“Traveling, it leaves you speechless then turns you into a story teller” ~ Ibn Battuta
Our Destination Wedding Story (…in a nutshell)
The moment we decided to tie the knot, the devoted travelers in set out to say our “I-do’s“in a magical place abroad. Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu was #1 on our list. After traveling to 46 countries, I can honestly say – Turtle Bay Resort is my favourite place on earth!
We originally envisioned a very small wedding on a beach with only close family. This instantaneously shifted into 6th gear with a simple text to our closest friends. We asked “hypothetically speaking, would you come if we get married in Hawaii?” A fanatic, unanimous response of “YESSS!!!” changed this into a wedding to remember.
Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu remained our #1 choice. Oahu is known for the bustling Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbour among many other attractions. Turtle Bay Resort perched up on the North Shore of Oahu is a beautiful 1-hour drive up the coast. This was not only one of my late father’s favourite places we visited as a family, it was a slice of heaven on earth that Winston and I rediscovered 3 years prior to our wedding.
We chose to make our wedding a 3-day celebration to rejoice our friends and family who travelled so far to share our day with us. Beginning with a poolside cook-off, afternoon games on the beach, wedding eve, Mai Tai sunset at, and morning group trail run, Turtle Bay was spot-on for this particular function.
Looking back, how I wish I knew how complicated organizing a destination wedding on your own could be. That said, we made it happen, and the day was absolutely PERFECT (well for the most part…read my advice below!)
Turtle Bay Resort for a Destination Wedding
Venue
Turtle Bay Resort offers a TON for any traveler.
- Breathtaking beaches: from a relatively calm bays filled with tropical fish and turtles where you can safely snorkel on the north shore, to crashing waves that attract world-wide surfers and provide unimaginable sunsets. There is a beach for everyone.
- Miles of bamboo filled trails to walk, run, or ride horseback,
- Stand up paddle boarding, surfing, and 2, 5-star golf courses, yoga…you name it!
- Each room is oceanfront, extraordinarily comfy bedding, roomy and the crashing pacific ocean waves will make for the best sleeps ever!
Oahu’s North Shore offers a vibe unlike no other. It is a small surf town, doused with world-class surfing beaches, funky shops, food trucks, while still offering the luxury of 5-star resort living at Turtle Bay Resort. Whether it is for a destination wedding location, or simply a vacation, this neck of the woods still stands to be one of my favourites on earth. Each and every one of our guests were blown away with this location (and still talk about it to this day).
As a destination wedding locale, Turtle Bay is absolutely perfect. The resort hosts a vast variety of ceremony and reception locations within the resort from beach, grass, stable, golf course to an oceanside pavilion. For our particular wedding we chose a beach location but due to high winds forecasted on our wedding day we re-located into the oceanside Pavilion for the ceremony, which was impeccably gorgeous.
Accommodations
Turtle Bay Resort is set on a breathtaking piece of land. Each room is directly overlooking the ocean overlooking mesmerizing crashing waves and super comfy beds. From hotel rooms to private beachside villas, it is truly a 5-star resort, stamped with my personal 5-star rating. The resort has undergone new ownership since our wedding and according to my research they utilized the time during the pandemic to completely renovate and reinvigorate the entire property.
Food
Our mouth watering wedding meal was absolutely sensational offering an Hawaiian inspired asian fusion menu. Not forgetting to mention the heavenly Mai Tais at Roys Beach house, and The Point! We also opted for a post-wedding buffet breakfast and was BY FAR the best breakfast buffet I have ever had.
Things you MUST know if you are getting married at Turtle Bay Resort (or anywhere in Hawaii)
#1) Hawaiian 10pm noise By-law
If your wedding is to take place outdoors, the state of Hawaii enforces a noise by-law that prevents your outside wedding from going beyond 10pm. Completely understanding the reason for this, we simply wish we knew this earlier into our planning. Gratefully, the resort opened up one of their night clubs (that was meant to be closed that evening with no where for our guests to go). The wedding reception flew by quicker than we ever thought. With that said, I would personally recommend to start your wedding early in the day if you are getting married in Hawaii.
#2) Go the extra mile $$
Brides: Don’t try to do everything on your own. The resort offers help for every step of the way. This is my only regret, as I tried to do too much on my own. Our only challenge during the planning stage was the 5-6 hour Hawaiian time change from Toronto. Take that into account as well.
#3) Make use of a Travel Advisor
Allow the a Travel Advisor who is familiar with your destination wedding choice unload your plate of extra work. By the way, as a Travel Agent and I am more than happy to help you!
#4) Hire Fire Dancers
Authentic Hawaiian Fire dancers were a quintessential addition to our wedding day. Just after sunset, Hawaii Hula Company performed a spectacular Hawaiian Fire dance. They were a pleasure to work with and took our wedding from being fabulous, to absolutely outstanding!!
If you or anyone you may know of would like help sourcing out a location and travel details for your destination wedding (or any other travel plans) reach out anytime, I would be honoured to help. My four specialties are group travel, destination weddings, Hawaiian land travel, and cruise travel.
Photography credits go to Oahu’s Marella Photography. She too was a delight to work with!
A hui hou (until we meet again) Turtle Bay!!
