Family photo at daughter's destination wedding in Fiji
Posted on by Debbie

Thoughts on a Destination Wedding from the Mother of the Bride (MOB)

Thoughts from the Mother of the Bride (MOB)

2017’s Wedding of the Year* was full of fun, laughter, smiles, family, warm sunshine, blue skies, clear sparkling water, palm trees, coconuts, beaches, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, pool fun, cocktails, Happy Hours, food, happy faces, BULA and lots of LOVE!!

Mother of the Bride take 2
Mother of the Bride take 2

If you’ve been following along to my previous MOB (Mother of the Bride) posts, you know we had the happy couple, (our youngest of three daughters), announce their engagement on Christmas Day 2015. Planning started soon after with a date and location set for early October 2017 at the Outrigger Resort in Fiji.

A Destination Wedding – Fiji!

Jumping for Joy on the beach at Outrigger Resort in Fiji after Wedding
The Bridal Party jumping for joy

Yes, they decided to get married in Fiji – which is where the Destination Wedding comes into play.  How exciting!!  It worked out so well, we all had a holiday in paradise and were able to see them married at the same time.

We did thank them afterwards for having their wedding in such a gorgeous location.

It was going to be an elopement!

I will just let you in on a little secret – at one stage in the proceedings my daughter and her fiance considered that they might ELOPE (!!) but her two sisters suggested that a small intimate wedding would perhaps be a better solution.  Thank goodness for sisterly love!! 

How could I have been the MOB if they’d eloped and I knew nothing about it until after the event – but if that’s what they’d really wanted, I would have been OK, you all know that don’t you?

The Details

So the date and location were set and planning started with lots of emails, phone calls and decisions to made on various destination wedding package choices.  The couple decided on a small family gathering with parents, siblings and partners, a cousin and B2B’s best friend as Bridesmaid and her partner as MC.  Including the Bride and Groom we were a party of 15 – very intimate indeed!

As one of the Bride’s sisters and her fiance had to come from England, the location was announced quite early on after internet searches, websites dedicated to Destination Weddings in Fiji and reviews were perused.  None of us had ever been to Fiji before so it was all organised sight unseen!  I must say we made a brilliant choice with the Outrigger Resort!

This early announcement also allowed time for passports to be ordered, searches on suitable accommodation nearby and flights to be sourced.  It was quite an easy process once we found an agent, Sandra, at Fiji Island Tours to help us out with all the details.

Sunset wedding photo on the beach at Outrigger Resort Fiji
Sunset wedding photo on the beach

The Package

After much deliberation we settled on a package, and despite our small number of guests it was still good value.  It included just about everything we could think of – accommodation for B&G, venue hire and setup, chair sashes, signage, seating arrangements, wedding ceremony, celebrant, flowers, cake, reception buffet, drinks – and we could add on extras like hair, makeup and the photographer.  It also included an upgrade for B&G to return for their first anniversary for a few nights. What about a return trip for the MOB and FOB??

We had lots of correspondence between the resort, the agent and ourselves, making decisions and in my daughter’s case getting the required paperwork in place for her marriage to be legal in Fiji.  This was a bit stressful at times but she persevered and it all got done in time.  We both also joined a Facebook group for brides at the resort and this was an amazing source of information with questions and answers on all sorts of topics we hadn’t even thought of.

Preparation

Some of us arrived in Fiji earlier than others and sent photos of ourselves enjoying the facilities, much to the annoyance of those still at work waiting impatiently for their departure time 🙂  In our case it was great as we got to spend precious time with our eldest daughter and her fiance who’d arrived a day earlier, all the way from England, before it got too busy with wedding preparations.  Next to arrive was our second daughter and her husband so we then had two of our girls to ourselves and were able to have lots of fun together.

Once the B2B, G2B and rest of the group arrived it became full on party mode very quickly.  We had meetings with the resort’s Wedding Planner, Va, who was amazingly calm and reassuring, and went over the outline for the day; we had a Hen’s Party manicure/pedicure spa treatment complete with champagne at 11am and the happy couple were treated to a deluxe massage treatment. We spent the afternoon in the adults only pool area and enjoyed the downtime, sunshine and did I mention cocktails at the swim up bar?

Everything was easily sorted for the big day….except the weather.

The Big Day

B2B had her heart set on a beach wedding but the wind was a problem and the resort made the call early on the day of the wedding that it was unable to be held on the beach, so we switched to Plan B.  This meant we had the ceremony in the beautiful Bure Ni Loloma, the Chapel of Love, high above the resort with spectacular views.  It was an amazing venue and they still managed to get some amazing photos on the beach afterwards, so it all worked out well in the end.

The day dawned sunny but windy and MOG and I were first up at the resort’s hair salon Wavelengths.  We had a lovely time being pampered with hair and makeup and were soon joined by the B2B and BM.  B2B sisters also dropped by to take some photos and we all had a fun time.  The morning rushed by and soon we were all looking beautiful.  After a light lunch it was time to start getting dressed. No-one was feeling too stressed or nervous just happy and excited.

Mother of the Bride
Special robes for a special day
Getting ready

We were transported up to the Chapel in the resort’s buggies, which was a fun ride and settled in to await the Bride’s arrival.  What my daughter didn’t know was the FOB had decided to go all Fijian and had bought a local outfit to wear which is essentially a man-skirt, a pocket sulo, and a bright orange shirt, which sort of matched my orange dress.  He looked great and she was thrilled to see the effort he’d made!  They arrived and he walked her proudly down the aisle to the sounds of the small band of Fijian Serenaders.

The ceremony was lovely but it was over very quickly!  They both looked so happy 🙂

Wedding Day smiles at Outrigger Resort Fiji
Happiness!

After group photos were taken, we adjourned to the bar at the top of the resort and the bridal party went away for their photo session, complete with their very own Butler and a few drinks.

The reception was a fun night with music, speeches, games, polaroid camera fun, advice cards for the happy couple, dancing, delicious food and great service.  We wouldn’t have changed a thing!

What would I have done differently?

The only thing that I wish I had done differently was to stay with my daughter, FOB and BM for the getting ready photos and trip up to the Chapel.  I missed out on being in the before the ceremony photos and at the time I didn’t even think about it.  I wish someone had reminded me to stay, so that I could be included in this important aspect of the day, as well as seeing my daughter get ready and her reaction to my husband’s outfit.

Here are a few of my highlights:

  • The location was superb
  • The people were friendly, helpful, interested, caring, considerate and thoughtful
  • The small number of guests made it intimate and inclusive
  • The warm weather
  • Having all my daughters and their partners with us made it extra special
  • The ease in which it all happened, we didn’t need to do anything, just turn up
  • My husband’s Fijian outfit made it fun and the staff loved his efforts in learning some of the local lingo and turning Fijian for the big day
  • The staff were amazing and so happy to help
  • The resort’s facilities were first rate and we will definitely stay there again
Sisters together at the wedding
Parents of the Bride looking swish
Love makes the wold go round at daughter's wedding

MOB experience #2

I have thoroughly enjoyed my MOB #2 experience and thank you all for following along. Thanks to the beautiful bridesmaid who was such fun, and her partner, for the sterling job he did as MC at the wedding reception!  We enjoyed getting to know our new son-in-law’s family better and thank them for their love and acceptance of our daughter. We enjoyed spending time with them all in Fiji and look forward to staying in contact despite us all living in different states.

So would I recommend a Destination Wedding? 

Yes I most definitely would recommend it, the whole experience was fantastic fun from start to finish.

Have you had any similar experiences either as a guest or as MOB or even as a Bride?Would you be able to do something like this?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Next up we have a family Wedding Party to attend where family and friends can join in and congratulate the newlyweds. It was lovely to see our daughters sending photos back to their grandparents and aunts throughout the day to keep them included.  B2B’s grandparents celebrated with a bottle of champagne at the time of the wedding in the comfort of their own home – how sweet is that??

As FOB says: two down, one to go 🙂

That’s a wrap!  I’d love to hear your thoughts!!

Deb 🙂

A destination wedding in Fiji

You can read my previous MOB posts here if you missed them.

Pin for later

*in my humble opinion

PS: some of these photos I have shamelessly pinched from my family’s Facebook but most are mine or my husband’s shots.  We are looking forward to seeing the official photos.

Glossary of terms:

MOB – Mother of the Bride

FOB – Father of the Bride

B2B –  Bride to Be

G2B – Groom to Be

BM – Bridesmaid

MOG – Mother of the Groom

FOG – Father of the Groom

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97 Replies to “Thoughts on a Destination Wedding from the Mother of the Bride (MOB)”

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  8. You perfectly described Outrigger Fiji. We got married there this October and it was amazing. They went above and beyond for us making every detail special. We will forever have Fiji in our hearts.

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  10. Everyone looked so happy. You looked beautiful (so did the bride!) And I get a kick out of the fact that with all the three letter acronyms you used, there is one that you refused to do….you used “B2B sisters” instead of SOB.

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  11. I love this idea and want to do it for my future wedding! I do have a questions though: did anyone have any reserves about traveling all the way to Fiji? In my opinion, letting people know far in advance so they can save up and take off work for it is just fine, but I’ve had 2 different friends have destination weddings so far that everyone felt they really had to shell out for. Did you or your daughter get any of this?

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    1. I appreciate your concerns but I can say that as we were a small group of family there wasn’t an issue with it. Everyone saw the time away as a holiday as well as the wedding celebrations. There was time to save and be ready and then we all just got into the party spirit and enjoyed ourselves. Hope you can make it work out. Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  14. You and your husband looked so lovely, happy and very proud, not too much as to outshine the bride and groom 🙂 I loved the traditional clothing which made it look and feel like an exceptional wedding. One of your best posts Deb!!

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    1. Aww thanks Suz for you lovely comment on my post! I really enjoyed writing it and putting it all together. I can tell you it took me ages to do😊 I am happy to say it’s getting a LOT of action on the blogosphere and is my best ever viewed post so far, so I’m really happy with that. Best of all my daughter loved it too and has shared it far and wide so that her friends can read all about her big day. It was such a fun time and I’m glad you think FOB and I look good but not too good to outshine the Bride, it was her day after all!! She looked absolutely beautiful. And her sisters were gorgeous too. Just a perfect time together.

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      1. Yes, it looks like you have spent lots of time and love into it and I think that your daughter loving it is the best praise eh. You are right all your daughters looked lovely. By the way the colour you wore is very good luck for weddings in some cultures, so you chose well!

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  15. What a fabulous experoence. I love the idea of a destination wedding. Not only do you get a great holiday, but you get to be married with those present who you really love.

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  19. It looks like it was a fabulous occasion & a perfect day was had by all. You all looked lovely – and the venue looks gorgeous. I’m so looking forward to being MOB – I have only one daughter so am going to relish the moment (in 6 months time).

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    1. Oh how exciting for you Linda!! Time will fly by so just enjoy it all. We had an amazing time and wish we could go do it all again. The venue was beautiful and we all scrubbed up ok. Thanks for visiting.

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  21. Wow. It looks like you had a fantastic time celebrating with the B2B & G2B. I have been to a destination wedding of a friend and was a bridesmaid. We went to Cuba. It was totally worth it. We had so much fun celebrating with close friends and getting to know their families better. It was small and intimate just like they wanted. The only weird part was the wedding in the beach and all the casual beach observers watching. And as we walked through the resort as a wedding party people would stand up and cheer and offer congratulations!

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    1. Thanks for your great comment and sharing your experience. Cuba sounds amazing!! Yes the part of being very visible on a beach would have been interesting for my daughter but it had to be moved due to the wind so we didn’t have to worry about that in the end. When they had photos on the beach afterwards everyone was very happy for them and when they hit the dance floor at the resort’s club after the reception a huge cheer went up despite not knowing anyone there! Such fun 😊

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  24. It looks absolutely beautiful Deb – as you know, our daughter had a Bali wedding and it was just as well done – they certainly know how to pull off a destination wedding to die for at these hotels don’t they? It’s strange to wrap your head around the idea initially but once you get there and get caught up in it all, you come to appreciate what a great alternative this type of wedding is for those who want something a little out of the ordinary. Our daughter had a very large engagement party to include all those who wouldn’t be travelling for the actual ceremony and that worked out well too.

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    1. Thanks Leanne, I remember you saying your daughter had her wedding in Bali. It’s a great alternative and so well done. Everyone wants to go back now after reading my post, we’re all suffering from withdrawals. It was good to write it down to recapture the moment. It’s a big business with a wedding every day at the resort, so they know what they’re doing, and they do it well.

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        1. Great memory Louise!! I thought the plain orange one was more elegant than the floral one I first chose and am glad you like it too. We had such a great time.

          Your holiday looked great too, hope things are settling down for you now you’re back home.

          Liked by 1 person

  26. What a thrill it must have been to have your daughter’s wedding in such a beautiful place, Deb. From your account it was a smashing success! Lovely photos of a beautiful B&G and family. Your husband pulled off the Fiji outfit with aplomb!

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  27. Beautiful ,thanks for sharing. You are so lucky having three daughters you will never loose them and you will gain three sons.
    I have three sons….. I have to see to my own hair, nails make up. Take no notice of me. So glad it all went well. 💜💜💜💜

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    1. I am very lucky to have three daughters and i understand what you are saying My new son in law is one of 3 boys and his mother loved having us around and loves my daughter as her own. Thanks for your lovley comment on my post.

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  28. Wow Debbie. It reads like a dream wedding and family gathering.
    Thanks for sharing with us.
    Your words and photos are full of love and happiness, and we make no effort to notice what a beautiful and caring family you are.
    Each passage felt fun and enticing until you reached the absolute peak of the day, the Fijian outfit of the FOB. How thoughtful! And he looked simply wonderful.
    You all looked stunning!
    Congratulations for the wedding. Happy for you that she didn’t elope. One to go!
    Cheers!

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  29. What a fabulous occasion and celebration. Our daughter and son-in-law eloped, although we knew that was their plan. It was perfect for them. We celebrated with champagne in our own home at the appropriate time. They have recently made up for a lack of wedding, with three separate baby showers!!

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