Love on the Beach

Who: Sarah Ring and James Whitaker
Where: Thala Beach Lodge, Port Douglas
 

Within a few weeks of meeting at a bar in Manly, Sarah Ring and Jamie Whitaker were living together and sharing their dreams. One of them was to travel in South America.

A few years later, the pair were floating down the Amazon River on a cargo boat, marvelling at pink dolphins, fishing for piranhas and watching an alligator hunt.

A second dream was fulfilled last month when they tied the knot at a beach wedding surrounded by their closest friends and family.

"I'm more the doer and he's more the thinker, but everything we've set our minds to, we've done," Sarah says. She says she knew from early on that Jamie was the man for her.

"When we first met I thought he was gorgeous," she says.

Jamie felt the same: "When we first met, I always felt it was serious and that it could lead to marriage. She was totally unlike anyone I'd met before. We seemed to complement each other very well."

After six years together, Jamie, a recruitment consultant, proposed to Sarah, an early childhood teacher, while at a friend's wedding in the Cotswolds in Britain. Jamie got down on one knee and presented Sarah with a princess-cut diamond ring he had designed himself.

Sarah and Jamie, both 29, wanted a barefoot beach wedding with the ambience of a cocktail party, and so chose the Thala Beach Lodge, Port Douglas.

"We wanted somewhere tropical and luxurious, but also rustic, and we wanted everyone to have a holiday at the same time," Sarah says.

The couple exchanged vows with sand between their toes in front of 50 guests, who travelled from Sydney, Britain, New Zealand, Ireland and the US. The guest list included one very well-behaved observer, the couple's 18-month-old son Floyd, pictured, who was decked out in linen pants and waistcoat for the occasion.

The wedding was a chance for far flung family members on both sides to reunite. It was the first time the bride's father had had his three children together in 12 years, and the first time the groom's father, who travelled from England, had seen all his grandchildren in the one place.

After the ceremony, guests dined on a buffet of seafood including oysters, prawns and crab to match the tropical surrounds. In keeping with the cocktail bar theme, the crowd had the chance to move freely among bamboo chairs and lounges in an open-walled room surrounded by trees strewn with fairy lights.

The crowd danced to international DJs Wayne G and Stewart Who and some of the more exuberant guests took an impromptu late-night dip in the pool, led by the bride.

Sarah and Jamie honeymooned for two-nights at Cockatoo Hill Retreat in the Daintree, in a romantic bungalow under a full moon. The highlight was seeing crocodiles and taking a seaplane from Cairns to Green Island, flying over the Great Barrier Reef.

The couple are now living in Fairlight.

The dress: The bride designed her own strapless lace dress, made by Elizabeth Sparks Bridal Couture.
The bridesmaids: Justine Grantham and Alanna Noone wore burnt orange silk strapless A-line dresses made by Dragon Clothing, Manly.
The flowers: The bridal bouquet contained anthuriums, leaves and pods by Rainbow Flowers, Cairns.
The cake: A three-tiered mud cake with chocolate panels, by Sue Kidney-Wilson.

Q&A

What do you love most about your partner?
Sarah: His calmness and patience, his easy-going nature and sense of humour. And he's a brilliant father.
Jamie: Her beautiful smile and incredible energy.
What was the highlight of the day?
Sarah: Seeing our guests dancing and the exquisite buffet. The best man's speech had everyone in stitches.
Jamie: Seeing Sarah coming down the aisle looking absolutely amazing; and turning the wedding into a pool party at the end of the night.

Source: The Sun-Herald