HONOLULU -- Twinkling waters. Swaying palms. Powdery sand. Sorbet sunsets. Graceful hula dancers.

Ahhhhh, Hawaii.

Long regarded as a hot spot for destination weddings, it whispers "exotic" without requiring a battery of shots or a passport.

But over the last year, a perfect storm has soaked the local wedding industry: a shaky national economy, the shutdown of two major airlines servicing the islands, and a statewide crackdown enforcing permits for beach weddings.

"People just aren't coming here," said Penei Aller, who runs Beach Weddings Hawaii with her husband, Dard. They were involved with 62 weddings last year -- a company record. This year, they've only booked about half that.

Aller, a Big Island minister and singer, has been doing weddings since the 1970s. Because her company tends to coordinate smaller events, she thought they'd weather the downturn more easily.

She was wrong.

"For December, we have more baptisms than weddings," Aller said. "That's never happened before."

The problems started when Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines abruptly went out of business just days apart in April. The economy was already faltering and worsened as the year progressed.

Fuel prices reached all-time highs and reasonably priced airline tickets were increasingly scarce.

Then, Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources announced it would begin in August to enforce a requirement that many beach weddings needed a permit. "I think initially when the announcement came out in the summer, people were kind of stunned," said Susan O'Donnell of Aloha Wedding Planners on Oahu. "It just seemed a little untimely."

Morris Atta, who leads the land division for the state agency, said the law is meant to protect the public beaches and originally targeted commercial boating operations in Kauai. It expanded to include weddings after a Maui party refused to cooperate with officials.

The permits are required for most weddings that hire any professional services on the beach, including wedding planners or ministers. Usually, the professionals file for the permits, which cost 10 cents per square foot, with a minimum $20. Violators could face fines of up to $5,000, but Atta said that so far people have been complying and no fines have been issued.

Since August, the state has tightened the rules several times. Beach weddings now may last no more than two hours. No chairs may be brought onto the beach except those needed for the elderly and disabled, and fewer decorations are allowed.

"We understand the beaches are public and they are there for the masses to enjoy," said O'Donnell, adding that the state made the permit process simpler by putting it online in the last few months.