We have been wanting to share a wedding at the Sofitel Fiji for a while as we are a big fan of this picture-perfect Denarau location. However we couldn’t quite find one recently that ticked all the boxes, until we came across the wedding of Grace and Jack, captured perfectly by Leezett Photography/Productions. In fact there are so many gorgeous photos that we couldn’t fit all of them into this blog! However we will have plenty of additional inspiration for you across on our social media pages, so stay tuned!
We catch up with bride Grace on what went in to planning her special day:
BRIDES & GROOM: Grace & Jack THE DATE: 6th October 2018 THE LOCATION: Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 62
We met at a mutual friends 21st Birthday in Adelaide and have been inseparable ever since. We wanted our wedding to not only be about us, but about our children, family and close friends so we chose a destination wedding. We love to travel and after hearing about Fiji from our friends and family we knew it was the perfect place to have our wedding.
We asked friends for location advice, followed Instagram pages, website forums and did lots of internet research. Once you know what you’re looking for, it was easy to find the perfect location and the suppliers we wanted to use. After finding the location and the suppliers we knew we had to have it, it was only a matter of getting in contact with them. The resort and the suppliers were very helpful and able to answer all of our questions.
Bula Bride is also an amazing forum with lots of really good information. We did a lot of research through this website and especially loved reading about the real Fiji weddings.
There are always new trends in wedding photography that grow in popularity among brides-to-be. Once such trend that will suit newlywed couples feeling adventurous after their wedding, is an underwater shoot or ‘Trash the Dress’ session.
These photography sessions are stunning works of art that make your wedding photos one of a kind! The water gives free flowing movement to your wedding gown and hair and creates an beautiful ethereal feel.
Underwater photography adds a wonderful aspect of playful romance as the two of you are swimming through the crystal clear turquoise water together, holding hands.
We catch up with leading destination wedding photographer Lia & Stu on why a Fiji honeymoon or wedding underwater photoshoot is a great idea:
Background:
We moved to Fiji from Hawaii in July 2010. As water photographers, we didn’t think ocean clarity could get much better than what we knew in Hawaii. Oh, how wrong we were! Now nearly 8 years later we are still blown away by the underwater world here. Fiji is also at the top of the list as a dream honeymoon location for newlyweds around the world. If you love the water as much as we do you to will be blown away! Check out this list of 5 reasons why you must do a Fiji honeymoon underwater photoshoot!
We just love Fiji Elopements! The combination of a dream location, a romantic holiday, a little luxury and of course saying ‘I Do’ to the love of your life sounds like a pretty great way to get married!
In northern Fiji, you’ll find a beautiful boutique luxury resort on the east side of Vanua Levu, near the world famous Rainbow Reef. The team at the Remote Resort Fiji resort personally tailor make every single wedding – no two are ever the same. This allows you to choose entirely how you’d like your elopement to be. We catch up with recent Fiji bride Karen on her elopement to Fiji and what went in to planning their special day in paradise.
BRIDES & GROOM: Wes Dennett & Karen Thomas THE DATE: 18th September 2019 THE LOCATION: The Remote Resort, Fiji THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: None – just the wonderful staff at the resort!
Georgia was already a seasoned visitor to Fiji – so when it came time to marrying the love of her life it it was an easy decision to choose her favourite holiday destination for her wedding day. After a trip to Fiji a few months before they married, the location was in place, the suppliers booked and all that was left to do was to get ready for an amazing wedding day. We catch up with Georgia on all the details of her beautiful Fiji wedding:
BRIDE & GROOM: Georgia Magnus & Thomas Lander THE DATE: 03/11/18 THE LOCATION: Sheraton Resort, Denarau Island THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 60
We choose Fiji to get married because my family have been going to Fiji for 10+ years and it was our the place of our first holiday away together.
As we have travelled to Fiji for many years and stayed at the Sheraton every time it was an easy decision for us. Fiji has a special place in both our hearts. We used Paradise Bride from the Sheraton to help organise and plan our wedding, they were very easy to communicate with over the planning period, very responsive to emails.
Saskia & Ardie’s wedding caught our eye when Lydia from Totoka Hair & Make Up messaged me to say she had just done a stunning bride and thought the wedding was going to be equally as gorgeous. “I think the groom plays rugby” she said, and sent me a couple of sneak peak photos that had gone online. She wasn’t wrong about all her comments – the bride WAS gorgeous, the wedding WAS stunning, and the groom is well known All Black Ardie Savea. We couldn’t wait to take a look at this beautiful wedding!!
We catch up with bride Saskia on what went in to planning her wedding day in Fiji:
BRIDES & GROOM: Saskia & Ardie Savea THE DATE: 2/12/18 THE LOCATION: Sheraton Resort Fiji THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 65 PHOTOGRAPHY BY:Hollow & Co
“We met at school through friends, and have been together ever since”
We choose Fiji as a location because we LOVE Fiji. We have been many times and always enjoy the atmosphere and people.
Researching and organising our wedding involved finding a resort, and then communicating with our awesome wedding planner, Miriama from Paradise Bride. She was incredible and did everything on the Fiji side of things, while we just decided on what bridal party will wear etc. She was amazing. Everything put together just looked gorgeous.
Elopements in Fiji are hugely popular with our beautiful islands hosting hundreds of these a year. In fact, so popular is this style of wedding that our ‘Fiji Elopements’ article took out the most read article of last year with thousands of readers checking out our advice on eloping in Fiji.
We head down to the Marriott Resort, Momi Bay where photographers Ocean Studio captured this gorgeous little elopement just before Christmas 2018; and we share a few tips with you on planning a Fiji elopement of your own.
We kick off the 2019 year with this beautiful wedding feature in the northern part of Fiji – Savusavu. Lillian and Arthur said ‘I do’ in a beautiful and intimate ceremony that clearly demonstrates their love for each other. Happiness is written across their faces the whole day long!
BRIDES NAME & GROOMS NAME: Lillian & Arthur Chaudhry THE DATE: December 18 2018 THE LOCATION: Namale Resort and Spa, Savusavu, Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 5
Hair & Make Up is undoubtedly one of the most important things brides want to get right on their wedding day. Most brides have a vision of what they are going to look like and spend time in pre-wedding preparation to look as good as they can for their special day.
With a good portion of brides getting married in Fiji coming from overseas, the climate can be very different to what you are used to back home. Particularly in the summer months (as early as November and as late as April), Fiji can be extremely humid and often wet. Whatever the month, it pays to think through your wedding day hairstyle carefully for the best result.
We catch up with one of Fiji’s leading Hair & Make Up Artists, Lydia Whippy from Totoka Hair & Make Up to get her top tips on great hair for your Fiji wedding day:
Here at Bula Bride we review wedding photos every day, which got us thinking how much do we actually know about having good wedding photos taken? Suffice to say, most of us have never had wedding photos taken before the big day, so it’s unfamiliar territory usually for both the bride and groom.
On the other side of the camera however, should be a seasoned professional that knows what they are doing. Every good wedding photographer will have their own way of capturing important moments, but it’s still a good idea to have an understanding what can help make your photos amazing, particularly if there are key elements or shots you want to include in your imagery. And given the investment in your images (usually the largest spend of your wedding, after the F&B) we thought it would be a great idea to share some insight in how to get wedding photos you’ll treasure forever.
We catch up with leading wedding photographer & Principal of Ocean Studios Fiji Yoshi Kawai to give us the low down on achieving great wedding photos.
Whatever your style, we would be delighted to work with you as our treasured client to deliver the look you want for your wedding photos. Our team at Ocean Studio Fiji is made up of versatile professionals who like to think of you as our friends and nothing pleases us more than making our friends happy!
We will enjoy getting to know you via email and/or phone and will always approach our work by first thinking of what you might like. We like to be creative and artistic with the images and will take a variety of images throughout your big day that will capture the essence of your wedding celebrations; the love, romance, emotion and laughter and delight on the faces of your family and friends.
We also like to be bold and adventurous with our photography if this is something you might be interested to explore with us. Most importantly, we like to make sure that you have as much fun on your wedding day as possible.
TOP TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR WEDDING PHOTOS
When is the best time to plan our ceremony?
With many years of experience, we have concluded that around 1.5 – 2 hours before sunset is the prime time for a wedding ceremony in Fiji. At this time of day, the light is softer and more romantic and the temperature is cooler for your comfort, which makes you look much better in the photos. This also gives us plenty of time to take family and group shots before the perfect light arrives for our renowned sunset images.
Of course if you have young children and would like an earlier ceremony, we can still take good photos with a sunny beach background, but we will need to work together a little more as your eyes will perhaps be squinting in the strong sunshine and the heat can sometimes be uncomfortable – especially if you are planning to wear a heavy dress, or dark suit.
When it comes to planning your ceremony, it is generally better (for lighting purposes) that you are facing towards land as opposed to out to sea. We will check on the day and possibly suggest some small adjustments to your positioning if necessary to prevent shadows across your face or squinting into the sun.
Early afternoon is generally not recommended as it can be extremely hot and the light is often harsh and therefore not suitable for good portrait shots. However, if you have planned an early afternoon wedding, we will happily wait for sunset more than a few hours after ceremony, We don’t want lose your fresh look and fresh happiness before the best time of light, so chill out with Margarita until the best light comes.
