December 22nd can be pretty warm in the tropics so the ceremony was held late in the afternoon and personalised fans were handed out to all the guests.

Jo’s dress was amazing – the design inspired by a parachute.

The ceremony with Sarah Woods was beautiful,

and was beamed live to Europe for all the friends who couldn’t make the trip.

Of course the bubbles flowed after the ceremony

So while the guests were enjoying drinks outside the church with this view of the Port Douglas Sugar Wharf,

Jamie, Jo and I wandered over to the Sugar Wharf for a few relaxed portraits of the newlyweds.

And then the surprise Jamie’s mates had secretly organised

Jamie had seen this car a driving around town a few days before the wedding, and had been telling Jo what a classic vintage Ford it was and how much he loved it.  The guys had tracked it down,

and the owner had happily lent it as a wedding car!

Congratulation Jamie & Jo – what a wonderful wedding, and I hope you’re not too cold back in the Amsterdam winter!

Oh, and there’s also a fun little stop motion video of Jamie and Jo at the Sugar Wharf on the Catseye Facebook page – link is below.

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This story starts before dawn.  At 4am actually, with a message from Brad, the chief pilot of Sky Safari, letting me know that the rain should hold off and we could take off at first light.

So we did.

It was stunning morning and a beautiful way to start the day.

We left the lovers alone on the cay for a while…

And we left it with a little more love 

Our timing was perfect.  As we flew back to Port Douglas, the clouds closed in.

We flew home over Low Isles,

and were back in time for breakfast.  What a day!

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On the morning of November 12th, the girls’ room in the Sea Temple was humming with activity and people.  The bridesmaids all wore pink silk dressing gowns to match Rachael’s white one.

This wedding was a blast!

So much goes on during preparations, hair, makeup, bridesmaids bridesmaiding, mothers mothering, friends loving and laughing…

and of course the bride, and the dress

Every now and then there can be a little mishap – like a mark on a dress, but the day sailed on smoothly and no-one batted an extended eyelashed lid.

The make up artist was a true artist.

Everyone took a turn in this chair to have hair done, but not all could watch the progress..

Meanwhile, the boys were moving from one room to another,

swimming, playing,

enjoying the day – not too concerned with getting dressed.

Back to the girls and the buzz of activity

With the beautiful flowers by Blush

and the fabulous Zoe Day on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly.

And then it was time for Rachael to get dressed…

and go to St Mary’s by the Sea, Port Douglas’ gorgeous little church.

Videographer Rob Cooke was on hand to capture the whole day .

When Charlie saw Rachael walking down that aisle…

Charlie and Rachael’s son was the ring bearer

After all the congratulations were said, and all the petals were thrown, we went with the bridal party over to the park. Here are the gorgeous bridesmaids.

We then all had a break for an hour, while the sun was still harsh and met again just before the reception was due to begin at the Links Golf Club.    After some fun with the whole bridal party, we left them to start on the champagne and went off for some Charlie and Rachael photos        The bridesmaids were waiting and ready for the entrance  into a fantastic reception.

The night was fabulous – laughs, tears, speeches and lots and lots of singing and dancing.

The two fathers.

Congratulations Rachael and Charlie, it was an absolutely stunning wedding!!

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The Pirate Captain insisted that his Baba also be a Pirate Captain to have his photo taken.

The Pirate Captain soon decided he didn’t want any more photos, declared he was finished and went off to continue being a Pirate Captain elsewhere.

We did manage to grab the Pirate Captain who relented to a few more photos, roaring through them and brandishing his cutlass.

Emanuel the Pirate Captain, soon to be Big Brother Pirate Captain.

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Sara-Jayne was getting ready at the Sea Temple in Port Douglas, with a glass of Moet, of course.

It was a fantastic morning, with all the girls helping and enjoying the day.

And I love that she wore white thongs as wedding shoes!!

So while the Moet flowed at the Sea Temple, the boys were back at 4 Mile drinking Coronas and being pretty typical boys on a wedding day.  Usually they suddenly realise that the ceremony is in 20 minutes and they should probably turn off the football, get out of the pool, and get dressed.

Having said that, the guys were mainly ready when I arrived.

With a bit of discussion on which way up a buttonhole corsage goes, they were ready for a few pre wedding photos.

“Of course you can still drink your beers” I told them and they all looked very relieved,

and drank in perfect unison.

Meanwhile, back at the Sea Temple

the girls were dressed

and ready to help Sara-Jayne.

The ceremony was held by Sarah Woods on the boardwalk at the Sea Temple, just off the beach.

And it was beautiful.

There was so much emotion, love and lots and lots of laughter.

It’s not always the bride who gets a bit teary and stumbles on the vows,

And then Nathan told Sara he’d take her to be his life, instead of wife, and there was more laughter.  It was a fabulous ceremony.

It was a hot day, so we went to a rainforest creek first for some bridal party portraits.

And then to the Port Douglas Sugar Wharf for some cigars.

November in Port can be quite warm, and it was.

Lunch and the reception was back at the Sea Temple

In the afternoon, Sara-Jayne and Nathan moved to the lounge for a bit of lounging

and were soon joined by everyone.

Then it was back to the villa for cake and a few more speeches

and the garter toss.

And more cigars.

It was a magical day, but this story isn’t over.  It will continue soon with a helicopter, a sand cay and a sunrise.  Here’s a peek until that post is up.

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Which has a fantastic pool that is a great way to spend the day while you wait for your parents to be married.

The morning was very relaxed, Mark worked on his vows

with some helpful input from their daughter.

With everyone else occupied with preparations, it was a good time to practice a few somersaults.

A few pre wedding shots were poured, which didn’t quite layer perfectly,

but tasted great anyway!

Naomie’s dress was simple, elegant and stunning.

And I love her shoes!

Sarah Woods performed a beautiful ceremony on the verandah overlooking the valley.

Here are all the girls

And the family.

Mark wanted some photos on the pool,

and, probably unsurprisingly, ended up in it.  But it was a hot tropical afternoon and this was the best place to be.

And sure enough, soon everyone was in!

Congratulations Naomie and Mark, your family is beautiful!

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With shiny sparkly shoes and beautiful bouquets.

Here is the entire congregation. It was a beautiful ceremony by Sarah Woods. Just the family.

With celebratory drinks

for everyone.

It was a great chance to get some family portraits

and individuals as well,

but it can sometimes be a bit daunting so we all started telling our best jokes.

An easy stoll down the esplanade of Palm Cove

Mark and Jeanette are just so in love and gorgeous

and the kids didn’t always wait for them to catch up.

Then everybody’s shoes came off for the beach…

…before heading back into town for lunch.

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On the day of the wedding, Chris and the groomsmen were testing the beer flavours at the local pub. (Hey, someone had to do it).
And just around the corner, at Hanging Tree Vineyards, in the wine region of the Hunter Valley, Michelle was getting ready to be married.She was without a doubt, the smilingest bride I have ever seen.  I don’t think she stopped smiling or laughing once all day.

She had also taken care of most of the details of the day, including all the tables being covered with paper hearts – each with a little story about their love and lives.  Including “Michelle and Chris should NOT play Pictionary together”.!Michelle even made her hair piece!!Michelle wore the most stunning red dress

and the bridesmaids wore white – with fabulous red shoes!The ceremony was on the vineyard goundsand was just beautiful.At one stage Michelle and Chris naturally leant into each other for a kiss, but it wasn’t up to that part of the ceremony yet, and the celebrant had to intervene. And then they could kiss!!
We had loads of fun with the portraits.  What a gorgeous couple they are.

The reception was fabulous

and the cake was the cake of two wine lovers!!C ongratulations Michelle and Chris – your wedding was stunning and I’m so happy to have been a part of it!

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We went down to Stinger Park right on dusk

When Nic was pregnant with Hayley, we went down to Oak Beach one afternoon – (and learnt that Charlie Brown LOVES Lily, and we should never take both our dogs anywhere together if we want to get anything done).  Click here to see her with a Hayley bump.

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