Posted byOn Tuesday I got serious about gay travel in Fiji, today I get light and fluffy with wedding porn from the traditional and adorable wedding I got to witness in Fiji.
I'm writing this from Mana Island. It's an island that is part of what is called the Mamanuca Island Group, which includes the small island where the movie Castaway was filmed. Interesting pop-culture fact: Tom Hanks actually lived on Mana island while he was filming Castaway and took a boat from here to the film site. I drove by one of the private homes in which he stayed today, on my way to check out the wedding of a Japanese couple. Kohei and Ayumi were kind enough to let me drop in on their ceremony and shoot some pics…
Now clearly this is a more traditional wedding. But who doesn't love happy wedding porn!? Also, check out the groom's outfit — a super spiffy white suite with tails! I also loved his white shoes. He was one stylish groom.
The coolest part about Mana island weddings is that each couple gets their own plate, with their names and wedding date engraved on it, that they get to hammer into this growing monument to lurve. You just don't see enough photos of couples nailing things on their wedding day. (That generally happens AFTER the wedding.)
As far as entertainment goes, you can't beat these guys. The hotel hires local villagers to come and sing at the wedding. And man do these guys know how to have a good time…
That's the best part about events in Fiji — the constant and amazing singing. Not only were these guys singing, but soon so was all the staff!
Then it was time for them to party and I peaced out. (I was late for a massage. I know, tough life.)
If you want to see more pice from Kohei and Ayumi's wedding click here. And stay tuned for a post FULL of wedding and honeymoon tips … just as soon as I get more internet time.
About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz
When Megan's not writing, traveling, and sleeping, she's eating like the fate of the world depends on it. (You're welcome, world!) You can snoop into her personal life over on her website The Dash and Dine!
For an American it’s off-beat.
Um hiring local natives to sing for you, awesome!
Really digging hammering the plate into the monument!
I’m sorry, but how do you know it isn’t offbeat? Isn’t the true concept behind offbeat doing things in a way that are true to you whether they are mainstream or not? Maybe I’m a bit touchy because I had a big, white wedding and that WAS offbeat, because my husband and I did it OUR way, yet because it doesn’t fit into a quirky subculture we don’t count (which wouldn’t do, since we aren’t any of those things). So what about this wedding makes it not offbeat? What if it really, truly is genuine for this couple?
Wowjunkie, great point and I appreciate your passion for our focus on authenticity! I’ve shifted the wording to express what I think was Megan’s original intent, which is simply that this wedding is more on the traditional end of the spectrum.
Also, is THIS not an offbeat couple of color? Or is that only for couples with a black partner?
Speaking of which, there isn’t a tag for white couples (or straight couples, for that matter). The lack thereof makes us brown folks seem like oddballs who need to be noted as different. And not in a nice, offbeat kind of way. 🙁
TJ: yes, the “offbeat couples of color” tag should indeed have been added to this post as it applies to any couple where at least one partner identifies as not white.
The tag was added to Offbeat Bride a few years ago at the request of several non-white readers who were frustrated by the experience of feeling like they only saw white couples across wedding planning websites. What I heard from them was that when it came to wedding blogs, they did indeed feel like oddballs; under-represented, invisible oddballs. The goal with the tag is to counterbalance some of this invisibility. The issue was discussed extensively, both here and on the Offbeat Bride Tribe, right down to readers weighing in on the wording choice for the tag.
As for tagging lesbian weddings, I discussed self-identification here.
TJ: This post has more information about OBB’s tagging policy and why we tag the way we do.
Basically, it boils down to this: We want people – whether couple of color, lesbians, ravers, punks, whatever – to be able to see a cluster of weddings that just apply to them or what they are looking for.
We *could* have a “straight” or “white couple” weddings (or “white wedding dress” for that matter) tag but it since – unfortunately – most the weddings that get submitted are straight couples, it would be almost meaningless as a profile organizational device, which is essentially what tags are.
I agree. For a Japanese couple, this is VERY offbeat, actually. They do enjoy the Western “white wedding” there but it’s usually only a portion of the wedding, not the whole thing, and in addition it’s usually IN JAPAN and not in Fiji. I really think the rockin’ coattails on the groom’s suit is unique to say the least. I loved all the other photos from the Flickr account too. Really interesting!
I’m not sure about this being unusual- destination weddings cost about half as much as a typical wedding in Japan, so are incredibly popular- I know several couples who’ve had one.
This looks like a very, very standard Japanese wedding to me, albeit one that reflects changes in the industry that have taken hold in recent years. The magazines and books available now are chock full of exactly this type of wedding.
I’ve been in Japan 7 years, nearly 8, for reference.
I love her hair flowers *squee!*