Allison and Sid went to the island nation of Fiji for a three day wedding extravaganza. With pink and teal fabrics and birds of paradise plants adorning the mandap, this Indian Fijian wedding was splendid.
After seeing these wedding photos, I think you’ll want to get married in Fiji too!
Tell us about the wedding!
Sid spent half of his childhood growing up in Fiji, before he moved over to the US. We knew that we wanted to do a traditional three day Hindu wedding, but we were open minded as to where to host it.
We became sold on the idea of having a destination wedding, when we saw photos of other weddings in Fiji. We are so happy that we got married there, it was paradise on Earth.
Could you tell us about any special wedding customs/clothing you had?
Our wedding was a mix of Hindu ceremonies with a Fijian twist. The first day we had the mehendi ceremony. The second day was full of poojas, the telwan/haldi, the bhatwan, along with lots of dancing and food!
The third day we had our ceremony and reception. We were lucky enough to shoot an off the beaten path photo shoot with Ropate (from Kama Catch Me), in Sid’s old stomping grounds, and Suva national rain forest.
What was the inspiration for your wedding?
We didn’t have a specific inspiration for the wedding. We just wanted to create something beautiful, that stayed true to us. We met ten years ago doing a sport called judo, and elements from there was interspersed throughout the wedding.
What was the hardest part about wedding planning?
Planning a wedding from overseas because island time is real!
Did you do any DIY (do it yourself) or special projects/things at the wedding?
All of the decorations at the reception. We also had custom stunna shades, because why not? The aunties took a particular liking to them.
We had a custom brochure designed for our ceremony giving details about the rituals and an awesome word search on the back. It was our ‘desi wedding game program’ that Amy Kim helped create.
The cake topper was judo themed because of our love for the sport.
What was your favorite part of the wedding?
That it was 3 days!! It was an amazing bonding experience between our families. I’m lucky enough to have amazing friends and family that would fly all the way across the world to see us get married. It felt like a never ending party, everyone had a blast!
What advice do you have for future brides/grooms-to-be?
Do your research – Don’t settle for less, as long as you’re willing to get creative, you’ll find whatever you’re looking for.
Stay organized – I kept all of my contacts/guest list/list of events on excel spreadsheet on my Google drive (which I made accessible to my husband). I was able to access and edit events/contacts remotely and on the go. Plus it allowed my husband to see real time changes and make edits too.
Breathe – Find a hobby that will help curb some of the stress that exists when you’re trying to plan a wedding a bazillion miles away. We started hiking, which was a win-win as it helped us get in shape.
{Wedding Vendors}
Ceremony/Reception: Intercontinental Fiji Resort and Spa // Mandap: Fiji Party Event and Hire
Pundit: Shivnesh Sharma // Photographers: Kama Catch Me // Videographers: Side Project //
Ceremony brochure: Amy Kim // Cake Topper: AnnaCrafts (affiliate etsy link) // Reception lehenga: Kalki Fashion