We’ve organised Fiji weddings for travellers and big, blow-out party holidays, but it’s quite a rare thing when our South Pacific Specialists are invited to experience what they kit together. And this time, the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa invited us to a wedding expo. We graciously accepted the invitation (as if we would refuse a chance to get out of office…hah!) and looked forward to our day out in the sun!
So, on a sunny Saturday, the Hideaway Holidays group clambered into the cars and our little convoy made its way around the King’s Road to the resort’s stellar Natadola location. And hey presto, the five-star treatment began as soon as we stepped out of our pumpkin coach/ cars. A quartet of porters tagged our bags and whisked them away, while we were garlanded with shell leis, given an energetic Fijian welcome and taken to check-in. Now, since we arrived by lunchtime, the reservation staff led out to a luncheon while our rooms were rechecked to see everything was in place.
While we were soaking it all in at the Toba Restaurant, the staff informed us that our rooms were ready and our bags were put away, and a reservations team member was ready with a buggy and our room keys! We were simply blown away; the views were simply magnificent, and we could see main swimming pool from our rooms. The InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort has another adults-only pool, which meant we tried our best to tell our youngest employee that ‘you don’t look old enough for this pool!’ and pointed her to the kiddies’ pool.
As evening fell, we got ready for the evening cocktails and dinner, which was set by the chapel lawns. The set-up was just breathtaking, with the lighting and music by Iocal band Inside Out. The nibbles were finger-licking good, and the night was simply magical. But of course, there was work the next day.
Sunday arrived, and after a hearty breakfast at the resort’s fine dining Navo Restaurant, we went on an hours-long interaction with the resort’s wedding event organisers and suppliers. We honestly had no idea of the sheer number and experience of the names which we knew as Excel sheet scratches. First off, we were introduced to a Fijian glass blower. The owner of Hot Glass, Alex Hill, took us through the various glass pieces that his company makes as wedding souvenirs. From engraved glasses, jugs, coconuts and more, there was a list of items that just blew us away. We asked if we could add a tour of his glass-blowing unit and he enthusiastically agreed. So, that’s on!
Then, we met a host of companies and start-ups specialises in bridal hair and makeup. There’s Balance Fiji, who’ve added Fiji’s first-ever body tanning spray service. Plus, they can do scheduled visits for wedding entourages too! Along with Lodo’s and H&M Perfectionist, we realised we have now quite the library of experts and exclusive rates. Yay us! We also met Beatrice Nast, who makes artisanal goat milk soap as wedding souvenirs. Yes, you can also include a visit to her goat farm, we checked.
We also got to meet some of Fiji’s best names in tours and travels. For the uninitiated, Sigatoka River Safari is one of the oldest tour operators on the island. They take pride in organising a great day of adventure and culture for international travellers. Imagine a day racing along Fiji’s craggy ravines and then sinking the old canines into a traditional lunch at a Fijian village. Song and dance performances, story-telling sessions, typical Fijian pre-wedding rituals and activities, so and on so forth.
We also met professional photographers which made us realise how long it’s been since we’ve been pictured professionally. We’ll get around that one day.
Of course, we got meet and interact with the resort’s ace wedding organisers and the spa teams. They took our South Pacific Specialists through each of the items that has been added and/or upgraded to the Fiji destination wedding packages. For example, the Spa has a lavish Orchid Room which can be requisitioned into a bridal prep ‘nerve centre’. The room has a straight line of sight to the chapel, and it comes with its own dedicated driver and buggy. It’s just one of the things that are invisible and then pop up as a problem on the wedding day. Well, problem sighted and nipped, courtesy the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa!
The weddings team also informed us about the many types of performances that a couple can choose to accompany their wedding, ranging from Māori dances, island Hulu dances and Fiji’s famous fire dancers from the Beqa province. The performers are expertly choreographed and are usually a staple at almost all international IHG events. The resort’s wedding coordinators are also experts on one-off events for the wedding – Hens’ nights, gentlemen’s soirees, day-cruises and adventure sports, everything’s on tap. Take, for example, a themed buck’s day – the groom and his groom’s men had a picnic on the golf course with a beautiful view of the Natadola Bay while enjoying cigars flown all the way from the Dominican Republic. It was appropriately called ‘Cigar Day’- No surprise there.
We had a blast at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, and you can see from the pictures how beautiful the resort is. In fact, the staff performs a farewell song, and we caught the audience’s reaction – see for yourself. It resonates with weddings and farewells so well; the song’s performance will become a forever memory for everyone attending. For a Fiji destination wedding, we think we’ve got a winner here.
Check out our other blogs on Fiji, our property page on the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, or even blogs on everything South Pacific. Oh, we even did another blog on how InterContinental Fiji just benchmarks romantic getaways, in case you need more ideas. If you feel like talking to an expert on South Pacific holidays and weddings, talk to us at 1300 991 751!
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