WHAT WE DO
Traditional Indian Wedding Ceremonies in Hawaii
With over twenty years of wedding experience, we performing Vivaha Samskara, Indian Wedding Ceremonies on the Hawaiian Islands. The ancient Vedic “vivaha” marriage ceremony is an Indian tradition dating thousands of years. During the ceremony we recite sacred Vedic mantras to invoke auspiciousness and blessings. We customise your wedding ceremony based on your culture, traditions, and ancestral roots.
FULL SERVICE
Indian Wedding Planning and Event Coordination
Vivaha Hawaii is a full service Indian Wedding Planning and Event Coordination Company exclusively doing Indian Wedding Ceremonies on all the major Hawaiian Islands – Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai.
From the sangeet, the night before, to the reception party the night of, we handle every detail of your wedding so you are free to enjoy your wedding as a dream come true. We are dedicated to creating beautiful, personalized, one-of-a-kind weddings for brides and grooms from all over the world. Whether you are interested in full service wedding planning or simply looking for a Brahmin Priest to perform your ceremony, we are here for you!
Vivaha Hawaii’s goal is to assist you in planning a beautiful, fun, stress-free destination wedding while still having a chance to appreciate the unique beauty and culture of the Hawaiian Islands.
ABOUT
Indian Weddings
An Indian marriage is not only a union between the bride and groom but it is also a tie between two families for generations to come. The marriage is performed in the presence of Agni, the Holy fire. Agni is a great protector against evil and also a messenger between God and humans. He is an eternal witness to the marriage. Indian marriage ceremonies differ based on region, tradition and culture, however, the the underlying principal of sacred union is the same.
MEET
Our Team of Wedding Professionals
Pandit Ramananda
Hindu Priest
Pandit Ramananda is a Hindu priest in the disciplic succession of the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya with over 40 years of experience in sacred rituals and mantras. He is a direct disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Panditji has extensive knowledge of the Vedas, Puranas, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Ramayana, Maha Bharata and the Upanishads.
Yugala Rasa
Wedding Planner
Yugala Rasa is a full time wedding planner. She holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from the University of Vilnius, Lithuania. Yugala is a dedicated professional specializing in Indian Weddings for Vivaha Hawaii. She will assist you all along the way, from planning to the big day itself. She is an experienced planner, always available to you by phone or email and will ensure you pick quality vendors at reasonable prices, remember all the little details and allow you to enjoy your special day stress free!
Adideva Vipra
Assistant Hindu Priest
Adideva Vipra is an assistant brahmin priest for Vivaha Hawaii. He was born in Maharastra, India. He speaks Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and is fluent in English. He is an initiated member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He is learned in Vedic Sacrifices and samskaras such as the vivaha wedding samskara. Adideva chants precise vedic mantras in Sanskrit as well as some Bengali verse. He is also a pujari for the ISKCON Hare Krishna Temple in Honolulu.
Kanu Priya
Assistant Wedding Planner
Kanu Priya spent her childhood immersed in the study of Vedic culture. Since 1997, she has assisted with annual Bhakti Yoga Festivals, which include Vedic weddings, performances, catering, and many other activities. Her frequent travels to India enriched a deep appreciation and understanding of Vedic culture and its traditions. Whether it’s assisting the bride with her sari, arranging decorations, final catering changes, or any last-minute adjustments she takes care of it all!
Our Vision
Traditional Indian Weddings
We have a clear vision – modern Indian wedding in accordance with traditions. We always achieve the desired effect. Our brides don’t have nightmares before their wedding.
Vivaha Hawaii is a wedding agency that specializes in achieving your vision. WE DO WHAT YOU WANT:
- We don’t like a formal approach.
- We work with you to develop a clear vision of your dream event, and then we go out in the real world and make it happen.
The average bride spends at least 200 hours preparing for her wedding. Our brides have no nightmares before the wedding and spend up to 50 hours preparing. We leave them only pleasant chores: staging a dance, choosing a dress and rings, shooting a love story, or rehearsing a wedding hairstyle. We take care of the rest. We organize meetings for the venue, photographer, and chatterers. Nothing is left to chance.
Let Us Take Care Of Your Indian Paradise Wedding
WHY YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE US?
INDIVIDUAL APPROACH
Every love story is unique. Your wedding must be special. Our team will help realize your dream wedding, the atmosphere in which you will feel comfortable whirling in a first dance with the person for whom you are the whole world. Our task is to understand what unites you and develop this feature in the theme of the wedding day.
MORE THAN 150 RELIABLE VENDORS
Vivaha Hawaii works only with trusted vendors who provide a quality level of services on time.
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
We value the time of our couples and make the process of preparing for the wedding as comfortable as possible! Wedding consultation is appointed at a convenient place and time that fits your schedule.
OUR MAIN TASK IS TO ENSURE YOUR COMFORT, CARE ABOUT YOUR TIME AND COMPETENT DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR BUDGET.
THINK ABOUT ORGANIZING YOUR WEDDING IN ADVANCE
The best venues, photographers, videographers, florist, as a rule, are booked months in advance. In order them to take part in your event, you need to contact the agency as early as possible. Preparing a proposal for design and decoration, calculating the cost, also requires a lot of time to work out and take into account all the details and minutiae of installation. Organizing a wedding is a long process, and the more time you have to prepare, the better the result will be.
THINK ABOUT ORGANIZING YOUR WEDDING IN ADVANCE
The best venues, photographers, videographers, florist, as a rule, are booked months in advance. In order them to take part in your event, you need to contact the agency as early as possible. Preparing a proposal for design and decoration, calculating the cost, also requires a lot of time to work out and take into account all the details and minutiae of installation. Organizing a wedding is a long process, and the more time you have to prepare, the better the result will be.
TOP 10 QUESTIONS FOR A WEDDING AGENCY
1. Can the preliminary estimate increase during the preparation process?
It may increase, or it may decrease. We do sell ready-made package as a special offers with a fixed price. Couples come to us to create a unique holiday, where we select a venue, a team, create décor and considering all the voiced wishes. Prices for wedding services have a very strong spread. One restaurant closes for $10 000, and another for $30 000. The preliminary estimate is a price guideline for us during the preparation. We offer you services both cheaper and more expensive than the original cost, and only you decide who to choose.
Please use our calculator (TAG TO CALCULATOR) to estimate you dream wedding.
2. Do you only work with your own vendors?
We do not limit your choice. It often happens that a couple comes with their host or photographer, who worked at the wedding of friends and really liked it. We are not against new acquaintances; the main thing is that the invited contractor is a professional and able to work in a team. Therefore, before booking and making an advance payment, we ask you to coordinate the candidate with us.
The only fundamental point is that we do not work with third-party decor studios. We ask you to treat with understanding, because the decor is the first impression of the guests, the visual component of the wedding and our reputation. We cooperate with several studios, each of which implements different kinds of designs – from small to large-scale. We will offer you a team of decorators that best suits your style, goals and budget to make your decor as spectacular as possible.
3. Will there be a choice of vendors, contractors and other services?
There will be a choice, of course. For venues, we provide a maximum of options that fit set parameters for given dates. If we do not offer a banquet hall from online, it means that the institution is not within the budget or is occupied or simply blacklisted by the organizers. Often the photo and video materials on sites may be old or do not reflect the vendor acutately. In this case, we send additional detailed video reviews shot by phone. After the preliminary selection, we go to see the venue. A selection of contractors usually consists of 2-4 options. From experience, this will be more than eought for couples to choose from. If the not we will send additional options.
4. When and how to pay to Vivaha Hawaii and vendors?
To book a particular wedding service, prepayment is required. Approximately 50% of the estimate will be needed at the initial stages, when we approve the venue and book the team. 2-3 weeks before the wedding date, another 50% is paid (these funds go to the full payment for the florist and décor). Now everyone can accept payment by bank transfer what is very convenient for couples who not live in Hawaii.
As for payment directly for our services for organizing a wedding. It breaks into 3 parts:
- 30% of the fee upon signing the Agreement.
- The second 30% after the completion of a certain list of works (everything is detailed in our Contract)
- the balance along with the total calculation of the estimate
5. Do you have discounts and special offers with venues and vendors?
Yes, we have friendly relations with many venues and contractors and work on special terms that are more favorable than when you contacting them directly without agency. Vivaha Hawaii have a special agreement with Hilton Waikola and Mauna Loa Resort. Please learn more about at our special offers.
But it is important to understand that on the high season (Christmas eve, Valentin day, summer weekends), even for “great” friendship, discounts are generally not offered. Discounted offers are more prevelent during off-season and weekdays.
6. How are relationships with the agency and other contractors legally formalized?
Vivaha Hawaii will provide a Contract for the wedding services within the framework of US law, which spells out all the important aspects of the relationship. Separate Contracts for services are signed with the venue and contractors. All documents go throughly checked for adequacy and, of course, legality. It is important to specify the date, time, place, exact list of services, cost, cancellation conditions for the Customer/Contractor, liability, force majeure. The contract is not only a record of all oral agreements, but also spells out the working conditions of a particular contractor.
7. How many meetings will we have during preparation?
We have no limits on the number of meetings. On average, during the preparation of the wedding, we meet with you 8-10 times. For your convenience and to save time, we can hold some of the meetings via video conferencing. Communication with vendors usually takes place via instant messengers (What’s app, Telegram).
We are always open and will meet with you without any problems and call you additionally if something worries you or you just need advice.
8. What to do if your wedding date falls under Covid-19 related quarantine measures?
First of all, don’t panic. We have already gone through this scenario and know how to proceed. In the Contract with Vivaha Hawaii there is a clause on postponing the date of the event to any free date during the year, while maintaining all the original financial conditions. We add similar clauses to Contracts with contractors (florist, photographer, videographer, cover band, etc.), which allows us to minimize financial losses. Of course, there is another side – it’s stress, uncertainty, the desire to cancel everything, because so much time and effort was invested in the process of preparing the wedding. Unfortunately, we are all hostages of the situation, and we just need to calm down, weigh everything and make the right decision. For our part, we guarantee support, solution of all related legal and financial issues. We wish health to you and your loved ones!
9. What is the process for getting married in the State of Hawaii?
1. The first thing you need to do to get legally married in the state of Hawaii is apply online for a marriage license application. The State of Hawaii charges a one time filing fee of $65 dollars. This needs to be done before the wedding and can be done before you arrive in Hawaii. Click here to fill out your marriage license application.
Important: On page 4 of the online application, at the top of the page you will see an entry for “Name of Performer” Commissioned by the State of Hawaii. From the drop down menu select “CASTILLO, RONALD”.
2. The next step needs to be done in Hawaii and before the wedding ceremony. You and your spouse need to go in person to show your picture ID’s and documents to receive your marriage license application. This can be done with a license agent. Click here to view a list of license agents on all of the Hawaiian Islands.
3. After the ceremony your priest will sign and submit your license to the State of Hawaii. You can access your certificate online within 5 days. You will be mailed your certificated copy in about 30 days
4. For more info on this process call 808-586-4545. Press option #4.
10. Our wedding in 3 weeks, WHAT I HAVE TO DO?!
If you find yourself in a similar situation – CALL RIGHT NOW!
We will succeed and save your wedding.