Luxury elopement packages and micro weddings in Byron Bay, Tweed Coast and Gold Coast.
This one is for our wild at heart, free-spirited brides, who are dreaming of a bohemian wedding for their special day. Boho weddings have been growing steadily in popularity for the last few years, and it’s no surprise really. Who doesn’t love earth tones and organic linens combined with overflowing florals and abundance of greenery to transform your wedding day into a bohemian wedding.
Whether you are totally wild at heart or just love the eclectic mix of a classic wedding with casual sophistication of a boho theme, there are some definite bridal must haves. From swoon worthy bridal gowns to personalised jackets to glistening jewels to delicate flower girl dresses and accessories we have sourced some of our favourite boho must haves.
Images by Lady Bella Photography – Byron Bay
Don’t you just love it at the end of a romcom when they throw confetti at the happy couple getting married as they leave the church!? Well now it doesn’t just have to be in the movies! The Whole Bride has created an eco-friendly confetti that guests can add to the celebrations and create that magic just married moment on your wedding day!
The Whole Bride is a space where you can complete your wedding day with all of the beautiful products that you need to tie your wedding story together. Their velvet ring boxes are to-die-for and really add a touch of elegance to your wedding day photography and help little hands (or the best man!) keep those all-important rings safe.
Wearing a veil (or not) has been a hot topic for brides in recent years. While wearing a veil isn’t going out of fashion any time soon, we are seeing some other really cool alternatives to wearing a veil at your wedding, many boho brides are choosing to wear wide-brim hats. But, choosing to wear a hat doesn’t mean you can’t wear a veil. If you want to include a little touch of tradition, add some tulle to the crown, back or inside of your hat. Hats acting as headpieces — even big ones — look stunning. So the answer is yes. Wear both!
If hats are your thing and your rocking a boho wedding dress why not see if a hat works with your style? If you’re looking for a super cool hat Lack of Colour is a great place to start.
Lawd knows your wedding day is a long day, and the last thing you want is to be standing with your lover about to say I do and your feet cramp up! Every boho bride needs a pair of fashionable but comfortable shoes you can stand, walk and bust a move in. Shoes are often overlooked by brides, as they are so often hidden by your gown. Your shoes like any other accessory can be the ultimate statement piece, like these gorgeous velvet “Passion Heels” from Foreversoles.
If you’re totally crushing on the boho vibe chances are you want to wear jewellery that reflects your personal style and is as unique as you are. Pieces that are relaxed, nature themed, and has elements of the earth and the universe. Something with stones, feathers, shells, beads and made of sterling silver, copper or brass. Jewels that are worn alone, or in layers letting your effortless style shine bright on your wedding day. Some of our favs for dazzling luxe jewels are Celeste Twikler, Salita Matthews and Frankly My Dear.
Bridal robes are another wedding trend that is growing in popularity in 2021. When you’re busy planning your wedding it’s easy to forget those ‘getting ready’ moments are just as precious. Those quiet moments in the make up chair or a sneaky glass of bubbles with your bridal party. Photographers are usually around to capture these moments so it’s nice to be wearing something that makes you feel beautiful and why not go all matchy matchy with your bridal party for a bit of fun? Our friends at Homebodii have some truly beautiful options for everyone.
Your wedding should be all about you and expressing your personalities. What better way then by adding custom touches to your special day that truly reflect who you are? Being a locally owned business we have developed relationships with our amazing wedding community in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales. I am Poppy Designs is an award-winning local artist who can create so many beautiful things from wedding stationary, to a live painting of your wedding ceremony to this custom jacket she made for one of our brides recently. I am Poppy Designs can help you to make your wedding day a true expression of you.
Including little people in your wedding day can be the most precious memories for a lot of couples. Finding that perfect dress for your flower girl can be difficult, something that matches your boho style but is still suitable for a young child or pre-teen can sometimes be a challenge. If you’re looking for a stunning dresses that are perfect as flower girl dresses that are suitable for the little boho princess in your life we recommend Australian designer Arabella & Rose.
So, you’ve been dreaming about that beach wedding you’ve always wanted. But where? Hawaii, Bali, Thailand… nope those are out (Thanks COVID!). But don’t worry we have some of the most amazing beaches right here in Australia. Byron Bay and the Tweed Coast offer some of the most insta worthy locations in the world. There’s a reason the Hemswoth’s and Zac Effron call Byron home.
Whether you’re planning a beachside ceremony or an intimate beach elopement, we are here to help get you find the perfect place to say your I-do’s. We’ve put together this list of our top 6 best ceremony locations dotted across Byron Bay or Tweed Coast.
This is one of our favourite locations for a Byron Bay wedding ceremony, protected by the headland and offering unbroken views of the Cape Byron. Less than 10 minutes’ drive from Byron Bay, its secluded bush nature makes it feel like you’re miles from anywhere. Surrounded by a literal rainforest, the Broken Head Nature Reserve extends to the headland and the Three Sisters Lookout, an easy to medium walk that is a 1.5km round trip. The walk made totally worth it when you take in the panoramic coastal vistas. The beautiful location creates a dramatic backdrop for your wedding portraits.
What about the Tweed Coast? It’s a hidden gem so many couples overlook. Tucked in between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay the Tweed Coast has as much, if not more, to offer that Byron Bay for your wedding or elopement (Tweed Coast Guide).
Say goodbye to tourists and hello to the number #1 rated beach in Australia – Cabarita!
Why not avoid the “Byron price tag” and elope to the Tweed Coast instead at any of these great locations. Kingscliff is the main beach town surrounded by Cabarita, Casaurina, Hastings + Fingal.
Cabba, as the locals call it, has recently been voted the number 1 beach in Australia. Cabarita Beach and Headland or more specifically Little Cove is one of our absolute favourite spots for a Tweed Coast elopement. Hold your ceremony with the amazing black rocks or under the Pandanus trees or make the easy trip along the boardwalk to the top of the headland for your sunset portraits.
This gorgeous spot offers so much variety to couples looking for more than a beach wedding or elopement. Hastings, has three grassed areas that are perfect for your wedding ceremony and are pet and child friendly. There is plenty of parking and you can drive right up to the ceremony location. Hastings also is the perfect location for a beach ceremony with pretty rockpools for photos and portraits as the sun sets.
Lovers Rock is a hidden gem, located only 2 minutes from the Gold Coast Airport it is truly a beautiful spot with breathtaking ocean views, rugged cliffs and pandanus trees. Following your ceremony take the easy walk down to Froggy’s beach for your newlywed portraits. This location is also conveniently close to local accommodation options like the iconic Pink Hotel and just a stones throw away from the beautiful reception venue Ancora (see our venues and accommodation blogs for more).
With a name like Dreamtime Beach you know it’s going to be an amazing spot. Known for its natural beauty Fingal Headland and Dreamtime Beach is a stunning location for your beach wedding. This area is rich in Aboriginal history, the headland is an amazing basalt rock formation that contrasts strikingly with the ocean and sand. We’ve had some amazing moments here, even getting to take portraits with a local pod of dolphins as they swam by. Although this location is on Crown Land we can request a permit to hold your ceremony here.
This couples only location will have you feeling like you’ve entered another world. Only a 30 minute drive from Byron Bay Killen Falls is a magical spot, however it is not for the faint hearted. The rocky path down to the falls can be a little treacherous, a handrail has recently been installed which helps to descend the uneven path, which is why we recommend this location for elopement couples only.
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Luxe Elopements has put together a styling guide to get you started! Styling trends change year to year!
About 10 years ago the “Boho Bride” started off with a Grace Loves Lace dress, a flower crown and jeweled barefoot ankelts. Now you might see her in a sequined One Day Bridal gown with a blush bouquet filled with orchards and dried flowers.
We saw a rise in bright and vibrant themes inspired by a Mexican Fiesta with bright florals, neon signage, and a bold lip.
Baby blue was a hit in 2020. We find most trends follow the Pantone Colour of the Year. Cinderella wore a baby blue dress and Princess Diana’s Engagement ring was a Saphire.
In 2021-2022 we are seeing a lot of Terracotta colour palettes and dried palms.
Our advice: stick to your personal style and taste!
Sarah-Jane created the Luxe Elopements process to be effortless and fun. Our team handles ALL the coordination behind the scenes so you aren’t bombarded with a million vendor emails. Your time will be freed up so you can focus on the FUN stuff – like creating a Pinterest board and finding the perfect dress.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We have done the hard work for you and negotiated vendor discounted fees with no minimum spend, these are built into our packages! To put it into perspective, our packages on a Friday or Weekend would START at $8000 – crazy hey! You are getting award-winning and high-end vendors for a fraction of the price. But please don’t see us as a “cheap wedding”, we are a Luxury Elopement brand.
Our packages have strict guest limitations. You can view our packages here
We are strictly only available on Monday – Thursdays. We can offer Fridays in June or July with a 25% surcharge on the final bill. Public holidays and long weekends will incur a 25% surcharge and subject to availability. We book up to 12 months in advance.
Our ceremonies are performed 2 hours BEFORE sunset or 30mins before sunrise. This is Golden lighting and the most flattering time of day. It means you and your guests won’t be sweating, squinting or have unflattering shadows across your face. It will lead perfectly into sunset portraits for you as newlyweds.
Please note we have daylight savings in Summer. The sunsets around 7-8pm NSW time and in Winter around 5-5.30pm.
We service elopements in the Nothern Rivers (Byron region), Tweed Coast, Tweed Hinterlands and South Gold Coast (Coolangatta to Burleigh). You can choose between a council-approved beach, garden or headland or private property. You can choose one of our approved Airbnb or find one yourself. We must have written approval from the Airbnb or private property due to strict council regulations.
These are our favorite ceremony spots
The Australian Government requires an “Intent to Marry” legal documents lodged at least 1 month BEFORE you can legally marry. This is your responsibility as per our contract. Your Celebrant will guide you through the process.
Important note: we have an automated email and online wedding planning process. You are not paying a traditional “Wedding Planner”, they start at $1500-$2000 JUST for wedding planning. We keep the cost down by having this unique process. After your booking, there is nothing left to do until we reconnect 6 weeks before your wedding.
A lot of couples prefer a quick chat. You can book a 30min phone consult with Sarah-Jane on our website contact page.
You can read our Covid Safety Plan with Terms and Conditions here
Let’s start with who we are? Luxe Elopements offer award-winning Elopement and Micro Wedding packages in Byron Bay, Tweed Coast and Gold Coast. Hand picked team by multi-award winning wedding Photographer, Sarah-Jane. We are loads of FUN – read our Google reviews!! You get a collection of 20+ images within 24 hours of your wedding! Our wedding planning process is effortless. We include all the luxuries of a traditional wedding without the guest list drama or cost.
Did you know the average Byron Bay Wedding is $68K!!
Our packages include midweek vendor discounts and no minimum spends, which is how we can offer our Micro Wedding packages from $6990 + GST!
Website: https://forgetmenotweddings.com.au/
Only a 4 minute drive from the picturesque heritage town of Bangalow and a 10 minute drive from well known Byron Bay.
Forget me Not Farm is so perfectly located that you will never want to leave. Your guests will love the thriving beach-side town of Byron Bay as much as they will the amazingly beautiful country-side.
15mins from Gold Coast Airport
300 arces with Mount Warning and Gold Coast views. Featuring a Figtree and giant firepit!
The Iconic Pink Hotel in Coolangatta only 2mins from the Gold Coast airport! Have a beach wedding at Froggys Beach (Snapper Rocks) or grassy ceremony at Lovers Rock then head to the rooftop for sunsett cocktails at The Pink Hoel!
Brand new property on the wedding circuit! An old winery renovated to perfection. All in one property – stay onsite, ceremony and reception. 15mins from Gold Coast airport.
Brand new property on the wedding circuit! Byron Bay Hinterlands.
2mins from Byron Bay town. Featuring a ceremony under the Figtree. Accommodation onsite. Firepit and animals for the kids.
Book a LUXE Micro Wedding in 2022 and receive a FREE fine art
Wedding Album by Queensberry!
A Micro Wedding is an intimate ceremony with you and up to 25 x guests. At Luxe Elopements we have created an affordable solution without compromising quality. This isn’t a “cheap wedding”, its a Luxury Micro Wedding. There are a few conditions to make this happen:
Are we a good fit?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock most of your life, you’ll have likely heard about the stress of planning a wedding, so once you got engaged, you expected some of that stress to creep up. What you probably didn’t expect is the need for a dictionary to navigate through all the wedding terminology and industry specific lingo! One of the most important things to stave off wedding related stress is to know and understand the important roles of your wedding vendors and the crucial responsibility they will have in helping you create the perfect atmosphere. At Luxe Elopements, we want to take the guess work out of your journey, so here’s a little detail on the difference between a Wedding Planner and a Wedding Coordinator and how you can expect our team to operate while bringing your dream wedding to life.
The wedding planner is a unique individual who thrives on pressure, creativity and timelines, (think of Jo-Lo with the headset and clipboard) and their role is longer in nature than most of your other vendors, because they are a couple’s main point of contact throughout their wedding journey. A wedding planner is responsible for helping you PLAN and EXECUTE all elements of your wedding day, from offering vendor recommendations, to contract negotiations, determining and maintaining your budget, offering styling and design concepts, coordinating travel and accommodation, to implementing all of the planned elements of your wedding day. According to Brides.com a wedding planner may spend anywhere between 80 – 250 hours organising and implementing your celebration and wedding planners on the Tweed Coast generally charge $5000+ for this service.
The wedding coordinator, whilst just as savvy on the organizational and creative front, has a shorter-term, but just as crucial role in your wedding. They allow you the freedom to do the bulk of the planning for your wedding and will generally swoop in around 6 weeks before your big day to take over the reins and help you finalise the finer details of the day. A coordinator will bring all your hard work together, starting off with a run sheet of the day, reconfirming vendors bookings and requirements, become the point of contact for enquiries in the immediate lead up and with their keen eye and professional experience, ensure that there is no hiccups on the horizon for you. They take the pressure off you and your love one, ensuring things happen as they should, so the two of you can relax and make the most of your day. Brides.com estimate a coordinator clocks up around 25 hours per wedding and the standard pricing for a coordinator in the Tweed Region is $1000 – $1500.
In true Luxe Elopements style, Sarah-Jane, owner and organizer-extraordinaire, has taken much of the guess work out of planning your wedding celebration. Through fostering relationships with quality vendors, to traversing beaches and parks all across Byron Bay, Tweed Coast and Gold Coast, she has handpicked a team of wedding creatives and crafted a fabulous directory of locations to bring your wedding dreams to life. So, you can say she’s already done lots of planning on your behalf. Knowing our Luxe Couples are searching for a luxury celebration at an affordable price tag, we include a wedding coordinator with all our collections, giving you the opportunity to liaise with our packaged vendors while planning any other elements to the day you wish to incorporate (like the perfect dress, rings and sparkling wine). After locking in your chosen package with us, Sarah-Jane will introduce you to your included vendors, you’ll get to know them as you get creative together and they’ll guide you through the process of their specific component to the day. As the celebration approaches, Sarah-Jane will connect with you and your Luxe Elopement vendors to reconfirm all the details of the day bringing it all together with a run sheet and making sure everything runs smoothly for you on the day.
To keep your packages affordable without substituting luxury we have a streamline process to booking, planning and executing your elopement or micro wedding. Our packages include the following:
Wedding Co-ordination inclusions:
If you are planning an outdoor beach, garden or hinterland wedding in Byron Bay you need to consider you ceremony time. This is often an after thought but the decision can make or break your day.
Choosing the best ceremony time for your outdoor wedding or elopement all comes down to beautiful light. Most people have a camera phone now and are a little more savvy about good lighting. Good natural light will create the perfect selfie! Same goes for your wedding day. It’s all about good lighting.
Some wedding venues will offer a midday wedding so they can book 2 x weddings in one day! This is terrible advice. Opt for a mid-week wedding or elopement to avoid this!
WHY?
Golden light is that magic time at sunrise and sunset. This is when your photographer will schedule your portraits. It’s soft and flattering. You can download our Golden Light Guide with visual examples of real couples in SOFT v HARSH lighting!
We avoid midday weddings like the plague. In fact, we refuse to do them. The sun is at its highest point in the sky casting directly down your face. This creates really harsh shadows across your face: hollow eyes, unflattering nose shapes and this light will show every detail in your skin. Skin texture can’t be fixed with makeup. Texture is a nice way of saying: pimples, acne scars, wrinkles and so forth. These will be highlighted in midday sun.
Your photographer can battle this by using a flash to fill in the shadows. Honestly, who wants a flash distracting you throughout your ceremony? Nothing beats soft, flattering light for your wedding photography.
You will find 99% of all wedding photographers portraits were shot at Golden hour. These are the hero images you will share, print and frame.
You will likely have a wide range of guests at your wedding elopement that may include babies through to the elderly. You guests will be outside for over an hour. They are all dressed up. You want their experience to be positive, not counting down the minutes until they can find shade.
I have seen many people nearly faint waiting outside in heat waves!
My pet peeve is sunglasses! As a wedding photographer I think I repeat the words “Please take off your sunglasses” a million times throughout family portraits. Sunglasses might look “cool” but they date VERY quickly. You don’t want to look back at your wedding photos and see sunglasses on faces, heads and pockets. Especially if they are out of date… think about the types of sunglasses that were cool in the 80’s or 90’s? How will you feel looking back at your photos in 5, 10 or 20 years?
Sunglasses cover people’s emotions. We can’t capture people’s authentic emotions when they are hiding behind sunnies!
Tips:
Ugh, sweat. It’s humid, you are nervous and wearing a lot of layers! It really doesn’t matter if it’s summer or winter, it is hot and humid all year from the Gold Coast to Byron Bay. You want to feel comfortable during your ceremony not worrying about sweat patches.
If you are prone to sunburn a Golden Hour ceremony will save you from turning red during your vows!
Majority of people have an afternoon ceremony followed by sunset portraits as newly-weds and then their reception. This timeline has worked well for many decades!
The only potential issue is Summer when the sunsets around 7-7.30pm.
We recommend a 5pm ceremony time, this works fine for elopements.
If you have a wedding it means dinner will be served a little later than usual. An alternative option is to start your reception around 6pm and then duck out for sunset portraits. A professional photographer should be able to capture you on location within 15mins.
Byron Bay is set in the Northern Rivers in New South Wales (NSW). It is 40mins south of the Gold Coast, Queensland boarder (see map). To make life extra annoying…
Queensland doesn’t have daylight savings and NSW does!
This means you will fly into Brisbane or Gold Coast airport on ONE TIMEZONE (QLD) and then cross the street heading to Tweed Coast + Byron Bay and be in a SECOND TIMEZONE (NSW).
If you are travelling from Brisbane / Gold Coast you need to allow an EXTRA HOUR or you will be an hour late. This can be very confusing for non-local vendors and travelling guests.
If you tell your guests your ceremony is at 3pm QLD time, it means it will be 4pm NSW time:
QLD- 3pm
NSW-4pm
Write both timezones on your invitations ie: Ceremony Time 3pm QLD / 4pm NSW
Tell guests the ceremony time is 30mins before it actually starts
Have a wedding website and include information for travelling guests
Recommend travelling from Brisbane / Gold Coast the DAY BEFORE. This reduces stress on the wedding day. It reduces an daylight savings mishaps or guests getting stuck in traffic.
Byron Bay is the top destination in Australia for weddings. Couples fly from around the world to have a beach ceremony at the most Easterly Point in Australia. Byron Bay has a range of iconic ceremony locations from The Lighthouse, pristine white sandy beaches and sweeping hinterland views.
Byron Bay is beautiful all year around with average temp of 20C during the day with 60-70% humidity in the afternoon.
Summer is hot and the town is a buzz with activity! The weather is humid and we get a few thunderstorms. We might have shorter days in Winter but the humidity drops, the nights are crisp and the days can still get up to 20C.
Statistically April is the wettest month and Sept is the driest month (1981 – 2010 via BOM.gov.au).
As locals in the industry our experience is:
We find Dec + Jan are really popular for elopements in Byron Bay. Teachers are on holidays and we have a lot of Europeans travel for the quintessential “Aussie beach wedding”.
Winter is a gorgeous time of year because we don’t experience the humidity and tropical thunderstorms. By the middle of the day the temperature can reach 20C. The sun will set around 5.00 – 5.30pm and get down to 5-10C quickly. It will depend what part of the world you are from, personally I don’t swim in winter but I see plenty of people who do!
We recommend:
Spring is the most popular time of year to get married, anywhere in the world. It warms up, flowers bloom and new life begins. If you are planning a spring wedding or ready to elope to Byron Bay this time of year please be mindful of:
Read our post on: TIPS: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS + BYRON BAY WEDDINGS
The East Coast of Australia, Queensland to Mid North Coast will experience humidity and rain through summer. I can’t remember a dry Christmas! It is a part of life. The great thing about Byron Bay is it never seems to “set in”. The rain passes quickly. We often watch the BOM radar and wait 10mins for it to pass. It keeps everything green and beautiful.
It won’t be cold so you can kick off your shoes and dance the night away! Perfect for outdoor receptions.
Byron Bay is in NSW and we have daylight savings in Summer. The sun sets around 7-8pm.
Read our post for: THE BEST CEREMONY TIME FOR YOUR BEACH WEDDING
We recommend:
Check out our post for inspiration: RAIN ON YOUR WEDDING DAY, Byron Bay Edition
INDUSTRY TIP:
If you want a private beach ceremony opt for a SUNRISE wedding in summer! Your ceremony time will be around 6am. You will have complete privacy, insane light for photos and the rest of the day to do something epic as newlyweds – whale watching, skydiving – read our blog on SUNRISE ELOPEMENTS for more inspiration.f
School holidays will always be a busy time of year in a tourist destination. We recommend booking everything 12months in advance to avoid disappointment.
Byron Bay hosts many festivals that will make your wedding day logistics challenging if you are in town.
Avoid the following: