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.
Jesse and Saskia met at a Country Pub called the Puketapu Pub in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. They were both living on farms near the pub and would met up most nights for drinks with lots of other young farmers and friends. They caught each others eye and the rest was history, and had their first son Hunter 6 years ago and another little boy Armin who is one and a half. After getting engaged in Fiji, they knew it would be an ideal wedding location. We catch up with bride Saskia on what went in to planning her day:
BRIDE & GROOM: Jesse & Saskia Sutton THE DATE: 13th September 2019 THE LOCATION: Mana Island Resort THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 42
2 years ago Jesse proposed to me in Fiji at the Sofitel while we were having a very romantic dinner down on the beach. There were two Fijian men playing their guitars and singing to us it is one of my most treasured memories, it was so romantic! Jesse got the restaurant to do a dessert with an upside down ice-cream cone and put my ring on the top of the cone and in chocolate had written “WILL YOU MARRY ME”. It was truly romantic and super sweet as I didn’t think my country boy could arrange something so romantic!
Why did you choose Fiji?And why that particular location?
We choose Fiji as we love it there for it’s amazing culture! We had done family trips there and really loved it and decided we would love a very small beach wedding and where more perfect than Fiji!
We had searched on Bula Bride and a couple of other sites to help us decide where in Fiji we would like to get married and also what was a good deal for our wedding quests. We found Mana Island ticked all of our boxes.
The main reason we choose Mana Island is because they have the most beautiful location to get married – Sunset beach. It is absolutely stunning! And if it rained the have the most beautiful wedding chapel so I was calm if it rained. Thank goodness it was a beautiful day and we got the most perfect sunset beach wedding. Another reason was because its an all ‘inclusive’ resort so your meals were included in the package.
What was involved in researching and organising your wedding? I think the main thing for me was going onto facebook sites, plus anything to do with Fiji Weddings such as Bula Bride, I Was Married in Fiji, Fiji Weddings they were all so helpful. There were a lot of posts with questions already asked and you too can post and get replies not just from previous brides but also from suppliers. I watched a lot of other Fiji bride’s wedding videos to help me choose where I wanted to get married and what suppliers I wanted to use and then basically just emailed them.
There was so much information and reviews etc on Bula Bride from previous brides. I actually used this website the most.
I ended up using Leanne from “I Was Married in Fiji” for assistance with the wedding. Leanne was brilliant! For me it was just good her helping me get answers from suppliers. Leanne was amazing full of good information and knows Fiji and the suppliers very well so she could recommend stuff to me which was awesome!
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.)
The heart of the South Pacific, Fiji is is an island nation blessed with 333 tropical islands that are home to happiness. Choice is plentiful with affordable accommodation all the way through to exclusive resorts and barefoot luxury to do as much or as little as you like. With white sand beaches, snorkelling and diving, a pristine natural environment and an abundance of culture to immerse yourself in, there’s something in Fiji for everyone. And Fiji is a short flight – which means no jetlag! Temperatures hover perpetually between 26C to 31C year round whilst cooling tradewinds prevail. The best time to travel to Fiji is late March to late November, with a wet season from December to March. Licences are easily obtained and your marriage is legal and recognised worldwide.
Fijians personify hospitality and just love a good wedding. Traditional Fijian style, an elopement on the beach or a large gathering of family and friends, each are handled with efficiency, smiles and a big BULA! Marriage licences are easily obtained and your marriage is legal and recognised worldwide. If you have children in your party and need family friendly facilities, the Fijians’ love of kids is legendary and most of the resorts have excellent Kids Clubs.
So with so many options available, how do you ever narrow it down? Weddings and Honeymoons in Fiji are a dream of a lifetime and families and children have a special place here – where happiness finds you. In this article, we catch up with Fiji Wedding specialist Mandi Forrester Jones about the most popular choices for a dream Fiji wedding. Having assisted hundreds of couples with planning their Fiji wedding, Mandi suggests some good places to start when thinking about the right choice for you and will hopefully help make that long list ever so slightly shorter by giving us the inside scoop on what style of resort to choose and recommending some personal favourites..
It’s really great hearing from Brides that have utilised Bula Bride as a resource to help research their Fiji wedding and know we have helped with inspiration and ideas. Equally we love hearing that brides are taking the time to be organised and communicate effectively with their suppliers as often it can be hard to plan a wedding solely by email. (For hints and tips on this please see our blog on communicating with your suppliers)
Siobhan took her time to research her suppliers end ended up with a perfectly planned wedding day married to the love of her life. We share her story and her planning in advance of her wedding day:
We met back at college and through our circle of friends we eventually hooked up. The rest is history and we finally tied the knot after 11 years together.
Fiji was a holiday destination for my parents and I when I was younger. When I turned 21, Reihana surprised me with a trip to Fiji for the two of us. Fiji has always been a special place for us and now after getting married in Fiji, it is now even more so.
The planning for our wedding involved a lot of emailing and very detailed instructions. I picked a selection of suppliers based off recommendations and spent a bit of time researching through Bula Bride to see what advice brides had to give. I had some amazing suppliers, an amazing Wedding Coordinator (Salu) at Mana Island who I worked with and Katie Bouzaid, International Travel Consultant at House of Travel Johnsonville to guide me with travel arrangements.
When I spotted this wedding across on photographer Yoshi’s page, I loved the way that Charlotte and Erwin’s wedding blended both their cultures into their wedding day. I contacted Charlotte to tell me more about her experience of getting married in Fiji:
I was on holiday with family in Fiji when Erwin and I first saw each other. Erwin found my number in the compliments book at his mother’s massage business that we had just visited and he called me when I reached home in Australia. We spent many nights getting to know each other over the phone until I went to visit him in Fiji again.
We fell head over heels in love and took turns visiting one another until Erwin moved to Australia. Erwin proposed in July 2016, we had our first child, Tama’kai in April 2017 and were married in August 2017 at the Seaside Chapel, Mana Island.
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.
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!
