Fairytale Wedding
The sunset over the endless vista of turquoise water is a reminder that every day ends in true beauty and that stunning view from the Ocean Lawn at Sunshine Beach Surf Club is a truly beautiful way to start a marriage. Carlie Wacker shares the magic of a fairytale beachside wedding in Noosa.
Exchanging vows beachside is a dream come true for many couples and since the Sunshine Beach Surf Club underwent a stunning new transformation it has expanded its offering to cement its position as the complete wedding package.
I was so excited to attend the wedding of much-loved local couple and Nirvana Life Meals business owners Mel Donnelly and Raphael Andreucci Miragaia Ribiero on Sunday 17 October 2021, at this venue boasting million-dollar views.
Not only did this couple choose one of the region’s most iconic wedding venues but they dug into our IN Noosa Magazine and Hello Sunshine Magazine family and kept it local to support our wedding industry suppliers that have had a rough time in recent years.
That’s where The Ohana Group comes in. The wedding stylist was Rashi Devendra of Ohana Weddings and Events and she created the most breathtaking event for the happy couple.
“The style that we went with for Mel and Raph was ‘classic fairytale’ as it reflected our gorgeous beach bride,” Rashi said. “We focused on the wedding arbor as the showstopper piece. In order to achieve this, we custom-designed and built an open circle arbor which was then mounted onto a white platform that marked the ceremony area.
“It was covered with an ombre of pink and white baby’s breath and roses. We chose not to use any greenery as the beautiful venue at the surf club already had so much lush green in its surroundings and we really wanted it to stand out,” Rashi explains.
The theme continued at the reception with a long bridal table in front of a pleated white chiffon backdrop with up lights to set the mood and large crystal chandeliers for a super glam effect. The table settings included pillar candles and tall glass jars with roses and stunning white and gold cutlery to tie it all in. The clear tiffany certainly continued the Cinderella vibe. The arbor was cleverly dismantled after the ceremony and brought upstairs to complete the bridal table, cake table and champagne tower.
A beautiful white lounge with pink and white cushions and throws served as a comfortable breakaway spot to catch up with guests during the night.
Rashi says many hours went into planning the styling for this wedding.
“It took a lot of time and effort but was well worth it once we saw how happy and wowed the couple was on the actual day,” she said.
The sun was certainly shining on the Sunshine Beach Ocean lawn as local performer Olly Murk played acoustic tunes as we enjoyed a sparkling wine and waited for the bride to arrive.
I cannot think of a more magical setting to exchange rings and the cutest moment was seeing the canine ringbearers in their tux and tutu walk down the aisle as very important members of the bridal party – Aura and Hunni were the paw-fect dog babies.
Celebrant Jay Flood of Noosa Style Ceremonies delivered a funny and heartfelt ceremony that will stay with guests forever and NSI Productions were on hand to capture the special day.
The Surf Club was abuzz with regular Sunday afternoon patrons who also took such pleasure in viewing from above the special moment these two became Mr and Mrs Andreucci Miragaia Ribiero.
Melissa first met Raphael when he responded to an advertisement on Gumtree when she was looking for a female housemate and Raph was looking for a room to rent (who needs Tinder when you’ve got Gumtree?!). Not the type to let an opportunity pass him by he applied for the room under the cheeky guise of Rachel. Loving his energy and tenacity Mel offered him the room and so began a fairytale romance.
Bound by a love of the ocean and surfing, it was a no-brainer that the wedding would be a seaside affair and the Sunshine Beach Surf Club ticked all the boxes. The venue offering a spectacular beach side ceremony space that also serves as a breathtaking position to watch the sunset with pre-dinner drinks and canapes as they bridal party step away for official photos.
After sunset, the reception in the purpose-built Ocean View function room (which can seat up to 180 or cater to 300 for a cocktail event) continued to deliver those 5-star views.
The bride and groom made a statement entrance with simulated fireworks on arrival and beautiful bride Mel says, “The highlight of the day was being able to share our love and connection to the ocean at such a magical location.”
