You don’t have to get married in Hawaii to host a luau for your wedding reception. In fact, the luau (pronounced loo-ow) is a feast or family celebration that gathers family and friends together to share good company, good fun and good food.
Now, what more can you ask for from a wedding reception?
Interested in hosting a luau? Here are a few tips to help you set the tone and create the atmosphere where you family and guests can enjoy a relaxing, fun time. You don’t need to rent some special location for a luau reception – your backyard or banquet hall or most traditional venues will do for the reception – you just need to dress it up.
Decorating Ideas
To get into the spirit of the luau, invite your guests to wear Hawaiian attire to the reception. The warm, brightly colored Hawaiian shirts will dress up the area almost as nicely as the wall decorations and grass skirts. Your wedding flower of choice would be the orchid and you should use them liberally around the room. If your guests want to place a flower behind their ear, let them know what the proper flower etiquette is in Hawaii – behind the left ear means you are taken and behind your right ear means you are available.
You should also invest in leis (flower-necklaces) and greet each guest in the reception line or when they arrive by saying Aloha and placing one around their neck. You can add other tropical touches with the plates, cups, place settings and tablecloths.
Getting the Kids Involved
Another great thing about a Hawaiian Luau reception is you can get the kids involved easily and children love to play dress up. For the little girls, they can be Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and if you want to go that extra mile, see about having the kids learn to do some hula dancing that can be both entertaining and fun. You can hire a professional hula dancer to lead them along.
Dress the kids up in grass skirts and let them greet your wedding guests and pass out the leis. While the continental United States may be a few hundred plus miles from the Hawaiian isles, consider hiring a traditional Hawaiian band that can provide island authentic music.
Set up an area in the reception with banana trees and background that lets the guests get their luau photos – you can be as fancy and elaborate as you like. But check with your local high school – they can make some amazing props out of cardboard for their plays and they can help you create a festive background for your wedding photos.
Employ the Language of the Islands
You don’t have to be a native to enjoy the language of the islands. You can translate pretty phrases into Hawaiian and put out little cards on all the tables. Traditional Hawaiian blessings, greetings and even wedding phrases are a good choice.
Finally, the last ingredient in a Hawaiian luau wedding reception is to have a wonderful time with friends and family.