SARAH & NICK
SARAH MCLEAN and NICHOLAS ORSBORN were surrounded by love at their intimate island wedding.
Nick and I went out to dinner after a chance meeting in 2015. By the end of the night, I had sore cheeks from smiling and laughing so much, and when Nick dropped me off he patted me on the head – what a gentleman! I was hooked and after two weeks of seeing each other we both admitted there was something special between us. Two years into our relationship, we went on a trip to Samoa with my mum and sister to show him Savai’i. He took me to the beach and I was chatting away, so he had to interrupt me to propose!
We were lucky enough to be New Zealand Weddings magazine’s ‘ Win a Wedding in Fiji’ winners! We were very blessed to have a wedding that we otherwise would have only dreamed about at the beautiful Warwick Resort.
Fiji was a great compromise for me and Nick, with our island links to Samoa and Kiribati respectively. The biggest consideration that we had to make was whether my mum would be well enough to travel. At the time that we won the wedding, she was in hospital unwell as a side effect of the terminal cancer she was fighting.
As she wasn’t well enough to come dress shopping, I would iMessage mum the dresses I tried on for feedback. I had always imagined wearing a big princess- style gown on my wedding day, but after trying one on I knew that I would melt if I wore one in Fiji! Eventually we went to Daisy Brides, where I was tempted by a two-piece outfit that I’d seen online. I video- called mum, who convinced me to try on more styles. She thought the Snow Lotus gown was the one – and mother knows best!
Mum passed away a month and a half before our wedding. Although she wasn’t there with us physically, we could feel her presence on
the day. We were there in the rainy season and the weather was beautiful during the ceremony and photos, with just enough wind to keep Nick cool. We know that was her. My bouquet was another lovely reminder of her, with the same types of flowers that she’d grown in her gardens in Samoa when I was a child. I was taken by the beauty of the frangipani, purple bougainvillea, Tahitian gardenia and West Indian Jasmine. It was perfect for the relaxed tropical vibe of the wedding.
Looking into Nick’s eyes after my dad gave me away felt surreal. After all of the heartache and sadness that we had faced we were now getting married. When we were pronounced husband and wife I looked at everyone present and just felt so grateful to be surrounded by so much love. The fact that our friends and family took the time to come to Fiji so close to Christmas, and with only five months notice, was very special.
Mum had always spoken about how she imagined seeing me dance to specific songs on my wedding day. I did a Tahitian dance to ‘Fakateretere’ by Gabilou and a Samoan Taualuga to ‘O Le Taualuga’ by Pacific Soul at the reception to honour her. We did not explain the meaning behind the dances, so it was beautiful to see the love and tears from those who realised. It was special to have family and friends join in and aiuli (support) me during my Taualuga.
Following the wedding, we drove through the breathtaking Fijian highlands, stopping often to take in the scenery on the way to Wananavu Beach Resort. We spent two nights in a stunning oceanview honeymoon bure and it was so beautiful! Ours had a private pool, indoor and outdoor showers and a super comfortable canopy bed. We will definitely be back for a longer stay.