Chloe & Samson
Coral Coast sunsets are world-renowned and the wedding of Chloe to Samson will show you why. On a stunning Fiji day in October, this lovely couple choose old-fashioned romance as the key to their wedding day. We catch up with Bride Chloe on what went in to planning her wedding in Fiji.
THE FACTS:
BRIDE & GROOM: Chloe and Samson Underwood
THE DATE: 3/10/2018
THE LOCATION: Outrigger Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 50 guests
Samson and I met on a night out when we were both studying to be teachers at University. My girlfriends and I took a break from our study and went out on a Saturday night. Samson was there with his friends having a good time. We spotted one another near the bar. We spent the night talking and dancing, getting to know one another. We began to date shortly after meeting. We had been together for 10 years when we got married this year in Fiji.
We have always been drawn to the beautiful country of Fiji. The tropical climate, the friendly locals and the amazing seafood! Fiji has been a country that we have visited many times. Samson and I always wanted a destination wedding, an opportunity to be away with our friends and family to celebrate our long awaited marriage. Fiji was a perfect option for our wedding.
We decided Fiji was the destination for our wedding shortly after Sam proposed. We began to research different hotels and venues for our wedding. We turned to Bula Bride for assistance, to online reviews and to our friends and family for advice. We were fortunate enough to have close friends who had visited the Outrigger Fiji. After their rave reviews, we began to look at our options on the Outrigger website.
We had a Wedding Planner at the Outrigger. Our event planner was extremely helpful and quickly sent us options for our wedding these included: venues, flowers, food, cake, music and decorative options. It was very easy to organise my wedding, despite living in Australia. For flights we turned to Flight Centre for package deals.
GETTING READY:
On the 3rd of October we both nervously prepared for the big moment. The night before our wedding we stayed in a separate bungalows at the Outrigger Hotel. That day we prepared by getting ready with our bridesmaids, groomsmen and families. The men suited up, and relaxed by the beach having a few drinks to calm Samson’s nerves. Where as myself and the ladies glammed up by getting our hair done and doing our makeup.
My hair was done by the lovely ladies at the Outrigger Fiji. The Outrigger has its own hairdressing salon which was very convenient. My hair was styled half up half down, with waves. I was exceptionally happy with my hair, and wish it could look like that every day! My Bridesmaids had their hair styled into a high ponytail with curls. My sisters were my bridesmaids and we each did our own makeup. We have always loved makeup and were not nervous to do our own.
My dress was by Rebecca Ingram in the style ‘Grace’ in the colour ivory. It was a tiered tulle gown with pearls. My seamstress altered my dress and added off the shoulder sleeves. My shoes were a gift from my mum white Jimmy Choos. My Bridesmaid dresses were from an Australian dress shop called ‘Sheike’, they were a lucky find. These dresses caught my eye as they were unique in design, one shouldered. The dresses were navy and matched the theme of my wedding which was navy blue and white.
Samson wore a T.M Lewin three piece suit in colour blue. He topped it of with an ivory tie to match my wedding dress. Samson’s groomsmen wore this suit as well with matching suspenders.
THE CEREMONY:
The location for our ceremony was the Bure Ni Loloma at the Outrigger, the view was breathtaking. This view overlooked the entire hotel and Coral Coast.
We decided on a navy and white colour scheme with pink tropical flowers and white orchids for our ceremony. The staff at the Outrigger Fiji set up our ceremony venue. Everything looked amazing and my photographer Yoshi Kawai from Ocean Studio Fiji was there to capture every moment. I had a stunning flower archway with pink tropical flowers and white orchids. My bouquet matched this archway. All flowers were arranged by my wedding planner at the Outrigger.
Samson and I had a very intimate Wedding Ceremony and we were married by a celebrant. Our aisle song was ‘Kissing You’, by Des’ree. We both fought hard to keep the tears away by laughing happily.
GETTING PHOTOS:
Our photographer was Yoshi Kawai from Ocean Studio Fiji. Yoshi and his assistant were absolutely fantastic. Samson and I would highly recommend Ocean Studio Fiji for your wedding day. They arrived early at the Outrigger Fiji and captured every moment of our special day.
Samson and I were extremely fortunate that our wedding day was perfect. The weather was fine and the sunset by the ocean was unreal. Yoshi was very specific and helpful, he offered advice and suggestions so that the perfect shot could be captured.
After sunset Yoshi gave us a sneak peak of our photographs. We knew in that moment that Yoshi had done a wonderful job! The photographs looked fantastic. Once we received our official wedding package in the mail we spent hours looking through the images. Samson and I could not pick a favourite image, we loved them all.
We both wanted images that were classy and romantic. We also wished to capture the tropical environment and magnificent views. Our photographs were taken on the hills overlooking the hotel and down by the ocean at sunset. We could not be happier with our photographs, we cannot thank Ocean Studio enough. We are very happy to show our families and hopefully one day our children.
THE RECEPTION:
We had our reception at the Vahava Restaurant and Pool at the Outrigger Resort. It was a beautiful reception which overlooked the tropical landscape and pool. This venue was private and open, which was perfect for the hot weather.
The colour scheme for our reception was navy with pink tropical flowers and white orchids. This theme matched our ceremony. The Outrigger staff decorated our reception venue at the Vahavu Restaurant and Pool. It was beautiful and included decorations such as: navy drapes, white table cloths, wedding signs, fairy lights, flowers, decorative table pieces, cards, and a wishing well.
For cocktail hour, guests had food and cocktails at the hotel’s Ocean Bar. Guests ate a range of canopies including: salt and pepper squid, bruschetta, satay chicken and avocado prawns.
For dinner we enjoyed with our guests the BBQ Ocean Buffet. Our Wedding cake was made at the hotel, it was a chocolate mud cake with white icing covered with white orchids.
For entertainment we hired a DJ supplied by our wedding venue. Our DJ was Inosi Kania, he was fantastic and provided a range of songs prior to our reception to choose from. Additionally, I was able to add some of my own songs to the DJ list. Samson and I had our first dance to Elton John’s ‘Can you Feel the Love Tonight’. Shortly after I shared a special dance with my father to his favourite song “Carla/Etude/Fanfare/Chloe”, by Elton John.
At the end of the reception, we thanked all our guests and completed the night by singing and dancing in a circle, again to Elton John’s crowd favourite ‘Your Song’. Elton John, is one of our favourite artists.
Our wedding day was a beautiful and memorable experience. Planning an overseas wedding is an opportunity to escape and marry your loved one in a new and romantic setting. Planning my wedding in Fiji was very easy as I received lots of assistance. Most hotels will be able to set you up with a Wedding Planner and have many packages that you can choose from.
If you are planning an overseas wedding it is important to organise your documentation early. Having your passports, single status certificates and personal details on hand is a necessity.
We absolutely loved our time on the Coral Coast and look forward to visiting Fiji again in the future.
Who Did They Use
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Fiji Wedding Photographers
Ocean Studio Fiji Photography
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Wedding Venues
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort
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