Why Did We Change The Wedding Location?

So, some of you may be wondering why we changed our wedding resort from Beqa to Tokoriki. There were several reasons, and I'll quickly outline them here:

1. Beqa was demanding that all guests stay a minimum of 4 nights at the resort. This was interfering with a lot of guests budgets and travel plans, as guests would have to dedicated thousands instead of hundreds of dollars to our wedding accommodation which could instead go towards their own Fiji travel plans.

2. Beqa was not being very accommodating for our guests. They were not answering questions promptly, or finalising bookings with our travel agent. They were also, at times, a bit rude!

3. There was no wedding coordinator at Beqa Lagoon Resort, meaning that the wedding might have been a flop! Seeing as that is the reason for the whole 'holiday' thought this point was important, lol :-P

4. Beqa Lagoon Resort was located almost on the other side (and South) of the main island, meaning transfers would have taken upwards of 4 hours from Nadi. Beqa is much closer to Suva (the Capital, which is the epicenter of racial tensions in Fiji), so not within many tourists' ideal vacation spots. Tokoriki is only an hour or so away from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.

5. Tokoriki is located in the Mamunuca Chain of islands, which is more temperate. Year round it is sunnier and rains less. Beqa is much more likely to be rained on that time of year.

6. The Mamunuca Chain of islands is the ideal vacation destination, with dozens of tiny islands accommodating honeymooners, party goers, families and backpackers. There's something for everyone, and being the most beautiful islands in Fiji (the postcard islands) they are, in my opinion, a great place to continue your holiday after our wedding.

7. Finally, one last point. Which is not so much why not Beqa, but why Tokoriki? It is a five star resort with five star reviews all around. It drips with orchards, oozes romance, and is set on that perfect postcard beach. The staff are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality, and the wedding coordinator is experienced and knowledgable - having organised  her fair share of weddings.

We don't want a perfect wedding (strange as that may sound), we want a wedding that reflects us and the people we are (so definitely not perfect!). We are still having our simple ceremony barefoot on the beach, with wild flowers for decoration, but we wanted to make sure that things went smoothly for us and for you. So I hope you guys with the question 'why' now understand :-)

Love you all! And hope to see you next year on the sandy white beaches of Tokoriki! :-D