So you’ve decided you want to get married on Maui, but you’re not sure which of the beaches is the best one for you?

I love beach weddings because they are a simple way to get married with the gorgeous backdrop of the Hawaiian islands, and none of the fuss of finding and decorating a venue.

Choosing which beach to get married on on Maui is not hard, you will be spoilt for choice! We have so many beautiful beaches to choose from.

When you’re choosing your location, I like to choose beaches that have a variety of backgrounds, rocks, trees, shade, and they need to be in the right direction so the light hits just right at sunrise or sunset.

Working here on Maui for the last ten years, I know which beaches photograph better than others. So here is a rundown of my faves –

1. Ironwoods Beach (My favorite!)

This beach is long and pretty empty usually, it isn’t a great swimming beach so doesn’t get crowded with visitors. There are huge cliffs at one end that you can hike up onto and have an amazing view from above down to the water.

Pros – relatively empty

Cons – Can be windy and light rains. Limited parking.

2. Makena Cove

This beach is a perfect little cove. It has white sand and bright blue water, with an edging of lava rock. There is one small cliff area where you can climb up above the water. This is a popular beach at sunset for weddings, to avoid the crowds get married at sunrise. The weather over here is more consistently sunny with less wind.

Pros – picture perfect, unreal colors.

Cons – Gets crowded at sunset.

3. Po’olenaena

A long stretch of flat sand, palm trees at either end, amazing sunsets, you can’t go wrong with this beach. Big enough to where you can find a more secluded spot.

Pros – Beautiful, with a mix of greenery and a sandy long beach.

Cons – Can be busy with locals partying at sunset and you have to access via an uneven rocky cliff path. (Not suitable for older or people or anyone with limited hiking ability)

4. Kapalua Bay

This beach has been featured in so many photographs, and publications. It’s a perfect crescent of sand with high rocky outcrops on either end. The ocean here is super blue and the sunsets are usually amazing!

Pros- picture perfect, bright blue ocean, palm trees.

Cons – Very often crowded with beach goers all day long, highly unlikely you’ll find a spot to yourselves.

5. Baby Beach Paia

This beach is connected to a much larger beach (Baldwin) which stretches all the way from the north shore town of Paia. The tail end of the beach here is protected by trees on one side and a little reef which keeps the ocean here calm. It can be sloping depending on the time of year, because the sand gets washed away somewhat. This is a great beach if you get here early in the morning, at sunset it can be too bright because of the direction of the sun.

Pros – pretty little north shore beach, close the the Haiku and Paia side of the island.

Cons- Only good in the mornings. Can be windy or rainy as the weather is not so reliable on this side of the island, but…RAINBOWS.

So that’s it! Hopefully this has helped you narrow down your choices for the best beaches to get married on Maui, but if not you can contact me for more info.

Checkout this example of a sunset elopement on Maui