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Courtney & Andy

Andrew and Courtney – two super awesome people – both ex-New Zealander’s, now based in Denarau, Fiji. Together they run one of Denarau’s most successful day trip sailing businesses, Coral Cats Fiji; and are raising two beautiful young children together. With Fiji now being home, their love for the ocean, good food and good times; Fiji was always going to be the place they would say ‘I do’ in style.

Having known Courtney and Andy for four years I knew this wedding was going to be amazing. There are a few components to any wedding (and i’ve been to a few) that I feel are compulsory:

1. The Bride deserves to look amazing and feel beautiful
2. Endless bubbles
3. Good food and plenty of it
4. Great entertainment – you want a party!

And having been lucky enough to attend as a guest, Courtney and Andy’s wedding was one of the best I’ve ever been too, from the beginning to the end. Not only did they nail the critical components, but their wedding was relaxed, informal and FUN. A winning formula for a Fiji wedding!

We catch up with Courtney on how she planned and delivered an amazing wedding at Musket Cove Island Bar, Fiji:

How we met

Andrew and I have mutual friends who decided it was their mission to set us up on a date. Not being so keen on the whole blind date thing I kind of put it off so they invited me to a “friends” birthday BBQ. When I knocked on my friends door Andrew answered it and we knew we had been tricked! We hit it off right away and after rather a lot of Margaritas we decided we both quite liked each other. We haven’t really been apart since!

Photos by Malia Johnson:

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Jeremy & Renee

I first saw Jeremy & Renee’s Musket Cove Fiji Wedding on Renee’s Instagram. She tagged a sneak peak of their day with #fijiwedding, and it was their ceremony backdrop and the effortless style that got my attention.

A well traveled couple, their love conquered long distances. So a destination wedding was fitting. Both from New Zealand, met in Melbourne, the wedding planned in Europe and a wedding in Fiji to bring 50 of their loved ones together to celebrate their day.

Captured by Kama Catch Me, Renee shares with us the details of their Musket Cove Fiji Wedding.

The Planing /

The planning was done from Europe and all carried out online. There was a lot of research and many obsessive hours spent trawling websites and reading reviews! To compliment the tropical setting I wanted fresh, natural tones. So I went for whites, blues and greens.

The Dress / by Rime Arodaky. Rime is a designer from Paris. I spotted her designs online and rang a number of French bridal boutiques until I found one little shop in Nice, France that had my dress in stock. It was a gamble but luckily I was happy with it when it arrived.

The Ceremony / The ceremony was held out on Coral Quay. The ombre fabric for the arch was sourced through my mother in law who is an interior designer and Musket Cove kindly took care of everything else.

The Flowers / My flowers were a little bit of a let down, I wanted loose unstructured bouquets of greenery, but when the bouquets arrived they were tight, small, structured and had pink flowers in them. (My least favourite colour!)

I thought the florist understood what I wanted as I had sent photos and then followed up with a visit while on the mainland.So when they arrived all we could do was quickly try to fix them ourselves by plucking ferns and stems from the poor unsuspecting trees at Musket Cove. However our inexperience backfired and whatever we picked wilted almost immediately.

It just shows that you can think you have everything covered and sometimes things just don’t work out as you had pictured in your head. Something comes over you on the day though and you brush it right off and carry on!

The Reception / Was supposed to be outside of Dicks on the deck but the staff made the wise decision to move it indoors last minute. I am glad they did as it absolutely bucketed down. We had a U shaped table in the dining room with long greenery centrepieces and candles. It actually worked out better in there as it was cosy and intimate and everyone could easily hear the speeches.

The Highlight /

We were lucky to score the one and only sunset of the week, which was incredible and made for some wonderful photos! The sunset 100% made up for the rain.

The Advice / If any issues come up such as a little rain, or your flowers are all wrong, take it with a grain of salt- these are small details which in the scheme of things don’t matter and wont impact on your overall Fiji wedding experience xx.

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Junior & Candis

I must say, I’m partial to an island wedding. White sand, blue skies, turquoise waters, a sense of relaxation and a whole lot of fun! Mana Island is perfect for large wedding groups and has some of the most stunning views for a Fiji wedding in the Mamanucas.

It was also the perfect location for Junior & Candis’s Fiji X Boho wedding. Captured by Rusila of Leezett Photography, this wedding has all the right details.

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James & Ella

I love a wedding with a little glam. And this Mana Island Fiji Wedding certainly has it, but an understated type of glam – perfect for a tropical wedding.

James & Ella shared their day with 96 of their loved ones. Mana is the perfect for larger island weddings as it’s one of the bigger resorts in the Mamanucas.

Ella shares details of their day. Captured by ZoomFiji.

The Dress / A custom One Day Bridal dress. The girls at One Day Bridal are incredible. The process was so easy and I felt confident that they would make me the dress of my dreams and they did!

The Flowers / Grace Creations Fiji. We had beautiful fresh pink gingers in our bouquets. Words cannot explain how beautiful they are.

The Reception / Was at the Mamanuca Bistro, outside with the pool and beach as a stunning backdrop. Grace Creations Fijidid our setup, Aka and her team blew me away with how incredible the decor looked. Aka comes very highly recommended from me.

The Favours / Kayla Bombardier personalised candles. We had pink peony and french vanilla. I have been obsessed with their candles for a long time so although getting them over was a task it was definitely worth it.

The Cake / Taste Fiji, were amazing. We had a 2 tier cake with the bottom layer blush pink and the top layer with stunning gold leaf foil on it. It was incredible Louise styled the cake with fresh pink gingers and white orchids Not only did it look amazing but it was so delicious. We had a combination of white mud and chocolate mud.

The Advice /

Use the facebook pages, ask as many questions as you need. Don’t read resort feedback online as it doesn’t help and isn’t always true.

Give friends and family lots of notice, We never imagined we would be so lucky and get just under 100 guests!

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Cameron & Erin

After a fabulously busy weekend at the Queensland Brides Expo, I thought we would keep things sweet and simple for this weeks post. And simple and sweet it is with Cameron & Erin’s Matamonoa Fiji Wedding.

Like mentioned before Elopements are picking up. Elopements don’t have to be just you and your husband. Some bring their best of friends, others just their parents and grandparents. Your day can still be shared with those closest to you. OR you can involve the staff ?

Michelle of Cheer Wedding Photography captured Cameron & Erin’s day.

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Jason & Sally

Oh the Yasawas! On the top of my to-do list of my Fiji visit list. It’s crystal blue waters, untouched landscapes and boutique resorts make it oh so attractive.

After visiting the Yasawas and staying at Octopus Resort on a holiday the year prior, Jason & Sally fell in love with the island and new it would be the perfect spot for their intimate wedding.

“We both wanted something that was small, intimate and just full of love. And that is what Octopus offered above and beyond anything we could have ever hoped for.

Jason and I had visited Octopus Resort on a holiday a year prior. We loved the island and everything it offered. The quiet remoteness of it. The beauty of the island and people. The Village. We spent some time in the village and knew this was a very special place that we wanted to get married on” ~Sally

Captured by Sydney based Rachael Muller Photography

Having a wedding of 30 guests was uncommon for Octopus. They were hesitant at first, but we wrote (a couple) of convincing emails and they agreed. That was an exciting day for us!

It was very relaxed there, we organised the flowers and hair / makeup and planned what we would like the reception to look light (we brought everything you see at the reception from Sydney)…

Our wedding was magical. It was small and intimate and had our favourite people there. Everyone contributed and helped on the morning of the wedding making it all the more special… the island was so accommodating. We got everything we asked for, e.g. “can we have cocktails in coconuts”? the boys were up in the tree cutting them down… the people at Octopus are the most genuine loving souls and we feel lucky to have met them.

The staff also performed and sang us a special song.. My brother also played which was very special to us.

Our wedding was personal, intimate and about love and lots of laughing. We said our own vows and everyone (including the lovely staff) were involved in some little way. the boys set everything up in the morning and we were married in the afternoon with the celebrations lasting till early the next morning in the swimming pool…It was the loveliest time.

From the Groom / The days prior to the wedding were amazing our family and friends mingling and connecting with the staff and people at octopus resort was something truly special . The whole island new who we were and every body was talking and preparing for our special day .

Being able to basically set up our own reception at octopus was something that doesn’t come by easily myself my groomsmen, family and friends were basically handed the resort and island for a few hours with the staff helping us in anyway from building materials, tools , lights and just being around to make me laugh when I was Clearly  very stressed  .Sally was making herself look absolutely stunning whilst everyone else on the island was building, preparing and doing everything we could for our day to but nothing but amazing.

The day itself with my stunning wife.

The Advice /

Think of the KISS principle. You are in one of the most beautiful places on earth.. enjoy the scenery and surrounds as they make the day so special. Also, just enjoy every moment you can on the day… someone told us that and I am so glad we did as it was the best day of our lives.

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Jason & Emma

After hearing a friend who attended a wedding in Fiji rave about their experience, Jason & Emma decided that a destination Musket Cove Fiji wedding was going to be that memorable wedding they wanted. And memorable it was!

Again, another wedding with the simplest of details that come together to create something absolutely stunning. When your having a wedding overseas, and especially planning it yourself – simple is the key.

Captured by Destination Wedding Photographers, The Wanderers. Emmas shares the details of their Musket Cove Fiji Wedding.

The Planning /

A family member had been to a wedding in Fiji and raved about the experience. We wanted something amazing and memorable which would be affordable for us. Once we ran it past our families we decided to go ahead and start the planning! We searched endlessly over the internet for the right location and once we found it the planning was pretty low stress.

We chose Musket Cove after a lengthy search online and after viewing many other Fiji weddings. We wanted an Island wedding and Musket Cove ticked all the boxes. The food looked amazing, it is of course beautiful, and it is a smaller more intimate resort which we valued. It turned out to be all of this and more!

The Ceremony / Once we were shown the beautiful trees the over arch on the Beach our minds were made up! We were concerned about the tide being out during the ceremony but we didn’t notice, the guests didn’t notice, and our photos were beautiful.

Musket Cove set up the space with chairs and flowers, I only requested that the bamboo arch be set up. Our mothers both said readings and we had four special family members who read prayers of the faithful. We adapted the vows that Musket Cove provided.

The Reception / We had our reception under the stars on the beach. By that stage of the night there was no wind and the temperature was perfect.

We had white tablecloths with hessian table runners which we brought ourselves. We brought with us tea light candles, name tags, notes for guests and small glass bottles with twine bows. Musket Cove provided sand and greenery for the glass bottles and pineapples which we stuck our table numbers in!

The Cake / Two tiered mud cake from Taste Fiji. It tasted AMAZING!!

The Highlight /

It is so hard to pick a highlight from what was our perfect day. Sounds predictable but the ‘getting married’ part was probably our highlight! That moment that we saw each other when I walked down the aisle is unforgettable and a very special moment.

The Advice /
It is so hard not to stress before the big day but the reason we had it in Fiji was to prevent a big stressful wedding. So try to relax and realise that everything will fall into place. Having it overseas does mean that some of the details will be finalised once you get there but the staff are so helpful and take the time to make sure everything is exactly how you want it.

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Chris & Tiffany

You know its going to be a good when the photographer sends you sneak peaks during the wedding. And that’s exactly what happened during Chris & Tiffany’s Plantation Island Fiji Wedding.

I was so excited to finally see Tiffany & Chris’s day come around. Tiffany was a Bula Bride for over a year. So to see a dedicated followers day come to reality and even more so take my breath away and get me all giddy in excitement was just the icing on the cake.

Chris & Tiffany owned their day — beyond the package, with gorgeous details. From the dress to the florals, the ceremony, the reception place settings, right down the brides hair colour. If there ever was a wedding to be inspired by this would be it. Because they got creative and made their day unique to them. And the awesome Plantation Island wedding team help bring their vision to life.

Leezett Photography was there to capture their day. Tiffany shares with us the details of their stunning day.

The Location / We decided on Plantation Island Resort as we saw it as an affordable option for our guests as well as being the perfect place for all the kids who would be joining our group. We are so happy with this decision and our guests still rave about the week they spent here. Of the three resorts we stayed at, the staff, location and the vibe made Plantation the perfect paradise escape. It’s not too far from the mainland but when you are there, it feels like you’re a million miles away.

The Hens & Bucks / The boys planned a stag do for Chris that had the staff giving him the new nickname of Nappy Boy for the rest of our time there!

My amazing maid of honour, Kiriana, planned an day outing with Hens & Bucks Party Fiji and Sangeeta does such a great job of planning, we got to do so many things that we would have never have thought of. Kiriana got in touch with Seta from Plantation Island resort to organise a dancer for the evening and he delivered five dancers, which was the highlight of my night! The boys did a great job as they have never been asked to do anything like that. Don’t worry it was all PG! If you are getting married at Plantation, Seta is the guy to organise your hens do, especially the entertainment!

The Bride Wore / Rachel Gilbert Miranda Gown, Anna Campbell veil, Samantha Wills Midnight Soiree cuff earrings, garter by Grace Bijoux.

The Theme / There was no real theme. Chris and I have always had different ideas than the norm so we just incorporated a lot ideas we loved to add to the environment we were in. Being in paradise meant that we could have an amazing backdrop which took a lot of pressure off us.

The Ceremony / Took place on the beach. We wanted to keep things simple so had some greenery down the aisle and framed photos of loved ones passed away in the front row. I saw an image years ago of a bamboo arch and it was something we had to have, and the team at Plantation delivered! We loved it because you could still see the beautiful backdrop through the arch.

The Favours / We got some Savusavu chocolate and pina colada macaroons made by Taste Fiji. They are truly masters of their craft and I was so happy I ordered spares so we could enjoy them while the bridal party packaged them all up the night before.

The Cake / Double tier chocolate cake made by Plantation. Delicious! It was so much bigger than we thought so we ended up gifting it to the staff who had been helping at our reception.

The Entertainment / DJ Ranjit – He is the best! He played all the music we wanted and got everyone up dancing all night. Getting a DJ was a last minute decision, but we are so glad we used a professional as it was one less thing to worry about. If it’s in your budget, look no further than Ranjit!

The Advice / You’ve heard it before but I’ll say it again… Trust that your suppliers are onto it. I swear Fiji time is a real condition as we caught it after spending three weeks there! Everything will be ready for you and nothing will be forgotten.

Try not to think too much about every single detail, you are in paradise! Let your surroundings play a huge part of your day. I’m so glad we put all of our trust into the team at Plantation. I was getting sent sneaky pictures from our suppliers down at the beach while getting ready and did a happy dance every time.

My last piece of advice is, if you can, invest in your photographer. These images will stay with you the rest of your life. Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will see these pictures and investing with a professional who knows what they are doing will make your day run so much smoother. Leezett was so calm, kept everyone on time and posing didn’t really feel like posing. We are also so glad we invested in a videographer last minute. There was so many things we missed on the day that were captured by Ranjit and we are so grateful for that.

Last but not least, a huge thank you to Miri, Api, Tema, Seta and Oscar for all that you did for our guests and our family. We are forever grateful to the team at Plantation and hope to visit all of you soon!

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Cameron & Cassie

Oh Castaway! Your still in my wedded dreams. I don’t get to share many Castaway Island Fiji weddings often. And when they come around they are gorgeous.

This one in particular. The wedding of Cameron & Cassie who after 14 years they decided to say their I do’s in front of 46 loved ones.

“After getting engaged in Central Park New York City in April 2014, we started discussing a destination wedding and how relaxing and fun it would be as we loved to travel and loved the relaxation & warmth that Fiji offers. Our friends and family also knew there was no other option for us as I work for a company that sells Fiji holidays (Island Escapes) all day/every day and Fiji has always been one of our favourite holiday destinations.”

After meeting him at a friends wedding aussie Photographer, Chris Allsop was there to capture their day.

The Highlight /

There was so many but having so many of our beautiful family & friends with us in one of our favourites places and seeing them embrace the Fijian hospitality & culture. And the sneaky escape together as husband & wife was nice in during our reception to get some more photos and to have some time to actually realise OMG we just got married.

The Advice / Be patient! Embrace the Fijian culture. Be realistic and a little bit flexible to what you want for your Fiji wedding. Use their flowers… seriously they are beautiful!

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Sam & Hayley

You’ll probably hear me repeat this over and over again. But I love a wedding where the couples show their individual style. This Musket Cove Fiji Wedding is a perfect example with the couple going mod!

I love this style, in particular for the tea length dresses — Perfect for the humid heat of Fiji.
The couple also kept it simple letting their surroundings do the talking, minimal ceremony & reception decor. But you wouldn’t even notice.

Captured by Leezett Photography, have fun viewing the adorable wedding of Sam & Hayley.

The advice /

Trust the local suppliers/resort staff they know what they are doing!