Ko'olau Ballrooms & Conference Center — Attraction in Oʻahu

Ko’olau is a gorgeous venue for a wedding with the mountains and green landscape as the background. We booked our event a year and a half in advance with Abbie but Merri ended up being our event services coordinator. Both Abbie and Merri were very accommodating and patient when explaining the details of our wedding package to us. We went with the Ilima package: Outdoor garden for ceremony and glass ballroom for the reception with the indoor waterfall lobby as a backup in case of rain. We were able to communicate via phone and email while we were in California and face-to-face multiple times when we came back home to Hawaii. The venue is very clean, accommodating, and even has a backup plan for rain (which happens often on this side of the island). On the day of our rehearsal, 3 days before the wedding it was overcast, a little hot/humid, but no rain. We were ok with that. Historically the Saturday we got married only had less than 5% chance of rain but on the day of our wedding it ended up thunder storming due to a tropical storm nearby. Merri and her team along with our coordinator Natalie and Aloha Bridal Connections made the transition from our outside ceremony venue to the inside waterfall seamless without worrying me, the bride. From time to time Merri would be out of the office running other events but other team members, like Stephen were more than helpful in her absence. The food selection was amazing! All of our guests were full. Even our bar tab (hosted via 2 drink tickets per person) was lower than we expected. We hired a hula halau, Ring of Fire, and Merri was able to meet with them to figure out the logistics and rider the company requested. All in all it was a very successful planning process and event day. I’m disappointed it thunder stormed and we couldn’t get the pictures/videos we wanted outside, but Merri assured us we were welcome to come back later (when there’s zero chance of rain) to re-do our pictures in the spaces we wanted. I would recommend Ko’olau Ballrooms for...

It's been a really long time since I've been out here for a wedding or event. With that being said - the glass ballroom is still beautiful with it's breathtaking views of the Ko'olau Mountains. I was there as a photographer for a wedding reception and the space was still as glamours and picturesque as I remember. While there, I found out that it's no longer open to the public and they now charge $10 for parking in lot if you plan on going hiking there. I honestly would pay the $10 for the peace of mind that someone is actively keeping track of who is coming and going. With that being said, on the drive into the Private space, there narrow road was littered with vehicles wedged into the foliage to avoid paying the $10 for parking. So please be careful as you drive up there - many hikers are unaware or don't care that they're walking in the middle of the road. Drive with caution and Aloha. I remember the bread-pudding was amazing - and it still is. The food was good and was interesting to see that they booked more than one party at the same time. During our wedding reception in the big glass room - they have a party nearby in the smaller rooms literally right next to our wedding reception. Close enough to hear their music and see their buffet line. Not sure why they were placed so close to each other - but it was rather distracting to see. I'm sure the other party did not appreciate that the hired DJ's music drowned out their music as well. Just something to be aware of when booking your event here. Otherwise great use of space and the private golf course looks lush...

We hosted our wedding at the Ko'olau Ballroom on 2/18/23. Our wedding was in the ballroom. We couldn't ask for a better venue! All of our out-of-town guests were so impressed by the majestic mountains and how beautiful the venue was. This was the first wedding venue we visited in 2022 and we decided this was the one!

The weather was playing games with us on our big day, but the sun came out right on time. We worked with Jamie (Event services Manager) throughout the year to coordinate the details. She is easy to work with and responds quickly. On the big day, there was plenty of wait staffs for all of our guests. They were efficiency and professional. My family are big food critics, and they all were happy with the food. The cake (lilikoi) was spectacular with just the right amount of sweetness.

The venue is big, private and plenty of parking! It was a nice to get away from the hustle and bustle in Waikiki. We are just so happy to host our wedding at the Ko'olau Ballroom and create these everlasting memories. The wedding was perfect, and everything went so smoothly....