Adam and I met through a mutual friend when we were 21 years old. A few months later we were both visiting loved ones at the same hospital and we met again. We have been inseparable ever since. Adam’s proposal was very unique! Adam arranged a series of surprises and clues, which were given to me across a week. It had everything from a visit to a day spa and a scavenger hunt, which took me across Sydney to locations where we had shared memories as a couple and he had me meet friends along the way to give me clues. At one location I was given a key and this would later unlock another clue, which told me he had planned a weekend away for us at Mollymook – which I thought was the surprise. However, I was finally given the last clues which lead me to our favourite beach spot. Once there, I found him standing with a picnic, decorations, candles and fairy lights all around him. He then asked me to marry him and it was the happiest moment of my life – he definitely made it a moment to remember!
Hamilton Island –
The dream destination
After such an epic proposal, we decided we wanted to do something really special and spend time with our family and friends at a tropical destination. I always wanted to get married in All Saints Chapel after visiting it as a child, so Hamilton Island was an easy decision to make.
Once we found the package that was right for us we were assigned a wedding planner through Hamilton Island Weddings. Our wedding planner was so helpful and she really made it easy for us. She not only helped with the wedding, but she took care of other details like dinner reservations and salon appointments leading up to the wedding day.
Let’s get married
Before I knew it, my wedding day had arrived. I spent the morning with my parents, grandmother and bridesmaids and it was very relaxed. I had the hairdresser and make-up artists go to the girls’ accommodation early in the morning so that when they arrived at my apartment, they were all ready. We had some champagne and then the photographer arrived to take photos. It was very serene and the weather was perfect.
Adam had an equally relaxed morning with his family and groomsmen. They had some drinks, lunch and then headed to the Chapel for some photos.
I’ve loved the Chapel since I was a child and it was so special to have this location for our ceremony. It was wonderful to walk down the aisle into the Church and see all our family and friends inside. The Church was decorated outside with flowers and we also had flowers hanging from the roof inside. It looked stunning.
My mother had secretly organised with our wedding planner to have a string duo play at the ceremony. The music was beautiful; they played a lot of classical music, which both Adam and I like.
Seeing each other for the first time at the chapel was such a special moment. A funny moment was captured during the ceremony when the priest asked us to join our right hands and I forgot which one my right was! Adam and I, along with our guests, erupted into laughter and there is a photo that captured this exact moment.
The highlight for us was when we were officially pronounced husband and wife and then we walked down the aisle as a married couple. We were covered in rose petals that our guests were throwing and we got to ring the Chapel bell.
We took photos with everyone outside the Chapel and once that was done there was only about an hour gap between the ceremony and reception. Being on the island there aren’t long distances to travel, which helped simplify things. Most of our guests went to One Tree Hill to take in the view and have cocktails before making their way to the reception. Our photos were taken at One Tree Hill. Our favourite spot was in between all the palm trees. The gorgeous view was captured, as well as the flowering Bougainvillea.
Time to Party
Next it was on to our reception at The Outrigger marquee on Catseye Beach. We chose this venue, as we liked the mixture of an indoor/outdoor reception. We had dinner inside and left the marquee open so that all the dancing took place outside.
We were stunned when we walked into the room! Our reception was at 5pm so the sun was still up, meaning we could see the beautiful beach. The styling was stunning and really exceeded our expectations.
It was a modern yet classic theme with hundreds of candles running down the tables. There were white linen table cloths matched with white florals and lots of greenery hanging from the roof, with soft white draping.
Outside the area was set up with outdoor lounges and a fire pit. Dancing was under the festoon lights, palm trees & stars – it was really magical.
As both of us are from Italian backgrounds we wanted this reflected in our menu and the chef was so accommodating. We had antipasto platters to start, followed by spinach and ricotta cannelloni and mushroom fettuccine with pancetta for entrée, a seafood platter of Moreton Bay Bugs, fresh oysters and prawns. For mains we had roast beef with ratatouille or thyme chicken with potato gratin. We had a dessert table set up with traditional Italian biscuits, donuts and cupcakes from East Coast Cake Co. They also made our wedding cake, which was salted caramel and chocolate mud.
Our guests all commented on how great the food was. They also loved dancing under the stars all night and were in awe of the destination in general.
We’re both thrilled to see our ideas come to life through the styling, flowers and menu. It would be too hard to pinpoint a single detail. But a highlight would have to be dancing outside under the festoon lights with our family and friends. Our guests joined us outside with sparklers for our first dance. It was to a cover version of a Bob Marley song by Corinne Bailey Rae. It was perfect because we got to have “our song” and it was still soft and romantic. We were so happy with the DJ; he took requests and really understood the type of music we like.
After hearing how tiring and stressful wedding planning can be, we wanted our celebration to last more than just a day. So, it was perfect that we got to spend time with our favourite people leading up to and after the big day. It was like a giant holiday! Hamilton Island will always hold a special place in our hearts and we can’t wait to return.
Fast Five
- In three words how would you describe your wedding? Tropical. Magical. Perfect.
- Any tips for someone planning a wedding on Hamilton Island? Try to get to the island a few days before the wedding so you can familiarise yourself with everything (if you haven’t been before). Visit your photo locations and ensure you’re happy with them and meet with anyone important that you need to before the big day. I met with the florist as soon as I arrived so I could go over the flowers with her.
- Any great advice that helped you on the day? Enjoy the moment because it goes so fast.
- What was your favourite part of the day? It is so hard to pinpoint one part because it was all so great. Seeing each other in the Chapel was the best part and so was our first dance. I think just seeing how happy and relaxed everyone was too.
- What was it like having everyone go on holiday together? Did any of your guests tell you about what they loved about being on Hamilton Island (other than your wedding of course!)? A lot of our guests had never been to a destination wedding before and they all had the best time. I think the beauty of the island stunned everyone and they took the opportunity to book tours to Whitehaven Beach and The Great Barrier Reef. It was a wonderful time to get everyone in the one place and spend time together in such a beautiful setting.
If you want to explore a tropical wedding for your big day, get in touch with the team at Hamilton Island Weddings.
