When thinking about tropical weddings a lot of couples picture the ceremony venue to be a beach with swaying palm trees or lush gardens – there are a number of wedding chapels that give couples a combination of tradition and tropics.
Fiji is the chapel capital of the Pacific.
There are resort chapels at the Shangri-la Fijian and Outrigger Beach Resort on the Coral Coast, the Intercontinental Golf Resort & Spa south of Nadi and the Sheraton Denarau Island near Nadi.
In the Mamanuca group of islands the resorts with chapels are Treasure Island, Musket Cove, Mana Island and Tokoriki Island Resort.
I don’t know of any resort chapels in the Cook Islands (but there are lots of churches!) and in Samoa the only one I have been to is the cute coral church at Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort. It is a ‘working church’ and allows Catholic weddings only.
In Vanuatu there is a new wedding chapel at Tamanu on the Beach and the oldest chapel in the South Pacific is at Erakor Island Resort. It is an historic open-air chapel with only the original altar and bell as part of the spiritual experience. Even if you’re not religious, it is a peaceful and spiritual place to tie the knot.
Photo: Erakor Island Chapel in Vanuatu by Groovy Banana