NOOSA BOATHOUSE WEDDING | Samuel + Leah

It’s a tale as old as time: teacher meets teacher, love blossoms and a Noosa Boathouse wedding ensues.

Seriously, the only thing that comes close to highschool sweethearts is two freshly qualified teachers on their first ever rural service post locking eyes at the local pub in North Queensland. 

Cut to 2023 and Samuel and Leah are saying their vows amongst 100 of their nearest and dearest in a Noosa wedding ceremony. As Sunshine Coast locals themselves, they couldn’t think of a better backdrop for their wedding than Maison La Plage, Noosa with the shore poking through the trees. 

What I love about this wedding is that it’s evident they put a lot of focus on the ceremony and making it really special for themselves and their guests. When going through their album to select images for this article, I almost felt like I was there as Noosa wedding photographer Alan Hughes had captured every special moment so beautifully from every angle. 

Then when reading about what the groom, Samuel, had written about how they felt saying their vows with Noosa celebrant, Philippa Holness,  was the most magical moment of the day and they splurged to make the ceremony extra special, it all made sense. The getting married part was the focus of their day, and the relaxed, atmospheric party at Noosa wedding venue, Noosa Boathouse, was the icing on the cake. 

For something different, as I mentioned, it’s the groom who has shared the story of their Noosa wedding day with us. It’s great to hear his perspective, so please do read on and enjoy! 

 

Vendors

Photography | ALAN HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHY

Venue | NOOSA BOATHOUSE 

Celebrant | PHILIPPA HOLNESS WEDDING CELEBRANT

Hair + makeup | SUNSHINE BRIDES

Stylist | LOVEBIRD WEDDINGS

Florist | BUD NAKED FLOWER

Cake | CHOCOLATE 2 CHILLI

Wedding night accommodation | THE SEBEL, NOOSA

Ceremony dress | CHOSEN BY KHYA

Reception dress | STILL WHITE

Suit | JOE BLACK

Big on The Ceremony

“We will never forget our absolutely PERFECT ceremony. The most emotional part of the day was when we were reading our vows. The one thing we wouldn’t change about our wedding day is who we were standing with when we said ‘I do’.

“Flowers were probably our biggest splurge. They make a huge difference to the personality of the day. Generally as well, we wanted to splurge a little on our ceremony. It means the most to us that we got that right. So we had wonderful flowers, a champagne tower and a bar for our guests.”

The Proposal

“I proposed  to Leah on a private handmade boat on Lake Como in Italy. It was one year, to the day, before our ceremony. It was a perfect day on the water and we shared it with Leah’s best friend and sister, Michaela (my photgrapher, who captured the moment). We then celebrated with champagne on a stunning rooftop terrace overlooking Lake Como.”

Wedding Secrets

Biggest splurge: The flowers and extras for the ceremony, like a bar and champagne tower. 

Best bargain: Buying a secondhand dress from Still White.

Groom’s and groomsman’s attire: Joe Black suit and shoes from David Jones.

Bride’s gowns: Chosen by Khya, and reception dress was secondhand from Still White

Bridesmaid’s dress: Lidee

Bridesmaid’s shoes: Bared Footwear

DIY: Electronic invitations and thank you cards to save on postage and printing costs.

Honeymoon: Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest in North QLD.

Number of guests: 100 to the ceremony and 70 to the reception (70 was our reception cut off, but we sent out separate invitations to some other close friends inviting them to the ceremony – perhaps a bit unorthodox, but they understood and LOVED being invited).

Budget: $30k

Actual cost of the wedding: Approx $35k 

 
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Getting Married in Noosa

“Ensuring that our families were all able to make it was our biggest wedding priority. It was just about the only reason we didn’t elope. Oh, another priority was location. Noosa Heads can’t be beaten.

“We wanted to ensure it was local. We love that we can take some beers and wine down to the exact place we were married and celebrate our love. And, I mean, check out the photos. What a stunning place to get married. Few better places in the world.”

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Hi, I’m Sally, Founder and Editor of The Bride’s Tree. Over the past 13 years I’ve written thousands of articles about all things wedding from tips and trends to etiquette and ideas. On this blog I bring you the best of Sunshine Coast and Brisbane weddings.