In summary: A permitted beach ceremony is the cheapest way to marry on Maui and by far the most restricted. The state charges 10 cents per square foot with a $20 minimum, caps you at 30 people including your photographer, limits you to two hours covering setup and cleanup, and bans arches, chairs, tents, tables, amplified music and alcohol outright. The beach stays open to the public while you do it.
What a beach permit actually is
Hawaii treats a wedding on state shoreline as a commercial activity, because someone is being paid for goods or services. That triggers a right of entry permit from the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The permit holder is your coordinator, officiant or photographer, not you, and they must carry liability insurance naming the state.
There is no flat price. The fee is 10 cents per square foot, per event, per day, with a minimum of $20 per event, so your total depends on the footprint your vendor requests. Anyone quoting you a fixed beach permit price is guessing.
The permit is separate from your marriage licence, which costs $65 through the Hawaii Department of Health and requires both parties to appear in person. No proxies, no residency requirement, no blood test, no waiting period, and the licence is void if the ceremony does not happen within 30 days.
What is banned, in the state’s own words
This is the part that surprises people, so here it is plainly. The state prohibits placing any accessory, structure, device, appliance or equipment inside the permit area, and names specifically arches, bowers, altars, tables, chairs, kahilis, tents, tarps, signage, kiosks, stanchions and ropes.
No arch. No aisle chairs. No tent. No table. No amplified sound of any kind, so no DJ and no speakers. No alcohol. No driving on the permit area.
What you may have: loose flowers and leis, unamplified instruments including a conch shell, doves or butterflies for release, cameras, a podium or cake stand no bigger than three feet square, and a limited number of chairs strictly for elderly, infirm or disabled guests.
The numbers that decide whether this works for you
- 30 people maximum, including professionals. A photographer, videographer, officiant and planner is four of your thirty.
- Two hours total. Setup, ceremony and restoration all happen inside that window. In practice the ceremony itself is 20 to 30 minutes.
- The beach is not closed for you. The state requires you to minimise inconvenience to the public, and other people will be there.
- $20 minimum permit fee, scaled by the square footage requested.
Where you can actually do it
Hawaii publishes a list of permitted shoreline locations, and it changes, so your vendor should check the current list rather than working from a blog. Makena Cove, which most people call Secret Cove, is entry 118 on the state list and is the best known ceremony beach on the island. Lava rock, open ocean, small enough that 30 people is not a limitation so much as a description.
Other regularly used spots sit along the Makena and Wailea coast in South Maui, on the Kaanapali and Lahaina side in West Maui, and around Paia on the north shore, where trade winds make morning ceremonies the better choice. Beach conditions and access change, so confirm before you commit.
The alternative that most couples end up choosing
Move forty feet inland and the entire rulebook disappears. A ceremony on a private estate lawn or a resort lawn has no state involvement, no headcount cap, no time limit and no ban on chairs, arches, music or a drink in your hand.
Sugar Beach Events in Kihei holds ceremonies on its own oceanfront lawn rather than the public sand for exactly this reason, with packages from $3,600 for up to 20 guests. Kukahiko Estate sits on the Makena coast as a private home. Olowalu Plantation House publishes a full rate card on the west side.
If the sand genuinely matters more than the chairs, the permit route is a wonderful way to get married. If you find yourself planning around the restrictions, you want a lawn. Full process in the beach wedding permit guide.