Alyce & Jai - Shangri-La's Fijian Resort and Spa Fiji Weddings - Bula Bride

Alyce & Jai – Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and Spa

Alyce & Jai met when they were working at their local fast food restaurant at the age of 15. They had travelled to Fiji together before and both had fallen in love with it. They had always planned to have a destination wedding so that the guests would be able relax and enjoy the wedding in a beautiful location. They the Shangri La as it has something for everyone, and felt it was perfect for couples who wanted to relax and also for families with young children; plus it would make an incredible backdrop for their Fiji wedding day.

BRIDE & GROOM: Alyce and Jai Ellard
THE DATE: 22nd November 2018
THE LOCATION: The Shangri-La Resort and Spa
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 60

We catch up with Bride Alyce on planning her wedding in Fiji:

It took a lot of research to be able to successfully pull off our Fiji wedding! In particular there was a lot of research and phone calls around the flowers and the band for the reception. We used Mosese who was the wedding planner at the Shangri-La. He was extremely helpful and we found it much easier to communicate directly with him rather than through a number of different vendors. We also used Bula Bride to do a lot of our research – this is how we found our photographer!

GETTING READY

The bridesmaids and I started our morning with a beautiful breakfast in the adults only restaurant. We then headed to the on-site hair and beauty salon to begin our hair and make up process. It was great having the salon at the resort – this meant we didn’t need to do any additional running around on the day. We then finished getting ready in one of the suites at the resort. It was a beautiful suite with lots of room for all the bridesmaids and I to get dressed and get some lovely photos.

My dress was from: Pronovias
The Bridesmaids dresses were from: White Runway
The Groom & the guys wore: Roger David

What gifts were exchanged and where from:
I received a set of Swarovski Earrings to wear on the day from the groom and a matching bracelet from my bridesmaids. I gave the groom an Armani watch to wear on the day.

THE CEREMONY:

Our ceremony was at the Shangri-La Chapel. The staff at the Shangri-La provided and set up the décor at the ceremony and our flowers and bouquets. Because we had such a beautiful backdrop already, we opted for a softer theme of light pink and white.

The ceremony was very relaxed and laid back. Everyone was made to feel comfortable and relaxed. We had the Fijian choir singing as I walked down the aisle – it was so beautiful, everyone shed a tear! On the way out of the chapel we had the choir and serenaders singing as we were showered with petals from the guests.

GETTING PHOTOS:

Nadi Bay Photography were our photographers. We found them from the Bula Bride website and had a look at the wedding gallery. We were very impressed and found them very easy to communicate with.

We wanted some natural and fun shots to capture the overall feel of the wedding. We also wanted to get some sunset shots and we were very pleased with how these turned out.

We loved all of the photos we received! They were such a great variety of photos with guests, bridal party and the groom and myself. Nadi Bay Photography captured some really great photos of special and intimate moments between our family and friends.

THE RECEPTION: 

Our reception was at The Pavillion at the Shangri-La. We selected soft pink, gold and white for our theming.

Guests arrived early at the Pavillion and enjoyed the gorgeous views and some drinks while the bridal party was taking photos. We opted for the buffet option for the dinner menu, which had a range of fresh salads and a variety of roast meats. The cake was also made by the resort.

The Trio Band was booked through the Shangri-La Fiji. At the end of the reception we headed up to one of the bars where we carried on the party.

ADVICE FOR BRIDES PLANNING A FIJI WEDDING:  

Leave yourself plenty of time to organise the wedding! Vendors are usually on ‘Fiji Time’ and may take a while in getting back to you. Don’t stress – just be organised and leave yourself a few extra weeks to plan everything that you need. I would also recommend utilising the staff/wedding planners at the resort that you will be staying at. They have great ideas and tips that I had never thought of.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:

Definitely the ceremony, it was such a special time with friends and family that we are closest to.

Who Did They Use
IN THE KNOW

Who Did They Use?

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Wedding Venues

Shangri-La Yanuca Island

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Fiji Wedding Photographers

Nadi Bay Photography

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