In summary: Makena Cove, which everyone calls Secret Cove, is a small public pocket beach on Maui’s south shore and one of the shoreline locations Hawaii will issue a wedding permit for. The rules are strict and non negotiable: 30 people total including your photographer, two hours covering setup and cleanup, no arch, no chairs, no amplified music and no alcohol. The beach stays open to the public throughout.
What the permit actually costs
There is no flat Makena Cove price, and anyone quoting you one is guessing. The state charges 10 cents per square foot, per event, per day, with a minimum fee of $20 per event. Your total depends on the footprint your permit holder requests. The $20 minimum is the only fixed number that exists.
The permit is a right of entry permit issued for commercial activity, because the state treats a ceremony where anyone is paid for goods or services as commercial. It is separate from your marriage licence, which costs $65 through the Hawaii Department of Health and requires both parties to appear in person. Proxies are not allowed, there is no residency requirement, no blood test and no waiting period, but the licence is void if the ceremony does not happen within 30 days.
What is banned, in the state’s own words
This is where couples get surprised, so here it is plainly. The state’s terms prohibit placing any accessory, structure, device, appliance or equipment within the permit area, and name 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, which means no DJ, no PA and no powered speakers. No alcohol anywhere in the permit area. No driving on the permit area.
What you are allowed: loose flowers and leis, unamplified instruments including a conch shell, doves or butterflies for release, cameras, a small podium or cake stand no larger than three feet square, and a limited number of chairs strictly for elderly, infirm or disabled guests.
The permit also does not close the beach. The state requires you to minimise inconvenience to the public, and other people will be there while you say your vows.
The two hours are not two hours of wedding
The state limits setup, event and restoration together to two hours. Everything your vendors do, from arriving to hauling the last petal away, happens inside that window. In practice a Makena Cove ceremony is 20 to 30 minutes with photographs either side.
The 30 person cap counts professionals. A photographer, a videographer, an officiant and a planner is four of your thirty. Plan the guest list accordingly.
How to actually get the permit
You do not apply. The permit holder is typically a wedding coordinator or professional, and applications plus a certificate of liability insurance go to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Land Division. The 2019 application packet requires comprehensive public liability insurance of at least $500,000 per incident and $1,000,000 aggregate, although an older document on the same site states lower figures, so have your planner confirm the current requirement.
Contact is dlnr.wiki.permits@hawaii.gov or 808-587-0449, Land Division, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 220, Honolulu, HI 96813. Once approved, the permit holder gets access to the state’s online system to reserve and purchase permits.
Our beach wedding permit guide covers the same process for every permitted beach on the island.
What we could not confirm
We publish what the venue publishes and we say so when a number is missing. These are the gaps on this venue as of our last check, and each one is worth asking about on your first call:
- The required application lead time. The state does not publish one.
- Parking capacity or rules at the cove. No official figure exists.
- The current insurance requirement, because two state documents disagree ($500,000 / $1,000,000 versus $300,000 / $500,000).
- Whether the May 2025 permitted beach list is still current. The document itself says to re-check.
Last verified 2026-07-31. Capacities, fees and policies change. Confirm directly with the venue before you sign anything.
Where this fits on Maui
Makena Cove is the right answer for two people and a photographer who want lava rock and open ocean and do not care about chairs. The moment you want an arch, a sound system, a drink in your hand or more than 30 guests, you want a private property instead. Kukahiko Estate sits on the same stretch of coast and is a private home. Sugar Beach Events gives you a lawn a few miles north with none of these restrictions. See also Maui beach ceremony spots.
