A mid-air decision on the way home from a holiday where Gareth had just proposed to Brooke, was the start of the exciting planning process of organising their special day in Fiji. Brooke tells us ‘We had just gotten engaged while on holiday’s in Canada, and had discussed that we wanted a destination wedding. On our flight home I was reading the Qantas magazine which had an article featuring Fiji. It looked so beautiful, so I showed Gareth and we decided there and then that we would get married in Fiji!’.
As neither Brooke or Gareth had ever visited Fiji before, they knew they needed help with the planning. As with most people, they felt quite overwhelmed with the thought of planning a destination wedding and we were happy to take away the stress and help them create their perfect wedding day. We stepped in from the very beginning with suggestions about locations they could choose for their wedding day and in the end they decided to go with the beautiful Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa located on the main island of Viti Levu.
This 5 star luxury resort was the perfect backdrop for their wedding celebrations. The bride, groom and their guests enjoyed the facilities that the resort offers including the 4 pools, day spa, restaurants and the many water activities on beautiful Natadola Beach.
When the big day arrived Brooke and her 7 bridesmaids got up bright and early for hair and makeup and the end result was worth the early start!
Brooke looked beautiful in her blush pink gown by Qnique Bridal.
Brooke let the bridesmaid’s choose their own dresses in shades of ivory, white, cream and pink tones and didn’t see the girls together in their dresses until the day of the wedding. She couldn’t have been happier with the result, the girls all looked amazing.
The groom and his groomsmen all wore light grey suits which complimented the girl’s dresses perfectly.
Due to the grey and rainy weather, Brooke and Gareth had to go with their wet weather option and their ceremony as held in the beautiful beachfront chapel.
The reception was moved from the beachfront to the water court area and was set up exactly as it would have been on the beachfront with white tablecloths, white lanterns, pink gingers, tea lights and lanterns hung up over the tables. The end result was stunning and the bride and groom were so happy with the last minute location change.
The guests enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner and a live band and fire dancers during the reception.
When we asked Brooke what the highlight of the day was she said ‘Having all of our family and friends there was amazing. It was such a good feeling knowing that they all travelled so far to share our special day with us. Everyone had a lot of fun with the traditional Fiji Dancers, they got us all up teaching us some moves. Also the swim that everyone at our wedding had in the pond at the end of the night was so much fun. Definitely something we will never forget!
After the excitement of their wedding, they headed off to Tokoriki Island resort for their honeymoon. Brooke said she couldn’t recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for the perfect honeymoon location.
So what advice would Brooke and Gareth give to couple thinking of planning their wedding in Fiji? Brooke says ‘Contact Chelsea! It took a lot of the stress out of the planning process. I don’t know what I would have done with out Chelsea’.
Thank you to Kristjan Porm for beautiful photos.
Kiara and Antony always knew they wanted a destination wedding for their special day. They dreamed of a tropical location and first thought that the Cook Islands or Hawaii would be great option, but after a quick trip to Fiji their heart was set on this beautiful oasis.
With the help and guidance from Chelsea Jayne Weddings, Kiara and Antony made the decision that the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Club & Spa on the Coral Coast would be the perfect location for their wedding.
With all the guests staying at this gorgeous resort, Kiara and Antony arranged for drinks in the Kama Lounge the night before the wedding so that everyone could meet and get to know each other. What a fantastic idea!
The ceremony was held in the chapel within the beautiful grounds of the resort.
Kiara looked beautiful in her amazing full length mermaid style wedding gown in off white with tulle and feather details. How amazing are her Manolo Blahnik shoes to match.
Antony and his groomsmen wore long sleeve white shirts made from light cotton and dark grey pin stripe trousers.
The bridesmaids wore gorgeous Tiffany Blue full length gown with a jewelled halter neckline.
The reception was held in the beautiful Navo Restaurant, we kept the decor simple but keeping in the Tiffany blue theme.
When we asked Kiara what her favourite part of the day was she couldn’t choose just one! ‘So hard to decide. 1. Having my closest friends and family there in this amazing location on the best day of my life. 2. The excitement the day before and after. 3. Waking up the morning of and taking in where I was and what I was going to do that day. 4. The sun setting in the background during the speeches and looking around at everyone in this amazing pink light from the sunset and having a moment of: Oh my god, this is my wedding!!
We asked Kiara if she would advise couples planning a destination wedding to hire a wedding planner and she answered ‘Absolutely. Worth every penny. The saving in time and stress and worry made the additional expense of a Wedding Planner totally worth it. Through the Facbeook pages you often hear brides complain about Resorts and Suppliers not getting back to them. Chelsea would respond to me even if it was to say, am chasing them up again, still haven’t heard’.
Thank you to Stu and Malia (www.maliajohnson.com) for the beautiful photos.
When Kylie and Ian were planning their wedding, they decided to turn their special day into a family holiday for everyone that would create wonderful life long memories of this very special time. What better place to do this than Fiji!
Kylie and Ian decided very early on in the planning stages that they needed help and guidance from someone who knew exactly what was needed to organise a wedding in Fiji. That’s where we came in. We helped Kylie and Ian create the most beautiful memories on their wedding day, with the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa providing the perfect backdrop.
In the days leading up to the wedding the bridal party and their guests enjoyed everything the resort had to offer including snorkelling, fishing and swimming. What a way to begin the festivities!
When the wedding day arrived, Kylie looked stunning in her ‘Violet’ gown designed by Maggie Sottero.
The junior bridesmaids looked so pretty in their dresses from Myer.
Kylie’s flowers were artificial as she was unable to get the types of flowers and colours to match in with her theme, this is a great option if you do not want tropical flowers and worth some consideration.
The groom wore classic grey suit pants and vest with an ivory shirt and tie.
The photos from the day show just how beautiful the celebrations were and when we asked Kylie what the highlight of her wedding day was and if she would have changed anything she responded ‘The highlight was having the most important people in our lives celebrating with us and no, I wouldn’t have changed a thing!’.
Due to the windy weather Kylie moved the reception to the water court which is a really beautiful wet wether option at the InerContinental. It is still outdoors however has a full roof and beautiful water court in the middle which is a great spot to have the fire dancers do there thing.
The 4ft LOVE sign was actually Kylie’s idea, and as this was not available in Fiji our amazing friends at Grace Creation had this made for her. How beautiful is this all lit up, a great backdrop and prop for photos.
The days after the wedding were spent exactly like the days before, relaxing and enjoying the resort while having their nearest and dearest with them before heading off to Hawaii for their honeymoon.
The very last question we had for Kylie and Ian was what advice would you give to couples planning a wedding in Fiji and all they had to say was ‘Call Chelsea!’.
Kylie and Ian certainly made some beautiful life long memories for all involved. What an amazing day!
Thanks to Nadi Bay Photography for the wonderful photos from the day.