A TRADITIONAL marriage proposal set on a balcony while watching the sunset in Noumea was all Daniel Orbell and Kristin Blewman needed to start their beautiful journey together.
After 13 years of courting, the couple made it official by tying the knot in front of family and friends at the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. Daniel, who is a head chef by profession, said when he first met Kristin he thought he was looking at the most beautiful Australian woman he had ever seen and that he couldn’t resist meeting her.
Kristin, who is a personal assistant, said she thought Dan was funny, smart and quite cheerful the first time they met and knew right away he would make an excellent boyfriend. The couple, who had never been to Fiji, knew little about the country.
Daniel said marriage meant commitment to the woman he loved. To Kristin, marriage means a long lasting relationship with someone who will always be there for her.
The couple had first met in London when Kristin went to work and lived there in 2004. The couple both worked at the Marriott Hotel West India Quay London and it was love at first sight.
“We knew little about Fiji before we visited but many of our friends, who have been, raved about how lovely the Fijian people and culture were so we knew it was right for our special day,” the couple said.
“We had 25 of our closest friends and family attending the wedding and guests travelled from around the world to attend including London, Frankfurt, Melbourne and Brisbane.”
Kristin said she always wanted a destination wedding.
“I wanted it to be somewhere with beautiful beaches, weather and scenery. We choose Fiji because it came with something more wonderful, the people were so friendly and welcoming,” she said.
“My wedding dress was from Luv Bridal in Brisbane and I wanted something elegant with a little bit of bling. I wasn’t a huge fan of the full lace dresses that were in fashion so I was lucky to find it. I got silk pink bow altered afterwards to personalise it to my style. “I booked Totoka Hair and make-up and they didn’t disappoint. Lodoviko did a trial for me earlier in the week so I was totally relaxed on the day and I trusted him to work his magic. He sure did and I loved my look and hair during the wedding.
“Leeti did my hair and the curls lasted all night and they were both professional but were so fun to work with. “My maid of honour was my best friend, Jayme Fitzgerald, who I have known for seven years. I knew she would keep me calm on the day and make sure everything went as planned. “My bridesmaids were Lisa Hamill and Katrina Hallard. I met Lisa through work and couldn’t imagine getting married without her present as she was just an amazing and fun person to be around. I met Katrina many years ago in London and we have stayed in touch all this time so she had to be there too. “The girls wore a blush pink flowered dress that matched the pink bow on my dress. I chose short dresses for the girls as it would be hot and we didn’t want it to be too formal.”
Daniel and his groomsmen’s outfit were from Ed Harry in Brisbane.
“I loved that the suit and vest was a deep blue and I wanted to keep it quite casual so the groomsmen didn’t wear jackets or ties. Plus it would have been too hot anyways,” Daniel said.
“Alan Rugless was my best man and I have known him since school. He had always been there for me and I wanted him there to support me on my big day. “My groomsmen were Dominic Smart and Michael Blewman. I have known Dom for a very long time as we worked together over the years as chefs. Michael is Kristin’s brother and I thought it would be nice to honour him and their relationship by making him a groomsman.”
The couple spent seven days at the new Marriott Momi Bay resort in Fiji for their honeymoon.
“It is such a beautiful location and we enjoyed watching the sunset from the infi nity pool every evening,” the couple said.
