Having had the privilege of being Wedding Celebrants for countless couples, it’s always a huge privilege to be a part of friend’s weddings. We hope you enjoy our Celebrant perspective of our bestie’s super special, fun-filled elopement.
The morning began in a lovely Airbnb property with a makeup artist getting us girls looking polished.
Our friends opted for a subtle yellow and neutral colour palette. Being both a Celebrant and a leading Ceremony Stylist, naturally I couldn’t resist surprising them with a simple and elegant ceremony setup.
Being a dog friendly Airbnb, our pups joined us and we appreciated the opportunity to get some photos with them.
As cute as they are, we knew they lack the etiquette of good wedding guests, so instead of dealing with their raucous antics at the ceremony, they dressed up in their finest attire and joined us for pre-wedding photos.
The elopement photographer captured candid moments, including a hilarious incident where the champagne cork flew over the fence into a neighbour’s property, who was renowned for complaining about Airbnb tenants – Oops!
The look on their faces was priceless!
A Sweet Surprise
A special delivery arrived – Mel had secretly organised a surprise wedding cake for her wife-to-be. She covered her eyes while the surprise was revealed, wondering momentarily if she was getting a puppy. No puppy, but I can confirm the cake was very much appreciated by all.
Relaxed Vibes
Everything about this elopement had a relaxed nature. We all jumped in the car and traveled there together, nobody needed to hide, and there was no big reveal giving us all more time together, sharing in the excitement of the wedding that was about to take place. We also shared the load of carrying decor and essentials to the ceremony lawn, which really added to the stress-free feel of the day.
The Ceremony & Surprise Vows
Their elopement decor included a round rattan mat, along with tall fresh flower arrangements in shades of yellow to subtlety frame them during the ceremony.
Jamie was their Celebrant and did the most incredible job delivering their ceremony!
Jamie nailed their brief for the ceremony, keeping it light, funny, and meaningful as he shared their story together and guided them through their ceremony.
There were tears and laughter, and not just from the happy couple! Instead of standing beside her, I stood on the opposite side to my long-term friend and witnessed every authentic emotion on her face during their light, funny, and meaningful ceremony. It was a completely different perspective from my usual role of being the Celebrant.
After 25 years of friendship, what an honour it was to witness one of our close friends marry her soulmate.
Then it was time for the surprise vows. These two share a quick-witted sense of humour and are so full of love for each other, and their vows fitted these traits perfectly.
When Jamie introduced them as married, even though there was only a small group of us, we squealed and cheered with excitement, before hugging and congratulating the happy newlyweds – what a happy celebratory ceremony!
Celebrating the Newlyweds
After the official marriage certificates were signed and witnessed, we created a generous biodegradable confetti shower for the newlyweds.
A spontaneous kiss led to a hilarious moment with a mouthful of biodegradable confetti for one of the newlyweds.
Ha-ha! Well this was a first for us! If you can’t laugh at yourself with a mouthful of confetti, then when can you!
Intimate Reception
Once the newlyweds had a quick location photo shoot together, we concluded the day with a beautiful celebratory long lunch at a riverside restaurant, where the brides shared their surprise news with family and friends via video call.
Being a part of our best friend’s elopement to her amazing partner was a genuine reflection of why we love what we do. It was an honour to be part of such a happy, relaxed, genuine celebration of love.
At With Love Elopements, we specialise in creating and delivering elopement weddings in stunning Queensland, specifically in the Beautiful Brisbane and tropical North QLD areas.
If you are drawn to the idea of making it official and marrying your loved one in a relaxed, enjoyable, stress-free intimate ceremony we would love to hear from you.
Get in touch with us here and let’s start planning your elopement.
See more elopements with Jamie – With Love Elopements
Elopement Photography: Vellum Studio
Make-up: Nikki Gilbert Beauty
Elopement wedding cake: Sweet P Cakes & Cookies
Contact us now and together let’s make your elopement the happiest day!