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Legal Guide for Getting Married in Fiji

Are you a foreign resident and planning on getting married in Fiji? We cover everything you need to know from applying to be married to the signed marriage certificate – ensuring the right paperwork is completed and your marriage will be legal – a very important thing to do!

Firstly, your marriage in Fiji is recognised legally worldwide. You do not have to get married again in your home country to make it official.

After your wedding ceremony, your official marriage certificate will be provided to you as a record of being married and this carries the same legal status as any other marriage worldwide.

Main image: Ocean Studio Fiji Photography

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Wedding | Mick & Stacey | Malolo Island

Mick & Stacey met online during the very first COVID lockdown & he proposed at The Versace Hotel on the Gold Coast in July 2021.
They wanted to elope but bring their blended family of four children as they hadn’t travelled as a family before. Malolo Island was always their first choice. The relaxed, family vibe was exactly what they were looking for as a destination wedding location.

We catch up with Groom Mick on planning their Fiji wedding day:

Location | Malolo Island Resort
Number of guests | 8 + a dozen friends we made during our trip
Where did you travel from | Gold Coast, Australia

 

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Elopement | Ben & Rachel | The Pearl

Ben & Rachel chose to marry in Fiji as part of a holiday they had previously booked. They didn’t want the hassle of the big wedding and so choosing to elope was the perfect addition to their holiday.

We catch up with Bride Rachel on planning her elopement in Fiji:

BRIDE & GROOM: Ben and Rachel

THE DATE: 06/06/2023

THE LOCATION: The Pearl South Pacific

THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: None

 

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Elopement | Shannon & Timalai | Koro Sun Resort

Shannon and Timalai met through a dating app, and then started following each other on Instagram. After a few weeks of messaging back and forth, they decided to meet in person. They went out to dinner, and from the moment they started talking, they clicked.

Shannon remembers feeling like he was someone special from the very beginning. There was just something about him that made her feel like they were meant to be together.

After that first date, they started seeing each other more and more often. They would go on walks together, try new restaurants, and just spend time talking and getting to know each other.

We catch up with Bride Shannon on what lead her to book a destination wedding in Fiji:

 

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Rowan & Shelby – Fiji Marriott Momi Bay

Rowan and Shelby met in October 2016 online. They chatted for at least a month before deciding to meet. After a few false starts (he likes to say that she stood him up – she didn’t!) and re scheduling they met for a drink in their hometown of Hobart, Tasmania and ended up talking for 4 hours. Shelby even called her best friend on the way home and told her her she was already in love and wanted to marry him! Since then they’ve been inseparable.

We catch up with bride Shelby to find out the details of her Fiji wedding:

BRIDES NAME & GROOMS NAME: Shelby and Rowan
THE DATE: November 9th 2019
THE LOCATION: Fiji Marriott Resort, Momi Bay.
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 13

We went to Fiji and stayed at the Marriott Momi Bay in December 2017 and fell in love with the place and the people. I had been to Fiji previously but for Rowan it was his first time. We knew as soon as we got engaged there was no question about where we wanted to get married.

We made contact with the hotel directly to start organising our wedding. We were taken care of by Inoke and Sala who answered all of our questions and went out of their way to make suggestions to help organise the day.

We booked all of our accommodation through MyFiji – My Travel Centre. We were unable to book a group rate at the hotel as we had such a small wedding and found great value through the packages that MyFiji offered. I used the Bula Bride website for research into photographers and hair & makeup. I really enjoyed reading about other brides experiences and I also found it really helpful when organising our documentation for our special license to wed.

Photography: Cheer Photography

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Chelsey & Tom – Radisson Blu Resort

Meeting 7 years ago (on the date of their wedding) through business friends, Chelsey & Tom fell in love. They were looking for a small wedding with close family and friends, and they felt Fiji was so beautiful. They also knew people that lived there and based on their feedback, a Fiji wedding seemed like a great idea!

Read more about Chelsey & Tom’s wedding day:

BRIDE & GROOMS NAME: Chelsey and Tom
THE DATE: 18th August, 2019
THE LOCATION: The Radisson Blu Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 40

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Bettina & Joe – Koro Sun Resort

They met 4 years ago at a business meeting but Joe was timid and Bettina was focused on getting a job abroad. After a while, a friend motivated Joe to invite Bettina to coffee because they worked on the same floor.
One day Joe took Bettina out for dinner and she realised that not only was he [quote] “the most badass snowboarder from the Austrian mountains I would ever get to know” but also the most caring and polite gentleman – somehow really old school. Joe knew for a long time they were meant to be a couple but waited patiently for her to decide. After two years he proposed, it was very sweet.

BRIDE & GROOM: Bettina & Joe
THE DATE: 23rd November 2019
THE LOCATION: Koro Sun Resort & Spa, Savusavu
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 2

We catch up with Bettina on planning her Fiji wedding:

We knew from the start that we would love to get married somewhere special far away from home but we didn’t know exactly were. Then on a cold grey November day we found an advertisement in front of a travel agency naming Fiji the most friendliest country of the world. As we saw the two faces smiling bright and warm from the advertisement we knew instantly it had to be Fiji for our wedding.

After having decided on Fiji we did some research on the internet on how a wedding could look like in Fiji, where to go and what to do. We immediately found Bula Bride with more information than we could have imagined. Bula Bride was for us the go to website when searching for information, venues or vendors. For example did we choose Koro Sun Resort and Spa because of the suggestions we found on Bula Bride. Koro Sun Resort and Spa with it’s beautiful setting, the sea, the wide garden, the lily pond and lovely bures intrigued us with the idea of getting married in the rainforest.

We didn’t use a travel agent as we love to organize our travels by ourselves but we had Bula Bride as a guide for everything related to the wedding and after booking Koro Sun Resort and Spa, Seta from the resort became our wedding coordinator.

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Wedding photo ideas for Fiji – get picture perfect photography!

Ahhh wedding photography…usually the next important thing to consider once your resort is selected. That lasting pull of photography is extraordinary; to be transported back in time, surrounded by loved ones and the euphoria of becoming one with your partner.

And while searching for the best wedding photographer for you is no easy process, the good news is that Fiji is home to talented shutterbugs for its well developed wedding market. At BulaBride we strive to present only the best ideas and services for your big day, so keep reading below or follow one of the handy links here:

Choosing a great wedding photographer

Feeling comfortable & building rapport

How to look great in your photos

Authentic wedding photography

Lighting & locations

With the first half of 2019 hosting hundreds of visitors that were either married or attended a wedding here, Fiji’s seasoned wedding snappers know all too well about what it takes.

Below are helpful tips, and photo ideas to help in choosing a photographer to create an emotive, visual legacy of your big day, and making the most of it.

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Priyanka & Vishal – InterContinental Wedding

When Vishal attended Priyanka’s 21st birthday party, he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. They had a lot in common and great chemistry and very quickly developed feelings for each other. They fell in love with each other’s personalities and soon realized they were the ones for each other. We catch up with Priyanka & Vishal on planning their wedding.

BRIDES NAME & GROOMS NAME: Priyanka & Vishal
THE DATE: July 11th, 2019
THE LOCATION: InterContinental Fiji Resort, Natadola Bay
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 80

We always wanted an outdoor wedding because we love nature, and Priyanka fell in love with the Intercontinental Fiji Resort when she went on vacation the previous year. Having a destination wedding meant that all our loved ones could have a wonderful vacation while also attending our wedding. Additionally, we have a lot of family in Australia and it was very easy for them to travel to Fiji.

We reached out to the InterContinental wedding coordinator to find out more information about the wedding packages and details. After getting more information, we decided this venue would work best for our needs. We worked with Intercontinental’s wedding coordinator Lusiana, and she made the experience so easy and stress-free. Planning a destination wedding is never easy, but she had a lot experience with planning Indian weddings, so she helped arrange many of the vendors we needed.

We looked through destination weddings on the Bula Bride website and found another couple that also held their wedding at InterContinental. This inspired us to do so as well, and it reaffirmed that a destination wedding could be possible for us.

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Bree & Josh – Sofitel Resort & Spa Fiji

Sydney-siders Bree and Josh wanted a wedding somewhere both not too far away and relaxed in nature, so it made sense Fiji was high on the list. After a pre-wedding trip to suss out the possibilities, they settled on a list of some of our favourite Fiji vendors to be part of their special day. We catch up with bride Bree on how her wedding day came together:

BRIDE & GROOM: Bree & Josh
THE DATE: 25th May 2019
THE LOCATION: Sofitel Resort & Spa Fiji
THE NUMBER OF GUESTS: 75

Josh and I met when we were teenagers through some mutual friends. Within a few short weeks we were living together and we both knew we had met our soul mate.

We always imagined getting married overseas, particularly because we didn’t want a very big (and fancy) wedding. There were a few different countries on our list, but we decided on Fiji as it was only a 4 hour flight away from Sydney, the location and hotels are amazing, and of course the beautiful people.

What was involved in researching and organising your wedding?

We made a trip to Fiji 18 months before the date of our wedding to do research, see all of the hotels and decide on a date. We met with every hotel on Denarau while we were there. I had a list of questions printed out for each so I ensured we got all the information we needed to make the right decision. I pre-organised the meetings so we also got to enjoy our holiday while we were there. Once we decided on the hotel, we then started following social media pages of stylists and photographers in Fiji, along with the Bula Bride Instagram.

Bula Bride was so helpful particularly before we went to Fiji as it helped us find the local vendors, along with giving us an idea on past weddings and what they looked like.