LONG distance relationships never last for many people but this was not the case for Loraini Rokosuka and Williame Navunicagi.
The newlyweds, who believe that being the daughter and son of the most high God, their wedding was one built on trust and understanding and a relationship that was handled by God.
At times there was disloyalty, communication breakdown and dishonesty along the way. However, after keeping God at the centre of everything they did, they began and still continue to watch His spirit move in their lives.
Saying “I love you” means everything. These three words can take weeks, months or even years to say and they are three of the most beautiful words a person can utter or hear.
And in this month, the lovebirds shared their love for each other with family and friends by exchanging their wedding vows at the chiefly village of Viseisei, Vuda where Mr Navunicagi hails from.
The couple were both born and bred into families that valued family, culture and traditions so that was the reason they had their wedding in one of the most beautiful places that held so much significance for culture and traditions in Fiji and made their special day a village affair.
They had been together for more than two years and deciding to get married was because of God.
The new Mrs Navunicagi said they wanted to make right with God in living a life within the bounds of marriage.
Mr Navunicagi was on a rugby contract in Johor, Malaysia, in 2014 while Mrs Navunicagi was studying in China.
They first met on October 9, 2014, where Mrs Navunicagi took a trip to Kuala Lumpur. There, the two went sightseeing and shopping around the city.
She said her first impression of her husband was his tolerance of her personality — being talkative, loud, difficult and funny.
As for Mr Navunicagi, he found his wife to be straightforward.
“We were best friends first. Our mobile calls and viber conversations were mostly funny. He would send gifts through a mate from Mozambique,” Mrs Navunicagi said.
The RFMF Lieutenant said their relationship even reached the verge of breaking up at one point in time.
“He knelt on his knees and cried in his prayer. I was leaving him and on my way to Suva when I stumbled upon the Western SUIS camp and where I met a mighty servant of God, Pastor Apenisa Ralulu, who helped us back on track,” she said.
“Nowadays we couldn’t even thank God enough. All we experienced was God orchestrating in our lives even before and during our big day, which was witnessed by our families and friends. God never ceases to amaze us,” she said.
Mrs Navunicagi said everything at before and after their wedding was done in the Fijian traditional manner.
“It was until late May last year that I realised that this had become a serious choice for him after he came over to my village with his mum, dad and granduncle and presented a tabua (whale’s tooth) to my family as a vakaraitaki, meaning to inform my family of our courtship,” Mrs Navunicagi said.
“Due to my busy schedule at work lately because I’ve just started work again at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Nabua and going through tough times while we all are still recuperating from the destruction of Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston, we decided to have the ilakovi or the traditional proposal and ibulubulu a week before the wedding.
“This was well received and understood by both families.” Most of the guests at the wedding were their families and friends including former Fiji rugby 7s coach Peni Veidreyaki and the groom’s work colleagues from Water Authority of Fiji.
As for the bride, both her paternal and maternal side from Wainibuka and Nacavanadi, Gau and friends from Jasper Williams High School, USP and her military colleagues were present.
They had both traditional and modern touches to their wedding and sought to integrate the two concepts to complement the military dress and traditional side.
During the reception at the Iloilovatu hall, Mrs Navunicagi wore a customised wedding gown bought by a friend from Suzhou, China.
Her hair and make-up wizard was Enable Ebenezer while their wedding cake was made by Jale Loganimoce of Air Terminal Services (Fiji) Ltd.
The wedding tapa shirt for Mr Navunicagi and also the best man’s tapa shirt were designed and sewn by Sasha Designs of Capt Withers, Field 40, Lautoka.
Mrs Navunicagi said the one thing she loved about her husband was his patience apart from being very tolerant.
For Mr Navunicagi, he said his wife was very innovative, loving and funny.
The couple agreed that marriage was so much more than just a permanent commitment.
“It is the place where a man and a woman seek and find deep union with each other. It is where spouses co-operate with God in the creation of new life.
“It is a channel of divine grace, and a place of life-long support and love, love which is a beacon of God’s own love for us, a testament of faith to the world.
“No matter how well matched a couple may be, we have come to understand during courtship that it is not easy for any two people to live together day in and day out, year after year, with their inescapable faults and personality defects grating upon each other.
“It’s not easy to help one another grow in goodness and nobility in spite of those faults — little by little adjusting to one another so that the faults of one fit in to the perfections of the other and unity arises from the very differences of the two persons.
“This is a beautiful evolution like the emergence of the butterfly from its chrysalis but it is not going to be easy as advised.”
The groom’s best memory of his wife was meeting her in Malaysia with her big smile and for Mrs Navunicagi it was when her husband helped her cement her grandfather’s grave.
“My grandfather holds a large part of my heart and having done that for me makes me cherish and love him more.”
Wedding date: December 9, 2016
Bride: Loraini Rokosuka (Nayavu, Wainibuka, Tailevu)
Maid of honour: Seluvaia Qetaki
Niumataiwalu
Groom: Williame Bokonaqiwa
Navunicagi (Viseisei, Vuda)
Best man: Livai Sovau
Officiant: Reverend Sunia Draunivasa
Wedding theme: Combination of beige,
lime green and chocolate brown.
Wedding card: Redox Sports City
Occupation:
Bride: Military officer (RFMF)
Groom: Fitter (Water Authority)
Wedding photographer: Netani Rika
and Koto Qalo
