HONOLULU — Weddings on Oahu in Hawaii can now be held outside with a maximum of 100 people after an easing of public health orders related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Friday that the easing of restrictions would be effective immediately.
Weddings were previously restricted to 10 people. A limit of 10 people will continue for indoor weddings.
For outdoor weddings, a maximum of 100 people will be allowed, seating will be limited to 10 people per table, everyone will be required to wear masks and each wedding must be supervised by “event planning professionals.” Temperature checks will also be required.
The news was applauded by members of the state’s wedding industry, which was dramatically affected by the pandemic.
“This is a significant and incredibly important step to revitalizing our industry,” Oahu Wedding Association President Joseph Esser said in a statement. “While our industry has a long road to recovery, we are beyond thankful to Mayor Blangiardi for his swift action to reopen weddings over the past few weeks.”
Dancing will be allowed, as long as dancers wear masks and follow social distancing mandates of two dancers for every 36 square feet (about 3 square meters), with a maximum of 32 dancers.
Earlier this month, Blangiardi told wedding industry workers who demonstrated at the Honolulu Hale that he would try to persuade the governor and health department to amend capacity restrictions.
Wesley Nakano was one of the wedding vendors who attended the demonstration.
“I don’t know of any other mayor that came out, listened, said ‘I heard you’ and literally, seven days later, has something in place to what we can get back to what we love doing,” said Nakano, who owns the audio and visual company From Above Entertainment.
