Ben and Katie

Our wedding was held on the beach at Wananavu Beach Resort in Fiji, but it was so much more than just one day. We wanted to make sure that our guests, who had travelled from all over Australia, Canada and USA, could enjoy a week away from the rat race, and experience a slice of Fijian paradise. We chose Wananavu because it was away from the usual tourist haunts, located a two and a half hour shuttle ride from the airport. The resort made life easy too by coordinating the accommodation bookings direct and offering exclusive use of the resort based on the numbers we had attend. The isolation was truly magical!

I’ve always been obsessed with the 1920’s and 30’s and a part of me has always believed I was born in the wrong era. Luckily, my fiancé Ben had always been a fan of themed parties, so the idea of having a themed wedding was a match made in heaven for us. Convincing our guests was easy too, with the majority of them really making an effort. We set up a Facebook group so that people could ask questions about the trip, and started a Pinterest board for costume ideas. I styled the wedding myself, but was helped by all my girlfriends and family members. We made the fabric bouquets, my Mum made the bridesmaid dresses and bow ties and I even painted and “glitterfied” my shoes myself!

Our ceremony was fun, light-hearted and filled with moments of pure joy. One of the many great surprises of the day was when my Dad was walking me down the aisle. He stopped before we reached my fiancé, clicked his fingers and suddenly my uncle, cousin and my Dad’s best friends rose from their seats, dressed as mobsters (complete with inflatable Tommy guns) to escort us the rest of the way. It was hilarious and took both Ben and I by complete surprise! We wrote our own vows, and every time we said “husband” or “wife” we chuckled to each other. I loved seeing the look on his face, and knowing that all our closest friends and family were there to share in the moment.

Our reception was all about the party. I really wanted our guests to feel like they were in another time and another place – totally removed from their normal lives, like a Great Gatsby lawn party. There were chinese lanterns draped between palm trees, with the stars peeking through above us and the sand under our feet. We had sourced tunes from the 1920’s and showed black and white videos of Charleston dancing flappers on a screen in the background. There was a DIY photo booth background with plenty of props, and even a beer pong table to share our love of US culture with our guests. We learned a 20’s swing dance and kept it a secret from everyone, had fireworks explode as we cut our cake, and fire dancers to entertain our guests during the night! It was an absolute ball!

Photography – Tamiz Photography

Ms Gingham says: Oh what amazing fun! We’ve been following Katie’s preparations for some months now and it’s fantastic to finally see the wedding! Stay tuned for more of this amazing wedding over the coming weeks.

Katie aka MsProcrastin8: Sydney, Australia, Blogger @ Ultimate Katie Blog; procrastinator; list writer; dreamer; planner; student; wife.

Read Katie’s previous posts here!