Wedding business is booming in state that caters to tourists

Hawaii is the wedding destination for tens of thousands of couples every year.
HONOLULU (AP) -- Standing on an empty white-sand beach as the waves softly rolled in and the sun peeked out from over the Pacific, KC and Shannon Bradshaw exchanged leis and wedding vows before an intimate crowd of family and friends.
The simple yet spectacular setting during sunrise at Oahu's Sandy Beach gave the couple from San Jose, Calif., their fantasy wedding.
"Getting married in Hawaii was a dream come true," Shannon Bradshaw said. "I always dreamed of being Cinderella and that was my Cinderella moment."
For thousands of couples every month, Hawaii's romantic sunsets, lush tropical gardens and pristine beaches provide an idyllic backdrop for a wedding.
And state tourism officials are for the first time compiling data that give a glimpse of just how vast and lucrative the nuptial business is in Hawaii.
Statistics
The Bradshaws were among the 51,288 of Hawaii's 1.6 million visitors who reported coming to the islands to get married in the first three months of this year, according to Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism statistics.
"The great news is the wedding and honeymoon market is big and it has been growing and expanding," said Tony Vericella, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Although domestic visitors outnumbered international visitors 2 to 1 through March, there were many more weddings involving foreign visitors, mostly from Japan.
About 8 percent of all foreign visitors, or 39,943, reported coming to Hawaii to get married. That compares to just 1 percent, or 11,345, of mainland visitors here for that purpose.
Weddings translate into thousands -- even tens of thousands -- of dollars for hotels, houses of worship, retailers, wedding planners, florists, caterers and a variety of other businesses.
Tourism officials said couples who get married in Hawaii tend to be affluent, stay for their honeymoon and later return for vacations or anniversaries. They also bring family and friends to the islands.
Japanese couples average about seven or eight wedding guests, while couples from the U.S. mainland bring more.
"If ever a couple is going to spend some dollars, it's going to be on their wedding and their honeymoon because it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Marsha Weinert, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau.
Wedding planners
But the Bradshaws say their simple and unforgettable wedding was affordable, partly because there is so much competition in Hawaii's wedding business. Shannon Bradshaw talked to about 10 wedding planners before selecting one.
She eventually went with Barry Maier, owner of Aloha Beautiful Hawaii Weddings, who said many couples like Hawaii because it wraps everything into a single experience.
"They put everything into one," he said. "They get a beautiful, romantic trip they're dreaming of and they put their wedding together as well."
Susan O'Donnell, owner of Aloha Wedding Planners, said each of Hawaii's various islands offers couples a unique setting.
O'Donnell said Oahu offers couples a more urban atmosphere with many activities and a nightlife. The Big Island is more remote with rain forests and an active volcano, with very little nightlife. Maui is something in between.
"I think we sell Kauai because it's still not the commercial spot," said Rod Lau, sales director for the Kauai Marriott. "It's still very romantic. It's not overdone. It's definitely not a Waikiki."
Subtle touches
Luxury resorts coupled with the remoteness and privacy of the islands have drawn numerous weddings for celebrities and the world's wealthy, from Lisa Marie Presley to Bill Gates.
"Friends" actor Matt LeBlanc got married on Kauai earlier this month. The week before, tennis star Lindsay Davenport tied the knot on a Hawaiian beach.
"Hawaii is a unique and special place that's not duplicated anywhere in the world," Vericella said. "Hawaii is a place that's welcoming and nobody feels they're a stranger. Everybody can feel comfortable here, whether they have celebrity status or they don't."
Scenery aside, every wedding has subtle touches of Hawaiian culture, whether it be the wearing of leis, a tropical floral bouquet, a ukulele replacing the traditional organ or the groom shedding the tie and tuxedo for formal Hawaiian attire.
Although the war in Iraq, fears of the SARS virus and the slumping economy in Asia have taken a toll on Japanese and other foreign visitors' coming to Hawaii for weddings and honeymoons, business from the U.S. mainland remains steady.