Erin and Darren

On holiday in beautiful Hawaii, Darren took Erin by surprise when, during a helicopter ride over picturesque Maui, Darren organised the helicopter to hover perfectly over a stunning waterfall where he presented Erin with a beautiful ring and asked her to be his wife.

Photography by Chesterton Smith Photography

Erin and Darren first met while working together at a Golf Resort in Victoria.  After two years of serious flirting, their friendship finally took a romantic turn. Sharing their very first holiday together in Noosa, and holidaying there at least twice a year ever since, it was no surprise that they chose to hold their wedding at their much-loved beachside destination. “We both grew up at the beach and there was never any doubt that our wedding would be on the beach.” Said Erin “As soon as we were engaged we knew we wanted to hold our special day at beautiful Noosa.” Each year when Erin and Darren holidayed in Noosa they would enjoy the cuisine at Bistro C Restaurant.  The restaurant was a favourite of theirs and by the time they returned from their engagement holiday in Hawaii, both sets of parents had already enquired at Bistro C for information on a reception and possible wedding dates.

Erin and Darren wanted a classic beach style wedding and chose the Noosa beach ceremony location of Maison La Plage to celebrate their nuptials. Erin wanted a natural beach setting with a touch of formality. Balinese flags were erected to depict the altar area of their wedding and Italian padded beach chairs together with beautiful floral designs accessorised the wedding ceremony area. Erin walked down the aisle to ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ and both Erin and Darren’s parents took part in the ceremony – giving their blessing and support. To make the event even more special, Erin’s favourite Aunty presided over the ceremony. “We were so thrilled that she could make our wedding day, but felt incredibly lucky to also have her as our marriage celebrant.  It made it so very personal and we both felt really relaxed,” recalls Erin.

Because Erin and Darren, and many of their guests were from Victoria, and none actually lived on the Sunshine Coast, it meant all of the guests travelled from their home towns to be part of the special day. “Each and every one of our guests flew to Noosa, which we were truly grateful for,” said Erin.  Instead of the traditional bridesmaids Erin chose two male attendants to be by her side on her wedding day. “They were my ’bridesmen’ and they did their job perfectly, managing to make me laugh and keep me from getting stressed,” she said.

Erin and Darren chose a sit down dinner reception at Bistro C Restaurant with a menu featuring fantastic local seafood which family and friends still rave on about today. “Amy and her staff at Bistro C were amazing and from the moment we booked, nothing was too much trouble,” said Erin. After interviewing five different photographers, Erin and Darren chose Tanya Chesterton Smith to take the photos of the wedding day.  “From the moment we met Tanya we felt very comfortable and were impressed by her portfolio.  She ended up  capturing the most precious moments of our day  – much more than I would have ever imagined, and turned them into pieces of art,” said Erin.

A major highlight of the reception was a two piece band Erin and Darren had hired, who really got the guests up and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. “Because all of our guests decided to make a holiday of the celebration, they took advantage of the beautiful location to really let their hair down, ending the night at a bar nearby.  I can remember late in the evening just taking a couple of moments to reflect on the day and as I sat there watching all my friends and family I can remember thinking that I didn’t want the night to end,” recalled Erin.

When all of the celebrations had concluded, Darren and Erin began their walk down Hastings Street to return to their penthouse apartment. “It was a road that we had walked many times together, but as we looked at each other we realised we were now husband and wife.  It was an amazing feeling, and by far the best part of our special day.”