Love, Weddings, and Oahu: Your Guide to Planning Your Hawaii Elopement

Hawaii is open after Kona storms

• James Chun

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 2:10

Send us Fan Mail

We clear up post-storm rumors and share the real travel status across Hawaii, especially Oahu. We explain where it’s safe to visit, what areas to avoid, and how your trip and donations can help local communities heal.

• Oahu travel update after back-to-back storms 
• Waikiki and Ko Olina safe, open, and unaffected 
• separating social media footage from on-the-ground reality 
• avoiding recovering residential areas such as Waialua and Haleiwa 
• staying out of brown, murky ocean water until clear 
• why keeping travel plans supports Hawaii’s economy 
• how to give back through verified donations 

Please donate to the Hawaii Food Bank.


About Hawaii Wedding Studio

Rev. James Chun and his team, Hawaii Wedding Studio specializes in sophisticated, stress-free elopements exclusively on the island of Oahu. From the quiet shores of the North Shore to the dramatic cliffs of the East Side, we help couples trade wedding performance for true presence.

Plan Your Oahu Elopement

Ready to start planning your perfect island celebration? Visit our website to view our packages and book your date. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review to help other couples find their blueprint for a Hawaii wedding.

Connect With Us

Oahu Is Open After Storms

SPEAKER_01

Aloha everyone! I'm Brittany from Hawaii Wedding Studio. After the recent storms, I want to clear the air. Oahu is open and beautiful. While social media shows dramatic footage, the reality is that major spots like Waikiki and Koalina are safe, unaffected, and ready for you. The best way to support our healing is to keep your travel plans. Tourism is our lifeblood. Just be sure to avoid recovering residential areas like Wayalua and Haleiva. And if you'd like to give back, please donate to the Hawaii Food Bank. Come enjoy the islands, respect our neighbors, and help Hawaii heal.

Social Media Versus Real Conditions

Safe Water Advice And How To Help

SPEAKER_00

This is the brief on Hawaii's post-storm recovery and travel status. So, listen, we just got pounded by back-to-back KONOLO storms, you know, those massive seasonal cyclones, but the skies have totally cleared, power is restored, and our beautiful trade winds are right back. Now, if you've seen the dramatic videos online, you might be wondering: are the islands completely shut down? Well, first, we gotta separate social media from reality, right? The vast majority of Hawaii, including popular spots like Waikiki and Koalina, is completely safe, fully open, and unaffected. Think of it kind of like a localized power outage on your street. The rest of the city is still buzzing and open for business. You just need to be respectful and avoid recovering residential areas like Oahu's North Shore towns of Waialua and Halewa, or parts of Molokai and Maui. Oh, and definitely stay out of any brown, murky ocean water until it completely clears up. Second, please do not cancel your plans. You might be thinking, isn't it insensitive to vacation while some neighborhoods recover? Actually, no way. Tourism is the lifeblood of our economy, and spending your vacation dollars here is literally exactly how you help our local businesses bounce back. Finally, so what's the best way to show true aloha right now? Put your support directly into the hands of the local charities doing the heavy lifting. Instead of showing up to disaster zones, just make verified financial donations to groups like the Hawaii Food Bank, Maui Food Bank, Aloha United Way, or the Hawaii Red Cross. Come enjoy the islands, respect the recovering neighborhoods, and know that your visit helps Hawaii heal.

Head Shot

James Chun

Host