Where to buy Hawaiian shirts and dresses?

When the invitation hits early next year, you will notice that we are requesting suggesting that our guests wear Hawaiian apparel. Problem is, the invitations will probably show up sometime in January...and where the heck can you find a Hawaiian shirt or dress in January? To help you get a jumpstart on things, here is one of our favorites:

Exotical Hawaiian Apparel

8136 Firestone Blvd
Downey, CA 90241
(562) 869-0575

Exotical has been in business since 1964, in the same location on Firestone Boulevard in Downey. They have literally hundreds of different style shirts and dresses. Many of them have matching patterns in case you are the type of couple that likes to dress alike! You can also find white dress pants and shoes here (heads up wedding party!) They also sell all types of other Hawaiiana, such as beachcomber hats, leis, and music..you can even buy the Tikiyaki Orchestra CDs here! Also note they stock a lot of larger sizes which are hard to find anywhere else. They only accept cash (old school!), so hit the ATM first.
We also buy Hawaiian clothing from a couple of places online...just make sure to allow for a bit of extra shipping time, due to the fact that both are in Hawaii.

Avanti Shirts - sells silk reproductions of 1940s and 50s aloha shirts. A little pricey, but great quality for the price.

Jade Fashions - Great selection of designs at very low costs, many of their shirts are under $30.

The First Church of Tiki - Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach CA

The first step in planning the perfect Tiki wedding - the venue! And what better venue than Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, former home of Sam's Seafood and for a couple of short years, Kona? Don the Beachcomber (aka Donn Beach, born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gannt) was one of the pioneers of tiki, opening his first Don the Beachcomber location in 1934. Over the years there have been 17 different Don the Beachcomber locations across the country, with the new Huntington Beach location being the first to open on the mainland in over 30 years (Another Don's opened in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in 2005). With wedding planners Mendi and Jocelyn in tow, we met with Don's banquet coordinator Beth to hammer out all the important details. You know, stuff like, are we allowed to serve mai-tais during the ceremony?
Beth was very gracious and helpful..and most of all, she's going to help us make sure that no one's tiki mug runs dry during the wedding or reception!