WEDDING BELLS | Epi and Nicolette's love journey

EPI Vulaimeki Tuvatu Druavesi and Nicolette Mayberick Druavesi (nee Chambers) stayed true to their love despite living more than 10,000 miles apart.

Work kept them busy and separated for four years. But distance only ignited their affection for one another, strengthening their love and trust.

Epi, a mechanical engineer for the British Army and Nicolette a marketing specialist at the Fiji National University are the quintessence of love.

They prove that love, patience, trust and loyalty are the key pieces to a successful relationship.

Epi who hails from Taci Village in Noco, Rewa has maternal links to Nawaca in Bua while his beautiful wife, Nicolette is from Sanasana, Nadroga with maternal links to Lomanikoro, Rewa.

The couple’s wedding day was extra special as it was held on August 30, also marking Nicolette’s 30th birthday.

Describing her husband, Nicolette said Epi is “truly a gentle giant”.

Epi the gentle giant

“This 6-foot tall Rewan is the humblest soul you will ever meet, ready to help anyone, a very soft-spoken person with a big heart,” Nicolette said.

“If you see him anywhere, he’s always smiling. He rarely is in a bad mood and tells me all the time there is no reason to be upset about anything.

“Epi is very dedicated to his prayer life, and he always values family time.”

Nicolette shares that Epi also strongly values his culture, qualities that she very much admires and appreciates.

“He is the one for me because he makes me realise that we live in a world where we must always love and treat others with respect and kindness and that is the only way we will remain happy,” she said.

On meeting her husband for the first time, Nicolette said it felt like they had been dating for a long time.

“We had just met but I immediately grew so close to him. I felt safe and very happy,” she said.

A dedicated wife

Epi believes his wife is perfectly charming.

“My wife is dedicated, hardworking, loving, and caring,” he said.

“She’s also a little stubborn at times, but that’s one of the things I admire about her. She stands strong for what she believes in.

“She’s the one for me because she pushes me to be better, loves me through everything, and makes every day feel complete.”

Epi said he felt shy and anxious when meeting her for the first time.

“I felt she was out of my league but there was something about her that felt different, something that made me feel comfortable with her and I was very content, that’s when I realized she was the one for me.

“In the first stage of our relationship, living miles apart and having to endure long distance was a challenge as I was residing in England and she was in Fiji.

“We did not see each other every day but we made up for it with endless calls, late-night messaging and sharing whatever we did with each other.

“I remember one night she stayed up late just to talk to me, even though she was already dozing off. I told her to sleep but she still wanted to talk to me. That showed me how much she cared, and it made me feel even closer to her. She is someone willing to put in the effort and dedication, no matter the miles between us.”

Settling down

Epi returned to Fiji in December 2023.

“While on his way to Fiji, he briefly spoke to me about wanting to settle down,” Nicolette shared.

“He arrived, we spoke and agreed to go ahead with the first stage, informing our families about our plan to settle down and get engaged.

“It was a journey full of emotions as both our families welcomed the news and supported our plan. In January 2024, Epi’s family arrived at home in Lautoka for the ilakovi to which I said yes in front of our families.”

He returned to England a few weeks after the traditional ilakovi to continue with work.

The couple married this year but never planned to tie the knot on Nicolette’s birthday.

Tying the knot

Nicolette said she never planned to get married on her birthday but because of some adjustments, the day was selected.

The couple married at the Matanakilagi Methodist Church in Dilkusha, Nausori, a few metres away from Epi’s home. The wedding was followed by a reception held at The Establishment in Pacific Harbour.

The traditional iTautaunaki was held at Epi’s home.

“Our wedding was an emotional one because we thought back to the sacrifices we had to make, residing away from each other and dealing with the time difference to plan our special day but as we always say to each other, it was only our daily prayers that allowed our wedding to be successful,” Nicolette said.

“We also had our marriage blessed at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Lautoka, two weeks after our wedding ceremony.

“I am also grateful to my husband for saying yes and agreeing to let me continue my Catholic faith. That is what I will forever cherish and value the most.”

The journey ahead

The couple said marriage was about being able to openly express love for each other and sharing a lifetime together”.

“It’s about walking side by side in every aspect of life and guiding our new family with God at the centre of it all,” the couple said.

With the wedding now over, the couple now works toward finally living together.

They thank and acknowledge their families and friends for their support during their special day.

“We would like to acknowledge our families both the Druavesi and Chambers for being by our side from day one, for giving us the greatest gift we could ask for – their blessing,” they said.

“We also thank our very close friends, our former and current work colleagues, the members of the Matanakilagi Methodist Church and those of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Lautoka.”