As destination wedding planners in Maui, our couples place importance on wedding guest experience. They’ve already made the decision to plan their wedding in a beautiful location such as the Hawaiian Islands, but they want to take things a step further and create an immersive event. Typically, this means considering ways to elevate food and beverage service while finding unique elements that allow them to connect with their guests throughout their wedding day. Below, we’ve detailed 5 of our favorite ways to elevate your wedding guest experience. Included in the list are fun ways to evoke the heartbeat of Hawaii, and how to surprise & delight your guests in a way that will have them recalling your wedding day for years to come. Keep reading for more.

5 Ways to Elevate Your Wedding Guest Experience

1. Dining Service

One thing that always sticks out to guests is the dinner service at a wedding. Think back on the last few weddings you’ve attended as a guest. What comes to mind when you think about the service and experience you enjoyed? Was it a delectable meal that began with starters at cocktail hour and a dinner like you’ve never tasted before? Or was it a long time between the ceremony and reception, where you sat hungry and couldn’t wait for the toasts to be over and dinner service to begin?

When it comes to wedding guest experience, dinner service goes a long way. Guests never forget the food they enjoyed at a wedding. It’s a great place to start when it comes to exploring what an immersive wedding guest experience will look like on the day of your wedding. If you’re a cautious eater and have a few menu favorites, you can easily expand on this idea by adding in local Hawaiian delights. Here are a few of our favorites

Hors D’oeuvres

• Raw Bar
• Passed Sashimi
• Mini Poke Bowls
• Spam Musubi

Dinner & Dessert

• Slow Roasted Pork (plated or buffet style)
• Chicken and Pineapple Skewers
• Kulolo (Taro Pudding)

Above all, selected dishes that incorporate fresh ingredients sourced from the island will make your dining service memorable. But we also know that presentation matters. Consider serving your guests through interactive food stations versus a traditional plated dinner. This will encourage your guests to mix and mingle while tasting the fresh flavors of the island. We’ve worked with our couples to create dining stations for every kind of experience, from caviar to tacos!

2. Signature Cocktails

Now that you have an idea of how to incorporate Hawaiian dishes into your Maui destination wedding, let’s talk about cocktails. The idea of signature drinks is not exactly new when it comes to a wedding reception experience. Our couples love mixing up their favorite cocktails to serve their guests, especially when they get to name their signature drinks after their furbaby or the location they held their first date. The important thing to remember when creating signature drinks is to draw on flavors that enhance your dinner menu.

Here are some of our favorite examples.

Lindsey & Luke’s signature drinks included margaritas with lemon, lime, ginger, and turmeric, and vodka with yuzu, lemon, and fresh cracked pepper.

Madison & Dominic’s guests enjoyed mai-tais and tequila soda with pink grapefruit.

Melinda & James served their guests two signature drinks: an old-fashioned infused with cherry, and mai-tais with a splash of honey.

Alexa & Josh offered their guest an open bar experience, and they also offered drinks served in freshly carved coconuts.

Wei & Michael’s guests enjoyed a plated dinner paired with white wine, and later sipped on champagne from the couple’s pour-over tower.

Eden & Gunjan’s multicultural wedding included two signature drinks: a bubbly prosecco cocktail with St. Germaine and soda water, and a cocktail with light and refreshing mango and lime.

Lauren & Hayeong selected drinks for their guests with fresh lychee juice, raspberry syrup, and pineapple.

Dalia & Anthony chose spicy margaritas and island sunsets with mint and raspberry for their reception.

3. Interactive Entertainment

Entertainment is key to your wedding guest experience. However, finding interactive entertainment will put your guests at the center of the fun, encouraging them to take the celebration at your reception to the next level. Some favorite options for couples planning a destination wedding in Maui include lawn games, a caricature artist, and photo ops such as a photo booth or a Polaroid station with a fun backdrop. If you want to keep the fun centered around the beauty of the island, here are a few recommendations for interactive wedding guest entertainment that evokes the spirit of Maui.

Hawaiian Themed Wedding Guest Entertainment

• Hula Dancers
• Hula Lessons
• Lei or Flower Crown Making
• Fire Dancers

Interactive entertainment is such a key element to destination weddings in Maui that we talked about it more in depth when we discussed 2025 wedding trends.

4. Surprise & Delight

Want your guests to talk about your wedding for years to come? Surprise and delight them at each and every turn. Think past the prepackaged favors and lean more towards elements that turn moments into conversation starters and ultimately, fun memories. Small, unexpected elements throughout the day will add joy to your guests’ experience, making them feel honored and cared for.

Here are a few of our favorite ways to wow your guests through surprise & delight

• Choreographed Dances
• Personalized favors such as handwritten notes or Polaroids attached to their escort cards
• Watercolor artist to paint your guests’ portraits throughout the night
• Late-night snacks
• Fun props on the dance floor (glowsticks, thundersticks, sunglasses)
• Hangover kits

5. Transportation

We have to admit, this is a big one, and so often it gets overlooked. At the end of the night, your guests will appreciate having a safe way to get to and from their accommodations, especially after they’ve traveled all the way to your destination wedding in Maui. Offering shuttle transportation ensures everyone can enjoy the night and get home safely, without the worry and concern of getting behind the wheel after a night of fun. It’s a small added touch to show your guests you appreciate their attendance at your wedding, and you want to go the extra step to make sure they are taken care of when the night concludes.

If you’re searching for more ways to add special elements to your Maui destination wedding, take a look through our favorite wedding trends of 2025 at this link.

Or, find more details on planning the carefully curated wedding of your dreams on the Hawaii Islands with Maui Love Weddings at this link.

Creative Partners

Planning // Maui Love Weddings

Venue & Catering // Sugar Beach Events

Photography // Tara Lee

Florals // Maui PalmTree Floral

Content Creator // BTS Maui (Nicole)

Rentals // Let’s Entertain Maui

Linen Rentals // BBJ La Tavola 

DJ // Next Level Entertainment

Hair & Makeup Artist // MeiLi Autumn Beauty

Officiant // Bride’s Sister