Christine & Oni- Outrigger Wedding Fiji Weddings - Bula Bride

Christine & Oni- Outrigger Wedding

They met in a nightclub in Fiji when Christine travelled to Fiji for work and it was love at first sight. Though Oni moved to Australia to be with Christine, on their wedding day they wanted to return to the island they both now call ‘home’.

We catch up with Bride Christine on what went in to planning her Fiji wedding day in paradise.

BRIDE & GROOM: Christine & Onisimo Rokotuinasau
THE DATE: 27th October 2018
THE LOCATION: Outrigger Resort
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 85

We met at Whitehouse Nightclub in Nadi – I was there for a work trip and Oni was out with friends. We met on the dancefloor and that was it. We dated long distance for 2 years and then Oni moved to Australia.

We chose Fiji because it is our home. Literally for Oni and its home in my heart. We wouldn’t have got married anywhere else and it enabled his family to attend. Outrigger has always been one of my favourite resorts and we spent time there when we started dating, it just has the most amazing atmosphere.

To research and organise our wedding, a lot of hours were spent internet browsing! Bula Bride was one of my go to resources, browsing on apps like Instagram and Pinterest also gave us ideas. I did the majority of the bookings and organising myself with the help of Oni, bridesmaids and my parents.

For the main components I organised this myself as I am a travel agent. I also organised the majority of the Australian guests travel. I enlisted the assistance of a wedding planner and stylist, Charnele from The Wedding Shop Fiji who guided me on styling ideas and setup options and assisted me to make decisions throughout the planning process.

GETTING READY:

The morning was very relaxed, I enjoyed breakfast with my niece who was my flower girl. I met with my mother in law so she could set up the traditional Fijian mats in the chapel and then from there we headed back to the room to start getting ready. We had a really relaxed, some beautiful tunes in the background to get us in the dancing mood and really just had fun. I wasn’t worried about the rain which had been coming down all morning, apparently its good luck, but amazingly it stopped right before the ceremony.

Myself, Bridesmaid, Flower Girl, Mother & Grandmother of the bride were all styled for both hair and makeup by Totoka Hair & Make Up. They were my first and only choice as I was super impressed by their work. I specifically requested Lodo because he looked like a lot of fun and I was nothing short of amazed. His work is flawless and I love him so much. The other beautiful ladies were amazing too – Ludy & Arieta, their work was gorgeous and I especially thank Ludy for doing my grandmothers special “old school” hairstyle request of roller set curls!

My dress was by: Stella York
The Bridesmaids dresses were from: JJ House – mixed styles, all in Navy Blue
The Groom & the guys wore: Robert Huntley
Veil: Maggie Sottero
Bride & Flower Girl custom jewellery: Ronza George
Robes: Lerose

I purchased my mother and father in law both beautiful watches from a local Jeweller in Sydney. I also had personalised embroidery done on a handkerchief for my father with a sentimental note from me.

THE CEREMONY:

Location: Bure Ni Loloma Chapel at Outrigger Resort
The colours/themes you chose: White, Navy & Tapa with lush tropical greenery
Set up the décor at the ceremony: The Wedding Shop Fiji
Flowers & bouquets: The Wedding Shop Fiji

We had a very simple ceremony with a blessing from the celebrant. We wrote our own vows which were personal to us. We had traditional Fijian mats laid by Oni’s mother and aunt for our ceremony.

GETTING PHOTOS:

Our photographer was Konrad Thorpe – K-Thorpe Photography. I absolutely love Konrad’s style of photography. Laid back, natural and taking in the surrounding area. We wanted the backdrop to highlight us as well as Fiji and we felt he captured that very well. His portfolio of beautiful inter-racial couples was stunning and we felt he was the right fit for us.

Our Videographer was Zoom Fiji – their videography skills are by far the most superior I’ve seen in the market, their content and editing skills are top notch. From the get go they were super professional and friendly and on the day they didn’t disappoint. Bruce was amazing to work with and he made the whole crowd feel comfortable – we loved his local lingo and it made everyone feel at ease.

They captured our day with the exact feeling we wanted. They are memories we will cherish forever.

THE RECEPTION:

Where was the location: Vahavu, Outrigger
The colours/themes you chose: White, Navy & Tapa with lush tropical greenery
Who provided and set up the décor at the reception: Outrigger provided some of the items in their Dream package and The Wedding Shop Fiji provided the majority of the styling and florals

We had an hour pre-dinner drinks organised for the guests at Sundowner Bar, sadly they had to move the venue indoors due to the inclement weather but everyone still had a nice time with drinks & entertainment by the Outrigger serenaders. The dinner menu was traditional Lovo – it was amazing food, everyone commented on how lovely it was. This gave our Aussie guests a taste of Fiji and our Fijian guests a feast to remember

The Outrigger made our wedding cake – we had a chocolate mud cake with vanilla butter cream icing. Simple and delicious, our style! It was decorated with some beautiful greenery and white flowers as well as our “Mr & Mrs Rokotuinasau” cake topper. Our nieces and nephews enjoyed the bottom tier the following day for afternoon tea.

We organised a live band through Kulture Entertainment – they did not disappoint – they were fantastic playing a wide range of music and getting people up on the dance floor all night. We also utilised their MC service and organised our guest special entertainment through them with a 15 minute fire show. Everyone had the best time. After farewelling the majority of guests, a few of us kicked on to the Vakavanua lounge at Outrigger where we had a few more drinks and danced the night away.

ADVICE FOR BRIDES PLANNING A FIJI WEDDING: Have fun and have patience. Fiji time is a real thing and sometimes you need to be persistent with some suppliers. At the end of the day, you’re getting married in the most beautiful place on the earth and no matter what happens before or on the day, the most important thing is that you’re marrying the love of your life. Seek the advice of brides that have done it before you, there are always little things you can learn from their experience. Be organised and stay on top of the legal side of things (Outrigger made this too easy for us). Be prepared to arrive in Fiji at least 3 days before the wedding, it makes the world of difference and allows you to settle in and do those last minute things you may have forgotten. Don’t sweat the small stuff, the day is over before you know it so take it in and enjoy being with your family and friends. Happy planning!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY: Marrying the love of my life is the main one but my second most favourite part of the day was the last song to be played – my friend started a conga line and I wondered if it would take off? Within 30 seconds almost everyone was up dancing in the conga line, Aussie guests, Fijian guests, old and young, the Outrigger event staff even joined in. It was the most beautiful celebration of all the different people, cultures, ages and the most amazing thing to witness. Everyone was just having the most fun, everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves. It was pure happiness and I stood there in the middle of it, capturing the moment and I watch the video almost every day. It was so special.

Who Did They Use
IN THE KNOW

Who Did They Use?

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Wedding Venues

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort

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Fiji Wedding Photographers

Konnected Memories

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Fiji Wedding Videographers

Zoom Fiji

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Hair & Make Up

Totoka Hair & Make Up Fiji

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