•Can you give me more information about Marriage Licensing?
Please visit the site below for complete information about getting your marriage license. You must have a license to be legally wed. You can get your license as early as 30 days before your ceremony.
You must have it before we perform the ceremony and bring it to the ceremony site. This is the second most important thing besides your presence at the ceremony if you want it to be a legal ceremony. We will sign it immediately after the ceremony (or during the ceremony if you prefer) and by law, I personally return the original to the state. I cannot give you a copy of the license after the ceremony as it is the property of the state. If you forget to bring the license to the ceremony and we need to arrange another time for me to sign it, there is an additional fee and the legal date will be the date of our meeting, not the date we performed your ceremony.
After I deliver the original to the state, you will receive the official legal copy which you can use to take care of further business. Be sure to fill out the form and pay the extra fee to the Department of Health if you would like your license back sooner than 6-8 weeks. For more information, visit http://hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/vital-records/marriage/index.html
•I am not a US citizen, and the person I am marrying is from another country. Can we still get married in Hawaii?
Yes you can. Please consult with the state licensing office for details. They are very friendly and will answer your questions by phone. Here is the information on marriage licensing. http://hawaii.gov/health/vital-records/vital-records/marriage/index.html Please make your inquiries about this through this office.
•If we want to have a beach wedding, do you get the permit for us?
No, I don’t. You are responsible for securing the permit through the state and have it with you when we are at the ceremony site. Here is the link to the form and further information: http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/land/forms-1/forms. Once you obtain the permit, I would then perform the ceremony for you.
•Can I meet you before the 4-month mark to see if we even like you and if you are a fit for us?
Of course, that is possible, but I recommend that in order to save everyone's time, first view the video clip available on my home page. Click "View the Video Clip" below the question “who is alice?” in the middle of the page. This will give you a great idea of my "energy" and personality and you will know immediately if you feel a connection with me or not.
As well, please take the time to read through the wedding page of this website where I talk about my belief system and ceremonies. This should give you enough information to know if you would like me to officiate your ceremony or not.
•What do your ceremonies consist of? Can we get a head start on understanding your ceremony?
Please go to my wedding page and download all the documents on the bottom of the page. You will find vow options, ceremony sequence, a suggested poem as well as a questionnaire that you will need to fill out if you eventually confirm your ceremony with me. If you have other elements you want to incorporate, I am happy to do so. We can go over all of this during our consultation a few months before your ceremony.
•What happens if our ceremony starts late?
I expect your ceremony to begin on time, yet am happy to wait a few minutes for last minute details to come together and have allowed some time for that. My ceremonies are about 20-25 minutes long and I have committed about an hour for you on the day of your ceremony from the time I arrive. Sometimes, depending on the day and schedule I am not able to perform a full ceremony for you if we start more than 5 -10 minutes late. Therefore, it is important to hold the intent to start the ceremony on time by having a time line that supports your start time.
•What time do you arrive?
I generally arrive 20-30 minutes before the ceremony.
•How long is a ceremony?
A ceremony can be anywhere from 15-25 minutes from start to end depending on the elements you select to include and the size of your wedding party. The more segments (sand ceremony, solo, poem, reading, lei ceremony, etc.) the longer the ceremony. Signing the license takes about five minutes.
•If we want to have a sand ceremony, a lei ceremony or a unity candle service, do you provide these items for us?
No. There are many styles and choices and you would be the ones to purchase the sand, containers, leis or candles and have them set up before the ceremony. I would then incorporate these rituals into the ceremony.
•Can you provide a microphone for the ceremony?
No. If you want the ceremony amplified so your guests can hear, you would need to arrange for sound amplification to be provided either by the ceremony site or your deejay/musician if they happened to have an extra microphone. Some locations will have sound for the minister provided as part of the service and others will charge and extra fee. I do not have speakers and a microphone that I am able to provide.
•What if we are from out of town can we “chance it” and do the consultation early when we are visiting Honolulu even though we are more than four months out and you might not be able to confirm my date?
Yes, please let me know your schedule when you are in town and with enough advance notice, I’ll be happy to meet with you and have your consultation then if I am in town.
•Can we meet with you more than once?
One 30 min consultation (phone or in person) is included with my ceremony fee. This is all that is necessary to ensure you have a smooth ceremony as all of the information I need is be on the questionnaire you fill out that we go over during the consultation. If you have questions, I’m happy to go over anything you need after that by phone. If you have a complicated ceremony and feel you need to meet again there is a $50 per 30 minute fee.
•Where will we meet?
You will meet with me at my office in Honolulu. Following confirmation of your appointment, you will receive the office address and parking directions. My office is in the Beretania/McCully area – about 10 minutes outside of Waikiki. Wedding consultations outside my office incur an out-of-office fee, so if you do not have a rental car, taking a taxi to my office from Waikiki is less that my fee.
•How do we pay you?
About a week to ten days prior to your ceremony you will receive an email from our office with instructions. You will be given a link to a shopping cart where you can pay on line with a credit card. If not, you are welcome to write a check to Alice Inoue Life Guidance, LLC and give it to me at the rehearsal, or by someone else other than you on the day of the ceremony. Cash is also accepted.
•Do you need a deposit to hold my ceremony day?
No, I don’t take deposits. I just your names, the time and day as well as two phone numbers and two email addresses to hold the day. We take reservations up to a year in advance. A final confirmation is given at the four month mark. If I am not able to confirm, I will offer you a list of my recommended colleagues to help you find a minister and will continue to help you until you have found one you like.
•We have a really unique situation and would like certain accommodations for the ceremony, are you able to do this?
Yes, of course. I am able to accommodate any type of ceremony and special requests. We can talk about this at your consultation to make your ceremony exactly how you envision it to be.
•Is it necessary to have you at the rehearsal?
It is not, especially if it’s just the two of you, or a very small wedding party (one bridesmaid and one groomsman) or if you have a coordinator that will run the entire rehearsal.
If you have a wedding party, and no experienced wedding coordinator, I will be happy to help at the rehearsal as to who walks when, who stands where, timing, etc. However, the main advantage of having me there is that I will go through the entire flow of the ceremony with you which will take away much of the stress as you won't need to wonder what to do, how to turn, where to look etc. This causes ease of mind and eases the stress levels for many if that is something you may have.
VERY IMPORTANT: If you do not have me at the rehearsal, it is MANDATORY that you take care of all the walking details of the wedding party and how you get in front of me for the ceremony. I will expect your appointed person, or your wedding coordinator to just tell me where I am to line up on the day of the ceremony and the bride and groom must make their own way in front of me. I will not coordinate your ceremony on the day of your ceremony. I will only perform the ceremony.
Once you are in front of me, even without a rehearsal, I can lead you through the ceremony.
•Do we need to invite you to the reception?
No, it is not customary to send me an invitation.
•Can you do the lunch or dinner prayer for us at our reception?
Because the time of the reception is often at least 30 minutes after the ceremony ends and the meal starts after often times 15-30 minutes after that, I am not able to do your prayer, however, if you can’t find anyone who knows “how to pray” comfortably and you need a prayer for your reception, let me know at our consultation and I will email you a prayer that someone can read for you.
