Made in Hawaii Weddings? Or Albums?

Both times I visited Hawaii, I was surprised at the number of Asian brides I saw in white wedding attire having pictures taken on Waikiki Beach.

Hawaii must be a popular spot for destination weddings, I commented to our Segway guide as we passed a bridal couple - and their photographer -  standing on the sand.

They don't all get married here, he told me. Some of them are already married. They have come here to have pictures taken for their wedding album.

His comment reminded me of a wedding album one of my immigrant students showed me years ago. Instead of pictures of the wedding, the album had photos of the couple in different outfits with different backdrops. Was this the same thing?

I looked up Hawaiian wedding photography online to see if this is a service commonly offered by photographers: pictures only, no wedding. But I was only able to find information on destination weddings (which seemed surprisingly affordable!)

So I'm not really sure whether these brides and grooms are in Hawaii to get married - or simply to add exotic photos to their wedding albums. But you do see them often on Waikiki Beach.