After years of growing together through life’s changes and challenges, Racheli and Will found their way back to where it all made sense. Their destination wedding on Turtle Island was more than just a celebration – it was a homecoming, a tribute to family, and a reminder that the best things in life are always worth waiting for. Captured so beautifully by Laura Pittman of Island Encounters Photography, every moment felt as timeless as the island itself.

Racheli and Will met back in 2014 through mutual friends, while the pair were both studying at Bond University on the Gold Coast. As their connection grew, these lovebirds became inseparable.

Will knew he wanted to propose to Racheli at her home in Fiji, surrounded by family. After being together for seven years, he knew it was time. Unfortunately, they had to wait to travel due to COVID, so in 2022, when the borders opened, they flew out as soon as possible. “It was a very emotional and special return as it had been almost two years since Racheli was able to see her family and the first time since her father’s passing the year prior,” they explained. “Soon after arriving, Will had a private conversation with Racheli’s mum to ask for her hand in marriage. The following morning, we were getting ready to go on a private beach picnic with the whole family when Will took the opportunity to propose in the private garden of our villa. He wanted it to be a surprise and keep it private and intimate because it was our special moment, and he knew if he had planned something elaborate, suspicions would have been raised. Will proposed with a diamond ring from Robert White Jewellers, a Brisbane family-owned jeweller with which Will’s family have long had a relationship. After the proposal, we celebrated with the family and the rest of the Turtle Island team all day.”

Will and Racheli always knew they were going to get married at Turtle Island since it’s Racheli’s family home! The boutique resort was the first thing they booked when planning began. As most of their guests were flying in from overseas, Racheli and Will thought it best to have a three-day wedding weekend to make the most of their time with everyone (and so their guests could experience the breathtaking views Fiji has to offer!).

Since Turtle Island only has 14 villas and the family home, they made sure all their guests staying in nearby resorts had boat transport to and from events as needed.

Everything was planned directly with Racheli’s family and the Turtle Island team. It was important to the couple to source locally and support local businesses as much as possible with their destination wedding. All of the signage, place cards, and dining and cocktail tables were made in Turtle Island’s onsite joinery. Food was sourced from the island’s own vegetable gardens and farms, or sourced from nearby villages. The beautiful flowers were from local florist INWATU Hiring & Decor, and wedding favours, live band, hair, and MUA and photographer (Laura Pittman) were all locals from Fiji.

For their first event of their destination wedding weekend, Racheli and Will held welcome drinks at a waterfront location called Racheli’s Escape! Bringing guests in boats and seaplanes from Turtle Airways, they finally got to see the beginning of two years’ worth of waiting and planning. “We wanted this event to focus on Fiji’s vibrant culture – this was reflected in the cocktails and canapés, and guests were gifted Fijian shell necklaces on arrival. Throughout the event, the Turtle Island team sang Fijian songs with guitars and ukuleles.”

In Fiji, it’s a time-honoured tradition to wear matching patterned kalavata to special occasions, symbolising unity and togetherness. Will and Racheli had custom kalavata outfits made by a local designer for their whole wedding party to wear for the welcome drinks.

Later in the evening, they held a traditional kava ceremony to bless the wedding, and all the village chiefs from the local community were in attendance. Will and Racheli changed into traditional Fijian attire made from masi and tapa, a fine cloth created from bark and hand-painted in traditional patterns. “We also had special salusalu’s (leis) and custom woven fans with our names made for us and our wedding party. Following the kava ceremony, we had a Rehearsal Dinner and some kava with the rest of the Turtle Island team to end the evening.”

For day two of their destination wedding weekend, Will and Racheli planned a late-afternoon ceremony to give them more time for preparations. This also gave Will, his wedding party, and some of their guests the opportunity to go on a snorkelling excursion in the morning. “This was important to Will because he loves the water and knew it would help calm his nerves.”

Racheli and her wedding party got ready at Vonu Point Villa, which has stunning views of the blue lagoon and neighbouring Yasawa Islands.

The morning of the wedding, Racheli’s sister, who lives in Suva, nearly missed the whole day because of disruptions to her university exams. She had to sit her exam that morning, then drive four hours from Suva to Nadi, where a seaplane was waiting to fly her to Turtle Island. “She made it just in time! Arriving as the bridal party was about to leave for the ceremony location. I’ve never seen someone get ready so quickly, and we were so thrilled and grateful that she was able to make it,” Racheli shared.

Her wedding gown was a beautiful custom-made piece by Brisbane-based wedding designer Lucia Josephine Bridal. Lucia and Pena did an incredible job bringing Racheli’s dreams to life, with the multi-layer gown combining delicate layers of tulle and custom-embroidered lace. “The dress was finished with a refined crisp tulle veil that was hand-finished with glass pearls on the comb, one of Lucia Josephine’s signature motifs,” she explained. “For accessories, I wanted to keep it very simple, opting to just wear a set of pearl earrings from a family friend’s jewellery brand, Fairley. My bridesmaids also had matching earrings from the same jewellery designer.”

Her wedding party wore these breathtaking cream dresses from Shona Joy in a style of their own choosing.

The bouquets were made by the Bure Mamas of Turtle Island, a beautiful blend of native and island florals, including orchids, frangipanis, ginger, and other tropical flowers, tied together with a traditional magimagi.

The ceremony took place at 4 pm at Long Beach, one of the 12 private beaches on Turtle Island. “Early in the planning, Will and I knew this beach was the location where we wanted to exchange vows; however, due to logistics, it was only going to be possible with ideal weather conditions. Luckily, the weather was absolutely perfect, so we were able to have our guests arrive by boat and dropped off right on the beach. Guests were greeted by the groomsmen and had refreshments, and woven fans were waiting for them to keep cool.”

Throughout the ceremony, Turtle Island’s choir performed. “Not only are they amazing, but also because choir music holds a significant place in Fijian culture.”

As they began to sing “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley, Racheli’s niece and nephews walked down the aisle as the flower children. They were followed by the wedding party and then Racheli with her mum.

In their efforts to include as much of the local community as possible, Will and Racheli also had the local church minister officiate the ceremony.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed champagne and canapés on Long Beach while the wedding party headed off for their portraits with photographer Laura from Island Encounters Photography.

Fortunately, Racheli and Will didn’t run into any COVID issues when planning; however, what they did encounter was a category three tropical cyclone named Cyclone Mal. “This nearly derailed our wedding and had us extremely close to cancelling the entire thing. Will and I arrived at Turtle Island a few days early to finalise some wedding details. But instead of finalising special touches and spending quality time with family, we were hunkering down, preparing for the cyclone and updating our guests and vendors as much as possible. With much out of our control at this point, all we could do was ride it out and pray for the best,” they explained.

“Although this was a stressful time for us, we were deeply grateful that everyone in our local community was safe and that there was no major damage in our area and Turtle Island. Once we knew everyone was okay, it was full steam ahead with cleanup and getting ready for our guests to arrive in under 24 hours! We were so lucky and grateful to have the amazing Turtle Island team; they did a fantastic job preparing everything in time for the arrivals. Because of their hard work and dedication, we didn’t have to cancel any of the events.”

The reception dinner took place right on the waterfront, with a very natural and simple setup by Party & Events Fiji to really let the natural beauty of Turtle Island shine brightest.

So their guests would have a piece of Turtle Island to take home, Racheli and Will had wooden place cards made from fallen tree limbs from around the island. The island’s joinery team did an incredible job crafting these limbs into place cards!

Speeches from the family and wedding party continued into the night, with more performances and incredible food to follow. Their cake was a surprise, left for the Turtle Island Head Chef and culinary team to create without any input from Will or Racheli. “It was this amazing five-piece ensemble placed on a wooden tower and topped with a croquembouche – a delicious surprise!”

Their first dance was to “Stand By Me” By Ben E King, followed by a night full of dancing and kava!

For day three, Will and Racheli hosted a relaxed beach / recovery day for guests to kick back and relax. “This was a great way to end the festivities and spend more time with our guests. The day was filled with lots of swimming, eating and refreshing cocktails.”

Adding a touch more energy to the day, they planned a beach tournament with a grand prize – a 5-night holiday at Turtle Island for them and a partner! “This definitely added some excitement, and we were surprised to see all of our guests getting involved despite the heat and some sore heads! Beach games included tunnel ball, musical chairs, and finished with Finska.”

Guests who weren’t staying at Turtle Island left around sunset, with the rest of the guests ending the day with sunset cocktails and a special goodbye dinner.

A huge congratulations to Racheli and Will on such a beautiful celebration! Thank you to Laura of Island Encounters Photography for perfectly capturing the magic, and a big thanks to Lisa Perkovic and Catherine Rodwell of Barking Owl Communications for sharing this incredible story with us.