Fiji: Destination Elope
Fiji is gaining a reputation as a destination to elope to. And smaller weddings are becoming the in-thing with guests numbering 10 to 30 in capacity, said Bula Brides, a website that connects users to vendors.
“The Fiji destination wedding blog, inspired by a hobbyist who wrote of her personal experience to save other prospective brides the stress of organising things from afar, was purchased by Leanne Goff, an Australia director. ”
“The former owner got married in Fiji and learned first-hand what some of the challenges were when trying to organise it from Australia- obviously you just can’t pop down the road to do a recce; and so many businesses were not yet online,” Ms Goff said.
The site drew more attention than expected.
“Brides from all over the world started using it to help plan their Pacific nuptials,” Ms Goff said.
“They loved having all that info in one place rather than having to sift through a million different sites.”
The website started logging 250,000 views within a year, and received enquiries about “where do I find this”.
In 2017, Bula Brides changed hands. Established in 2013, it operates as a one-stop shop to inform and inspire brides and grooms in their planning – beyond the package.
Bula Bride’s wedding directory contains talented vendors and suppliers within the destination wedding industry in Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. Before COVID-19, Ms Goff said Bula Brides recorded 80-150 weddings.
“However, couples are looking for more intimate and easier to organise experiences, at the moment,” she told SunBiz.
“We’ve also seen a lot more elopements recently, and vow renewals, often, just as part of a pre-booked holiday.”
“We are seeing really strong interest in weddings again in Fiji- our website hits are similar again to what we were seeing in 2018/2019.”
Busiest Month On Record
In a recent announcement, Bula Brides recorded its busiest month on record for new enquiries, Ms Goff said.
While Australia continues to lead the country embarking on a destination wedding in Fiji, Bula Brides reports strong growth from New Zealand.
“Our website enquiries show 25 per cent of enquiries are coming out of New Zealand, whereas pre-COVID-19 was around 15 per cent,” Ms Goff said.
“There has been an uptick recently from the United States of America and Canada.”
Story by: frederica.elbourne@fijisun.com.fj
