Rickilee and Takai celebrated their love surrounded by friends and family at the breathtaking Crown Beach & Spa Resort in Rarotonga. Their wedding day was filled with joy and heartfelt moments, capturing the couple wrapped in a beautiful bubble of bliss as they soaked up every second together.
Rickilee wowed in Janice by Rebecca Ingram, a beaded floral lace A-line gown featuring an exposed boning, soft Basque waist bodice and a dreamy tulle skirt with a sultry split. She completed her bridal look with our Boston veil, a soft English net tulle veil that added a beautifully timeless finish.
We hope you enjoy reading all about their special day and find plenty of inspiration if you’re dreaming of an island wedding of your own. Enjoy!
What was it that made this particular wedding dress catch your eye and fall in love?
I was looking at my gown on the website, and the funny thing was that when I showed the dress I had screenshotted on my phone during our Zoom call with Ilyese, she had that very same dress in front of her. Ilyese was holding it in her hands while showing me some of the dresses that were in store at the time, another little sign that this dress was made for me.
I chose my gown because of the beautiful detail on the bodice, the way it defined my body, the off the shoulder sleeves that covered a little of my insecurities but not too much, the sexy dress slit that made me feel confident yet elegant, the fabric the dress was made from, and the beautiful silhouette that enhanced my shape, especially as a curvy girl.
Tell us about your search for the dress and the experience at Astra Bridal.
I did not look very far; I spoke to another colleague of mine who recommended Astra Bridal. I did a little searching on good old Google with the dress range on Astra Bridal’s website. I booked an appointment with Astra. I then had a Zoom consultation with Ilyese, which was a little daunting for me because I had no prior experience whatsoever in this field.
I did not really know what to expect, what type of dress would look good on me, or what type of dress would best suit me until I had this conversation with my lovely Ilyese.
My experience with Ilyese at Astra Bridal as my stylist was absolutely beyond expectation. I felt safe, I felt comfortable, and I felt that I was truly supported by her. I felt valued as a customer, and I felt that she pushed me out of my comfort zone just so I had the best experience and the knowledge to say that “this” or “that” I didn’t like, etc. On my first appointment, I found my dream dress.
Tell us your story, how you both met, and the proposal.
I met my now husband through mutual friends whilst we were out in the city on a drunken night out (LOL).
We stayed really close friends. In 2013, we reunited and found out that we were really fond of one another, had great chemistry, and enjoyed one another’s company. Takai made me his girlfriend on 22 May 2013.
In 2015, we had our first child, two years into our relationship, and in 2021, we had our second child. Fast forward 10 years later, he proposed to me during an intimate brunch at home together.
On the 22nd of May 2025, on our 12 year anniversary, we became husband and wife.
What was your favourite part of the day?
This is such a difficult question to answer, as our whole day was such a blast from start to end. Don’t get me wrong, there were times during the day that I was absolutely nervous, but overall I loved my wedding day. It was EVERYTHING that I envisioned it would be and more.
If I had to pick a few moments, one of them would have been when Takai heard my little surprise voice-over before I walked down the aisle at our wedding ceremony. I had prepared a surprise voice-over without his knowledge, and the surprised reaction and the tears of joy that ran down his face were one of my favourite parts of the day.
Another favourite part of our wedding day was my dress reveal to my dad. That was super special, as my dad only has one daughter and I’m his eldest child. Seeing him get emotional on my special day when revealing my dress is a memory I will hold forever.
For context, both my husband and I have a few loved ones in heaven, and we displayed their photos at our ceremony and reception. Another favourite part of my day was right before we were pronounced husband and wife, when there was the lightest sprinkle of rain. I felt overcome with emotion, as I took this as a sign that our loved ones in heaven were watching over us on our day. Not only did we notice this, but everyone noticed it as well.
There are so many parts of the day that are such core memories for me, such as spending the morning with the bridesmaids getting ready for the day, laughing and chatting, travelling to the venue with my two little girls in the car with me, walking down the aisle after the voice-over and seeing my husband at the end of the aisle, the celebrant pronouncing us husband and wife, spending the day with our closest family and friends, enjoying the beautiful speeches, songs, haka at our wedding reception, our first dance as husband and wife, the father and daughter dance at our reception, dancing the night away with good music, and going off site with our photographers to enjoy some wedding party photographs.
Tell us about your wedding day as a whole.
The morning of the wedding started off with some rain. To the Cook Islanders, this means and symbolises luck.
Getting ready for the wedding day was so special. I was not stressed or anxious about anything on our wedding day, such as the wedding arrangements, ceremony set up, weather, etc. Instead, I found myself reflecting and feeling grateful to be in a position to marry my best friend, blessed to have all of our family and friends present on our special day, as they had travelled to celebrate us as a couple, and excited that my life was about to change forever.
I did wake up around 5am, as I was having thoughts of “OMG, do not fall on your face whilst walking down the aisle,” as I had never walked on sand in heels before. I had a moment with my dad after the dress reveal, where I told him, “Please do not let me fall down in these heels while walking down the aisle.” He quickly reassured me that he wouldn’t let me fall and that he had my back, as he always has.
We had the most beautiful weather on our special day and the most beautiful sunset, which we are glad we were able to capture in photos. Our ceremony and reception were amazing, with great hospitality, great food, the set-up beyond my expectations, and memorable speeches.
I catch myself replaying our day over and over again, which is why I am so glad I have beautiful wedding photographs and videography that captured the beauty of the day.
Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for brides to be?
There is so much advice I could give to a bride to be, especially for a destination wedding.
The biggest piece of advice is to absolutely enjoy EVERY single part of your wedding day, because the day goes by so fast, especially when you’re enjoying every minute of it.
