Even far before the pandemic, a large wedding was not in the cards for Biljana Bartulac and Sam Erskine. “I would see people spend a lot of money on their weddings, and actually not enjoy them at all because they were too huge, and the couples too stressed out,” says Biljana. “Then the next day they’d wake up and ‘Oh, that’s it.’ They spent so much money for that one day.”
The pair liked the idea of giving their guests—and themselves—an experience that lasted a bit longer than a day. Plus, their well-traveled backgrounds meant that no one location was an obvious fit: Biljana is from Slovenia, and Sam from the United Kingdom; they first met at a work conference in Basel, Switzerland before reconnecting at another work event the following year, in Berlin. The couple decided on a destination celebration on the white sands of Zanzibar because of its gorgeous beaches, low-key hotels, and proximity to safari adventures. Despite the November 5, 2020 event’s guest list of 35 being slashed down to just ten people when the pandemic hit, it was still a celebration to remember. Here are some of the lessons they picked up about planning a Zanzibar destination wedding along the way, and how they made it their own.
Choose your “beach”
Because the couple’s number one aim for their wedding was keeping it as stress-free as possible, vows beside the ocean was a clear choice. “I wanted a barefoot wedding, super relaxed,” says Biljana. “We explored a lot, from Hawaii to the Philippines to Malaysia, the Maldives and the Seychelles.” Hawaii proved to be too far and too expensive for their European families, and in some other places—namely, the Maldives—it wasn’t possible for their wedding to be legally binding. Others had seaside hotels with event packages dictating that their guests stay on premises, and they felt guilty about asking their families to stay in such costly rooms. Ultimately, Zanzibar worked out “based on other destinations not fully meeting our needs,” says Sam.
But it was also chosen thanks to some insider connections. “My best man and I both had local contacts on the island,” he says. And the Tanzanian archipelago had another big feature they loved: the option of going on safari in mainland Tanzania afterwards. “If we’re already there, let’s make it more meaningful and throw in something special, a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Biljana says. The couple and some of their family members tacked on time in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and more.
Go with a venue that gives you mega perks
Biljana and Sam fell for the Zuri Zanzibar Hotel and Resort on the northern tip of the island for many reasons: It sits on one of the area’s most beautiful beaches, the thatched roofs and wooden decor seemed to blend beautifully into the landscape, and the events team handled nearly every aspect of planning with packages and menus. “Everything was done through them, arranging it locally,” Biljana says of selecting all the details, from flowers to music to makeup artists.
But the benefits didn’t end at wedding details. The hotel offered other perks within the couple’s event package, including a boat ride, a tour through the island’s main city of Stone Town, a snorkeling trip to nearby Mnemba Island, a couple’s massage, and several meals. Coupled with the effortlessness of planning, Zuri was a perfect choice.
Nod to your own culture
Though both the bride and groom wore relaxed white ensembles for their seaside ceremony, Sam integrated a touch of his Ghanaian background in his accessories. “My cousin brought over our families’ symbolic beads,” he says. “I am pictured with mine on my wrist, and he wore a necklace.” The cousin, who served as his best man, also lent him a layer of clothing from his mother, Sam’s aunt, who had passed two years before the wedding.
Host on-site bachelor/bachelorette parties
Because their families and friends had traveled so far—and had been kept apart so long during the pandemic—the pair hosted their stag and hen (or bachelor and bachelorette) parties on site. Biljana scheduled a “relaxed lady day” of spa treatments followed by sundowner cocktails and snacks, but Sam’s group got a bit rowdier, thanks to a friend of his based in Zanzibar with loads of connections. “My friend on the island runs his family-owned resort, so the men [had] a fabulous day, including freshly grilled seafood prepared by a local chef, and a traditional dance group that pulled us into the routines,” the groom recalls.
