Jyeah and Arneto met whilst traveling around Australia and immediately knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Aneto, Jyeah’s lovely Frenchman who loves nothing more than to play his ukulele whilst singing to his love, got down on bended knee and proposed to his lovely softly spoken Jyeah, who without hesitation said “YES”.

They continued their travels, which brought them to  tropical Cairns, Far North Queensland and were immediately told to explore the beautiful picturesque sandy majestic palm fringed beach of Palm Cove, situated half way between the resort holiday destination of Cairns City and the lovely relaxed  village town of Port Douglas.

So with this in mind in January they visited Palm Cove and immediately knew this was the place they wanted to say “I Do” to one another and continue their lifetime journey, not just as partners, but as “husband and wife”.

“Keep it simple” was their motto and whilst exploring yet again on another wonderful day in Palm Cove with its iconic sandy palm fringed beaches, lush resorts, diverse restaurants, and unique boutique stores they found the offices of “Register your Wedding” and enquired about the services of a celebrant and found my details on the database. We met, it was a ‘perfect match’ as they say, and the rest is history.

My lovely couple booked for Valentine’s Day on the 14th February, 5 weeks away, but decided on week 3 they could wait no longer to be married. There is one month wait required by law, so on the 7^th February with the help of the resort Mango Lagoon’s friendly receptionist and  Brooke from Mint Lilly Weddings  along with Amanda, one of the resort’s residents, Arneto and Jyeah married poolside. They had written their own vows and, believe me, on the day added to them, bringing tears to my eyes. Once declared husband and wife, documents witnessed and signed, which cemented their union, we celebrated with a champagne toast whilst our bride’s lovely groom yet again got down on bended knee and sang on his ukulele and whispered his words of love in music to his wife for the very first time.

For me being a asked to be a couple’s celebrant, there is no greater honour than being there when my couples joyously say “I do” not bound to one another by conformity, but bound to one another by their love and commitment , no matter how big or small the gathering. I do such ceremonies with total confidence, as an experienced celebrant who loves her chosen profession passionately. This is shown when I perform my ceremonies and present my couples with very unique special symbolic gifts that will forever remind them of the one day that should belong to them in their hearts and minds forever…… their wedding day.

On a daily basis I get to say to many couples …Welcome to my office…..”somewhere here in tropical Far North Queensland”!

by Joanne Male. Marriage Celebrant Cairns FNQ.

From venues to invitations to the honeymoon, the bridal expo catered to the needs of every bride-to-be with more than 90 Far Northern businesses hosting stalls.

The expo, now in its second year, was also a fundraiser for the Liz Plummer Cancer Centre.

More than 1500 brides-to-be were in their element yesterday as they strolled through the wedding planners’ wonderland at Brothers Leagues Club, many bringing with them their friends and family.

There were even prospective grooms who braved the crowds of women and mass of dresses.