All the news from the Joshua’s Whitsunday wedding…..
Thank you Wedding Whitsundays for sharing…..
The saying “there wasn’t a dry eye in the house” rang true for Friday’s Whitsunday wedding of the year.
When Newcastle couple Joshua Breakwell and Joshua Starr finally said ‘I Do’ at Paradise Cove Resort, family, friends, contributing suppliers and even attending media couldn’t hold the emotion back.
The wedding – which wouldn’t have been possible without Australia’s ‘yes vote’ on marriage equality last year – saw the Joshua’s walked down an aisle in the sand by their mums, and legally married by celebrant Annie Lloyd-Lewis under an arbour facing the Coral Sea.
A $50,000 giveaway in celebration of marriage equality, the Joshua’s wedding took eight months to plan and was the largest celebration of same sex marriage the Whitsunday region has seen to date.
The couple had been planning to marry overseas but winning a Whitsunday wedding meant sharing the milestone with their family and friends.
Early in May the Joshua’s boarded a plane for the Whitsundays on a planning trip to meet the 16 suppliers contributing to the big day.
Everything from the venue to the catering was being gifted by an industry embracing the ‘yes vote’ and what it could mean to a regional economy battered by Cyclone Debbie but with a wedding sector already worth more than $74 million.
While there may have been a dollar value initially attached to the competition, the Joshua’s quickly won their contributors’ hearts.
In the lead-up they invited 12 celebrities – from Magda Szubanski to Penny Wong – drawing massive attention to the Whitsundays and the opportunities for tying the knot in the wedding heart of Australia.
Their invitation was accepted by fellow Newcastle residents Carly Saunders and Tresne Middleton – the ‘positive pair’ from Channel 7’s MKR, who married in New Zealand prior to the legislative change.
The big day was also opened up to wedding media on an annual family.
“We host a pretty dynamic family program every year and we get extraordinary feedback on how we showcase the destination because of that – but to be able to feature a real wedding is unbelievable and I think the journalists have been blown away,” she said.
“When you’re standing there – watching two people giving a commitment to each other for life – it’s a moment that touches everybody.”
Paradise Cove Whitsundays co-owner Julie Telford said to see the wedding finally come to life had been incredible.
“All of the suppliers worked tirelessly to get their jobs done and to see the Josh’s get married was a very emotional moment for me – I was actually in tears,” she said.
“It’s been eight months in the making and not only a wedding of two gorgeous people but also our first same sex wedding at Paradise Cove, which is something myself and my husband thoroughly support.”
Jess Lawrence from The Wedding Planners Whitsundays and peak industry group WeddingsWhitsundays.com said the day had gone exactly as planned.
“It was everything we wanted and more, and it was great to see the suppliers coming together and just doing what they do so well,” she said.
“Because I’ve got to know the Josh’s it was like watching two friends get married and in terms of the attention on the region, I think it’s surpassed everyone’s expectations.
“I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the Josh’s, to the suppliers and to the media – it wouldn’t have been what it has without everyone’s contributions.”
The Joshua’s will now honeymoon in the Whitsundays on a five-night bareboat charter courtesy of Sunsail Whitsundays.
For full coverage of the Joshua’s wedding and upcoming honeymoon, follow The Wedding Planners Whitsundays and Paradise Cove Whitsundays on Facebook and Instagram.
