A Kauai wedding is unique. A traditional ceremony has a different meaning for every couple, therefore a Kauai wedding ceremony is a personal statement, a reflection of their tastes, interests and respect for their heritage.
Photo credit: HTJ
In ancient times, there was no ceremony comparable to the modern wedding. Marriage, as it is known today, did not exist. There were no government licensing and no legal requirements, particularly for the maka`ainana, the common people, who had traditions which varied from district to district and family to family.
Hawaiian royalty, however, did have a marriage ceremony, though it was not intended to confirm a marriage in the western sense. The ceremony asked for the blessing of the gods for the children of a royal union, to assure that they were born with perfect bodies and minds, and great mana, or spiritual power.
Ceremonies could be as simple as the royal couple being escorted to their new sleeping hale (house) and wrapped together in a sheet of pure white kapa (bark cloth) with their family priests and chanters offering prayer and song for the union and offspring, to elaborate ceremonies of several days length involving hundreds of the courts' priests and chanters, relatives, and interested parties. These ceremonies are sometimes called ho`ao.
After the introduction of Christianity in 1819, the Christian style wedding was adopted by many families and eventually became the legal form.
From ancient times to the present, certain aspects of the wedding ceremony have become the traditions of today like the wearing, giving and receiving of lei (garland of flowers). The lei is the Hawaiian symbol of love and aloha. The custom of giving and receiving leis at weddings began in the days of old Hawaii. During the ceremony the kahuna (religious man) bound the hands of the bride and groom with maile leis as a symbol of the couple's commitment to each other.
Today, the fragrant maile lei is entwined with pikake (white jasmine) and ilima is often worn by the groom. The groom wears a long sleeve white shirt and white pants. A long red, or colored sash, is worn wrapped about his waist.
The bride sometimes wears a haku (or head) lei instead of a traditional headpiece and wears a long, white formal version of the muumuu called a 'holoku.' Triple strands of delicate pikake are also appropriate for the mother of the bride and groom.
Hawaiian weddings are frequently held outdoors on the beach, in a tropical garden, or even on a boat. Kauai is a favorite honeymoon location because of its quiet, romantic beauty. The beautiful "Hawaiian wedding Song" made famous by Elvis in the movie "Blue Hawaii" (which was filmed on Kauai) is often sung at the ceremony.
While there was no such thing as cake in ancient Hawai`i, we know that haupia, a coconut pudding, was a popular treat here for over 1,000 years. Today, haupia cake is an island favorite, and very appropriate for weddings. A coconut-flavored white cake is made, and coated with the haupia pudding, and often decorated with fresh island flowers and ferns.