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Priyanka & Vishal – InterContinental Wedding

When Vishal attended Priyanka’s 21st birthday party, he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. They had a lot in common and great chemistry and very quickly developed feelings for each other. They fell in love with each other’s personalities and soon realized they were the ones for each other. We catch up with Priyanka & Vishal on planning their wedding.

BRIDES NAME & GROOMS NAME: Priyanka & Vishal
THE DATE: July 11th, 2019
THE LOCATION: InterContinental Fiji Resort, Natadola Bay
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 80

We always wanted an outdoor wedding because we love nature, and Priyanka fell in love with the Intercontinental Fiji Resort when she went on vacation the previous year. Having a destination wedding meant that all our loved ones could have a wonderful vacation while also attending our wedding. Additionally, we have a lot of family in Australia and it was very easy for them to travel to Fiji.

We reached out to the InterContinental wedding coordinator to find out more information about the wedding packages and details. After getting more information, we decided this venue would work best for our needs. We worked with Intercontinental’s wedding coordinator Lusiana, and she made the experience so easy and stress-free. Planning a destination wedding is never easy, but she had a lot experience with planning Indian weddings, so she helped arrange many of the vendors we needed.

We looked through destination weddings on the Bula Bride website and found another couple that also held their wedding at InterContinental. This inspired us to do so as well, and it reaffirmed that a destination wedding could be possible for us.

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Bree & Josh – Sofitel Resort & Spa Fiji

Sydney-siders Bree and Josh wanted a wedding somewhere both not too far away and relaxed in nature, so it made sense Fiji was high on the list. After a pre-wedding trip to suss out the possibilities, they settled on a list of some of our favourite Fiji vendors to be part of their special day. We catch up with bride Bree on how her wedding day came together:

BRIDE & GROOM: Bree & Josh
THE DATE: 25th May 2019
THE LOCATION: Sofitel Resort & Spa Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 75

Josh and I met when we were teenagers through some mutual friends. Within a few short weeks we were living together and we both knew we had met our soul mate.

We always imagined getting married overseas, particularly because we didn’t want a very big (and fancy) wedding. There were a few different countries on our list, but we decided on Fiji as it was only a 4 hour flight away from Sydney, the location and hotels are amazing, and of course the beautiful people.

What was involved in researching and organising your wedding?

We made a trip to Fiji 18 months before the date of our wedding to do research, see all of the hotels and decide on a date. We met with every hotel on Denarau while we were there. I had a list of questions printed out for each so I ensured we got all the information we needed to make the right decision. I pre-organised the meetings so we also got to enjoy our holiday while we were there. Once we decided on the hotel, we then started following social media pages of stylists and photographers in Fiji, along with the Bula Bride Instagram.

Bula Bride was so helpful particularly before we went to Fiji as it helped us find the local vendors, along with giving us an idea on past weddings and what they looked like.

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Danielle & Cameron – Outrigger Resort

This wedding gets our vote for the happiest wedding couple of the year! As soon as we saw Danielle and Cameron’s images pop up on photographer Konrad’s social media, we knew we wanted to see more. From the beginning to the end, this couple does not stop smiling. Combining their love with their love to party, they had the wedding day of their dreams.

BRIDE & GROOM: Danielle & Cameron
THE DATE: 24th May, 2019
THE LOCATION: Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 37 

THE BEGINNING

How, when and where you met:
Well now that’s a story! We actually don’t remember meeting one another, but by process of elimination we figured we met drunkenly in McDonalds on 13th February 2015.

The following week, I found a random contact saved in my phone as “Cam McDonalds Dude Sexy” – really confused I decided to text the number and see if they had any recollection on how I got it. Long story short it turns out we were both out in Auckland CBD on Friday 13th for work drinks and after a fair few tequilas it led us both to McDonalds. We decided to meet up for lunch and that’s when I knew that drunk Dani did good. The rest is history!

Why did you choose Fiji? And why that particular location?
Fiji was the first international holiday that we went on together as a couple in 2016, we absolutely fell in love with the beautiful country and more so the beautiful people. We went to Fiji a couple more times, we just couldn’t get enough! So when Cam proposed, we knew the only place that would be the perfect location for us to get married would be Fiji.

When I started to do research into destination weddings I came across the Bula Bride website. I really liked reading through other couples love stories and about their big day. It swayed us just that little bit more to choosing the Outrigger too.

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Gosia & Brian – Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay

Brian & Gosia had a very romantic meeting, the kind you see in movies. They met in 2015 on an aeroplane, when Gosia’s now husband sat next to her.

Having always wanted a tropical wedding, they initially chose Hawaii and went on a scouting trip. However they could not find a location that really spoke to them. Gosia had travelled to Fiji before and had very fond memories of the people and the surroundings. Brian had heard Gosia tell tales of how beautiful Fiji was and when he suggested it as a destination she quickly agreed. They chose the Marriott because it was more secluded than the other resorts and they both wanted something intimate.

BRIDES NAME & GROOMS NAME: Gosia and Brian
THE DATE: 6th July 2019
THE LOCATION: Marriott Momi Bay Resort, Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 49

We catch up with Gosia on planning her wedding:

When researching and organising our wedding, I reviewed Bula Bride for possible locations, inspiration and local suppliers. I also sent out requests for proposals to 5 possible venues and reviewed the responses to choose the best venue which suited our needs. I worked with our wedding planner to work on the theme, the menu, the cake, the flowers, the “feel” of the wedding and the pre and post wedding activities. We made our own passports for wedding invitations and organised 4 days worth of events. In addition to this, I reviewed the local suppliers for photography and hair and makeup and worked with them on how we wanted to look and how we wanted to capture the day.

We used the Wedding Co-ordinator that was allocated to us through the resort. She was exceptional, and went above and beyond to give us a memorable experience. She arranged everything from accommodation for our friends and family, to a nanny for our little girl.

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Saskia & Jesse – Mana Island Resort

Jesse and Saskia met at a Country Pub called the Puketapu Pub in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. They were both living on farms near the pub and would met up most nights for drinks with lots of other young farmers and friends. They caught each others eye and the rest was history, and had their first son Hunter 6 years ago and another little boy Armin who is one and a half. After getting engaged in Fiji, they knew it would be an ideal wedding location. We catch up with bride Saskia on what went in to planning her day:

BRIDE & GROOM: Jesse & Saskia Sutton
THE DATE: 13th September 2019
THE LOCATION: Mana Island Resort
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 42

2 years ago Jesse proposed to me in Fiji at the Sofitel while we were having a very romantic dinner down on the beach. There were two Fijian men playing their guitars and singing to us it is one of my most treasured memories, it was so romantic! Jesse got the restaurant to do a dessert with an upside down ice-cream cone and put my ring on the top of the cone and in chocolate had written “WILL YOU MARRY ME”. It was truly romantic and super sweet as I didn’t think my country boy could arrange something so romantic!

Why did you choose Fiji? And why that particular location?
We choose Fiji as we love it there for it’s amazing culture! We had done family trips there and really loved it and decided we would love a very small beach wedding and where more perfect than Fiji!

We had searched on Bula Bride and a couple of other sites to help us decide where in Fiji we would like to get married and also what was a good deal for our wedding quests. We found Mana Island ticked all of our boxes.

The main reason we choose Mana Island is because they have the most beautiful location to get married – Sunset beach. It is absolutely stunning! And if it rained the have the most beautiful wedding chapel so I was calm if it rained. Thank goodness it was a beautiful day and we got the most perfect sunset beach wedding. Another reason was because its an all ‘inclusive’ resort so your meals were included in the package.

What was involved in researching and organising your wedding?
I think the main thing for me was going onto facebook sites, plus anything to do with Fiji Weddings such as Bula Bride, I Was Married in Fiji, Fiji Weddings they were all so helpful. There were a lot of posts with questions already asked and you too can post and get replies not just from previous brides but also from suppliers. I watched a lot of other Fiji bride’s wedding videos to help me choose where I wanted to get married and what suppliers I wanted to use and then basically just emailed them.

There was so much information and reviews etc on Bula Bride from previous brides. I actually used this website the most.

I ended up using Leanne from “I Was Married in Fiji” for assistance with the wedding. Leanne was brilliant! For me it was just good her helping me get answers from suppliers. Leanne was amazing full of good information and knows Fiji and the suppliers very well so she could recommend stuff to me which was awesome!

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Amanda & Gareth – Hilton Fiji

This wedding officially has the largest number of kids we have ever heard of! But if any place is going to do that well, it’s Fiji. Well known for being one of the most family-friendly locations to holiday on earth, getting married with a classroom-sized ensemble of kids is no problem. We catch up with Amanda and hear all about her and Gareth’s amazing wedding day at the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa.

BRIDE & GROOM: Amanda & Gareth
THE DATE:  26th July, 2019
THE LOCATION: Maravu Lawn, Hilton, Denarau
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 65 adults and 29 children

THE BEGINNING

How, when and where you met:
We first met a high school almost two decades ago but the sparks started flying when we reconnected at university a couple of years later.

Why did you choose Fiji? And why that particular location?
Fiji is very dear to us as we holiday here every second year with our extended families. Denarau offers so much for families travelling with small children and older grandparents. There so many options for accommodation, activities and eating out. Options are everything when travelling with large numbers of people.

What was involved in researching and organising your wedding?
As we were very familiar with Denarau we were confident that any number of venues would have been fabulous. We also knew that each resort had their own event/wedding planning team which makes planning an overseas wedding far too easy. We reached out to a couple of the resorts and ended up choosing the Hilton.

We were assisted by the incredible events team at the Hilton (Caireen and Luse). As I mentioned it was far too easy. They were always available on email or phone and literally walked us through the process step-by-step, including picking us up and escorting us to the local authorities for our marriage license.

We also engaged the lovely Esther from Fiji Weddings for some additional styling. What they delivered was more beautiful than we could ever have imagined. Nothing was too much, even last-minute flower additions on the morning of the wedding.

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Priya & Alan – Sofitel Resort and Spa

At over 100 wedding guests, Priya & Alan are one of the bigger groups we have featured this year. Sofitel Resort on Denarau is a great choice for larger groups and the surrounding locations of Denarau and Nadi also offer plenty of choice for your guests to explore and relax outside of your wedding day. We love the multicultural approach to this wedding; its vibrant colours and that it was clearly planned to ensure their friends and family would have a good time! Read more about what went in to planning Priya and Alan’s special day:

BRIDE & GROOM: Priya Sundar & Alan Delamere
THE DATE: July 12th, 2019
THE LOCATION: Sofitel Resort and Spa
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 108 (78 adults & 30 kids)

THE BEGINNING:

We got engaged in April 2019. We had loosely discussed having a destination wedding and since I was born there, figured Fiji was the place. As our guest list included people from all over the globe, we sent out ‘Save the date’ via Facebook event in June 2019, giving guests a year to save/plan etc.

We chose Sofitel because it could cater for our large number of guests, plus it was in Denarau, meaning guests had options on where to stay based on their personal budgets. A third of our guests stayed at Sofitel while the remainder stayed at Hilton, The Westin, The Terraces, Ramada Inn, Mercure, Wyndham and a huge house in Nadi township via Airbnb.

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Amy and Rick – Turtle Island

A visit to Turtle Island in 2016 for our 15th wedding anniversary remains a highlight for my husband and I, from all the many trips we have taken over more than 10 years of experiencing Fiji. When I came across this gorgeous elopement at Turtle Island I jumped on the chance to share some of the photos that highlight the unique and special nature of this resort. We catch up with bride Amy on what went in to planning her wedding in Fiji:

BRIDE & GROOM: Amy & Rick Markham
THE DATE: July 18th, 2019
THE LOCATION: Turtle Island Resort
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: Amy, Rick & Jake accompanied by Turtle Island Resort staff

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Chanelle and Glen – Musket Cove

We call ourselves ‘wedding stalkers’ here at Bula Bride – we pretty much scan the internet each day looking for the best and most fabulous weddings in Fiji and then track down the bride to get the low down on her wedding. Chanelle’s wedding was one of these – we spotted her photo on Zoom Fiji & Totoka Hair & Make Up’s social media, and we knew we just HAD to make this wedding a feature. We catch up with Bride Chanelle about planning her wedding in Fiji:

BRIDE & GROOM: Chanelle and Glen Angus
THE DATE: April 26th, 2019
THE LOCATION: Musket Cove Island Resort
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 83

We met in 2014 through mutual friends, Glen decided to add me on Facebook and the rest is history!

Fiji has become one of our favourite holiday destinations and on our last trip in 2016 we discussed coming back some day to get married. My family holiday at Musket Cove regularly thanks to my Aunty who got married there about 10 years ago. This made Musket Cove an obvious choice for our wedding.

We were super lucky since we were already so familiar with Musket Cove. The first thing we did was use Bula Bride to help us with inspiration for the style of wedding we were after. Then we began to book local Fiji Wedding Vendors through recommendations from Bula Bride and friends who married at Musket Cove a few years ago. We used Bula Bride a lot, we found the blog very useful as it had real bride and groom experiences and recommendations. There were also lots of photos which helped when it came to choosing our style.

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Review: Shangri La Resort upgrade 2019

One of the things we love doing at Bula Bride is getting to know the Vendors that are part of our directory, so that when we are asked for information about a location, product or service, we can provide personal and helpful insight or recommendation to the bride or groom. So when we were invited down to The Shangri La’s Fijian Resort and Spa in July, we (the kids and I) jumped at the chance as it had been about 2 years since our last proper visit.

The resort is the only island resort in Fiji connected to the mainland. Less than an hour from Nadi International Airport, you could be stepping into one of the resort’s three pools, or diving into the lagoon, which is unaffected by the tide. Spread across more than 100 hectares of private island are 443 bures, rooms and suites, all with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean or lagoon. It’s just a short trip to a very beautiful part of Fiji.

I had read the media releases saying Shangri-La has invested USD50 million to revitalise their resort (Fiji’s largest private-island resort) which included a world-class dining makeover, the establishment of an exclusive adults-only precinct and renovation of the function facilities. Hearing that the upgrade having given Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa a new lease of life, I looked forward to the opportunity to check this out in person!

So – the question for me was, is all the hype legitimate? Are the upgrades really that significant? Has the investment really bumped The Shangri La Resort up to the top of the list of being a world class destination to get married?

If you want to know what I think…read on!!