Hawai'i's popularity as a wedding destination was confirmed by the Department of Health's latest vital statistics report, which shows that more than two-thirds of last year's 29,272 marriages involved couples from out-of-state.

Maui County was the favorite wedding spot for nonresident couples, hosting 44 percent of such marriages, compared with 30 percent for O'ahu.

Maui is less crowded than O'ahu but faster-paced with more services available than Kaua'i or the Big Island, said Tim Clark of Maui-based Hawaiian Island Weddings, which arranges weddings on all islands. Maui also has beautiful beaches close to hotels, restaurants and other amenities.

"Maui has a certain connotation in people's mind as an island paradise," Clark said. "They realize that Waikiki is a very busy place and they want to get the full experience and have all of the amenities that they're looking for in their wedding, and they can find that here on Maui."

The brides were Caucasian in 60 percent of the weddings involving foreign citizens, while 17 percent were Japanese and 5 percent Chinese.

More couples said "I do" in May than any other month last year, the vital statistics report said.

In fact, 500 more weddings were performed in May than in July, the second most popular month for marriage. June, traditionally considered the matrimony month, was only fifth in terms of the number of marriages in 2005.

January and December were the least popular months to get hitched.

Sixty-two percent of those who got married in Hawai'i last year were doing it for the first time, while 35 percent had been divorced.

In 128 of the marriages, brides age 25 and younger were marrying men age 40 and up, but there were only 17 unions between men age 25 and younger and women 40 and older.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.