Hawaiian Wedding Culture and Traditions

At a 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.

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.

Hawaiian chiefs created political alliances by marrying both commoners and other royalty. Most chiefs had many wives and provided for adopted as well as biological children. Engagements were arranged by the parents of the prospective bride and groom during their late childhood or early adolescence. When arrangements were settled by the parents,

These Hawaiian children are gathered in celebration of Lei Day. The young people were consulted, and once agreement to the match was obtained from all parties, the engagement became binding. The extended community that constituted the couple's family gave the bride and groom away. Hawaiian weddings were traditionally, and continue to be, associated with flowers.

Both the bride and groom wear elaborate leis, necklaces of flowers, nuts, seeds, and other plant material woven together. Traditional Hawaiian weddings are still performed with the addition of whatever civil or religious sanction is necessary for legal purposes.

There are also superstitions linked with weddings: The bride and groom are not wished good luck on their wedding day, as this can result in bad luck. The only way this unfortunate situation can be reversed is for the individual who was offered the wish to cross his or her fingers immediately after it is offered, thus counteracting the curse. In addition, pearls should not be worn on the wedding day, as they resemble tears and will cause the marriage to be filled with sorrow.