Hawaii

Holiday ”Engagement Season” Set to Spark Wave of Hawaii Destination Wedding Bookings

Published

1 month ago

December 9, 2025

Holiday ”Engagement Season” Set to Spark Wave of Hawaii Destination Wedding Bookings

Nearly 40 percent of annual proposals happen between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. Simple Hawaii Wedding prepares for its busiest inquiry period as newly engaged couples seek intimate and affordable Hawaii destination weddings.

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – December 9, 2025 – As the holiday season approaches, Simple Hawaii Wedding is gearing up for what the wedding industry calls “engagement season”: the magical period between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day when nearly 40% of all marriage proposals take place.

Approximately 2.5 million couples get engaged annually in the U.S., with 19% of proposals happening in December alone, more than double any other month. Christmas Day ranks as the most popular proposal day, followed by Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

“Based on our experience, we typically see a significant uptick in wedding planning inquiries starting in January as newly engaged couples begin researching their dream wedding locations,” says Karma Hill, founder of Simple Hawaii Wedding.

Smart Couples Choose Intimate Celebrations

Wedding costs have reached record levels, with the average U.S. wedding now costing $36,000 in 2025, up from $29,000 in 2023.

In response, micro-weddings, intimate celebrations with 50 guests or fewer, now represent 18% of all U.S. weddings, up from just 10% in 2013. Industry experts estimate micro-weddings cost over 50% less than traditional celebrations, allowing couples to invest in what brings them joy, an unforgettable honeymoon, a down payment on a home, or peace of mind starting married life.

Hawaii Remains Top Choice

Hawaii ranks among the top three destination wedding locations in the U.S., with approximately 20,000 couples choosing the islands annually. The Hawaii destination wedding industry is projected to grow at 11.6% annually.

“The shift toward intimate weddings isn’t just about saving money, it’s about creating a more meaningful experience,” Hill explains. “The Big Island offers everything from pristine beaches to volcanic landscapes, and we make planning stress-free with all-inclusive packages.”

According to industry research, 30% of couples are reducing guest lists by an average of 25 people, prioritizing quality connections over large-scale productions.

The Simple Hawaii Wedding Difference

Simple Hawaii Wedding specializes in intimate Big Island ceremonies for 50 guests or fewer. With over 20 years of planning experience, the company partners exclusively with professional photographers, officiants, and vendors.

“We handle permits, photography, officiants, florals, and coordination,” says Hill. “Couples can have their dream wedding without the financial strain, emotional stress, or the logistics of a 150-person event.”

Planning Tips for Holiday-Engaged Couples

For couples who get engaged this holiday season and are considering a Hawaii destination wedding, Simple Hawaii Wedding recommends:

Book early – The most popular wedding dates (May, July, and October in Hawaii) fill up quickly
Consider the off-season – February, March, and January offer beautiful weather with fewer crowds
Start planning 9-12 months in advance – This is the average timeline for destination weddings
Research all-inclusive packages – They simplify planning and often provide better value
Trust local experts – Work with planners who know the locations, vendors, and permit requirements

“Our goal is to take the stress out of planning,” says Hill. “We create simply beautiful weddings that are authentically you, without breaking the bank.”

About Simple Hawaii Wedding

Simple Hawaii Wedding provides premium wedding planning services for intimate Big Island weddings, elopements, and vow renewals. Founded by Karma and Steve Hill, the company offers complete wedding packages featuring professional photography through Karma Hill Photography, experienced officiants, stunning floral arrangements, and seamless coordination. Simple Hawaii Wedding provides premium wedding planning services for intimate Big Island weddings, elopements, and vow renewals. Founded by Karma and Steve Hill, the company offers complete wedding packages with professional photography through Karma Hill Photography, experienced officiants, stunning floral arrangements, and seamless coordination.

The company serves the Kona and Kohala coast of the Big Island and also operates Simple Maui Wedding, Simple Oahu Wedding, and Karma Hill Photography, extending a superior standard of service across all island locations.

For more information, visit simplehawaiiwedding.com.

Media Contact
Company Name: Simple Hawaii Wedding
Contact Person: Steven Hill
Email: Send Email
City: Kailua-Kona
State: Hawaii 96740
Country: United States
Website: https://simplehawaiiwedding.com

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Hawaii

Supreme Court seems likely to strike down Hawaii’s restrictions on guns in stores and hotels – The Boston Globe

Published

12 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

Supreme Court seems likely to strike down Hawaii’s restrictions on guns in stores and hotels – The Boston Globe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed likely to strike down Hawaii restrictions on carrying guns into stores Tuesday in the justices’ latest firearm case since their landmark decision expanding Second Amendment rights.

The Trump administration backed the challenge to the law barring guns in places like malls and hotels unless the property owner specifically allows them. It’s sometimes referred to as a “vampire rule,” for its permission requirement.

Hawaii, on the other hand, said the measure is aimed at ensuring private owners have the right to decide whether they want firearms on their property.

Conservative justices, though, seemed roundly skeptical of the state’s argument, questioning whether Hawaii could make similar rules restricting First Amendment freedom of speech rights on private property.

“You’re just relegating the Second Amendment to second-class status,” Justice Samuel Alito said.

Very few people had concealed-carry permits to carry guns in Hawaii before the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that found the Second Amendment generally gives people the right to have firearms in public. The state has granted thousands since then, attorney Neal Katyal said.

Four other states have enacted similar laws, though presumptive restrictions for guns on private property have been blocked in places like New York.

If the court strikes the measure, Hawaii business owners could take their own steps to bar people from bringing in guns. The outcome won’t affect other state restrictions on guns in places like parks, beaches and restaurants that serve alcohol.

The case came before the court after it was challenged by a gun-rights group and three people from Maui. A judge originally blocked it, but an appeals court allowed it to be enforced.

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision by late June.

The justices are hearing another gun case this term, about whether people who regularly use marijuana and other drugs can legally own guns.

In recent years, the justices have struck down a federal ban on gun accessories called bump stocks from Trump’s first term. They upheld regulations on ghost guns imposed under then-President Joe Biden, however, as well as a federal gun law intended to protect domestic violence victims.

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Hawaii

US Supreme Court to hear challenge to Hawaii handgun limits

Published

23 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Press Room

US Supreme Court to hear challenge to Hawaii handgun limits

WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court was set on Tuesday to weigh a challenge to a Hawaii law restricting the carry of handguns on private property that is open to the public, such as most businesses, without the owner’s permission.

The court will hear arguments in an appeal by the challengers – three Hawaii residents with concealed-carry licenses and a Honolulu-based gun rights advocacy group – of a lower court’s ruling against them. The lower court found that Hawaii’s measure likely complies with the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Hawaii’s law requires “express authorization” to bring a handgun onto private property open to the public, either as verbal or written authorization, including “clear and conspicuous signage.”

Hawaii argued in court papers that its law strikes a proper balance between “the right to bear arms and property owners’ undisputed right to choose whether to permit armed entry onto their property.”

The plaintiffs sued to challenge Hawaii’s restrictions weeks after Democratic Governor Josh Green signed the measure into law in 2023. They are being backed by President Donald Trump’s administration, which argued in court papers that Hawaii’s law “deprives individuals who want to exercise their Second Amendment rights of their ability to go about their daily lives.”

“A person carrying a firearm cannot pick up a cup of coffee, get lunch at a drive-through restaurant, stop for gas, enter a parking lot, go into a store, buy groceries or perform other routine tasks that require setting foot on private property,” Justice Department lawyers wrote.

A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

A federal judge preliminarily blocked Hawaii’s restrictions. But the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely ruled against the law’s challengers, prompting their appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court did not take up an aspect of the legal challenge that focused on the law’s provisions banning the carrying of handguns at beaches, bars and other sensitive places.

In a nation bitterly divided over how to address persistent firearms violence including frequent mass shootings, the Supreme Court often has taken an expansive view of Second Amendment protections. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, widened gun rights in three major rulings in 2008, 2010 and most recently in 2022.

The plaintiffs in the Hawaii case have cited that 2022 ruling’s holding that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense. That landmark 6-3 decision, called New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, was powered by the court’s six conservatives, over dissents from the three liberal justices.

The Bruen decision invalidated New York state’s limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home. In doing so, the court created a new test for assessing firearms laws, saying that restrictions must be “consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” not simply advance an important government interest.

The court in 2024 ruled 8-1 that a federal law that makes it a crime for people under domestic violence restraining orders to have guns satisfied the court’s stringent history-and-tradition test.

In March, the court will hear a bid by Trump’s administration to defend a federal law that bars users of illegal drugs from owning guns.

Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham

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Hawaii

Vintage designs by Hawaii icons showcased in muumuu exhibit

Published

1 day ago

January 19, 2026

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Vintage designs by Hawaii icons showcased in muumuu exhibit

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – When it comes to nā wāhine island fashion, there is nothing more unique to Hawaiʻi than the muʻumuʻu.

Aunty Lei Batty of DeStash Hawaiʻi says the muʻumuʻu brings people together through memory, culture and community.

“It is a strong part of our culture. People worldwide see our muʻumuʻus and they identify with who we are, and even the local people identify and have stories that are tied richly to a certain muʻumuʻu style and print,” she said.

That’s exactly what the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts’ “For the Love of Muʻumuʻu” exhibit is all about.

From now until the end of January, many muʻumuʻu have a temporary hale at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said, “What we wear for clothing becomes part of our culture and our traditions, and certainly, the history and the legacy of muʻumuʻus just speaks to the rich traditions of Hawaiʻi. We’re just really proud to be able to do this.”

Aunty Lei said, “I think the muʻumuʻu has evolved a lot throughout the different designers, the styles, the periods, through colors, through fashion.”

You’re invited to come down and check out many island fashion icons like Nakeʻu Awai, Reyn Spooner, Liberty House and Bete Muʻumuʻu, who over the years have really made their mark with their beautiful designs of the colorful garments.

“These pieces are iconic. They’ve lasted throughout the 66 years that Bete has been in fashion,” Aunty Lei said.

Most importantly, many island designers and fashion leaders in the islands say the legacy of the muʻumuʻu lives on and encourages the next generation to keep this fabric of island life alive.

“I want them to embrace and continue this beautiful culture, rich fashion history that we have,” said Aunty Lei.

The exhibit honors Muʻumuʻu Month, which began in 2014 when Kauaʻi designer Shannon Hiramoto challenged herself to wear a different vintage muʻumuʻu every day in January.

The community is invited, but not required, to dress for the occasion by wearing muʻumuʻu.

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