Couple's Island Elopement a Dream Come True

A salty breeze drifts inland, ruffling leaves and seabird feathers, and stirring the lace of a wedding dress hanging next to a wetsuit. It's a day on Lady Elliot Island that Jackie Whitaker and Hayden Nuttall have been waiting years for.

After more than a decade together, the Sunshine Coast-based couple decided to elope to the island, a coral cay that forms the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef.

"It was very cruisy — which is very us," the new Ms Nuttall said.

"It was just perfect. I couldn't have imagined it any other way."

Jackie and Hayden Nuttall immediately swapped their wedding attire for wetsuits after eloping to Lady Elliot Island.

Crashing waves and squawking birds created a backing track to the ceremony, with the couple suiting up for a snorkel immediately after their vows.

Mr Nuttall said the decision to elope to the island for a simple beach wedding made sense to them.

"It is our special place … it's our paradise," he said.

Bare feet, Crocs, a crocheted bouquet and a buggy for a wedding car made the day perfect for Jackie and Hayden Nuttall.

It's a decision that makes sense to an increasing number of couples, according to Queensland Brides editor Nikki Ernst.

"We're seeing a deliberate shift towards smaller, more intentional celebrations," she said.

The trend, which started during the COVID years, put the focus on the couple and had continued as cost-of-living pressures increased, Ms Ernst said.

"I think it has stuck because couples see it as a legitimate, positive choice rather than a compromise," she said. "There's obviously also a cost benefit to hosting a smaller event."

Couples are realising that they don't need to host a grand wedding, it's not the only way to celebrate.

For the Nuttalls, a simple ceremony followed by snorkelling around the island's beautiful coral beds was perfect.

"Get the formal stuff done and out of the way and … it's straight back into the water, just seeing what we can find and explore, so it was awesome," Mr Nuttall said.

The "formal stuff" included Mr Nuttall wearing shorts and bare feet while he said his vows, the couple wearing Crocs while being driven around in a beach buggy, and Ms Nuttall's unique crocheted bouquet, which will never wilt and will always be a reminder of their perfect day.

The Lady Elliot Island lagoon is full of diverse marine life, including sea turtles and various rays.

Mr Nuttall said he and Jackie decided to elope to Lady Elliot Island, known as the home of the manta ray, after "falling in love with the place" during their first visit in 2022.

Despite terrible weather on that trip, the couple visited again in 2024.

"You can get in the water and find something different every single time you put your mask and flippers on," he said.

"[It] just kept bringing us back."

Lady Elliot Island is the southernmost coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef.

Their third trip, in June 2026, was particularly memorable.

"All right, third time's a charm, we'll get married," Mr Nuttall laughed.

Their families were initially apprehensive about the elopement — with Ms Nuttall's father joking he would fly to the island whether the couple wanted him there or not.

"They were super happy and then a little sad that they'd miss out on it," Ms Nuttall said.

"[But] we wanted it to be just us."

The Nuttalls were one of five couples who were married on the island in the past year.

Mr Nuttall, a gardener at the Sunshine Coast Stadium, said he and Jackie, who manages a physical rehabilitation centre, went to the same high school in Maryborough, but "didn't have a clue about each other".

After graduating, they connected through mutual friends and after a year of living in different towns, Mr Nuttall joined Jackie in Marcoola.

"Just over 10 years I've been on the coast chasing you," Mr Nuttall joked.

"Some would say it [the wedding] is long overdue."