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Behind the scenes @ Nanuku Resort Photoshoot

Welcome to our behind-the-scenes blog of our photoshoot! This year Bula Bride has set a goal to get creative and bring you some pretty images to inspire you for your own Fiji wedding. It’s also a great way for us to showcase what some of our fabulous vendors can do & can offer; and a chance for us to portray ideas that you might be able to incorporate into your own wedding in Fiji.

So when we learned that our Vendor Nanuku Resort were seeking some extra wedding images to showcase their bespoke weddings, we jumped at the chance to facilitate & collaborate a shoot there as a joint initiative. Known for creating unique and inspired wedding experiences, their stunning oceanfront setting is an ideal location for showcasing a dream destination wedding or elopement in Fiji. With this in mind, we headed down to Pacific Harbour for a couple of days to make magic happen!

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Rachel & Michael

When we saw Rachel and Michael’s 120-guest wedding at Leleuvia Island Resort over on photographer Zoom Fiji’s page, we knew instantly this would be a stunning feature! Not only is it the first time for Bula Bride to feature a wedding here, but the set up is simply gorgeous. Add the stunning background and the romantic story and we were hooked!

We catch up with Rachel on her wedding day:

Michael & I met in Suva about 16yrs ago at a poetry reading session. It was a whirlwind romance where we dated, got married and had our 3 beautiful girls and in the time it took to raise our girls and build our businesses we never found the time to have a large wedding ceremony. So finally after 16yrs and after much prodding from our girls, we decided to have a wedding.

Whilst it was a wedding ceremony, it was also a renewal of our vows and our 16 year wedding anniversary, which was made even more special because we were able to have our 3 girls involved.

We chose Fiji, because I’m from Fiji and all my kids were born in Fiji. My husband is also a Fijian citizen now. And we chose Leleuvia island resort because we are one of the owners of the resort, and also it’s one of the most beautiful and magical islands in the Pacific and a place where we have shared and created many beautiful memories with our families and friends.

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Chelsea & Mitchell

We at Bula Bride are super partial to an island wedding….after all, it is Fiji! With the unmistakeable backdrop of perfect palm trees, lush grounds and blue skies, we are super excited to share Chelsea & Mitchells dream Fiji wedding at Musket Cove Island Resort.

We catch up with Chelsea:
We met 8 years ago when Mitch had been sent to Adelaide with the Army. I met him through a school friend who was in the Army too and we were introduced to one another at a friend’s house.

We chose Fiji because we had always talked about having a destination wedding with only our closest friends and family as guests. Mitch’s parents were also married in Fiji so we thought it must be a beautiful place for it.

We read plenty of reviews and also had the help of a Destination Wedding Planner who was able to help us make our decisions. We used Mandi Forrester-Jones from Viva Destination Weddings and Events. She was very helpful and had a lot of knowledge about weddings in Fiji as well as good suggestions for venues and suppliers. As a result we booked Musket Cove Island Resort & Marina.

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Hilary & Scott

We met 5 years ago through a mutual friend back home in Sydney.

We really wanted an intimate tropical beach elopement and decided Fiji would be the perfect location! We had never been to Fiji before so we did all our research online through Instagram and various blogs. We particularly loved Bula Bride as there was so much information which helped us out. We decided we wanted to stay at the Intercontinental Golf Resort & Spa because we loved their accommodation and facilities, but wanted to get married at Yatule Resort & Spa because it was a more intimate spot on the breathtaking Natadola beach.

Once we decided on Yatule Resort and Spa for our ceremony location we got in contact with Paradise Bride wedding planners and they were so incredibly helpful from the first initial email right through to the wedding day! Pooja and the team at Paradise Bride really do make your wedding planning a whole lot easier and stress free as it can be really overwhelming planning a destination wedding.

We spent the morning of our wedding day relaxing by the lagoon at the Intercontinental, getting some sun and having a few snorkelling sessions. There was not a single moment of stress just pure love and excitement! We couldn’t wait to finally get married in paradise.

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Mandy & Scott

When I spotted the photos of American couple Mandy & Scott eloping at Royal Davui I was immediately taken in by the beautiful simplicity of their day. It spoke to me of everything a wedding is supposed to be – a celebration of love, two people hand in hand, sharing a special promise to each other. I immediately contacted Mandy to ask her to share her Fiji elopement story and fortunately she agreed. Being a travel writer herself it’s been an easy and beautiful read uncovering her journey from falling in love to getting married in Fiji.
Mandy shares with us her story.

Our Story
A couple of summers ago my father called and asked me to come home and spend the summer with him because he was ill. I am a travel, health, and lifestyle writer and luckily had the flexibility to do so. I made the arrangements and drove across the United States from North Carolina to Utah to see my dad in the hospital on July 4th.

Little did I know that my parents new next door neighbour would be my future husband. Scott, was his name. We met in passing a few times, and one day I made brownies and took them over to say hello. We sat on his front porch talking for about an hour and then I left. The next time I saw him he asked if I wanted to go on a motorcycle ride with him, but I was leaving for Santiago, Chile. He kind of looked at me like, who are you? I laughed and walked away.

Upon my return there was a happy birthday sign in his yard. This convinced me he had a girlfriend, since he still had not asked for my phone number. Well no harm done in buying a man a 12 pack of craft beer on his birthday, and so I took him a gift. He still never asked for my phone number, so I left him a note on his truck. We went out to dinner one time before I left for a Mexico trip at the end of the summer. I was not planning on coming back to Utah until the holidays at this point, and really did not know what would happen.

Fast forward to December that year. We kept in touch via text message, but one thing I could not shake is how much I was thinking of him, someone I really barely knew. When I came home for Christmas that year, we hit it off immediately, and started dating, I spent time between between North Carolina, Utah, and cloudsurfing (flying for work). When I made the decision to permanently move to Salt Lake City late in the spring of 2016, we both knew we would be together for the rest of our lives. He asked me to marry him December 3, 2016, and well, the rest is history.

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Where is the best place to get married in Fiji?

So, where is the best place to get married in Fiji?

Deciding on the location to have your Fiji wedding or honeymoon can be a tough choice, with so many options available. Naturally your budget will help to narrow this down, however, ultimately this is going to be a one-off and very special experience, so putting some thought into what you want to get out of your trip is very important. And if you are having guests, thinking about what will also be the best experience for the group is also important.

    Main image above: Ocean Studios Fiji Photography

We have put together some suggestions that may help you choose the best place to get married in Fiji, or find the right location or just help you to think about what can make the experience special no matter where you go in Fiji. The good news is, from small budgets to large, Fiji has a range of options to cater to everyone.

1. Choose a location that matches your needs
Checking into a resort full of kids or embarking on a trip to a too-remote island, when it was not exactly what you expected from your wedding holiday could throw a spanner in the works of your much-desired Fiji wedding or honeymoon. The atmosphere at the resort will be crucial to the success of your trip, so it is important to choose a resort that is suitable for the type of wedding you want to have, and matches your budget and needs.

Luxury resorts that specialise in romance and couples getaways offer a unique experience and an intimate atmosphere. If you are looking for a personalised experience, take a look at a 5-star resort and book a stay to include your wedding or elopement, plus several extra nights on an all-inclusive package. You can’t go past the serenity and luxury of resorts like Turtle, Raiwasa, Namale, Savasi, Tides Reach or Laucala and if your budget does happen to stretch to one of these options for your wedding day, you won’t regret it.

Images: Raiwasa Grand Villa, Matei, Fiji offers luxurious weddings and honeymoons

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Introducing Leezett Photography

There is no doubt the quality of wedding photographers in Fiji is of a very high standard. Leezett Photography is one of those. With their romantic in-the-moment style, they capture those unique moments in your big day, and will leave you with a wedding photography collection so stunning that you have trouble deciding which ones not to share. Leezett joins us on Bula Bride to share more with us.

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Pat & Marley

Since starting as a wedding consult/planner I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing couples. Pat & Marley were one of them. Bride Marley was a dream to work with and so excited in every stage up until their Sofitel FijiWedding.

The best part is hearing the feedback on how the day went and most of all seeing the photos. To see the smile on the couple’s faces and the love beaming from their hearts.

Marley shares with us today the details of their day. Captured by destination wedding photographer Emma Clearly.

The Location / When I was a little girl I remember my Gran saying to me that Fiji is the most beautiful place in the world. From then on it was only a dream of mine to be married there.

The Cake / We had a doughnut tower (choc, caramel, mocha and banoffee filled) from Taste Fiji as our wedding cake which we had with a champagne toasting straight after the ceremony. As there were no children at our reception this was a great way to include them and also gave the guests something to do while we had family photos.

The Favours / Our favours were actually “Wet Pussy Shots” served in cork bottles. Pat used to buy these for me when he was trying to woo me in the clubs in our early days.

The Advice / The hardest thing for me was trusting someone else to do things for me and not knowing how it was going to come together until the day. Have full faith in your wedding planner and vendors tell them what you are after and trust them. They are the professionals and they do this every day.

I spent so much time stressing about things that didn’t even get noticed on the wedding day. Don’t stress just have fun with it! We wanted our wedding day to be laid back, casual and so much fun.. but also perfect. And this is exactly what it was.. a huge party. The whole day (besides me being sick and it being super windy), there was never a dull moment from start to finish our guests had the best time. It was the best wedding so much better than we expected.

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Fiji Farm to Table Wedding Inspiration

Bula Bride lives by it’s ethos — Beyond the Package. Going outside of the restrictions or inclusions of a package or the walls of a resort. So when new venues present themselves for a dream tropical Fiji Wedding, the word ‘excited’ is an understatement.

Taste Fiji Events has teamed up with Aviva Farms to offer a unique offering for weddings in Fiji. With a ceremony location looking over the hills of the Sleeping Giants, matched with Farm to Table style reception – a wedding at Aviva Farms would create an unforgettable experience.

While Australian dress designer When Freddie Met Lilly was in town, we thought it was a great idea to showcase Aviva Farms and the latest in bridal.

Captured by Leezett Photography, Hair & Makeup by the ever amazing Hair N Makeup Perfectionist and adorned by AdornFiji. Sit back and enjoy this gorgeous inspiration shoot on the eve of Christmas!

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Bowen & Samantha

It’s wedding season in Fiji and I am loooooooving seeing all the beautiful weddings happening over the past couple of months. Thank you to all the brides and photographers tagging BB on social and sending through weddings for me to see.

2016 has seen Fiji up it’s game in terms of weddings. Some are super styled in fine tropical form and others still perfectly simple, but couples aren’t shying away for adding their flavour to their day in terms of style.

One of these is the Shangri-La Fiji Wedding of Bowen & Sam. After getting engaged in Hawaii, and Fiji always having a place in Samantha’s heart – a tropical destination for their big day only seemed fitting.

Moments captured by Destination Wedding Photographer Dean Shnushall.

Bride’s Advice

Fiji is an amazing and beautiful place. It has had my heart since I was a little girl and I know I will always return to it. When planning a Fijian wedding, make sure you take a deep breath and go with the flow. Not everything will go exactly as you may have planned but it will be an amazing experience. Looking back on our day, it was perfect and we would not change a thing.