Destination weddings are amazing! Marrying (excuse the pun) the excitement of travel and one of the greatest days of your life is enough to make you burst. Add all the people you love, friends and family, and you have all the ingredients for a fairy tale wedding.
Selecting a destination is the hard bit, but we have some tips to keep in mind when making your decision. Firstly choose a destination that mother nature has blessed with outstanding beauty; secondly it should be easy to reach, and third, it should be affordable for your guests to also attend.
Because Fiji ticks all these boxes, it’s no surprise that it’s become an incredibly popular destination to say ‘I do’.
Hideaway Resort Fiji – courtesy Tourism Fiji
Superb sunsets, drool-worthy beaches, and palm trees that sway and dance to the music, as you celebrate one of the most important days of your life. You just know that apart from the professional photographs taken on the day, your guests will be able to frame some very special, Instagram-worthy history.
And don’t forget the people. Fijians are incredibly warm and friendly and absolutely delight in a good wedding celebration. There are no better wedding planners, and believe me, they’re ready and have a lot of experience.
Courtesy Tourism Fiji
In fact, the country’s national airline, Fiji Airways, earned a Guinness Book of World Records accolade for the world’s highest altitude wedding on an aircraft, when five couples tied the knot at 41,000 feet. Love is in the air and all over these beautiful islands.
Many hotels and resorts offer diverse wedding and honeymoon packages, and that’s another positive. You don’t really need to ‘leave’ for your honeymoon because you’re already there. But they can help you plan alternative experiences, like trips to a majestic waterfall, sailing through the turquoise waters to find deserted beaches, or a couple of romantic private dinners on the sand.
It’s wise to avail the advice and assistance of a local wedding coordinator, and there are many independent or hotel affiliated professionals that can help you. For a truly original celebration, many wedding coordinators provide a touch of local Fijian tradition and food that you can incorporate into your ceremony. There’s nothing quite like the aromas or flavour of slow-cooked suckling pig or fish, barbecued for hours in the traditional way in a lovo (an underground pit).
You can also ask your wedding coordinator to arrange traditional Fijian wedding garments for your wedding if you wish to go local and forego the big white dress. Fijians are also beautiful singers, and there’s nothing quite like the sounds of a chorus of beautiful voices serenading your way down the ‘aisle’, whether you have fresh green grass or sand beneath your feet.
So what date do you put on your wedding invitations? Aim for late March to early December to avoid the wet season from November to April and you’ll have more likelihood of deep blue skies to match the deep blue seas.
Fiji Airways flies direct from Singapore and Hong Kong to Nadi, and also have some great wedding day advice and links on their site. Fiji Tourism also has a dedicated wedding page well worth checking out.
So begin your married life with the salt air in your hair, to the sounds of gentle waves, and the blessings of beautiful Fiji.
Images courtesy of Fiji Tourism.
