We have been wanting to share a wedding at the Sofitel Fiji for a while as we are a big fan of this picture-perfect Denarau location. However we couldn’t quite find one recently that ticked all the boxes, until we came across the wedding of Grace and Jack, captured perfectly by Leezett Photography/Productions. In fact there are so many gorgeous photos that we couldn’t fit all of them into this blog! However we will have plenty of additional inspiration for you across on our social media pages, so stay tuned!
We catch up with bride Grace on what went in to planning her special day:
BRIDES & GROOM: Grace & Jack THE DATE: 6th October 2018 THE LOCATION: Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 62
We met at a mutual friends 21st Birthday in Adelaide and have been inseparable ever since. We wanted our wedding to not only be about us, but about our children, family and close friends so we chose a destination wedding. We love to travel and after hearing about Fiji from our friends and family we knew it was the perfect place to have our wedding.
We asked friends for location advice, followed Instagram pages, website forums and did lots of internet research. Once you know what you’re looking for, it was easy to find the perfect location and the suppliers we wanted to use. After finding the location and the suppliers we knew we had to have it, it was only a matter of getting in contact with them. The resort and the suppliers were very helpful and able to answer all of our questions.
Bula Bride is also an amazing forum with lots of really good information. We did a lot of research through this website and especially loved reading about the real Fiji weddings.
GETTING READY:
We woke up to beautiful Fiji weather. The groom and groomsmen spent the morning in the pool drinking beers and entertaining the kids, while the girls all got ready in the brides room. The brides room had an interconnecting room so we were able to use a room to get ready in and a seperate room to have our pre-wedding photos taken in.
Our hair & make up was done by Hair and Make-up Perfectionist. They were absolutely amazing and very professional. They are highly recommended and were able to create exactly what we were after.
My dress was from: Made with Love. The Bridesmaids dresses were from: The designer Calli. Purchased from The Iconic. The Groom & the guys wore: Rodger David.
THE CEREMONY:
Location: North Side Lawn, Sofitel, Denarau Island
Grace Creations provided our beautiful circle archway, wooden benches and welcome sign with easel. We chose lots of greenery, white and rustic flowers. Grace Creations created our green and white luscious bouquets. They also handmade 2 woven baskets for our flower girls and placed petals inside for the girls to throw as they walked down the aisle.
We wrote our vows the night before the wedding and read our own vows at the ceremony. We also had Fiji serenaders sing all of our ceremony songs and a warrior escort to walk down the aisle before the bride – this was an amazing experience.
GETTING PHOTOS:
We chose Leezett Photography/Productions as our photographers. We did lots of research in selecting our photographer. We came across Leezett’s Instagram page and website and instantly fell in love with her photos. Her attention to detail and the quality of images are amazing. We wanted the traditional family shots, beach shots and some rustic photos.
We originally hadn’t booked a videography when we first started planning, but we decided to later on and it was the best decision we made. We were so happy with the video; it captures every moment of our special day and more. We highly recommend getting a videographer. We are so happy with our photos and Video from our special day – the team at Leezett Photography made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and were able to capture all the beautiful moments throughout the day.
THE RECEPTION:
The reception location was the Sofitel Beachfront. Grace Creations created our reception décor. As we chose to have a cocktail wedding, Grace Creations were able to create an area with lots of different types of seating, a bar, dance floor and kids area.
We started our 1 hour drinks package for cocktail hour. This gave guests a chance to enjoy the ceremony celebration while we had our photos taken. We had 16 selections of canapes for our cocktail food. We picked a large selection of different food to suit all the guests dietary requirements.
Our cake was made by Taste Fiji. Our wedding cake was 2 tier white chocolate cake with salted caramel ganache. Because of our love for doughnuts, we also had a dessert buffet with 60 jam and chocolate filled doughnuts.
ADVICE FOR BRIDES PLANNING A FIJI WEDDING:
Don’t be afraid to email through lots of questions and send pictures of what you were after. Organise a pre-wedding meeting when you arrive in Fiji for peace of mind and to run through bookings. Don’t stress about the small things – the Fiji people are so wonderful and will make sure your day runs smoothly.
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Don’t be afraid to email through lots of questions and send pictures of what you were after. Organise a pre-wedding meeting when you arrive in Fiji for peace of mind and to run through bookings. Don’t stress about the small things – the Fiji people are so wonderful and will make sure your day runs smoothly.
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