloha, because love is present here and now
Hawaiian Wedding Traditions
We believe Hawaiian Wedding Traditions need to be treated with respect and meaning. When you choose Ancient Hawaiian Weddings, you choose a team that understands the WHY behind every tradition we include.
A bridge to old Hawaii
Hawaiian Flower Lei
The fragrant flower lei is seen as a bridge to Ancient Hawaiian culture. A lei is given at every joyous occasion and certainly in celebration of your Maui wedding. It represents the joy of life and is a treasured jewel of these islands. It is so precious, that it is often used to mark life's most meaningful moments.
A wedding lei is made out of fresh flowers for the Bride and the sacred Maile vine for the Groom. Your Hawaiian wedding lei will be exchanged during your ceremony as a symbol of your love and appreciation for one another. A tradition of devotion we carry forward in every ceremony we arrange.
Woven into your ceremony
Hawaiian wedding traditions
Blowing the pū
The conch shell, or Pu, holds a sacred place in Hawaiian tradition as a ceremonial instrument used to mark significant moments and communicate across distance. Traditionally made from a large triton shell with the tip cut off to create a mouth piece, the pu produces a deep, resonant tone and was historically used to announce the arrival of chiefs, signal the start of important events, or send messages between villages. Blowing the pu is often done facing the cardinal directions, symbolizing a call to the ancestors, the land, the ocean, inviting their presence and blessing.
The Hawaiian chant (oli)
Chanting is how Hawaiians tell a story. Every Hawaiian ceremony opens with a welcoming chant, the Oli Aloha. A chanter may walk the bride down the aisle, telling a story of love and devotion, and perform a special lei chant as you exchange your wedding leis.
Hula dancing
The ancient form of Hula was never simple entertainment. It was a sacred language, a way to honor the Gods and pass down the stories of chiefs, nature and the land itself. Every movement carried meaning. A hand gesture might trace a mountain ridge, an ocean current or the birth of an island. This type of Hula was inseparable from oli, the chant, and ipu heke, a ground drum.
The outrigger canoe
The waʻa, or outrigger canoe, was the Hawaiians' craft for fishing and voyaging between islands. Traditionally the groom awaits his bride on a secluded beach while she arrives by canoe; he meets her, escorts her into the circle of flowers, and after the ceremony the two of you take a short ride together on the ocean.
Oli · the Hawaiian chant
The voice of a Hawaiian chanter
A traditional oli, a welcoming chant that is performed at the beginning of a Hawaiian ceremony.
Which traditions speak to you?