July 2017

Destination-wedding-Moorea0048

TAHITI BACKYARD WEDDING : DON’T OVERLOOK ANY OF THESE! | PART 1

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Tahiti Backyard Wedding

 

Are you traveling to the South Pacific to have a destination wedding in Tahiti?

No matter how big or small, the first question that will likely come to mind is about your options of wedding locations/venues.

Where will the ceremony be held? What are our options of locations for our wedding reception in Moorea?

Just like for a home wedding, choosing the right wedding venue in Tahiti will be the first and most important decision, as the entire wedding experience, from music to décor to food options will solely depend on what’s available or doable – or not – at the selected venue.

If your guests list (and let’s say it, your budget) is large enough, you will be able to choose from a few options including resorts or local restaurants.

In the likelier event that your wedding party is small – not everyone of your friends or family may be able to travel overseas – and that you will have an intimate party, there will be fewer options. If your party is not quite big enough to privatize an event space or restaurant, you may consider turning to a more casual event and have a backyard wedding in a vacation rental villa. There are lots and lots of amazing vacation rental properties around Moorea, all beach front and/or with a pool, but be wary, there are a few things to consider:

 

1. Is A Backyard Wedding / Event Tolerated?

The large majority of vacation rental houses / villas’ owners in Tahiti or Moorea will NOT allow special events in their properties. They’ll be afraid that things go awry and that their belongings get damaged during the event. Some will also face constraints with the immediate neighbourhood if they are not so tolerant with wedding music / party. Inquire with the owner or with the rental management company whether special events are allowed and what the special terms are (max. number of guests, music tolerance etc.). They may give you their approval if you subscribe to a liability insurance and/or hire a professional planner to direct the event but know that there are only a handful (actually, it’s more like 2 or 3) of options. It is my recommendation that you inquire about planning an event in your vacation rental before booking it, to not face unwanted situations during the actual event, or simply find out too late in the process that it is not tolerated and your well-thought-out plans are off.

This holds true to ANY pre or post wedding event, not just the wedding celebration itself, such as a Welcome Cocktail or Lunch you may want to host at your rental villa or a Day After Brunch… I can of course assist you in finding the right place.

 
Moorea Tahiti Backyard Wedding

Photo Credit: AngelM

 

2. Backyard Wedding Space

If your party is very small, inside the house may simply work. But if the party is slightly larger and does not fit inside, then in addition to bringing in sufficient tables and chairs, you will want to make sure there is ample room outdoors to sit everyone. You also need to seriously consider having a tent / marquee if there is no covered terrace as the weather in Tahiti can be very unpredictable and a shower can totally ruin your table setup, even when it lasts a few seconds or a couple minutes. Is the garden area spacious enough to have a tented event?

 

3. Backyard Lighting & Music + Washroom Facilities

Nothing replaces the beauty of an outdoor wedding, as there’s something magical about being outside, especially in Tahiti! While outdoors allow to produce some of the most romantic and gorgeous events, it comes with some challenges as well. Most often lighting is nonexistent so you may either need to light up the trees or grounds, line all paths, with candles and (warm) white lights, or to hire a professional lighting pro. If music is also part of the plan, you’ll need to check whether there is a power source available for both lighting and music, and if they can safely plug in their equipment outside. Of course toilets must be easily accessible for your guests all night, too.

 
Need inspiration for your backyard wedding in the meantime? Browse 20 Incredible Backyard Weddings.

 

There is more! Next week I’ll share an extra three recommendations for your backyard wedding in Tahiti.

 

Not Sure What To Start With? I Can Help You Get Started. Browse My Wedding Planning Packages.

For more articles like these subscribe to my monthly newsletter HERE (and Get the Free Report to pick the best Wedding Ceremony Location in Tahiti)!

Destination Wedding in Moorea

Maeva & Jean-Baptiste
Moorea Destination Wedding

Destination wedding in Moorea
Tahiti Destination Weddings | M&JB Destination Wedding in Moorea

Where : Moorea

Wedding Planner in Moorea : Nelly Grange

Ceremony : Tahitian blessings. 22 guests traveling from France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merci encore Nelly! ♡ Merci à vous tous c’était magique!
Nous ne réalisons pas encore des étoiles plein les yeux un rêve s’est réalisé grâce à toute ton équipe! Un retour sans doute proche s’impose!😍

Photo Credit : AngelM

 

Destination Wedding in Moorea

3 WEDDING CEREMONY LOCATIONS YOU WOULD NEVER THINK OF!

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Destination Wedding in Moorea

Photo Credit: Helene Havard

 
Are you planning your destination wedding in Tahiti? Or maybe eloping to one of the many beautiful islands of Tahiti where you intend to have an unforgettable wedding ceremony (I know, the words unforgettable and Tahiti in one same sentence sounds a bit redundant, right…?).

Are you at a loss when it comes to deciding where to actually have your wedding ceremony in Tahiti? I know the feel.

Most of my couples first reach out to me kind of indecisive about where to hold a wedding ceremony in Tahiti… I am based on the gorgeous and peaceful island of Moorea, and this is where most of my couples tie the knot, before flying out to the outer islands on their honeymoon.

Tahiti resorts will often have pretty ceremony locations on premises for you to make your pledge to each other, but what if you are not staying at a resort, or if you do but don’t want on-lookers at your wedding ? Most often, especially if you’ll be travelling to Tahiti during the busier season (that is, from August to October) chances are that you won’t have much privacy at a resort ceremony.

Looking at having an intimate wedding ceremony, where it’s just about you, and your guests?

I hear you!

 

Find Your Perfect Wedding Ceremony Location

 

It is SO easy to get lost in a number of logistics and travel details and to simply overlook what certainly is the most important part of the day: the ceremony. This is what you’re here for, right? It is important (cocktail hour is, too, but not quite as important) and should set the tone for the entire day!

Whether it is just the two of you sharing vows and making promises to each other, or you have guests in attendance, doing the right choice among wedding ceremony locations is of the utmost importance. You should feel the place is yours.

 

1. Think Beyond Beaches

Tahiti is not just about beaches. The Islands of Tahiti are equally stunning whether you look at the immense lagoon or at the luxuriant mountains.

 

10416621_10152539356430505_5434616740929794679_n Photo Credit: Tahiti Tourisme

Belvedere Moorea

Photo Credit: Helene Havard

 

I love love love this photo because this is the very 1st couple ever we took up the Belvedere in Moorea for their wedding pictures, back in 2014… and pretty much every couple has been doing the same ever since! Nelly, Wedding Planner & Wedding Celebrant in Moorea – wedOtahiti

 

2. Think Exotic

Tahiti. The Ultimate Privacy. Seriously, can you think of anything that can compete with saying your I do’s onboard a private catamaran sailing gorgeous lagoon waters? If you’re traveling with no more than 10 guests then you can sail away for a few hours on the crystal-clear waters of Moorea, and take this opportunity to marry onboard.

 

Photo Credit: Jean-Philippe Yuam

Another wedding ceremony on a catamaran in Moorea here.

 

Talking about being surrounded by crystal-clear waters, how about this Blue Lagoon ceremony in Rangiroa? Now that’s privacy.

 
Rangiroa Wedding Blue Lagoon Rangiroa

Photo Credit: Helene Havard & Flying World Pictures

 

3. Think Simple

Your ceremony must be true to you. If you are staying at a vacation rental property, why not having your ceremony in the intimacy of your “home away from home” but with a view?

 
Ceremony at a private luxury villa in Moorea

Photo Credit: Helene Havard

 
Tahiti wedding Celebrant (officiant)

 

I Want To Hear From YOU! Comment Below And Tell Me What Your Dream Wedding Location Is!

 

For more articles like these subscribe to my monthly newsletter HERE (and Get the Free Report to pick the best Wedding Ceremony Location in Tahiti)!

Exotic wedding destination beach wedding in Moorea

EXOTIC WEDDING DESTINATION : MANUELA & MATTIAS’ BEACH WEDDING IN MOOREA

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Exotic wedding destination beach wedding in Moorea

 

By definition, exotic means:

unusual and exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from far away

so for us living in beautiful Tahiti – Moorea year-round, exotic looks like this…

 

(and yes, that’s where I got married)

 

Manuela & Mattias live in Sweden so an exotic wedding destination to them took on a whole different meaning.

They met at a student’s place in Umea – Sweden where Manuela, originally from Spain, had just arrived. She was rather shy since she did not speak or understand much English back then, but Mattias could immediately see that she had a warm and nice personality emanating from her body language. He was returning from a run around a frozen lake by minus 15 degrees outside and lots of snow… you must be a native of Sweden to do that, right? Manuela was trying to keep herself warm and thought he was crazy.

They never dated per se, but they quickly developed a warm friendship and Mattias even adjusted his dinner time to Manuela’s, to make sure he had the chance to see her every night; a few months went by and Manuela realized that there was little time left before she’d be heading back to Spain, and Mattias was not getting the signals, obviously.
She had to do something and on May 10th, 2008, she decided to pop the question ‘You know that I love you, right?’ to which Mattias answered with a ‘Yes, as a friend”. She then thought he was the cutest and most innocent guy on earth, and opened up to him about her feelings.

Last year, Mattias proposed to Nela and they decided to travel to the other side of the planet to have a beach wedding in Moorea.

I loved Manuela’s tea length dress which was the perfect fit for a beach wedding, and her bubbly personality!

 
Wedding in Moorea exotic wedding destination

 
Manuela never wears any make-up and did not need false lashes as hers were so long and beautiful; she wanted a natural look and looked so pretty, what do you think?

I very much enjoyed meeting you Manuela & Mattias and wish you all the best in life and to fulfill your dreams of moving to Llanes one day, and living the life you have always wanted to have until you become the oldest couple ever alive!

 

 

More of Manuela & Mattias photos here!

 

• Moorea Ceremony Officiant / Life-Cycle Wedding Celebrant: Nelly at wedOtahiti
• Wedding Planner in Moorea: Nelly at wedOtahiti
• Photographer: AngelM
• Hair stylist: Maryse
• Make-up artist: Audrey Bodilis

 

Thinking that Moorea is your place? Do You Want Me To Write A Personalized Ceremony That Tells Your Story? Contact Me Here!

 

For more articles like these subscribe to my monthly newsletter HERE (and Get the Free Report to pick the best Wedding Ceremony Location in Tahiti)!

Moorea Vow Renewal Ceremony on the Beach

Kelly & Jon’s Celebration

Moorea Vow Renewal Ceremony

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Moorea vow renewal ceremony
Moorea Ceremony Officiant | K&J Moorea Vow Renewal Ceremony on the Beach

Where : Moorea

Ceremony Officiant in Moorea : Nelly Grange

Country of Origin : United-States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nelly made a image of this dream I had in my head come true.!! My husband and I would be traveling to Tahiti with our 2 boys for a surf trip and wanted to renew our vows while visiting. Nelly coordinated the most beautiful ceremony for us, I never had a moment of doubt that it wouldn’t be anything but perfection, she was so responsive and organized taking the stress off of us so we could focus on planning our 2 week vacation instead of organizing a ceremony. She gave me options of vendors who are the best in Tahiti. Thank you Nelly for coordinating such a beautiful ceremony and for making it stress free so we could enjoy the moment and hold onto the memories forever❤️

 

 

Photo Credit : AngelM

 

Mountain top wedding ceremony in Moorea

BELVEDERE MOUNTAIN TOP WEDDING CEREMONY IN MOOREA: TARA & KEVIN

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Mountain top wedding ceremony in Moorea

 
Tara & Kevin just recently moved to Italy to start new jobs but they’re originally from Texas. They eloped to Moorea back in May to have a one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony up the mountains in Moorea, at a lookout called the Belvedere.

This place is magical, especially early in the day when the sun just rose from behind the mountain peaks.

Tara & Kevin met a work and for a long time never interacted with one another outside of casual hellos and goodbyes. Kevin says that Tara was very intimidating in the office because she was so good at her job and worked so hard, he always thought she was all work / no play; until that day when he saw her outside of the office at the occasion of a ‘team social” happy hour, offered to get her a drink at the bar and discovered a completely different side of Tara. She actually seemed like a lot of fun!

They started dating sometime after that, and as the months and their time together have unfolded, they quickly realized that there was indeed something special and it was not long until they fell for each other. From sitting on the couch talking all night until the sun came up, to envisioning themselves in similar lifestyles as they get older, and generally having similar goals in life, it was obvious that a together forever would be a forever with one another.

The Belvedere in Moorea is a place that you need to drive up to early if you want to have the place for yourselves, as past 8:30am there are visitors to the place so it is not as intimate and serene to hold a ceremony.

So the hair stylist, the make-up artist and myself met at Tara & Kevin’s bungalow before the day had even broken on Moorea. Less than 1 hour 1/2 later, we were headed to the Belvedere to hold their unique ceremony.

I loved Tara’s dress in two pieces and that flower crown was so gorgeous on her blond hair!

 
Mountain top wedding ceremony in Moorea

 
We had cloudy skies that day and it was also super windy (with our Winter season from June to September comes the wind… which can be very strong at times) and we battled hard but could not have the tropical leaves stay in place at their feet, but as Tara said:

 

We’ve been able to do everything we have wanted to do so a little wind is no big deal! We are beyond pleased with this morning’s events. Everyone had their part in making our day so special and we loved every second. Please pass along our thanks. It was a pleasure to finally meet you and put a face with the name. Thank you so much for putting together such a memorable moment that we can always cherish. We are enthralled with Moorea and are excited to see Bora Bora. If you’re ever in Italy, drop me an email and we’d love to meet up for a drink or dinner if it works out.

 
Mountain top wedding ceremony in Moorea

 

It was lovely to meet you Tara & Kevin! I wish you all the best in your new endeavors and married life in Italy.

 

• Moorea Ceremony Officiant / Life-Cycle Wedding Celebrant: Nelly at wedOtahiti
• Wedding Planner in Moorea: Nelly at wedOtahiti
• Photographer: Helene Havard
• Hair stylist: Maryse
• Make-up artist: Audrey Bodilis

 

Thinking That Moorea Is Your Place? Do You Want Me To Write A Personalized Ceremony That Tells Your Story? Contact Me Here!

 

For more articles like these subscribe to my monthly newsletter HERE (and Get the Free Report to pick the best Wedding Ceremony Location in Tahiti)!

Make-up artist in Tahiti

WEDDING VENDOR OF THE MONTH: AUDREY | MAKE-UP ARTIST IN TAHITI

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Make-up artist in Tahiti Audrey Bodilis

 

Back 2 years ago, I started a series of interviews of my preferred wedding vendors in Tahiti, all those amazing people I am lucky to work with. Audrey is my go-to make-up artist and she’s totally amazing!

Whether you’re eloping to Moorea or you have a full destination wedding in Tahiti and an entire bridal party requiring a make-up done, she’ll handle. This girl knows what will work best with your style and exclusively uses top quality Make-Up For Ever products that will withstand under a tropical climate and of course, won’t run out with a few tears (or a trash the dress in the lagoon of Moorea)… yup your make-up will totally be happy-tears’ proof.

With these blog interviews, I want to bring the very best people to you. I’ve worked with these individuals, and would refer them to anyone of my couples without hesitation. Not only do they have super friendly and inspiring personalities (because hey, you’ll be traveling a heck of a lot of miles to get to us, and you only want happy and dedicated people to surround you on your wedding day in Tahiti, your own dream team of sorts) but I’ve also spent (wedding) days with them, and seen their work on numerous occasions, so I can attest of how good it is!

 

WEDDING VENDOR OF THE MONTH: AUDREY

MAKE-UP ARTIST IN TAHITI

 

This month’s wedding vendor interview is Audrey Bodilis, the most fantastic make-up artist in Tahiti (based on the capital island of Tahiti) who has a very impressive portfolio, including musicals, TV shows, fashion shoots for international magazines, celebrities and of course, all of my happy brides. Enjoy!

 

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into doing make-up in Tahiti.

I was born from a mother who is an artist (painter), and a father who is a florist, so I was raised surrounded with brushes and colours. After I graduated with my A-level I decided to turn to the cosmetic world and then to specialize in make-up art by entering the Make Up For Ever Academy in Paris in 2005. I have since then evolved in various areas of the industry: TV, fashion, music, musicals, cinema, coaching… make-up is above all an artistic relationship and one of trust between people, which I aim to share with both my industry partners and my private clients. I work with a lot of producers in the Pacific area, and also offer a selection of private services to individuals in Tahiti: make-up tutorials, theatrical make-up & body painting, make-up for special occasions and wedding make-up.

 

How do you work with a bride and what is the process of planning a wedding make-up?

I like to meet up with a bride-to-be to get to know her personality. To me there is no standard in wedding make-up. On the wedding day, the bride must be gorgeous but it is important that she wears a make-up that reflects her personality, whether her look is natural, glamorous or sophisticated. This is the reason why I recommend doing a trial ahead of the wedding day whenever possible, to determine what make-up magnifies the bride, according to her morphology and her character traits. The goal is not to transform a person but to magnify one. I also extend preferential rates for the bridal party so meeting up with the bride in advance allows to work & schedule appointments for the wedding day. I meet the bride where she stays, so there is no stress or hassle on the day.

 

What inspires you? Are there colors or trends you absolutely love?

Everything inspires me, whether that is a painting, a photo, runways, even a landscape or animal patterns. I have worked in the fashion industry for a long time, so I am always keeping up with the latest trends, especially for make-ups. However to me fashion has its limits, not everything can be pretty so I also favour harmony. This is why I have basics for every flesh tone. I was lucky to work all around the world, and I know what works best for every ethnic group. I love particularly to highlight the eyes and work light on the lips, while also concentrating on the colouring and foundation, which is what makes a good make-up.

 
Make-up artist in Tahiti

Photo Credit: Sadry Ghacir

 

What’s your favorite part of the job?

Meeting people. I feel very lucky to work with both the industry and individuals. Traveling the world with musicals, Miss France committees, or celebrity singers was an amazing life – and artistic – experience. Being in the backstage of a TV or a fashion show, gives me as much pleasure as seeing the smile of a bride on her wedding day. These are two different worlds and this is what I love about the job, being able to serve different people with the same passion.

 

Make-up artist in Tahiti sample work : Mila Jovovich
Mila Jovovich

 

Any advice to pass along to a bride in choosing her wedding dress, props or wedding style?

I would tell her to listen to her heart. I am not married, however like every woman I have affinities with a clothing style, or certain ambiences. Your wedding day is the one day when it’s all about yourself and you can indulge yourself, make your dreams come true. My advice is to go with your favourites, and not let yourself be influenced with trends or stereotypes. Your choice of a wedding dress, like your choice of make-up, must match your personality. Don’t go overboard. Try to find a good balance between elegancy and a natural look, so that your dress, your make-up, and your jewellery are harmonious.

 
Make-up artist in Moorea

Photo Credit: Helene Havard

Tiffany & Sean’s love story and wedding day here | More of their photos here

 

Thanks Audrey! For more about Audrey Bodilis, please contact me or head straight to her website

 

For more articles like these subscribe to my monthly newsletter HERE (and Get the Free Report to pick the best Wedding Ceremony Location in Tahiti)!

 

 

Top & Middle Photo Credit: Audrey Bodilis