6) Food & Culture: Your Taste Buds Are PSYCHED

Hawaii: delicious… and often $$$.
Thailand: street food that ruins you (in a good way) for all future noodles—and it’s wildly affordable.

We love poke (Thais vibe with it too!), plus pad thai, mango sticky rice, curries worth writing home about, and tropical fruits you didn’t know existed. Add monk alms at sunrise, lantern-lit markets at night, and that sweet Lanna charm. This is a wedding abroad that goes way beyond a pretty beach.

7) Climbing & Calmer Bays = Adventure You’ll Actually Do

Railay/Tonsai is a Disneyland of limestone—iconic and photogenic. Want to climb up the aisle instead of walking down it? Then these beaches are your playground.
On the water, the Andaman coast’s protected coves are perfect for weddings out at sea, snorkeling, and paddle dates. It’s adventure without the wrestling match.

8) More Freedom to Create

Hawaii reality check: That iconic waterfall or tucked-away lookout? Assemble your paperwork Voltron: commercial permits, insurance certs, site monitors, location-specific rules, and fees that feel like nature’s cover charge. Some of my favorite secret spots—especially waterfalls—aren’t permitted at all, or the process is so long that by the time we’re approved, your anniversary has already rolled around. It’s gorgeous, but the red tape can be a whole subplot you didn’t ask for.
Thailand energy: “Let’s make art—legally and efficiently.” Private boat charters? Green light. Boutique resorts and villas? Camera-friendly. Parks do have rules (we follow them), but the path to “yes” is usually faster, clearer, and far less wallet-sad. Want waterfall portraits, an empty beach at golden hour, or dinner in the middle of the ocean at sunset? Thailand says yes, then hands you a piña colada.

9) Stay Luxe for Less (Sleep Like Influencers, Pay Like Humans)

Beach bungalows, jungle villas with plunge pools, mountain cabins near waterfalls—way nicer stays for way fewer dollars. Your incredible beach wedding meets “Wait… this is our bungalow?” 🤯 vibes. Fancier digs, chiller bill.

10) Getting Around: From Gridlocked to “Wheee!”

Hawaii commute mood: you, in a pricey rental car, inching along behind fifteen convertibles that all made the same “scenic drive” Pinterest board. Parking is a side quest. Resort parking fees are the plot twist. Gas is… character-building.
Thailand commute mood: transit doubles as entertainment—and often costs less than your coffee back home.

• Longtails – Convertibles with gills. Hop in, engine purrs, arrive wind-in-hair; zero stoplights.

• Tuk-tuks – A three-wheeled carnival ride that knows shortcuts your GPS has never met. You giggle, you hold on, you arrive happy.

• Songthaews – Open-air red trucks with bench seats. Think “Uber Pool,” but with breezes, bells, and a price tag that feels like a prank.

• Motorbikes – Quick, nimble, perfect for coffee crawls and sunset overlooks.

• Private drivers – Door-to-temple-to-dinner.  —You move like a local legend—with rates gentler than a tank of gas.

• Car-free zones – Railay/Tonsai is boat-access only. The only traffic jam is a row of palm trees and the occasional smug cat.

In Hawaii, your budget and patience evaporate in a rental-car line. In Thailand, “getting there” is half the story—part boat parade, part joyride, zero parking meters.