When Molly Higgins married Brendan Howard at The Surf Club Mooloolaba, thousands of uninvited guests watched them share their vows.
As it happened, Mooloolaba was holding the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, with the beach sprints right outside of the open windows below them.
The couple were over the moon as it brought to life the vibe of the Sunshine Coast and added extra fun energy to the day.
“An extra special moment happened after we signed the register as our celebrant asked us to turn around, face the beautiful ocean and races, and take in the atmosphere for a minute,” Molly said.
“We were able to soak it all in and appreciate being able to get married in such a beautiful place we call home before walking back down the aisle to cheers as we were declared husband and wife.
“It was a real highlight and beautifully personal memory of our day.”
Most of Molly and Brendan’s 85 guests hailed from the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, however a few guests travelled from as far north as Mackay and as far south as Nowra.
Their favourite memory of the day was “spending 20 minutes alone together between getting photos and entering the reception”.
“We were able to eat the delicious food the Mooloolaba Surf Club had made, have a glass of whiskey and tell each other about our night and morning spent apart,” Molly said.
“It was really special to spend some quality time together on such a whirlwind of a day.
“When I was walking down the aisle and looked up to see Brendan, I was no longer nervous but I was overcome with emotion and couldn’t stop myself from crying tears of joy.
“I was so happy to be getting married to the love of my life in front of the people I love and care about the most.
“It felt so surreal and I couldn’t believe it was happening.”
Brendan added: “I felt ecstatic because the love of my life was looking so beautiful and all I could think about was what we had already achieved and what we would achieve together in the future.
“I felt so lucky to be marrying my best friend.”
After a year and a half of planning the wedding they chose a honeymoon that required little planning, booking two cruises back-to-back, being at sea for 17 days visiting Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
- Wedding: April 20, 2024
- Celebrant: Suzanne Riley
- Photographer: Aesthete Film and Photography
- Silk flowers: Studio Alyssum
- Make-up: Makeup by Jess
- Hair: Kate Hair Artistry
- Stylist: Sunshine Weddings
Wedding Belles is contributed to Sunshine Coast News by Sunshine Coast marriage celebrant Suzanne Riley.
