A relaxed beach ceremony, handmade details and a fingerprint guestbook that now has pride of place at home.
There is something rather special about a wedding where the setting does so much of the talking.
Christie and Glenn celebrated their day at The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa, surrounded by their closest friends and family and with the beautiful Aroa Lagoon stretching out behind them.
Their ceremony took place right on the beach, followed by a reception on the resort's Blue Lagoon beachside veranda. With the water just beyond the tables and soft white draping overhead, Christie described the setting as looking "like something out of a fairytale."
A little pink, silver and sparkle
Christie began planning without one fixed theme in mind. Like many brides, she gathered ideas on Pinterest, kept the ones she loved and gradually brought them together into a day that felt like her.
The result was a soft pink and silver colour palette with just the right amount of sparkle. Pink bridesmaid dresses, delicate flowers, crystal details and pale table styling gave the day the pretty, princess-like feel Christie had imagined without competing with that incredible lagoon backdrop.
The handmade details
Christie also brought out her creative side and made many of the smaller details herself, including the ring pillow, a "Just Married" sign, memorial photographs, bridesmaids' gift boxes and an assortment of table decorations.
Those personal touches are often the things that make a wedding feel most like the couple. They may be small individually, but together they help tell the story of the day.
A meaningful place for their guestbook
Christie and Glenn chose a personalised fingerprint guestbook featuring two palm trees and a hammock - a lovely match for their tropical Rarotonga setting.
On the wedding day, it was displayed on their memorial table. Guests added their fingerprints in shades of pink and signed their names, slowly filling the palm trees with people who had shared in the celebration.
I especially love what happened to it afterwards. Rather than being packed away in a cupboard, the finished print was framed in white and added to Christie and Glenn's "wedding wall" in their living room.
That is exactly what a fingerprint guestbook is made for: it begins as a lovely part of the wedding day and becomes a piece of personal artwork to enjoy at home afterwards.
Their favourite moment
For Christie, the most memorable moment was seeing Glenn waiting for her, looking handsome, as she walked towards him. For Glenn, it was seeing Christie coming down the aisle.
Christie's own summary of the moment? She bawled her eyes out. We think that says it all.
It is hard to imagine a more beautiful place for that moment than a white-sand beach in Rarotonga, with the lagoon behind them and all their favourite people nearby.
Thank you, Christie and Glenn, for sharing your joyful island wedding with us.
Wedding details
- Couple: Christie and Glenn Anderson
- Venue: The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa, Rarotonga
- Photography: Nathalie Ponga, NCapture Photography
- Flowers: Flowers Forever After
- Guestbook: Personalised palm-tree fingerprint guestbook
Planning a wedding of your own? Our personalised fingerprint guestbooks create a beautiful activity for your guests on the day - and a meaningful piece of artwork to frame and enjoy at home afterwards.
Shop our Fingerprint Palm Tree Guestbook
