Our Wedding Day at Matangi

 

Our Wedding Day at Matangi was better than fairy tale perfect!

The morning of our wedding day, we awoke in our beautiful, cozy treehouse bure to the sound of lapping waves, and the beating of drums beckoning us to breakfast. It was a magnificent day, warm, clear and sunny.

We walked down the path to the dining area and passed the wedding site. Papa and Silosi had erected the wedding arch and Papa was expertly weaving palm fronds to decorate the arch, greeting us with great smiles.

We sat down to breakfast and on the daily menu there was a beautiful wedding announcement, and poem inside, inviting the Matangi guests to join us for our wedding ceremony, reception, Meke and Lovo.

We spent the am snorkeling, and relaxing at the pool, awaiting the arrival of Yoshi, our photographer. We had a lovely lunch with Yoshi, getting to know each other.

He was more wonderful than we could have ever imagined! What talent and creativity. He made sure all our photography needs and desires were met.

The time came to get ready for the ceremony. We went to our bure to shower, and in a short while Kay and Sam the minister arrived. Kay had flowers for my hair, a beautiful bouquet of frangipani, and gorgeous salusalus for us to wear around our necks.

Kay was instrumental in organizing everything perfectly! Kay helped me with my hair and my dress, she is a lovely, amazing woman! Whatever our needs or desires were, she always responded with a smile and "no worries"!

At 3:00 it was time for the ceremony. I walked down the stairs of the treehouse accompanied by an adorable little Fijian flower girl and was met at the bottom of the stairs by two Fijian warrior escorts. They walked me to the arch where my groom was waiting. The choir was singing like angels.

It was so beautiful, like a dream. The arch was decorated with tropical flowers, and the pathway lined with woven palm fronds, the sun was shining, a perfect day.

The ceremony was perfect, very detailed, serious and beautiful, not at all rushed. It was all so incredibly romantic and beautiful!

When the ceremony was over, the choir sang (Kay was in the choir too!), and we signed the papers.

There was a champagne toast with all the honeymooners staying at Matangi that were present. All cheered “BULA!”

Then it was time for photographs on the beach and a lovely reception on the deck.

Frank the bartender made a wonderful tropical punch, and the food was delicious! All the guests participated in our eventful day.

Then it was time for the Meke.

The children came from the village to perform traditional cultural dances and singing.

They all were such beautiful, happy children, with amazing smiles. They had everyone involved in the dancing, such a great experience!

After the Meke, it was time for the Lovo, the traditional feast prepared and cooked in the ground all day. What an incredible feast! We were seated for dinner on the private deck under the stars by candlelight for our romantic dinner.

After dinner, we cut the cake! It was almost too pretty to cut. While we enjoyed the cake, we listened to the band play in the dining room, then we headed back along the path to our treehouse, reflecting on the events of our perfect wedding day.

It was better than we could ever have imagined, better than any fairy tale, ever! The staff at Matangi was so wonderful, they treated us like family, always smiling, anticipating every need, all so incredibly accommodating, always going the extra mile to make sure our experience at Magangi was perfect in every way.

Vinaka, Matangi staff!

Scott & Amy Ferguson