Author: Lynette Maguire

That crispness in the air is a fabulous sign – Winter is coming and it’s one of my favourite times for weddings.

Summer weddings should be avoided because our weather can get super hot and humid, there’s cyclones and storms, and it can all be quite overwhelming for the guests waiting around for the bride in the hot sun. I’ve had weddings where people have fainted in the heat, and one particularly hot February, the bride’s spray tan melted in drips down her neck and arms. Everyone was uncomfortable and couldn’t wait to get into air conditioning for a cold beer.

The shoulder months of Spring and Autumn are when the wedding season on the Sunshine Coast really kicks in – not too hot, and not too cold. But because it’s super busy with weddings, getting the suppliers you want may be difficult unless you’re flexible with the times/dates – and some vendors put their prices up because, well, because they can.

So, for many reasons don’t discount having a winter wedding – they’re my favourite.  A June wedding is just so stunning and it’s my favourite month for weddings. July can be a tad colder at nights: but just imagine a reception up in the hinterland with a toasty, romantic fire … mmmm! magic. One of my fave weddings was a few years ago and the bride wore a beautiful gown which had a detachable ‘faux’ fur shawl – she looked stunning and oh, so classy. The days are delicious: no sweaty guests (or celebrants lol), the boys can wear gorgeous woollen suits, brides and their gals don’t need to worry about limp hair and sweating their makeup off. And no-one smells bad.

One thing to remember though, is that because sunset is earlier in Winter, the standard 3pm ceremony start will usually need to be earlier – say 2pm, so you have lots of lovely light for your photos.  Let me know if you need some advice as to when’s the best time for your ceremony – irrespective of when you’re getting married.

But,  winter is still not an overly popular time and most of the wedding industry takes a bit of a breather before we hit the ground running again in August – November.  You may even find that some wedding suppliers discount their rates over winter … just sayin!  

Like the song goes … it figures it’d rain on your wedding day … trust my luck and all that.  Well, we’ve had lots of rainy weddings on the Sunshine Coast lately, but because most of my couples are pretty relaxed, it’s been no biggie to move their ceremonies indoors.  This is why I love working with laid back people  – we can’t control the weather, so we’ll just work to make everything as fabulous as possible – but indoors with no tears.

And remember, if your photographer is worth their salt they’ll make the dark clouds panoramic and your wedding shots will be ah.mazing.  It never ceases to astound me how talented some of my fave photographers are.

Anyway, back to the rain …. did you know that it’s supposed to be good luck if it rains on your wedding day?  Yeah, I agree, I reckon that’s BS  ….  and so did brides from hundreds of years ago … if it looked like rain they’d gather rocks and boil them to hold off the clouds.

So off you go, make sure you have a wet weather option that you’re just as excited about as your dry weather option – and go grab some rocks just in case ….

To contact Lynette if you have any queries, feel free to call, email or text

Over 10 years ago (almost to the day), I married Sandi and Grant.  One of the joys of what I do is that I often maintain friendships with my couples long after their wedding.  And so it is with Sandi.

In her early 20s at the time, this amazing young woman styled her own wedding, and designed and hand sewed her own wedding dress.  She was very pregnant at the time and I was so impressed with her, her attitude, and her laid back creative self. She was (and is) simply stunning.  The great thing for everyone else is that Sandi’s creativity, tenacity and passion meant that she started what is now one of the Sunshine Coast’s best wedding florists, Willow Bud.

Willow Bud is fast becoming renown for their divine floral installations and dreamy wedding bouquets.

Sandi’s romantic style is so stunning and she’s always on the edge of innovation in the industry and it’s a real pleasure when I scroll through my Fb feed and she’s posted about another stunning wedding. Lucky brides.

Contact Lynette for more wedding supplier recommendations.

I heard something today which got me thinking about a ceremony I conducted several years ago.  I was in the midst of an intensive uni semester – and a busy wedding season – and, like the idiot that I am, I had agreed to do Jury duty.  In short – I was super busy.  So this particular Tuesday, I’d been called for Jury service and was back at home by 11am.  I had assignments to finish and nothing would deter me.

Until …

I received a phonecall from a man who said his son wanted to marry the love of his life.  Only problem was, his son was dying from liver cancer.  I told the fellow I could get to him on the Thursday and he said “He won’t live that long”.   So, stuff Psych assignments … – sometimes priorities can just smack you in the face.

I was with the family within the hour.  The palliative care bed was in the middle of the darkened lounge room, the groom lay on it with his fiance lying with him, stroking his face and whispering ‘I love yous’. My stomach turned into knots and I had to hold back my tears.

But there’s legal requirements – could I marry them in just a few hours?

I helped them complete the NoiM and sighted all the relevant ID- then I rang the Magistrates Court in Maroochydore to organise a shortening of the month’s notice.  The only legal way to waive the required one month’s notice. The bride’s appointment with the Mag Court was at 2pm, and as I’d predicted, the Shortening was approved straight away.

I called upon some beautiful people (flowers and photography) and this wonderful and loving couple were married that afternoon (3 hours notice).  The groom wanted to walk to the ceremony, on the balcony of the house and it was obvious to all that those 12 steps were painful. But he did it. It was one of the most beautiful and touching ceremonies I have ever witnessed.

They loved each other with every fibre of their beings and I am so proud to have made myself available from the silliness of my urbane existence, to witness such beauty… This wedding, simple as it was, literally changed my life.

As the father had predicted the groom went home on the Thursday. He was 24.

And My Wedding Wish was born

UPDATE: In 2013, when my uni world had slowed down; I was half way through my Doctoral research and I had more time on my hands. So I contacted the local Sunshine Coast wedding community to see if anyone was interested in donating their services for a wedding for a local couple who were battling a terminal illness. Within 30 minutes, this gorgeous big-hearted community had pulled together to gift a $35,000 wedding.

Within a month, we’d found Chrissy and Nathan – a gorgeous couple who I really adored marrying. And My Wedding Wish was born. In 2016, I took it to the next level and registered it as a national charity and we’ve conducted almost 100 gifted weddings around Australia. From little ideas … big things come.