Viti Levu, Fiji Islands Indian Wedding by Jashan Photography

Happy Tuesday dolls! Hope your week has come off to a good start and if not, let’s travel together to Maharani Natasha's destination wedding to the beautiful island the Fiji Islands. This tailor made Indian wedding was chock full of family, fun and clear blue waters but, it was quite the task getting the festivities planned and primped. It took one whole year of early morning skype calls, linking up with vendors and what we can imagine (exciting) frustration. But, as you can see in the images captured by Jashan Photography, it was all worth the wait. Shocking enough, Natasha managed to keep her series of events a surprise from her family! As guests trickled into the Intercontinental Resort & Spa Fiji, guests were left speechless. The venue is a luxurious haven for those escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life and every Indian bride dreams of having a romantic, beach side wedding ceremony. The mehndi night was a fun night for all in the wedding party with the girls being treated to bridal henna from Bridal Mehendi by Patel Megha and the boys enjoying a round of golf at the world class PGA International Golf Course located on site. The sangeet night was held outdoors under colorful, bright lanterns and the clear, Fijian skies. Nothing beat the beach side venue of the Intercontinental Resort & Spa Fiji which is just glistening from every angle with the images from the gallery. Also, the bride checks in with Maharani Weddings with tips and how she managed to plan a destination wedding all on her own down below! 

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?

I met Zamil in 2013 and like all good Indian stories we first met through a "set-up" by his aunty who had grown up with my family in Zimbabwe. However our first meeting was definitely not a love at first sight and I thought he was an alcoholic and he didn't like my face!! However I was friends with his circle and started hanging out more and more with him in a group, it got to a point where we were texting to each other more and more and started catching up on our own outside of a group scene. We both knew we wanted a relationship that was going somewhere so it took about 6 months of us seeing each other before we made it official with family and friends. I knew Z was "the one" when I realized I missed him when I was not with him, I looked forward to finishing work so I could talk to him at night and the weekend so I could see him. I could be completely myself around him and feel comfortable and I felt butterflies in my tummy every time I see him. Being with someone who made me constantly laugh and smile and made me feel like I was stronger and could achieve anything made me realize how much I wanted to have that feeling all the time and I knew it was with him.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

Proposal was a total surprise - which was easy given how gullible I am! My family still lives overseas, mainly in Zimbabwe, and I wanted Zamil to meet my grandparents and see where I grew up before we took things further. We planned a trip in May 2015 and we did not tell my grandparents we were coming as we wanted it to be a surprise. Zamil had a lot of gifts in his suitcase which he said were for my family - totally normal as Indians give gifts all the time! We landed in Zimbabwe and my parents picked us up late Friday night. Early Sat at 5AM we made the drive to my grandparents house and knocked on the door by 7AM when they were having breakfast. As expected they were ecstatic when they got over the shock of seeing us. For me this was the end of surprises however Z wanted to have a nap and so my aunt asked me to go into town with her to get some groceries which I did. Later I found out I needed to get out the house so he could ask my parents (in person) for my hand in marriage. Upon returning and having lunch Zamil decided it was a good idea to take a drive to "Tony's" my childhood favorite café in the mountains of Bvumba. I had been telling him about this place for months so came as no surprise to me that he wanted to go. After ordering tea and cake and admiring the beautiful landscape I told Zamil how happy I was for him to meet my family and come here with me, which gave him the perfect intro to get down on one knee! I remember nothing of what he said at this point and started crying tears of happiness but it was the most perfect place and way to propose! He told me none of my family knew this was happening so I started devising ways of how I would surprise them with the ring and news when we got back home. Upon arriving home my mum opened the door and my family yelled "Surprise"! They had spent the afternoon decorating the house and getting a cake and champagne ready so we could celebrate.

Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.

We thought about getting a wedding planner however our wedding was the first full 4 day Hindu Wedding the resort would ever have hosted as well as no planner and done a full Hindu wedding either. We ended up planning the wedding entirely ourselves. We picked the venue as a destination was a must for us and as got engaged in my home town we thought Fiji was appropriate as it was where Zamil's family was from. The resort was somewhere special to his family and looked amazing so was an easy choice. I spent a week in Fiji with my mum about 4 months into the planning phase to confirm the exact locations around the resort we would host events, meet decorators and lock in my hair and makeup artist. Hair and makeup was easy as Stanley was fabulous from the day I met him to understanding what I wanted and being so at ease with getting his whole crew to and from venue to accommodate our events over 4 days. He recommended my Mehendi artist who was exceptional as well. Through whatsapp and Facebook we sent images back and forth to lock in everything. Our decorators were amazing and were happy to take calls until 11PM at night to ensure we were on the same page and they were delivering the correct colours/ ideas etc.

This is a three part feature, so we will be returning for the wedding which will be coming right up!