Sam and Sharleen first met in university, living in the same first-year residence halls. They quickly became best friends, and before long, they were flatting together with a mutual friend. One thing led to another, and the rest is history.
For Sharleen’s 27th birthday, the couple planned a getaway to Sydney so she could finally try the famous caviar bumps at Mimi’s. Unbeknownst to her, Sam had an even bigger surprise—he had secretly picked up the engagement ring at the airport.
After a perfect dinner, they took a stroll to the Sydney Opera House, where Sam got down on one knee against the backdrop of the glowing harbour. Sharleen said yes instantly! The next day, in a less glamorous turn of events, she took a tumble off a Lime bike, scraping herself and even scratching the ring—just 24 hours into their engagement. A story they’ll be laughing about for years to come!
We catch up with Sharleen on planning their wedding in Fiji:
Initial Planning
From the moment we decided on a destination wedding, Fiji stood out as the perfect place. We wanted somewhere neither of us had visited, a beautiful spot where we could share our love of travel with our closest friends and family. We wanted somewhere close enough to New Zealand for people to be able to make the short trip but somewhere far enough to be able to get away from it all. The crystal-clear waters, abundance of wedding choices, and ease of travel made the decision easy for us.
After reading countless reviews, we chose the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. We loved its authentic Fijian feel, the breathtaking chapel overlooking the water (seriously, the photos don’t do it justice!), and the well-rounded wedding packages. Since we wanted an easily accessible location, the smaller islands were off the table. The Outrigger had everything we needed—on-site hair and makeup, multiple restaurants, and the flexibility was a huge plus.
At first, we felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices, so we reached out to Mandi from Viva Destination Weddings for guidance. She helped us narrow down resorts and vendors, making the planning process much smoother. But in true Sharleen style, we went all out—shipping over six containers of wedding extras to truly personalize the day. From custom signage, silk flower arrangements, and table décor to LED candles, a giant crossword, and even personalized fans delivered directly to the resort, every detail was carefully planned. It was a lot, but it made the day feel uniquely ours!
I wore the Amina dress from Hera Couture. I wanted something modern but with a little bit of edge to it – something that looked a bit different, queue the scalloped edge Babylon veil. I wanted something that wasn’t going to make me overheat and I’m so happy with what I chose.
Our bridesmaids dresses were from Ruby. Groom and groomsmen attire from was from Barkers.
The Ceremony
The chapel, and the views were the deciding factor. Having aircon was also another major plus lol, our wedding day was apparently one of the hottest days, with absolutely no clouds around in the morning – so lucky we didn’t chose an outside location where people would be melting
Our colours and decor were heavily based on wild flowers, with purple and orange being the main colours, Studio Kacy Co provided our flowers and bouquets.
We did a hybrid of things at the ceremony and wanted it to be as short as possible.
– We started and ended with a Māori karakia done by my 11-year old cousin
– We did a group vow so that we included our guests
– We did our vows in private right before the ceremony
The Photography
We chose Konrad from Konnected Memories because his style perfectly matched what we envisioned—natural, candid moments that truly captured the day. The one shot I absolutely wanted was with the rolling hills in the background, a signature shot I had seen him create beautifully with other couples. He delivered beyond expectations! Every photo is filled with emotion, and I love looking back on them, reliving the magic of the day.
For our wedding video, we worked with Avi from Eterna Weddings, who brought our love story to life in the most beautiful way. He captured the feeling of the wedding perfectly and was an awesome person to work with. Our guests specifically commented on how cool it was that he had a drone taking our group videos.
The Reception
We chose Vahavu, because I liked the privacy there. We reused all of the decor from the ceremony at the reception. We did the premium drinks package + 1 hour pre-dinner drinks and +1 extra hour. And the traditional lovo buffet – delicious!
RedBits did our DJ, MC, Fireshow, and serenaders who sung us down the aisle and sung to our guests at cocktail hour. At the end of the reception we went to Vakavanua Lounge and did karaoke!
The Travel
We were there for 10 days in total, we arrived 4 days before the wedding to do admin and then headed to Castaway Island afterwards. We spent most of our time hanging out with our friends and family so barely had to leave Sunset Strip.
From the moment we decided on a destination wedding, Fiji stood out as the perfect place. We wanted somewhere neither of us had visited, a beautiful spot where we could share our love of travel with our closest friends and family. We wanted somewhere close enough to New Zealand for people to be able to make the short trip but somewhere far enough to be able to get away from it all. The crystal-clear waters, abundance of wedding choices, and ease of travel made the decision easy for us.
After reading countless reviews, we chose the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. We loved its authentic Fijian feel, the breathtaking chapel overlooking the water (seriously, the photos don’t do it justice!), and the well-rounded wedding packages. Since we wanted an easily accessible location, the smaller islands were off the table. The Outrigger had everything we needed—on-site hair and makeup, multiple restaurants, and the flexibility was a huge plus.
At first, we felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices, so we reached out to Mandi from Viva Destination Weddings for guidance. She helped us narrow down resorts and vendors, making the planning process much smoother. But in true Sharleen style, we went all out—shipping over six containers of wedding extras to truly personalize the day. From custom signage, silk flower arrangements, and table décor to LED candles, a giant crossword, and even personalized fans delivered directly to the resort, every detail was carefully planned. It was a lot, but it made the day feel uniquely ours!
We chose Totoka Hair & Beauty for our hair and make up services.
I wore the Amina dress from Hera Couture. I wanted something modern but with a little bit of edge to it - something that looked a bit different, queue the scalloped edge Babylon veil. I wanted something that wasn't going to make me overheat and I'm so happy with what I chose.
Our bridesmaids dresses were from Ruby. Groom and groomsmen attire from was from Barkers."
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The Ceremony
The chapel, and the views were the deciding factor. Having aircon was also another major plus lol, our wedding day was apparently one of the hottest days, with absolutely no clouds around in the morning - so lucky we didn't chose an outside location where people would be melting
Our colours and decor were heavily based on wild flowers, with purple and orange being the main colours, Studio Kacy Co provided our flowers and bouquets.
We did a hybrid of things at the ceremony and wanted it to be as short as possible.
- We started and ended with a Māori karakia done by my 11-year old cousin
- We did a group vow so that we included our guests
- We did our vows in private right before the ceremony"
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The Photography
We chose Konrad from Konnected Memories because his style perfectly matched what we envisioned—natural, candid moments that truly captured the day. The one shot I absolutely wanted was with the rolling hills in the background, a signature shot I had seen him create beautifully with other couples. He delivered beyond expectations! Every photo is filled with emotion, and I love looking back on them, reliving the magic of the day.
For our wedding video, we worked with Avi from Eterna Weddings, who brought our love story to life in the most beautiful way. He captured the feeling of the wedding perfectly and was an awesome person to work with. Our guests specifically commented on how cool it was that he had a drone taking our group videos.
We chose Vahavu, because I liked the privacy there. We reused all of the decor from the ceremony at the reception. We did the premium drinks package + 1 hour pre-dinner drinks and +1 extra hour. And the traditional lovo buffet - delicious!
RedBits did our DJ, MC, Fireshow, and serenaders who sung us down the aisle and sung to our guests at cocktail hour. At the end of the reception we went to Vakavanua Lounge and did karaoke!"
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The Travel
We were there for 10 days in total, we arrived 4 days before the wedding to do admin and then headed to Castaway Island afterwards. We spent most of our time hanging out with our friends and family so barely had to leave Sunset Strip.
