HAWAIIAN WEDDING

Flower Lei

The Hawaii fragrant flower lei is a bridge to ancient Hawaiian culture. A lei is given at every joyous occasion and certainly in celebration of your Maui wedding. The Hawaiian lei represents the Joy of Life. It is a treasured jewel in these islands and so precious that it is often used to mean “child.” A Maui wedding lei can be made out of flowers, seeds, leaves, vines, ferns, nuts or fruits. Maui wedding flower leis are typically made out of plumeria, orchids, tuberose, pikake, crown flowers, rosebuds, ilima, gingers, Ti and Maile leaves. The pink lakelani rose is Maui’s flower.

The maile lei is considered to be the oldest lei and worn by both bride and groom.

Ti leaf was sacred to the early Hawaiians and an emblem of divine rank and high power. The bright yellow and orange ilima blossoms were worn only by the ruling class. Pregnant women are recommended to wear an open lei as Hawaiians believe that the lei symbolizes the umbilical cord which has to be “open” and flowing.

Your Hawaiian wedding lei will be exchanged during your wedding ceremony as a symbol of your love and appreciation for one another. Hand-picked tropical wedding flowers are combined with love and aloha as a reflection of your love. The early Hawaiians would only exchange flower leis as a symbol of their love. Wedding rings are a western tradition which came to the islands in the mid 1800s.

A word about Niu, or coconut: in many parts of the tropics the coconut is called the “Tree of Life” because of its many uses. It is a wonderful source of liquid refreshment in Hawaii. In addition to providing food and water, niu gives leaves for weaving and thatching, trunks for pahu (drums), nut shells for bowls and tools. It is used for starting fires and making cordage. Many people enjoy drinking out of coconuts during their Maui wedding ceremony and in doing so, they honor niu’s life-giving and sustaining power.

MAUI HAWAIIAN WEDDING TRADITION OF

BLOWING THE PU

Hawaiians used the Pu or conch shell, a large shell with an opening on one side, to announce an event. It makes a beautiful hollow sound and a Pu blower can be heard from miles away. The Pu in your Maui Wedding is used to symbolically let the world know about a very special moment: the beginning of your Maui wedding ceremony!

In many modern Hawaii wedding ceremonies, the conch shell blower announces the arrival of the bride by walking in front of her and blowing into the four directions of the Earth. East toward Haleakala, the world’s largest dormant volcano and house of the rising sun. North toward the Maui Mountains and jungles where spirits gather. West toward the eternal ocean, where live starts and ends, and South toward you, the wedding couple, to bring all the good thoughts, mana (power and energy) and aloha (love) to you.

FROM ANCIENT HAWAIIAN TRADITIONS

HULA DANCING

Hawaiian Hula is an ancient and sacred form of expressing deepest feelings and connects the dancer with the divine. It carries a message about what the Hawaiians did, thought, lived and believed in. Without any written language, the Hula was seen as the history book for the Hawaiians. In the early days, a child was chosen to be a dancer and often lived with his teacher.

When the missionaries arrived in Hawaii in 1821, they quickly banned the Hula as they thought this dance to be too sensual. The moving hands and feet, the swirling hips and the squatting was not what they wanted to see. Yet Hula refused to go away. The beloved Hawaiian dance continued to be practiced in secret until the ban was lifted. The KAHIKO is the ancient Hula. It is performed in traditional costumes like the green ti leaf skirt. The Hula AUANA is the modern version of hula dancing.

ANCIENT HAWAIIAN

CHANTING

Chanting is the way to tell a story for the Hawaiians. Every Hawaiian ceremony starts with a welcoming chant, the Oli Aloha. A Hawaiian chanter will also walk the bride down the aisle, chanting or telling a story of love and devotion. A Hawaiian chanter will also do a special lei chant while you are exchanging your Maui wedding leis.

HAWAIIAN WEDDING

TORCH BEARING

Candles are not often used during your outdoor Maui wedding ceremony because of the wind. Instead, you may choose to include a Hawaiian torch bearer during your Maui wedding celebration, which symbolically means to bring light into your life. Hawaiian fire dancing is also done with torches and a spectacular addition to any Maui wedding ceremony at sunset.

HAWAIIAN OUTRIGGER

CANOE

The Outrigger Canoe, or wa’a in Hawaiian, is a type of canoe that features lateral support floats known as outriggers, traditionally fastened to the left side of the main hull. This design bestows greater stability and seaworthiness which allows a beautifully dressed Bride and Groom to get in and out the outrigger canoe easily. The special outrigger design sets these canoes apart from all others. Many traditional skills are associated with the practicing of both the rigging and paddling of outrigger canoes. Hawaiians used this amazing watercraft for their everyday life in fishing the oceans and traveling between islands, culminating in epic journeys.

Arriving to your Maui wedding in a Hawaiian outrigger canoe is an amazing and special way to start your Hawaiian wedding. Traditionally the groom awaits his bride on a secluded beach while the bride and canoe paddlers arrive from a different sandy location, paddling a short distance to the designated wedding ceremony destination. Upon arrival on the beach, the groom meets his bride and escorts her into a circle of flowers and the Hawaiian ceremony begins. At the end of the ceremony, both bride and groom go for a short ride on the ocean together in the outrigger canoe.

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