Peaceful Peachester Wedding Ceremony

Adventurous, down to earth, and super friendly despite claiming to be very shy, Grant and Shelly call scenic Peachester their home, the idealic and historical town nestled within the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.  Their life together is full of adventure, and they love a good road trip, where they spend hours upon hours leisurely searching for the perfect setting to unwind and recharge in each other’s company. 

Skilled Mastermind Grant and beautifully friendly Shelly warmed my heart the moment I met them for a coffee.  As a Nurse, Shelly is the epitome of a warm, caring and loving soul who truly knows how to make you feel loved!  Grant will talk your head off and keep you amused with funny stories, especially the one where he almost opened the hatch on the helicopter when he excitedly proposed to Shelly!

That’s how they found their ceremony location.  The tranquil setting is their favourite of those hidden gem locations.  Shelly and Grant love nothing more than to bring a good bottle of wine and some yummy nibblies there to enjoy a swim when the weather is warm enough.

To anyone driving past, it just looks like a small, gravelled space beside a trickling creek.  But I knew their vision when I took the time to drive up and see it for myself.  The small river flowed peacefully, engulfed by beautiful proud gum trees and other natives.  The space for their ceremony was nestled in perfectly underneath all those trees. 

Grant is one clever man and with the help of a few family friends, he built six pews, an arbour and stage for him and his wife to be to stand upon for their ceremony.  He even brought in a truck load of pebbles as a foundation for their ceremony spot!

The end result was something quite extraordinary.  Secluded, inviting and intimate, their ceremony vision was made perfect with a few extra touches of white satin sash for the arbour and florals from Shelly’s own garden which she had been lovingly growing since last year.

February is a time for rain here on the Sunshine Coast, as it’s our sub-tropical “wet season”.  Great rain was forecast for Grant and Shelly’s ceremony so clear umbrellas were supplied for us all.  Thankfully, the rain didn’t drench us, but made everything sparkle with mist and drizzle. 

With less than 20 of us huddled together in the sprinkling rain, it was a cosy affair as we held our clear umbrellas and marvelled in the scenery, bubbling with excitement and eagerly waiting with Grant to see Shelly arrive in a romantic old 1920’s car complete with the driver (another family friend) wearing a Captain’s cap.

Grant and Shelly wanted a heart-felt and truly personal ceremony and I loved capturing and re-telling their love journey!  Their love story began with a little game of footies…

Heartfelt moment captured brilliantly by Alison Cooke Photography

Radiant, “Happy-go-lucky” Shelly was minding her own business and enjoying a quiet drink when charismatic Grant slid up alongside her and tickled her foot under the table, flashing the cheekiest grin and instantly lighting up her world.  Shelly was immediately attracted to his charisma and those cute little dimples made her smile.

Their chance encounter was a cosmic moment shared between two bright energies and Grant just couldn’t help himself and jumped at the opportunity to sit next to Shelly, as he was mesmerised by her dazzling smile and gorgeous hair!

In that glorious instant, their worlds collided in the most synchronistic of ways.  Little did they know that their destiny was sealed in that magical moment and their adventurous journey together had only just begun.

Before they knew it, they were sharing cheese platters, playing frisbee and bocce, relaxing by the river and on the beach together and shamelessly crying while watching the opening scenes of the heart-warming movie “Up”!

They love their lazy Sunday mornings with carefree cuddles and get super excited about getting all dolled up to enjoy a fancy meal at a posh restaurant before coming home to chill out in their spa by the fireplace. 

In a gorgeous little love bubble, these two just couldn’t stop smiling!

While I was speaking, Grant and Shelly were in their own little world, their own love bubble.  It’s safe to say that they probably weren’t even listening to me and that’s absolutely fine because the love they share was on display in the most extraordinary way that day.  They truly only have eyes for each other.  With little giggles, cute touches and tight cuddles throughout their ceremony, this loved up couple huddled together under their umbrella and revelled in their shining moment.

That’s what made this ceremony so special to me!  Those small precious moments they shared, even in the company of those who love them most, they were the only two people standing in that space at that glorious time. 

They easily expressed their genuine and profound emotions as they shared their lifelong promises direct from their hearts, without looking at their vow booklets, despite claiming that they were a very shy couple.  They were whole-heartedly and unequivocally caught up in that single, precious moment.

As their Celebrant, to be invited into their world in that moment of their lives, there are no words to describe my heartfelt joy.  Even as the rain grew heavier and heavier above us, I presented our newlyweds proudly with drips of water beading off me, and the smiles of their family and friends didn’t diminish either as they exploded in an uproar of pure happiness for them.

As we congratulated our happy couple, our little umbrellas dwindled under the weight of the now pouring rain, but nothing could dampen the uplifting delight we all felt for Grant and Shelly!

Thank you so much for making the day so incredibly special.  You are so amazing at what you do and we are so thankful to have had you there with us.  We’re on Cloud 9! – Shelly and Grant