MARRIAGE INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  In the State of Hawaii, if you take out a marriage license, have a ceremony by a State registered officiant, and are declared "husband and wife", from that moment on you are married - even if you have not signed the license.  If there are any doubts about finalizing the ceremony, you need to stop the officiant BEFORE you are declared "husband and wife".

In the State of Hawaii, Wedding Performers are either Judges (Justice of the Peace) or have a religious title - minister, pastor, reverend, etc..

*Can you give me more information about Marriage Licensing? Please visit this site

http://health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-licenses/

You may begin the licensing process online and pay by credit card.  You may fill out and pay the online registration several months in advance. 

You will need to physically acquire the license by meeting with a State Agent in person.  Both the Bride and Groom must be present with valid identification.

You may go to the Department of Health to meet with a State Agent, or you may arrange to meet with a State Agent outside of office hours.

http://health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/license-agents/

You must have a license to be legally wed. You can acquire your license as early as 30 days before your ceremony.

You may take out the license without knowing when, where, or who is conducting your ceremony.  The Wedding Performer will fill this in after the ceremony and to finalize the marriage registration.

You must have  the license before we perform the ceremony.

You must bring the license to the ceremony site. This is the second most important thing besides your presence at the ceremony.

We will sign the marriage license  during the ceremony, unless you instruct me otherwise.  Since I am registered with the State of Hawaii online, I will complete your account information after the marriage within 2 days.

You may arrange to meet with a State Agent outside of office hours.  To arrange this please  go to this link

http://health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/license-agents/

No witness is necessary.  The Wedding Performer is the witness.

Once I complete your account information, I will e-mail you a notification.  After 3 business days, you may go online to check you account.  You will see a "print" button on the right hand side, you may print your temporary marriage certificate. 

Please know, that many agencies will not acknowledge this temporary certificate.  If you have need to complete legal documentation/changes, you need to arrange certified copies through the Department of Health at an added fee.

Your final marriage certificate will be mailed to you by the State in 90 to 120 days. If you would like your certificate to arrive sooner, discuss with this with the State Agent.  There will be another form to fill and an extra fee. For more information, contact

In Honolulu – Room 101 (1st floor) of the Health Department Building, 1250 Punchbowl St. (corner of Beretania and Punchbowl Streets)
Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.   (808) 586-4544(808) 586-4544 



*Can we meet with you ?

Yes, we can, if  you feel the need.  Although meeting each other is great!, due to time constraints and possibly distance issues, communication by e-mail is probably the most efficient way to proceed.

If you have questions, we can go over anything you need via e-mail or by phone. If you have a complicated ceremony and feel you need to meet  there is a $50 per 30 minute fee.

*Where will we meet?

You will meet with me in Kaneohe, at 46-022 Alaloa St.Room 203. Following confirmation of your appointment, you will receive the office address and parking directions. Wedding consultations outside my office incur an out-of-office fee.

*How do we pay you?

Cash or  United States Postal money order or travellers check .  If you desire to use a credit card (not debit card); I can process Mastercard or VISA, but payment must be rendered 1 week before the wedding date.

*Do you need a deposit to hold my ceremony day?

Yes, I do ask for a $25 retainer.  If you have chosen the "Personalized Ceremony, when the retainer is obtained, I will e-mail you a ceremony outline and,  a ceremony script draft with choices of vows, poems, bible verses, etc.

*I am not a US citizen, and the person I am marrying is from another country. Can we still get married in Hawaii?

Yes you can. Please consult with the State licensing office for details. They are very friendly and will answer your questions by phone. Here is the information on marriage licensing:

http://health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-licenses/

Please make your inquiries about this through this office. 

Wedding Performers are not lawyers nor are they agents for the State.  Legal, technical questions about marriage in Hawaii, should be addressed to the State of Hawaii agents.  This constitutes the separation of "church" and "State".

BEACH   WEDDINGS:  Click on page on side bar

 *If we want to have a beach wedding, do you get the permit for us?

Usually, no I do not. You are responsible for securing the permit through the State and have it with you when we are at the ceremony site. Once you obtain the permit, I would then perform the ceremony for you. Ceremonies on beaches come under the State Land and Natural Resources.  

The exception is if you do not reside in the U.S.and do not have a contact to obtain the beach permit.  We will have to work out the details. 

*What happens if our ceremony starts late?

I expect your ceremony to begin on time, yet am happy to wait a few minutes for last minute details to come together and have allowed some time for that.

My ceremonies are about 20-25 minutes long, and I have committed about an hour for you on the day of your ceremony from the time I arrive. Sometimes, depending on the day and schedule I am not able to perform a full ceremony for you if we start more than 5 -10 minutes late.

Therefore, it is important to hold the intent to start the ceremony on time by having a time line that supports your start time.





Kathy Kawana Wedding Minister;

State of Hawaii #2012-00236

c/o 46-022 Alaloa St. #203

Kaneohe, HI 96744

Phone (808) 284-6352(808) 284-6352

{Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message. 

It helps if I know the date, time, and place of your ceremony for scheduling purposes.

At the time you take out your license, however, you may leave this information off or the Wedding Performer can change it after the ceremony has taken place.}

E-mail: ministerkathyhawaii@yahoo.com

www.ministerkathyhawaii.com

I take reservations up to 6 months in advance.

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*What time do you arrive?

I generally arrive 20-30 minutes before the ceremony.

*How long is a ceremony?

A ceremony can be anywhere from 15-25 minutes from start to end depending on the elements you select to include and the size of your wedding party. The more segments (sand ceremony, solo, poem, reading, lei ceremony, etc.) the longer the ceremony. Signing the license takes about five minutes.

*If we want to have a  unity sand ceremony, a lei ceremony or a unity candle service, do you provide these items for us?

No. There are many styles and choices and you would be the ones to purchase the sand, containers, leis or candles and have them set up before the ceremony. I would then incorporate these rituals into the ceremony.

*Can you provide a microphone for the ceremony?

No. If you want the ceremony amplified so your guests can hear, you would need to arrange for sound amplification to be provided either by the ceremony site or your deejay/musician if they happened to have an extra microphone. Some locations will have sound for the minister provided as part of the service and others will charge and extra fee. I do not have speakers and a microphone that I am able to provide.

*We have a really unique situation and would like certain accommodations for the ceremony, are you able to do this?

Yes, of course as long as these requests are within my comfort zone. I am able to accommodate any type of ceremony and special requests. We can talk about this by phone or via e-mail to make your ceremony exactly how you envision it to be.　

*Is it necessary to have you at the rehearsal?

It is not, especially if it’s just the two of you, or a very small wedding party (one bridesmaid and one groomsman) or if you have a coordinator that will run the entire rehearsal. If I am present at the rehearsal, there is an additional charge for my time.

I find the most important thing is be clear as to who will start the ceremony - do you want the Weddomg Performer to tell you when it is to begin, do you have a wedding planner taking care of this, is the Matron of Honor or Best Man in charge of starting the ceremony? Knowing who is in charge is of vital importance, especially at the more casual beach park ceremonies where people are milling around - remember your Wedding Performer probably has  other commitments.

 VERY IMPORTANT:

If you do not have me at the rehearsal, it is MANDATORY that you take care of all the walking details of the wedding party and how you get in front of me for the ceremony. I will expect your appointed person, or your wedding coordinator to just tell me where I am to line up on the day of the ceremony and the bride and groom must make their own way in front of me. I will not coordinate your ceremony on the day of your ceremony. I will only perform the ceremony. Once you are in front of me, even without a rehearsal, I can lead you through the ceremony.

*Do we need to invite you to the reception?

No, it is not customary to send me an invitation; and often, due to other commitments, I will not be able to stay.

*Can you do the lunch or dinner prayer for us at our reception?

Because the time of the reception is often at least 30 minutes after the ceremony ends and the meal starts after often times 15-30 minutes after that, I am not able to do your prayer, however, if you can’t find anyone who knows “how to pray” comfortably and you need a prayer for your reception, let me know as we correspond, and I can send you a prayer for your best man, or other person of choice, to perform

Non-sectarian, non-denominational non-religious or religious orientation non-discriminatory