Sarah & Daniel jump ship for their beach wedding

Sometimes your wedding plans are washed away and you just have to hit the deck and keep on running!

That’s exactly the attitude Sarah-Ellen Coia and Daniel Wallace took on for their beach wedding when things went awry. The bride and groom, 25 and 26 respectively, opted for a wedding cruise in North Queensland. “We invited 43 of our closest friends and family and booked in a seven-night cruise to the Whitsundays, stopping in to Port Douglas for the day to exchange vows,” explains Sarah.

But the November 19, 2014 wedding took an interesting turn when the ship became delayed, meaning there was no longer time to stop in Port Douglas. “This is every bride’s nightmare and I had less than 24 hours to replan my whole wedding,” explains Sarah. “Not to mention I had stranded guests in Brisbane with no accommodation because of the G20 summit.”

But after “a few deep breaths” and a “small bridezilla” moment, the couple reshuffled plans to instead make a drop off in Cairns where all would travel an hour north to get to the chapel. Sacrifices were still made, however, with the bridal party doing their own make-up and a friend jumping in on hair duties. But after the long drive, the bridal party needed a refresh, so they chose…the bathroom of a local police station. “All the staff were very helpful and understanding and even let us have pictures with them…they were my something blue!”

Photos courtesy of Blue Sky Photography.

Sarah & Daniel were married at St Mary’s by the Sea Chapel.

“It was a beautiful ceremony and there was not a dry eye in the whole room,” says Sarah.

“Blue Sky Photography were amazing,” praises Sarah. “Benn took us to many different locations around Port Douglas.”

The couple celebrated their reception back on the cruise ship with a live band.