Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute

We are so pleased to have found Lanikuhonua for our wedding. The grounds are spactacular and just what we wanted. It’s a private location that is easy to get to. There are different options for where to hold your ceremony and reception which was a huge bonus. The night was made extra special by the stunning sunset as we started our reception. Coun’t have ask for a better location.

This place truly is "where heaven meets the earth." It is beyond words beautiful. Our ceremony looked out at the ocean and during the reception everyone got to witness the amazing sunset. It was gorgeous! We rented Phase II and had around 100 guests. We also picked this venue sight unseen and it worked out perfect, the pictures don't do it justice. The only thing to keep in mind is you must be out by 10 pm - which we were aware of but if you and your group like to party, 10 pm rolls around very quickly. We could have easily stayed a couple more hours but regardless our night was perfect!

The most beautiful setting for our wedding day. I grew up on Oahu, now living in Los Angeles, and my husband and his family are all from the mainland. Knowing how many out of town guests we were having, I knew I needed a place that represented the essence and natural beauty of Hawaii. Lanikuhonua was the perfect place. I initially did not want to be so far from town, and while having to figure out all the back and forth transportation with all the guests was somewhat annoying at times, it was still all worth it. I was on phase 2 while another wedding was taking place on phase 1. This initially made me very nervous about noise and random guests around, but I completely forgot about the other event the day of and felt like we had the entire place to ourselves (we also did start earlier than the other event). One of my favorite moments was taking sunset photos on the rocks right on the beach. While it was forecasted to rain and storm all week (which is typically unheard of for that side of the island), the weather gods came through and it was a beautiful crystal clear day that I will never forget.

Stunning venue! Beautiful property! Gorgeous sunset! Loved that we could design our own wedding and be creative with space. Planning a destination wedding from CA was easy. Our contact person changed a few times during the process of our planning. We had our wedding Aug 12, 2016 on a Friday in Phase 1 for roughly 155 people. There was another wedding in Phase 2 but it didn't bother us, we couldn't hear them at all. Overall, great venue to host your wedding! You won't be disappointed

My fiance and I visited so many venues, but once we arrived at Lanikuhonua we knew that was where we wanted to be married. The grounds are well maintained, the laua'e ferns are so fragrant, and the sounds of the ocean are so calming that it just felt so right. Corresponding with Hoku was easy but getting in touch with Aunty Nettie was more difficult to schedule a walk through and also for our rehearsal. Since there are two phases, we were assured that if we book one phase, they will not book the other phase on the same evening. However, we realized the day of our wedding that there was another one happening on the same night in Phase I (we were in Phase 2). So that was an unpleasant shock. What also bothered us was due to the fact that another event was happening, we could not have our entertainment play during the majority of our cocktail hour because the ceremony was happening at the wedding at the other phase and the sound would carry. So I was upset that we wasted money to book entertainment during cocktail hour only to find out that we couldn't have them play.

Lanikuhonua means "where heaven meets the earth." This is privately-owned and managed land by the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute, adjacent to the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa (a few minutes walking distance to & from the venue to the rooms). There are two areas of Lani - we had our wedding at Phase II, which is the larger of the two and has access to the a couple of the adjacent coves. Because it is private, there will not be casual onlookers or tourists passing by on the beach. Instead you will have a stunning Hawaiian sunset on the western side of the island, and an exquisite backdrop for your wedding. With Lani, you will plan/create your wedding from scratch, because they do not lock you into any predetermined vendor list. This can be hard but also rewarding, and you really have a chance to make your wedding personal. Every part of our wedding here was perfect - highly recommended!

Getting married at Lanikuhonua was a dream come true for me. Hoku was so helpful and answered all of my questions via email/phone. Aunty Nettie was great and was so helpful in letting us schedule a rehearsal the day before the wedding. Keep in mind you have to provide everything for this venue (chairs/tables/food/drinks etc). If you can get into this venue and afford it, then do it. You won't be disappointed. Worth every penny :)

Overall a great and beautiful location. The sunset was definitely worth it. It is not really a sand and beach location. So you will not be able to go beyond the gated area. The location is quite strict for sure. You have to be in and out relatively quickly. So a good wedding coordinator is a must. This place is so popular that we could not have a wedding rehearsal on the day of. Additionally there was another wedding on a different phase, so you could slightly hear the other party's music. The location is a little far from Waikiki, so you will need to find transportation. The restroom could be improved. There is no place for the bride to change so you would need a tent for a second dress. The best part is how well kept the greenery is. It i really well maintained. Overall it is a nice outdoor wedding location.

This location was absolutely stunning, right on the ocean and covered with lush Hawaiian foliage. You do have to bring everything with you for the ceremony and reception but the pictures are stunning and you will not have anyone from the beach in the background because they are below the wall. There are 3 sites at this property depending on how big of a wedding you are having. There was a wedding going on next to ours and we could not see or hear them at all. I reserved this location without seeing the site but based on other people's pictures so if you are considering Lanikuhonua take a look at other weddings and you will see how beautiful it is!

The venue was absolutely amazing! Words cannot express how beautiful everything came together. The lush greenery, the stunning trees and private beach make this venue a total gem. We are so happy that we went with Lanikuhonua Phase II despite it being located quite a ways out from Waikiki (perhaps a 40 minute car ride) and the somewhat hefty price tag but all in all, it was definitely worth it. All correspondence was handled promptly and courteously as well.

We initially were going to get married at the Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa. We had some complications with our venue and ended up moving our event to Lanikuhonua for the ceremony and reception. Disney still did our event planning and coordination so we got the best of both worlds for our special day. I can see why they call this place "Where Heaven Meets Earth" because that is truly what it is. If you are a bride that craves privacy for your event this is a fantastic location in which to host your event. They have a private beach (perfect for sunset photographs) and expansive grounds that give you endless options in how to stage your event. If you look at their website you can see some pictures as well as a video of their property.

We held our wedding ceremony in Lanikuhonua Phase II, which is a large lawn space with palm trees overlooking the ocean and beach with the Waianae mountains in the distance. Gorgeous! Our guests loved the view, and the pictures are beautiful (you can go down to the beach for pictures as well) The booking process and administration office has undergone some changes since we booked, but we had no difficulty with booking or setting up times to tour and do the rehearsal. They do require you to have a wedding coordinator for at least the day of the event (you'll need one for all the rentals, etc) and they require you to purchase event insurance for the space, which was about $100. Lanikuhonua is perfect if you want a picturesque and peaceful Hawaiian oceanfront setting! Ps- the grass can be difficult in heels, but we all wore "solemates" heel protectors which worked perfectly to keep us from sinking :)

Lanikuhonua was a beautiful location for our outdoor wedding. For Hawaii folks who think a 30 minute drive is long, it was a distance for our local guests to travel. My family and my husband’s family stayed at the Marriott timeshare for 3 days which I highly recommend so you can be close to your wedding venue. Our wedding was in December and we were lucky – we had beautiful weather. We were able to take beautiful wedding photos both on the beach and on the lawn. There was a lot of space for all the guests to spread out and relax under the stars. You will need to purchase a Certificate of Insurance through an insurance company. We also chose to purchase wedding insurance just in case (luckily we didn’t need it). It really was a beautiful, special, spiritual location. We loved it.

Amazing weather and location

This site was a lifesaver! Originally wanted to do my wedding at the J.W. Marriott Ihilani, but they require you hold a reception there to book a date. Kim Gallanger does bookings for the both Marriott and Lanikuhonua, and she suggested this venue. It has the same nice view of the lagoons and they have 3 different phases to choose from. There were scattered palm trees for shade and a small gazebo. They have a gate to access the beach which is a little bit lower. This is where we took pictures. Beautiful site with lush greenery. Easy to book and reasonably priced.

Lanikuhonua was a beautiful place to have our wedding. I could not have asked for a more perfect sunset, and the turtles coming up on the beach for our pictures was perfect!!! The venue was everything I had dreamed it would be for our wedding day and night! It was nice being able to save so much money on alcohol (since you can bring your own) that it seemed ok to have to pay so much for rentals of everything down to silverware. I only gave 4 stars because I just wish you could stay a couple hours later. I seemed like we had just started the party, and we were rushed out of there very quickly. We had such a fun and wonderful night!

We chose Lanikuhonua due to is location. It was away from Waikiki and it was like it's own secluded beach area. We had a beautiful backdrop of the ocean for our beach wedding. We did have a problem regarding rehearsal schedule, but was remedied by the great staff at the Lanikuhonua Cultural Institute.

Lanikuhonua.... "where heaven meets the earth" *sigh* What an absolutely perfect backdrop for our wedding :)

Event though I was hesitant at first because you are basically renting a "blank canvas"..I am soooo glad we booked Lani for our wedding. Not only did we love working with Annette but Auntie Nettie (a Kahu) and a keeper of story in the Hawaiian culture only added to our experience. The grounds are what everyone says...breathtaking and gorgeous. As one of my guests said to me "how can it be any more perfect than this". Honestly..it simply can't. You are basically getting the 'million dollar view' without the million dollar price tag. On the day we were married..the sun was shining, the trees were swaying in the tradewinds and the dolphins were playing in the surf...it was stunning. We had a small ceremony by the rock wall oceanfront and then set up our reception under the trees of Phase II. With Japanese lanterns strung across the dance floor and guest tables...tiki torches lining the pathways and perimeter areas...ocean colored lights uplighting some of the trees...magical would be a word Id use to describe it.

My now husband and I planned our destination wedding all from California. We wanted to save money to use towards our wedding so we decided not to do a pre-wedding/planning visit to Hawaii. I was really nervous booking a venue without even seeing it, but pictures on the web and reviews on the Hawaii Knot Board really convinced me that this would be the perfect place to get married. Lanikuhonua is the epitome of what Hawaii is... tropical, lush, serene, beautiful. We booked it also because we knew for our first-time Hawaii visitors, this would really capture what the island is all about. They only book 14 months in advance, no exception. We were not set on a specific date, but when we called the first time, exactly 14 months in advance, we were not able to get it because of an internal special event. So I waited a week and tried again. At the time, I thought it was a pain... leave a message at 7am HAST then anticipate a call from them confirming. Looking back, it wasn't that bad, probably because no one else had requested for our date. If you have a specific date during busy wedding season, it might be harder, so have a backup plan. We requested for a Friday in June and got it. The venue rental is pricey especially thinking it's just the location you are renting. Lanikuhonua is a blank slate and you must bring everything in yourself--from the chairs, to tables to the napkins. For some this may be a nightmare, but we knew we would be in full creative control. The price for the venue was a sacrifice for us knowing this was the type of location we wanted. Because of this, I also suggest also getting at least a day-of-coordinator (Please see my review for Hawaii Weddings and Events--Dianna Shitanishi) who will coordinate a stress-free day. I don't suggest trying to run the show on your own unless your makeup and hair artist can be on roller skates following you around. Our guests continue to rave about Lanikuhonua and the experience they had on this sacred land. It's a little far from Waikiki (where most of our guests stayed and bussed everyone in), the views are amazing and the sunset is like a dream. Make sure for guests that are driving themselves that they have the correct address. Many GPS's were sending them to their corporate office which is not close to the actual location.

We booked this site without seeing it at all until 2 days before the wedding. We had no idea what to expect aside from some pictures that some knotties had emailed me & what I could find Facebook. The walk through was pretty, but it was pouring rain, not misting pouring! But when we arrived the day of our wedding the clouds opened & we got to see it in its full glory. AMAZING! Took my breath away, the grounds are well kept, the layout is great & even with 2 other events going on, we felt like we were the only people there. We got married along the rock wall, then had our reception under a tent in the open area.

Lanikuhonua is a beautiful venue! Our wedding was in the summer, and it was uncommonly windy with some light, scattered showers on the southside of the island in Waikiki where most guests were staying.. It was even sprinkling the morning of our wedding! But the west side @ Lanikuhonua was gorgeous all day! If you've always wanted a beach wedding, you'll have to go with Phase II for the ceremony. The lawn is expansive and meticulously kept, and it's the perfect canvas limited only by your imagination (and budget, haha)! All your other vendors will have to be brought in, but this just allows for more creativity. That also means you'll have to rent everything from the tables, to the ceremony seating, to the dancefloor, etc. The only other downside - you have to wrap up by 10pm. We could've partied a lot longer! But overall - very picturesque, beautiful property, and the staff was really easy to work with. *If your budget allows, stay at the Ihilani Resort right next door the night before and the night of. It's a gorgeous property, and super convenient to get to the wedding! You can walk!

Gorgeous. Absolutely loved the site. The onsite caretaker was a little difficult to work with and forgot we had appointments several times. However, the actual location was perfect.

I love Lanikuhonua... the only thing I wish is that they would let you have more flexible hours. It's either like morning or afternoon, which is 4-10. I wish I could have extended my wedding for just an hour or so. But it's the perfect place to get married and I'm so happy I got married there. Make sure you stay on Auntie Nettie's good side!

This location is breath taking! Everything about this site is ideal for every wedding or celebration! However, this property has a lot of obstacles! It is managed by the Campbell Estates but, has caretakers on site. Sometimes, there are mixed messages from both parties. For example, mgmt may say it is ok to do one thing but, the caretakers may not allow you to do so.

I love love love LOVE this location. It is so incredibly beautiful and shows off Hawaii's true beauty. Even though it requires more work, I think it was 100% completely worth it. In the beginning it was a little hard to get in touch with Lanikuhonua, but once I did it was smooth sailing. They seem to respond to emails faster, too :) I am so glad that we decided to go with Lani - it was a little cheaper than a hotel, and much more fun because I got to think about every single element of our wedding day...