So, you’ve decided to have a Fiji destination wedding – yay! Great decision guys!
Our brides often comment about the benefits of getting married in the South Pacific and the most common one being ‘the amount of quality time spent with family and close friends’. Your guests will often look at your wedding as a way to have a holiday at the same time, therefore enjoying your special day and the fun and activities on offer in a tropical paradise!
Below are a few tips that we trust will be of benefit when planning your dream wedding, brought to you by Bula Bride Vendor Carla from South Pacific Weddings. Carla has extensive experience planning weddings and group travel to Fiji, so these are collated from years of experience!
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.
So you thought getting married in Fiji might mean a small group of 20 to 30 people coming to celebrate your wedding day, but you got your RSVP’s back and they all said YES! If you suddenly find yourself planning a destination wedding for 70+ and are feeling panicked, you are not alone.We often hear from Fiji Brides-to-be being in this situation, and we get emails like this one….. “Help! My fiancé and I are trying to plan our dream destination wedding with our own personal style but without going bankrupt. Our issue is we have a large invitee list of over 200 people (HUGE families). We obviously know and hope not all 200 can make it, however it is highly likely we will have 100+. Can anyone in Fiji cope with these numbers? Has anyone else planned a destination wedding that they were able to accommodate a large group for? We are open to different ideas on how to manage our wedding; we never thought it would be this big! Thanks in advance for the help!”
In this blog we will explore a few ideas on how to keep the planning under control when the group is big, and enlist some advice from one of our Vendors The Pearl Resort, Spa and Golf Course who deal with large wedding groups and events on a regular basis.
A shared love of their pacific heritage and culture brought Renee and Ngwati to Fiji for their beautiful wedding. Their special day was filled with family and friends, and lots of fun. Mid-year in Fiji is generally known for it’s good weather and our couple were able to take full advantage of this by capturing some gorgeous images up on the hills behind the resort.
We catch up with bride Renee, as she breaks down the details of planning the perfect wedding in paradise.
BRIDES NAME and GROOMS NAME: Renee and Ngawati THE DATE: 12th July 2018 THE LOCATION: Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 70
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!
Your wedding cake is one of the centrepieces of your wedding reception, and will wind up featuring in a number of photos. Picking your cake can be tricky! You will want it to make sure you keep the following things in mind, especially if you are planning a destination wedding.
1. You need to finalise your guest list (and wedding menu) first.
First things first ladies….PLAN AHEAD! Picking your guests, finalising your guest numbers and organizing your wedding menu are all crucial to deciding what kind of a cake you will end up choosing. We suggest making sure you have all your guests dietary needs noted down as well. (Having a gluten free, or sugar free option like cupcakes is always nice for your guests that have strict health and diet restrictions.)
Presenting our first Bula Bride wedding feature with the groom in a kilt! How has it taken this long?!
The unique wedding attire caught our eye and then we were equally impressed by the beautiful sunset images captured by Ocean Studio Fiji at Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island.
Many of you may not be familiar with this resort as it is a fairly new addition to Fiji – opening just a few years back and then reopening again after the resort was devastated by Cyclone Winston. Boasting an upmarket resort situated on the island of Tokoriki, it’s not hard to see why Alesha & Stuart choose this location for their wedding. It’s easy to get too, has stunning beaches and turquoise water, plus the 5-star Sheraton Resort make wedding dreams come true. We catch up with bride Alesha on what went in to planning her Fiji destination wedding:
BRIDE & GROOM: Alesha Stone & Stuart Davis THE DATE: 11th of March 2019 THE LOCATION: Sheraton Resort & Spa Tokoriki Island THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 12
We met in 2011 at a Birthday party for Stuart’s Nephew who was turning 3. We had our first overseas holiday together to Fiji in 2015 and fell in love with the people, the culture and the Fijian life. We felt that returning to the place of that first holiday for our Wedding would be the perfect way to celebrate our union. We chose Sheraton Tokoriki Island because of the proximity to Nadi for guests to travel and the child friendly nature of the resort.
We spent a lot of time selecting where to stay and the logistics of getting everyone there as well as who we wanted for the various aspects. All in all it took about 4 months to organise however the help of our wedding planner Lavenia of Paradise Bride Fiji and the Sheraton staff made the process very simple.
They met in a nightclub in Fiji when Christine travelled to Fiji for work and it was love at first sight. Though Oni moved to Australia to be with Christine, on their wedding day they wanted to return to the island they both now call ‘home’.
We catch up with Bride Christine on what went in to planning her Fiji wedding day in paradise.
BRIDE & GROOM: Christine & Onisimo Rokotuinasau THE DATE: 27th October 2018 THE LOCATION: Outrigger Resort THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 85
We met at Whitehouse Nightclub in Nadi – I was there for a work trip and Oni was out with friends. We met on the dancefloor and that was it. We dated long distance for 2 years and then Oni moved to Australia.
We chose Fiji because it is our home. Literally for Oni and its home in my heart. We wouldn’t have got married anywhere else and it enabled his family to attend. Outrigger has always been one of my favourite resorts and we spent time there when we started dating, it just has the most amazing atmosphere.
To research and organise our wedding, a lot of hours were spent internet browsing! Bula Bride was one of my go to resources, browsing on apps like Instagram and Pinterest also gave us ideas. I did the majority of the bookings and organising myself with the help of Oni, bridesmaids and my parents.
For the main components I organised this myself as I am a travel agent. I also organised the majority of the Australian guests travel. I enlisted the assistance of a wedding planner and stylist, Charnele from The Wedding Shop Fiji who guided me on styling ideas and setup options and assisted me to make decisions throughout the planning process.
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!
When Freddie met Lilly is an exclusive Bridal and evening wear label in the heart of Brisbane, Australia; launched in 2012 by Fashion Designer Vanessa Hoe.
After working for 21 years in the Australian Fashion industry, Vanessa saw an opening in Boutique Bridal, and sought to deliver an individualistic bridal experience to her clientele. An experience at When Freddie met Lilly extends luxury comfort, and privacy to clients, with a focus on one on one customer service – all within a stylish architecturally designed studio.
We take a look at their latest collection and inspire you with some beautiful designs we think are just perfect for a Fiji wedding.
