Posted on

Wedding | Mick & Stacey | Malolo Island

Mick & Stacey met online during the very first COVID lockdown & he proposed at The Versace Hotel on the Gold Coast in July 2021.
They wanted to elope but bring their blended family of four children as they hadn’t travelled as a family before. Malolo Island was always their first choice. The relaxed, family vibe was exactly what they were looking for as a destination wedding location.

We catch up with Groom Mick on planning their Fiji wedding day:

Location | Malolo Island Resort
Number of guests | 8 + a dozen friends we made during our trip
Where did you travel from | Gold Coast, Australia

 

Posted on

Elopement | Shannon & Timalai | Koro Sun Resort

Shannon and Timalai met through a dating app, and then started following each other on Instagram. After a few weeks of messaging back and forth, they decided to meet in person. They went out to dinner, and from the moment they started talking, they clicked.

Shannon remembers feeling like he was someone special from the very beginning. There was just something about him that made her feel like they were meant to be together.

After that first date, they started seeing each other more and more often. They would go on walks together, try new restaurants, and just spend time talking and getting to know each other.

We catch up with Bride Shannon on what lead her to book a destination wedding in Fiji:

 

Posted on

What is it like to Elope in Fiji?

Have you been thinking about eloping in Fiji and wondering if it is the right decision for you? Is it less stress than a wedding day with guests? Will it still be personal and special if it is just the two of you?

There has been such a huge uptake of elopements in Fiji post CoVid, we decided to do some research into why couples elope, what makes this an attractive option and how they found the experience.

When we saw Tiarni & Adrian’s gorgeous elopement feature on social media, we reached out to bride Tiarni to learn more about her firsthand experience. Read on for some very insightful feedback!

Of all destinations, what made you choose Fiji?

Neither of us had ever been to Fiji, so eloping over there was a bit of a risk. We both had Fiji on a list of places we wanted to visit. I had looked up other places both overseas and in Australia, but the package is available in Fiji we’re a lot better, both money wise and inclusion wise.

 

What was it that made you decide to elope?

An elopement style wedding was always on the cards for us, we have never wanted a big fuss of a wedding. We both love to travel and wanted to incorporate our wedding into that, so a relaxed elopement was the way to go. Barefoot on an island was definitely our style.

Posted on

Rowan & Shelby – Fiji Marriott Momi Bay

Rowan and Shelby met in October 2016 online. They chatted for at least a month before deciding to meet. After a few false starts (he likes to say that she stood him up – she didn’t!) and re scheduling they met for a drink in their hometown of Hobart, Tasmania and ended up talking for 4 hours. Shelby even called her best friend on the way home and told her her she was already in love and wanted to marry him! Since then they’ve been inseparable.

We catch up with bride Shelby to find out the details of her Fiji wedding:

BRIDES NAME & GROOMS NAME: Shelby and Rowan
THE DATE: November 9th 2019
THE LOCATION: Fiji Marriott Resort, Momi Bay.
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 13

We went to Fiji and stayed at the Marriott Momi Bay in December 2017 and fell in love with the place and the people. I had been to Fiji previously but for Rowan it was his first time. We knew as soon as we got engaged there was no question about where we wanted to get married.

We made contact with the hotel directly to start organising our wedding. We were taken care of by Inoke and Sala who answered all of our questions and went out of their way to make suggestions to help organise the day.

We booked all of our accommodation through MyFiji – My Travel Centre. We were unable to book a group rate at the hotel as we had such a small wedding and found great value through the packages that MyFiji offered. I used the Bula Bride website for research into photographers and hair & makeup. I really enjoyed reading about other brides experiences and I also found it really helpful when organising our documentation for our special license to wed.

Photography: Cheer Photography

Posted on

Alex & Esala

On a gorgeous September day in Fiji, an all-day celebration was held for the marriage of Alex and Esala. Combining two cultures traditions throughout their wedding, this colourful and joyful wedding showcases a fabulous celebration with family and friends.

BRIDES & GROOM: Alexandra Theodossiou and Esala Vute
THE DATE: 29th September 2018
THE LOCATION: Musket Cove Island Resort and Marina
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: approx. 150

THE BEGINNING

We met in 2011 at a bar in Sydney called Red Room, I was at the bar buying drinks for my netball team to celebrate our grand final win and we got talking. My friend Jess made us exchange phone numbers so the girls could leave and go to another bar!

We chose Fiji because we wanted as many of Esala’s family in Fiji to be able to attend as possible, plus it gave everyone from Australia a great excuse for a holiday.

We were in Fiji in March when we got engaged and managed to go to Musket Cove for the day to have a look around and decide if we liked it. Alex spent a lot of time contacting people in Fiji to get an idea of what was available, also speaking to friends that have been married in Fiji previously helped.

We picked Musket Cove because of how beautiful it is, the chapel, the reception on the beach and in particular, the staff were all wonderful.

We booked all the travel ourselves and prepared a website for our guests with all of the travel information and options on it so that they had one place they could go to for all their questions. We also didn’t have a wedding planner other than Gloria at Musket Cove. Gloria handled most of the ceremony and reception details which was great.

Posted on

Wedding photo ideas for Fiji – get picture perfect photography!

Ahhh wedding photography…usually the next important thing to consider once your resort is selected. That lasting pull of photography is extraordinary; to be transported back in time, surrounded by loved ones and the euphoria of becoming one with your partner.

And while searching for the best wedding photographer for you is no easy process, the good news is that Fiji is home to talented shutterbugs for its well developed wedding market. At BulaBride we strive to present only the best ideas and services for your big day, so keep reading below or follow one of the handy links here:

Choosing a great wedding photographer

Feeling comfortable & building rapport

How to look great in your photos

Authentic wedding photography

Lighting & locations

With the first half of 2019 hosting hundreds of visitors that were either married or attended a wedding here, Fiji’s seasoned wedding snappers know all too well about what it takes.

Below are helpful tips, and photo ideas to help in choosing a photographer to create an emotive, visual legacy of your big day, and making the most of it.

Posted on

Melanie & Geoffrey – Shangri La

Melanie & Geoffrey have done what so many couple are choosing to do these days – create an intimate family wedding that doubles as a holiday at the same time. The Shangri La is the perfect venue for this as it is a family resort, with adults only options and intimate ceremony locations available for smaller wedding parties. From every part of the resort, the views out to the ocean are simply stunning. We catch up with bride Melanie on planning her wedding in Fiji.

BRIDE & GROOM: Melanie & Geoffrey
THE DATE: 15 May 2019
THE LOCATION: Shangri-La Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 10 (including us)

We met through online dating and had our first date at a coffee shop about 2 years ago. I remember being so sick prior to our date and almost cancelling on him but my mum pushed me to go and it was the best decision of my life. Geoff always says he knew we would be together from the moment he saw me. We immediately hit it off and could not stop talking, we talked about everything (and we still do!). Geoff is everything I ever dreamed of and more. He is an amazing father to my son and I couldn’t imagine our lives without him in it.

We were going on a family holiday to the Shangri-La and decided to get married while we were all together. We wanted an intimate, family wedding and couldn’t think of a better time or place to get married. Researching and organising our wedding involved lots of googling and emails back and forth between the resort and me. We kept it pretty simple and went with the recommendations of the resort. My mum is a travel agent so she did a lot of the planning for us. There were a few hiccups from the resort but mum was able to liaise with them to sort it out.

I liked reading stories on Bula Bride about other people and how and what they decided to do as part of their ceremony. Seeing photos was also really inspirational.

Posted on

Shea & Taylor – Tavarua Island

Ohhhh mannnn – you are all going to just love the romance of this Fiji love story! Surrounded by pristine natural beauty and world class reef breaks, the iconic and ever intimate Tavarua Island Resort caters to all those with a sense of adventure amidst simple elegance. So what better place to meet the love of your life? We catch up with bride Shea on how she and partner Taylor met & wed at Tavarua.

BRIDE & GROOM: Shea and Taylor
THE DATE: May 9th 2018
THE LOCATION: Tavarua Island Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 50

Taylor and I met 8 years ago, I was on my yearly family surf trip to Tavarua Island, my family has been going there every year since before I was even born, so to me that trip was the same amazing trip as any other year. Little did I know at the time, one of the life guards that was staying on the island would end up being my husband 8 years later. While I was on the island I met Taylor. The island is small, it holds about 45 guest, so Taylor and I got to know each other pretty well over the two weeks I was there. And crazy enough we figured out that we lived only 30 minutes away from each other back in America.

On my last day on the island, he wrote me a love note and hid it in my backpack, and I did not find it until I got home, and the rest is history.

The location was easy for us to chose, Tavarua is such a special place to both of us. From meeting there to all the amazing times that we have both shared there over the years, we knew it was the prefect place to get married. We had a good idea of what we wanted. A beach wedding, where family and friends could go and have a good time. The natural beauty of Tavarua and the ocean make for beautiful backdrops in every picture. We needed flowers, a minister and a dress. Pretty much everything else was handled by the Tavarua staff and our families. We just wanted to have a good time.

Taylor and I planned the wedding and Tavarua made it happen. The islands staff are the absolute best people in the world, they made everything so ease for us and exactly what we wanted! We could not be more thankful for them!

Posted on

Planning a Unique Fiji Wedding

For some brides and grooms, the best place to have their Fiji wedding is at an all-inclusive resort. It’s a great option for those that need to stick to a budget, and still include their friends and family in their destination wedding. The upside to having a package wedding somewhere is that you don’t have to do as much wedding planning, because most of the decisions you’ll be making will be simple. Choose bouquet A, B, or C. Do you want wedding cake option 1, or wedding cake option 2? You won’t have to hunt down a bunch of different vendors because the hotel does all of that for you either in house or with a preferred vendor list.

However, the idea of having a “package” wedding is a turn off for some brides and grooms. They don’t want to be one of two couples getting married in the same place on the same weekend (or same day, in some cases), having the same décor and the same cake as everyone else. If you’re looking to be a little “different” from everybody else, there are plenty of great locations in Fiji where you can fully customise your day (or days!) to suit your personalities and get something totally different from a standard package offering.

We came across a great example of this at Koro Sun Resort in northern Fiji, as we watched the wedding video of couple Sarah & Euri with tears in our eyes! We were blown away at how this bride and groom made their wedding so personal and so much fun for their guests. So we caught up with Koro Sun Resort to say Bula! and learn more about how they put together the wedding week of Sarah & Euro’s dreams.

Photography: Allan Zepeda

Posted on

Fiji Elopement

There is a growing trend of Fiji Elopements – and to be honest I don’t blame couples for choosing this option. Elopements are perfectly intimate, a special moment shared between just you and your partner and a perfect way to indulge yourselves in small but amazing wedding – your very own Fiji love story.

The money you would have spent on a big wedding can be put towards a luxury elopement experience for the most amazing week(s) of your life. And once you’re hitched it’s straight into the honeymoon – you’re already there!

  • Main Image above: Ocean Studio Fiji Photography