Dreaming of a gorgeous, tropical destination wedding venue?
Located on the iconic Palm Cove beachfront, Hannah and Jeremy’s ceremony was held at Australia’s only purpose-built beachfront wedding chapel, the Alamanda Chapel. With its panoramic views of the Coral Sea, it surely is the perfect venue for that beautiful wedding day you always envisioned.
Where did you get married?
The Alamanda Great Barrier Reef Chapel in Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia.
Why did you choose to get married at Alamanda Chapel in Palm Cove?
Originally we had planned on getting married in Thailand. This was where Jeremy proposed during an elaborate sunset dinner on the beach complete with dozens of fairy lights and “Will you marry me?” in rose petals in the sand. But then Covid descended upon us, and that plan just kept getting pushed back and back.
Eventually, we both resigned ourselves to an Australian wedding. When we went on our babymoon in Port Douglas, we realised the climate was quite similar to Thailand, and started Googling possibilities. When pics of the gorgeous Alamanda Chapel came up in our searches, we knew we had to visit! We fell in love immediately and began planning our entire wedding around the chapel.
What was the most memorable part of your wedding day?
There were so many incredible (and hilarious) moments! When I started my walk down the aisle, our 14-month-old boy Bodhi started running towards me with arms outstretched… then got distracted by a flower halfway down the aisle, and stopped to see what it tasted like instead.
Our dear friend playing celebrant, Shannon, also set the scene pretty quickly by making a joke about threesomes in practically her first sentence of the ceremony. And I think guests enjoyed our couples quiz (complete with shots of either a cocktail or a green juice for correct answers) while we were signing the legal docs outside. Overall, it was an extremely fun, yet heartfelt ceremony.
Hannah, paint us a picture. What was the theme, style, colors, and overall vibe of your wedding day?
The vibe was: we will have you laughing and bawling your eyes out in the space of minutes throughout the day. Both Jeremy and my vows elicited tears and laughter from start to finish, as did all the “micro speeches” (1-minute max) from guests at the reception. Aesthetically speaking, the beautiful beachside surroundings were already vibrant with bright blues and greens. So our colour scheme was dusty pink and dusty blue, highlighted with white and gold, to complement and contrast with this. We added the elegance of roses as our flower choice, and gold table decorations to add a touch of glam. We knew there was no need to make our beach wedding more “beachy” by putting shells etcetera on the tables.
What was your favorite part of planning your wedding?
I decided to surprise Jeremy by rewriting the lyrics to our first dance song, Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” duet. Our gorgeous singer Kaweyova then sang the new lyrics live as we danced. I had that song in my head for two months before the wedding, because I wanted to ensure I knew the words by heart! When I sing it to Jeremy now, he still tears up.
What was the best investment you made for your wedding?
A wedding planner! Louise Harris from Palm Cove Weddings was an absolute rock star. Because it was a destination wedding, we had organised a dinner event the night before, and a pool floaty party the day after. Louise helped us tie together so many different people and details, and on the day/night ensured everything flowed seamlessly.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
I would have had our MC announce that I had rewritten the words to our first dance song before we started to dance. Jeremy only noticed what was going on halfway through the dance!
What was your favorite part of using WedSites for your wedding?
Generating a guest list where guests are prompted to specify their food requirements, so we had a super easy way of informing the venue. We also loved putting our love story on the site, complete with our favourite pictures. You better believe there were questions about that story in the quiz during the ceremony, to make sure guests actually read it!
Wedding planning is notoriously stressful. Now that you’ve gone through the process, do you have any advice or words of wisdom for couples who are currently in the midst of planning theirs?
Work as a team. It’s likely you will organically find yourselves more interested in certain aspects than others, such as Jeremy wanting to manage the entertainment and music. So take ownership of the parts you naturally enjoy working on, but always consider your partner’s thoughts on those parts as well.
The amazing team of vendors involved with this wedding
Venue: Alamanda Great Barrier Reef Chapel
Photographer: Matthew Evans Photography
Officiant: Paige Whyte
Caterer | Decor: Peppers Spa & Resort Palm Cove
Cake Baker: Passion for Cakes
Entertainment: Kaweyova
Florist: Flowers by Tracy
Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Cairns Wedding Makeup
Wedding Dress: Luv Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Etsy!
Jeweler: Saint Valentine
Wedding Planner: Palm Cove Weddings
Videographer: Threadless Films
Wedding Website: WedSites