Chanel and Marcus were on a holiday in November 2022 at the Sheraton in Fiji with Chanel’s family. Marcus proposed at sunset on the beachfront by the chapel. The sunset was beautiful that evening, it was very romantic and was a perfect proposal.
We catch up with bride Chanel on why they chose a destination wedding in Fiji:
We decided to tie the knot in Fiji, where our engagement unfolded in such a breathtaking manner that we couldn’t envision celebrating our wedding anywhere else but in the company of our loved ones.
Opting for the Sheraton was a natural choice, as it was the backdrop to our family holiday and engagement. The hotel’s exceptional service catered to the entire family, ensuring a delightful experience for all, including the children. We were keen for our guests to experience the same level of relaxation and enjoyment. Moreover, the venue’s outdoor area offered stunning backgrounds, ideal for capturing timeless photographs.
I have a penchant for organization and attention to detail. From the outset, we knew the Sheraton was our desired location. Countless hours were devoted to scouring Google, Bula Bride, Pinterest, and reading reviews, while social media provided insights from previous weddings to assist in vendor selection. This meticulous approach ensured that every aspect of our special day, from vendors to decor, was meticulously planned to create a truly magical experience.
What was your vision for your Wedding day?
Because Fiji is such a beautiful venue in itself, the outdoor/beach vibe was definitely the aim of the overall look of the wedding.
The beachfront setting of the Sheraton left us in awe, inspiring us to draw upon the essence of beachfront weddings for our own celebration. While traditional Fijian weddings are known for their vibrant tropical-colored flowers, I also envisioned an elegant wedding adorned predominantly in white.
It was great to get re assurance on vendors of what information I found on google/Instagram. Leanne was very helpful when I wanted to double check some reviews!
Getting Ready
Our hair & makeup was done by Lodoviko & his crew. They brought the best vibes to start the day and had an amazing energy which really helped calm the nerves! They did hair and makeup for myself plus 5 bridesmaids and a few family and everyone was really pleased with their work.
My dress was from Jessica Couture in NZ. I wanted something plain fabric, that was light and flowy! I actually was the first to say yes to the dress from the collection so the dress is named after me. The theme of the wedding was pearls, so I had pearl accessories to go with the plain fabric dress.
The bridesmaids dresses were from Dissh. They were gorgeous mini white linen dresses. Groom and groomsmen attire was from Cambridge clothing.
The Ceremony
We held our ceremony on the Sheraton’s lawn, although we had initially envisioned a beachfront setting. Despite the unexpected gusts of wind on the day, our Catholic ceremony, officiated by a priest from Nadi, was simple and heartfelt, featuring standard vows, readings, and prayers.
Paradise Bride took charge of our ceremony decor, and while they had limited online presence, their pricing was remarkably budget-friendly. Their service surpassed our expectations as they provided lantern lights, a stunning arch, flowers for the bridal party, reception decorations, a cake stand, seating charts, and signage. They repurposed the ceremony flowers and arch for the reception and even assisted in the setup and relocation process. Their professionalism made coordination effortless.
We opted for a predominantly white decor theme accented with touches of greenery, a vision that I meticulously communicated to Paradise Bride. They flawlessly executed my request for beautiful white flowers with minimal greenery. Given the breathtaking backdrop, we decided to keep additional decor minimal.
Unfortunately, due to the threat of rain, we had to resort to setting up a marquee, a deviation from our dream of an outdoor affair. However, the resulting setup was beautiful, with the marquee seamlessly blending in with our initial vision, thanks to the collective efforts of everyone involved.
The Photo Session
We sought a blend of class, elegance, and fun in our wedding footage, aiming to capture the beauty of Fiji itself. After thorough online research, we selected Videoticz as our Photographer & Videographer, drawn to their portfolio of past weddings. Their editing style, color palettes, incorporation of voiceovers, and stunning drone footage resonated with us.
Overall, we’re pleased with the outcome, although there are a few additional shots we wish we had captured. As a picky person, there will always be something more to desire. Nevertheless, on the wedding day, you’re so immersed in the moment that the minutest details, like the positioning of the dress train or the placement of the veil, hardly cross your mind.
The Reception
We held the reception on the beachfront lawn at Sheraton Hotel. We originally had it on the front side and at the last minute, we changed it to the other side when we needed the marque in order to provide us with more space.
The reception decor mirrored that of the ceremony, maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. Opting for a sweetheart table over a traditional bridal table, we repurposed many of the ceremony flowers and the arch. Witnessing the transformation of these elements in the new setting was truly remarkable; everything was beautiful in white hues.
We added extra elements such as an LED dance floor and lantern lights on the ceiling which really brought the whole venue together. We made a lot of items ourselves such as the acrylic name tags for the reception, the table numbers, our wedding candle and the welcome sign.
For dinner, we went will the open buffet option – there was SO much food!
And for the drinks we did the all-inclusive open bar full range – I am sure my guests drunk the bar dry!!!
The Entertainment was provided by DJ works Fiji. They were included with the hotel package. We hired a LED dance floor from them and they had some extra strobe lights which made for an epic night time reception! We had some LED handheld lights for everyone which were held up as a tunnel and Marcus and myself walked through.
Other experiences
We had a welcome party on the first night at the Tatavu Bar and Grill where we put on some nibbles and drinks for everyone.
It was a great way for everyone to meet and get to know each other and we had a traditional Arabic celebration on the beach called a Henna Party, where everyone wore white and this was a lot of fun. We worked with the food and beverage manager whom we had met on the family holiday initially and he was very helpful in making this evening work out beautifully.
I organized a day trip to 7th Heaven, and they were awesome to deal with. About 50 of us went over and we had the whole top floor of the venue! It was great, they looked after us very well and we had our own boat to take us over and back.
Any tips for future brides?
The Resort at times could be slow to deal with but you just have to keep persisting and asking for phone meetings. On the day everything works out really well.
To ensure I was organised, I had put everything together in PDF documents with photos and information to help them which made the day run smoother. If you don’t like doing things yourself, I would highly suggest a professional planner as in my experience, the hotel staff just coordinate things rather than plan.
The only downside for us was having a wedding finish at 10pm so to mitigate this, we brought the ceremony forward by an hour to start by 3pm. We opted out of the fire dancers as we didn’t want another 30 mins of our party time taken away due to it already being a shorter reception.
We worked closely with Fiji Airways to arrange a group booking, there was about 50 people on the same flight from NZ to Fiji so we got great rates with them and booked these in advance.
We arranged a bus with Go Local Fiji who picked guests up from the airport with cute shell leis and brought them to the resort. It was so special. Go Local was great as they charged per bus not per person, so it was affordable for us to do this for our guests. Sheraton were very hospitable to my guests; they arranged a warrior welcome for everyone which was also wonderful.
Overall Highlights:
Having 70 of our closest friends and family join us for the most perfect week. The wedding itself was the best day and night! We really hosted such a fun party and everyone had an amazing time.
Reflecting back, we had an incredible wedding week in Fiji. While occasionally it was challenging to arrange an overseas wedding, it was all so worth it! We are super proud of how everything came together, and I don’t think we will be forgetting our amazing day anytime soon!
Because Fiji is such a beautiful venue in itself, the outdoor/beach vibe was definitely the aim of the overall look of the wedding.
The beachfront setting of the Sheraton left us in awe, inspiring us to draw upon the essence of beachfront weddings for our own celebration. While traditional Fijian weddings are known for their vibrant tropical-colored flowers, I also envisioned an elegant wedding adorned predominantly in white.
It was great to get re assurance on vendors of what information I found on google/Instagram. Leanne was very helpful when I wanted to double check some reviews!
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Getting Ready
Our hair & makeup was done by Lodoviko & his crew. They brought the best vibes to start the day and had an amazing energy which really helped calm the nerves! They did hair and makeup for myself plus 5 bridesmaids and a few family and everyone was really pleased with their work.
My dress was from Jessica Couture in NZ. I wanted something plain fabric, that was light and flowy! I actually was the first to say yes to the dress from the collection so the dress is named after me. The theme of the wedding was pearls, so I had pearl accessories to go with the plain fabric dress.
The bridesmaids dresses were from Dissh. They were gorgeous mini white linen dresses. Groom and groomsmen attire was from Cambridge clothing."
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The Ceremony
We held our ceremony on the Sheraton's lawn, although we had initially envisioned a beachfront setting. Despite the unexpected gusts of wind on the day, our Catholic ceremony, officiated by a priest from Nadi, was simple and heartfelt, featuring standard vows, readings, and prayers.
Paradise Bride took charge of our ceremony decor, and while they had limited online presence, their pricing was remarkably budget-friendly. Their service surpassed our expectations as they provided lantern lights, a stunning arch, flowers for the bridal party, reception decorations, a cake stand, seating charts, and signage. They repurposed the ceremony flowers and arch for the reception and even assisted in the setup and relocation process. Their professionalism made coordination effortless.
We opted for a predominantly white decor theme accented with touches of greenery, a vision that I meticulously communicated to Paradise Bride. They flawlessly executed my request for beautiful white flowers with minimal greenery. Given the breathtaking backdrop, we decided to keep additional decor minimal.
Unfortunately, due to the threat of rain, we had to resort to setting up a marquee, a deviation from our dream of an outdoor affair. However, the resulting setup was beautiful, with the marquee seamlessly blending in with our initial vision, thanks to the collective efforts of everyone involved.
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The Photo Session
We sought a blend of class, elegance, and fun in our wedding footage, aiming to capture the beauty of Fiji itself. After thorough online research, we selected Videoticz as our Photographer & Videographer, drawn to their portfolio of past weddings. Their editing style, color palettes, incorporation of voiceovers, and stunning drone footage resonated with us.
Overall, we're pleased with the outcome, although there are a few additional shots we wish we had captured. As a picky person, there will always be something more to desire. Nevertheless, on the wedding day, you're so immersed in the moment that the minutest details, like the positioning of the dress train or the placement of the veil, hardly cross your mind.
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The Reception
We held the reception on the beachfront lawn at Sheraton Hotel. We originally had it on the front side and at the last minute, we changed it to the other side when we needed the marque in order to provide us with more space.
The reception decor mirrored that of the ceremony, maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. Opting for a sweetheart table over a traditional bridal table, we repurposed many of the ceremony flowers and the arch. Witnessing the transformation of these elements in the new setting was truly remarkable; everything was beautiful in white hues.
We added extra elements such as an LED dance floor and lantern lights on the ceiling which really brought the whole venue together. We made a lot of items ourselves such as the acrylic name tags for the reception, the table numbers, our wedding candle and the welcome sign.
For dinner, we went will the open buffet option - there was SO much food!
And for the drinks we did the all-inclusive open bar full range - I am sure my guests drunk the bar dry!!!
The Entertainment was provided by DJ works Fiji. They were included with the hotel package. We hired a LED dance floor from them and they had some extra strobe lights which made for an epic night time reception! We had some LED handheld lights for everyone which were held up as a tunnel and Marcus and myself walked through.
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Other experiences
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I organized a day trip to 7th Heaven, and they were awesome to deal with. About 50 of us went over and we had the whole top floor of the venue! It was great, they looked after us very well and we had our own boat to take us over and back."
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Any tips for future brides?
The Resort at times could be slow to deal with but you just have to keep persisting and asking for phone meetings. On the day everything works out really well.
To ensure I was organised, I had put everything together in PDF documents with photos and information to help them which made the day run smoother. If you don't like doing things yourself, I would highly suggest a professional planner as in my experience, the hotel staff just coordinate things rather than plan.
The only downside for us was having a wedding finish at 10pm so to mitigate this, we brought the ceremony forward by an hour to start by 3pm. We opted out of the fire dancers as we didn't want another 30 mins of our party time taken away due to it already being a shorter reception.
We worked closely with Fiji Airways to arrange a group booking, there was about 50 people on the same flight from NZ to Fiji so we got great rates with them and booked these in advance.
We arranged a bus with Go Local Fiji who picked guests up from the airport with cute shell leis and brought them to the resort. It was so special. Go Local was great as they charged per bus not per person, so it was affordable for us to do this for our guests. Sheraton were very hospitable to my guests; they arranged a warrior welcome for everyone which was also wonderful.
Overall Highlights:
Having 70 of our closest friends and family join us for the most perfect week. The wedding itself was the best day and night! We really hosted such a fun party and everyone had an amazing time.
Reflecting back, we had an incredible wedding week in Fiji. While occasionally it was challenging to arrange an overseas wedding, it was all so worth it! We are super proud of how everything came together, and I don't think we will be forgetting our amazing day anytime soon!
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