Two rather large Fijian tribesmen, wielding clubs once used in tribal wars to smash enemies' skulls, stand on either side of Yoichi Matsumoto and Kaori Tanaka (not their real names). The young Japanese couple look slightly terrified, but not because of the warriors' threatening pose: It's because they just got married.
Yet the Tokyo-born Tanaka, 24, conceded that the experience "was fun, and much more relaxed than if we'd tied the knot back home."
The number of Japanese getting married in Fiji has skyrocketed in recent years. Juliet Bing of Shangri-La's Fijian Resort, which holds up to 10 weddings a month, said the high cost of weddings in recession-bound Japan is the main practical reason; wanting to do something different for the special day is a more personal one.