The tropical paradise, Fiji is known for its vast and diverse culture. Fiji-Indian weddings are no exception to this cultural richness. These inter-continental wedding traditions and rituals are as beautiful as the scenery in the archipelago, filled with postcard-perfect backdrops. When Fijian traditions blend harmoniously with the splendour of Indian traditions, weddings elevate to a whole new level of magnificence.
While having a grand wedding interwoven with traditions, capturing each moment with expertise is important. At Riss Photography, Sydney, we make sure to capture every detail of your Fiji-Indian wedding with finesse.
22 Fiji Indian Wedding Traditions to Explore
From the captivating Mehendi Night to the emotional and heartfelt Vidai, the intoxicating Yaqona ceremony to the sumptuous Lovo feast, and the exhilarating Meke performance to the grand entrance of the groom with Baraat, these multi-cultural rituals unveil a treasure trove of the culture and heritage of traditional Fijian weddings.
A Fiji Indian Pre Wedding Fiesta
The wedding celebrations commence with the engagement ceremony, followed by a series of events leading up to the grand celebration. These pre-wedding events are a time for creating beautiful memories with loved ones that will be cherished forever.
From the lively Mehendi ceremony and spirited Sangeet ceremony to the Yaqona ceremony, these occasions are a splendid prelude to the grand day. Freeze these lively and vibrant cultural celebrations with the expertise of our pre wedding photography at beautiful and enchanting pre-wedding locations.
Engagement Ceremony: A Promise Forever
The engagement ceremony, a pre-wedding ritual, formally joins the bride and groom and is usually held at the bride’s home. Unlike Western customs, Indian culture typically doesn’t involve the exchange of rings. Preserve the beauty of this enchanting engagement ceremony with the artistry of engagement photography.
A Warm Welcome with Tevutevu
In Fijian weddings, a communal welcome marks the start. The groom’s family visits the bride’s family with gifts, including bedding.
It is a wedding tradition where each family member places a mat on the floor to symbolise where the couple will sleep, and the bride’s mother lays the final one, offering her blessings.
Haldi: A Golden Prelude to the Grand Day
Haldi is a common pre-wedding ceremony in the realm of traditional Indian weddings, where turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groom’s face and body. Opt for splendid wide-angle photography with a drone wedding photography session to capture the vibrancy of this cherished night.
Yaqona Ceremony: Serving Kava
Yaqona, or Kava, is a cherished Fijian social drink reserved for special occasions, made from the sun-drenched roots of pepper trees. Sipped from cups carved from coconut shells, each sip of Kava provides the bliss of nature. It is required to clap before or after drinking.
Fun-Filled Mehendi Night
Following the engagement and preceding the wedding, the stage is set for Mehendi Night, where henna is etched in beautiful designs on the bride’s hands and feet. It’s a night for celebration, where laughter and melodies fill the room as friends and family gather to adorn the bride and celebrate the nuptials.
Amidst the joy of the night, don’t forget to seize these moments of zest and fun, to be forever immortalised through the lens of drone wedding photography.
Tilak Ceremony: A Mark of Blessings
The groom-to-be is marked with vermilion on his forehead by the bride’s family, symbolising his acceptance by her family, particularly her father. The tilak is said to protect the groom from evil spirits.
Telwan: Prayers for the Divine Interventions
This Indian ritual involves the groom’s mother creating a special place in the garden where she offers prayers to Lord Ganesha, seeking a smooth and interference-free wedding. Pause the love-filled moments like a perfectly captured photograph with engagement photography.
Traditional Fijian Wedding Attire
In the splendour of Fijian weddings, the groom dons a sulu jaba, a traditional Fijian garment that comprises a long wraparound skirt, known as sulu, and a tailored shirt, known as jaba.
The traditional Fijian wedding attire for the bride is made from tapa cloth, crafted from the bark of an indigenous Fijian tree, and hand-painted with traditional patterns.
Bhatwan: The Radiant Ritual
This ceremony, often referred to as the male counterpart of the Mehendi ceremony, involves the application of turmeric paste to the groom’s skin, symbolising purification and blessings for his upcoming marriage.
Sangeet: A Night of Music and Love
The sangeet ceremony serves as a welcome party for family and close friends. It is a lively night filled with music and dance, usually held a day or two before the wedding.
Freeze those moments brimming with love and vibrancy, just like a flawlessly captured photograph, through the expertise of drone wedding photography.
A Pre Wedding Love Story
A pre-wedding photoshoot captures memories that last a lifetime. At Riss Photography in Sydney, our experts excel at creating unforgettable pre-wedding photoshoots. Elevate your pre-wedding photos with charming and cute couple photo poses.
The Wedding Day Extravaganza
The wedding day is the day of dreams, love, and the promise of forever. It’s a day when two souls unite and families come together to celebrate a beautiful love story. Ensure that the splendour of your celebration is remembered forever through our wedding cinematography, which leaves no moment unrecorded.
The Rings of Love
Wedding rings symbolise endless love and commitment between the couple. At Riss Productions, we focus on capturing the significance and beauty of wedding rings and the emotions behind the ring exchange, creating a lasting memory.
Wrapped in love
Capture joy and gratitude through meaningful wedding gifts. Our wedding photography aims to preserve these cherished memories.
The First Encounter with the Squad of Honour
The first look captures the unscripted reaction of the bridesmaids as they see the bride for the first time on her grand day. We, at Riss Productions, focus on preserving these special bonds and shared memories through photographs that evoke fond recollections and cherish the bonds of friendship.
Baraat: The Festive Procession of the Groom
Baraat is a lively Indian wedding tradition where the groom arrives at the wedding accompanied by his family and friends. The baraat procession is often very festive, filled with music and dancing.
Capture the majestic entrance from a broad viewpoint by utilising our aerial wedding photography service.
Parchaan: An Honourable Welcome for the Groom
Upon the groom’s arrival with the baraat procession, the bride’s mother extends a warm welcome, performing the aarti ceremony to honour the groom, known as parchaan.
Bride’s Royal Entry with Bili Bili
Bili Bili, or the traditional Fijian warriors, escort the bride to her groom, creating an eye-catching entrance. This procession is a visual spectacle that captures the attention of everyone with its royalty.
Capture the grandeur of this moment with the wide-angle perspective of drone wedding photography, and preserve the majestic entrance for an eternity.
Wedding Ceremony: A Harmony of Culture
Fiji Indian weddings are a magnificent fusion of rich traditions and vibrant celebrations of two continents, uniting families and cultures in a tapestry of colourful rituals, ceremonies, and love.
Eternalize the most beautiful moments of your life through our wedding cinematography service.
Vale Levu: Traditional Fijian Wedding Venue
The traditional Fijian weddings take place in a large, open-air pavilion adorned with vibrant decorations and flowers. The vale levu creates a magnificent ambiance where nature transcends to be a part of the ceremony. Elevate your special day by choosing the perfect wedding location that adds a touch of magic to your wedding.
Meke: Mesmerising Moves to Be Etched Forever
Fiji-Indian weddings’ soul lies in the vibrant and energetic performance of the meke, a traditional dance accompanied by melodious music. This captivating performance showcases the unique cultural heritage of Fiji with graceful movements and spirited rhythms.
Amidst the whirls of emotions, crystallise genuine moments into timeless memories with candid wedding photography.
Exchange of Love Through Varamala
The Varmala exchange, a delightful Indian wedding tradition, involves the exchange of floral garlands, signifying their mutual consent and love.
A similar tradition is also found in Fijian weddings, known as veiqaravi vakavanua, where a profound exchange of garlands of fragrant blossoms takes place between the bride and groom, symbolising the union of two hearts. Immortalise these precious moments of love and unity with the artistry of wedding photography.
Kanyadaan: A Tradition Rooted in Trust
The Kanyadan ceremony, a heartfelt moment in Indian weddings, is when the bride’s parents lovingly offer their daughter’s hand in marriage to the groom, symbolising the beginning of a new journey together.
Immortalise these precious and heartfelt moments of emotion and love with the artistry of wedding videography.
Happily Ever After: Post-wedding Celebrations
Once the couple has tied the knot, the celebration does not end there. From savouring exquisite cuisine to receiving blessings from their elders and bidding a heartfelt farewell, the post-wedding celebrations are boundless. Entrust us with the task of capturing the grandiosity of your wedding day through our cinematography services.
Tovolea: Seeking Elderly Blessings
The tovolea ceremony is considered a ritual of great significance, as the bride and groom seek blessings from the elders of both families. The elders place their hands on the couple’s heads and offer heartfelt prayers for a beautiful future together.
These blessings are more than words. They signify the importance of family and the timeless wisdom passed down through generations, infused with love.
Tabu Ni Yaga: Showering Blessings Upon the Newlyweds
During the tabu ni yaga ritual, an older female relative, graced by the wisdom of years, delicately combs the hair of both spouses as a sign of silent blessings. Encapsulate these sacred blessings with the wedding videography, as a testament to the love and heritage that unify you.
A Feast of Love
Food takes the spotlight in both Fijian and Indian weddings, with a sumptuous feast prepared to celebrate the occasion. Foods from both regions provide a tantalising experience, that adds an exquisite layer to the celebrations.
Vidai: The Bittersweet Farewell
Vidai, the Indian tradition that signifies the bride’s departure from her parents’ home, is often accompanied by blessings and wishes for her future.
Allow the heartfelt emotions of the Vidai ceremony to linger in your memories, preserving its profound significance for eternity through our wedding videography service.
Matanigasau: An Adieu to Remember
As the wedding festivities close, the matanigasau, a Fijian ceremony, unfurls like a tender farewell. The newlyweds bid farewell to their families and express gratitude for their love and support as they step into the new chapter of life.
Matanigasau is a moment of profound significance, one that deserves to be preserved in all its splendour through the expertise of wedding photography, a tribute to love and tradition as the story continues.
Grihapravesh: The New Beginnings
Grihapravesh is a significant Indian Hindu wedding ritual that marks the entry of the bride to her new house with the blessings of the elders.
From Generation to Generation: The Importance of Traditions in Weddings
Wedding traditions are more than customs; they hold cultural, historical, and emotional value. These traditions bring people together to celebrate the grand day in the most pompous way. These inter-cultural weddings deserve to be preserved in their full splendour through the skilled lens of our wedding photography services.
Fiji-Indian weddings are a captivating blend of cultural richness set against the backdrop of Fiji’s stunning landscapes. These inter-cultural wedding celebrations are a testament to the enduring customs and traditions of Fiji and India, creating a truly unforgettable experience that radiates love, unity, and the warm hospitality that Fiji is known for.
If you are to get married in Fiji, steeped in the traditions of Fiji and India, you need a seasoned professional to capture your cherished memories in the most beautiful way. With an understanding of Fijian and Indian culture and traditions, we make sure to leave no memory unturned on your precious day.
At Riss Photography, the best wedding photography and videography service in Sydney, we are attuned to your every need. From candid wedding photography to the enchanting perspective of drone shots, from capturing your engagement’s magic to the cinematic brilliance of wedding cinematography, we offer a comprehensive range of services. We specialise in preserving the intricate details of your Fiji Indian wedding, ensuring each frame is a masterpiece.
If you seek to transform your dream wedding in Fiji into an enduring memory, reserve your session with us right now and learn more about Fiji-Indian wedding packages!