Kailana Chapel Wedding on Oʻahu | Venue & Planning Guide
Planning a Kailana Chapel Wedding on Oʻahu: Anastasia + Nick
If you’re dreaming of an intimate Oʻahu wedding with ocean views, mountain backdrops, and a setting that feels a little removed from the busyness of Waikīkī, Kailana Chapel is one venue to have on your list.
I photographed Anastasia and Nick’s wedding here, and one of my favorite things about their day was how much variety we were able to fit into an intimate celebration. We had the chapel and surrounding coastal scenery for their wedding, then headed toward Honolulu for relaxed portraits at Kaimana Beach.
If you’re considering a Kailana Chapel wedding of your own, here are a few things worth knowing as you plan.
Where is Kailana Chapel?
Kailana Chapel, formerly known as St. Catalina Seaside Chapel, sits on the southeastern side of Oʻahu in Waimānalo. The property overlooks the Pacific and has views toward the Koʻolau Mountains and Makapuʻu Lighthouse.
It feels completely different from a traditional Waikīkī hotel wedding while still being close enough that you and your guests can stay in Waikīkī and travel to the venue for the ceremony.
The venue estimates approximately 30–40 minutes of travel from Waikīkī and the airport, but I always recommend building extra buffer into a wedding-day timeline. Oʻahu traffic can change quickly, and the last thing you want is to feel rushed on your wedding day.
Is Kailana Chapel good for an intimate Oʻahu wedding?
Yes — this is where I think the venue really shines.
Kailana Chapel currently seats up to 50 guests inside the chapel, while its outdoor spaces are designed for smaller celebrations. That makes it especially worth considering if you’re planning an intimate destination wedding rather than a huge traditional reception.
You also have multiple ceremony settings to work with: the chapel itself, the garden, and the ocean-facing deck.
For couples who love the idea of getting married in Hawaiʻi but still want the structure and privacy of an actual wedding venue, this can be a nice middle ground between a resort wedding and a completely outdoors beach elopement.
One thing I love as a photographer: you don’t need to leave immediately for beautiful photos
The scenery around Kailana Chapel gives us plenty to work with.
Rather than rushing through your ceremony so you can get somewhere else for photos, leave room in your timeline for portraits around the property. The combination of ocean, greenery, architecture, and the surrounding mountains gives your gallery variety without requiring multiple stops.
And most importantly, it gives you time to actually enjoy where you chose to get married.
My approach to wedding photography is never about turning your wedding into one long photoshoot. I want to document the hugs, laughs, nerves, champagne, windblown hair, and all of the little things happening around you — then pull you away for portraits when the light and timing make sense.
Consider a second location for your wedding portraits
If you want even more variety in your gallery, you can also pair Kailana Chapel with a second Oʻahu location.
For Anastasia and Nick, we incorporated Kaimana Beach into their day.
Kaimana gives you a different look from the dramatic windward scenery around Kailana. You get softer beach scenery closer to Waikīkī, making it a beautiful way to transition from the ceremony portion of your day into the rest of your celebration.
You don’t need multiple locations to have a beautiful gallery, though. I would rather plan two locations intentionally than squeeze four or five stops into a timeline just for photos.
Think about the light when creating your timeline
This is one of the biggest things I help my couples think through.
The prettiest location doesn’t necessarily create the prettiest photos at every hour of the day. Where the sun will be, how harsh the light will feel, your ceremony time, travel time, and when sunset occurs all matter.
If you’re hoping for softer, romantic outdoor portraits, don’t automatically schedule all of your couple photos immediately after a midday ceremony. Depending on your wedding timeline, we may photograph family and other parts of the celebration first and save some of your portraits for better light.
For a multi-location day like Anastasia and Nick’s, I also account for drive time so your portrait session doesn’t feel like a race against sunset.
This is one of the reasons I love being involved in timeline planning with my couples before the wedding day.
Keep transportation in mind
If your guests are staying in Waikīkī, transportation is another detail worth planning early.
Kailana Chapel is outside of Waikīkī, so make sure your guests know exactly where they’re going and when they need to leave. For a destination wedding with several out-of-town guests, arranging group transportation can make the experience much easier.
If you’re planning to take portraits somewhere else afterward, remember to account for loading up, driving, parking, and walking — not just the estimated drive time you see on your phone.
Those little transitions add up quickly on a wedding day.
Who is Kailana Chapel best for?
I’d put Kailana Chapel on your venue list if you’re looking for:
- An intimate Oʻahu wedding
- An oceanfront ceremony setting
- A chapel rather than a resort ballroom
- Space for a smaller guest count
- Ocean and mountain scenery
- A wedding outside of busy Waikīkī
- The option to incorporate another Oʻahu location into your portraits
For couples who care less about having a huge production and more about spending the day with their favorite people somewhere beautiful, it makes a lot of sense.
Anastasia + Nick’s Oʻahu Wedding
What I loved most about Anastasia and Nick’s day wasn’t just where we photographed it — it was how natural everything felt.
There was room for the pretty details and portraits, but there was also room for the moments that couldn’t have been planned.
That’s always what I want my couples to remember when they look through their gallery years later: not just what their wedding looked like, but what it actually felt like to be there.
If you’re planning your own Kailana Chapel wedding or intimate wedding on Oʻahu, I’d love to help you create a timeline that gives you beautiful photographs without making your entire day revolve around the camera.
Vendors
Venue: @kailanachapel
Wedding Team: @alohaainaweddings
Portrait Location: @kaimanabeach
Photographer: @emilyrohmanphoto
Content: @lovedocumented.co
Coordination: @kaiseventplanning
Charcuterie: @fig.gingerhonolulu
