Intimate Forest Elopement on the Sunshine Coast — (With Video)
This was truly such a special and meaningful wedding to be a part of. Natalie and Justin have overcome so much in their 11 years of being together. Natalie is such a courageous and beautiful soul and has had such a tough past 15 years fighting for her life.
On their wedding day the original plan was to get married on the beach, but when we arrived it was so windy and cold so we went across the road to a beautiful forest. This was was meant to be as the trees are the lungs of the planet which is so fitting to Natalie and her new lungs she was given a couple of years ago.
Save the Date Beauty Ladies, Shaina and Kristy created such a magical ceremony and table set up for their dinner as well as created a gorgeous look with hair and makeup for Natalie. They also created her beautiful florals which fit in so perfectly with the surrounding nature. And Sweet Athena designed and created such a unique and tasty wedding cake for them.
Natalie’s best friend, Marie flew in from Alberta to marry them. It was so wonderful to have her there to celebrate them and offer her love and support.
We feel so grateful to have been a part of such a special day in their lives.
— Jen and Brian xo
Words from Natalie:
“In our time together, Justin and I have grown as people, weathered storms, and shared many incredible moments. We don’t have a traditional story but what we have is beautiful and I couldn’t do this life without Justin by my side.
in 2005 I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable, & progressive lung disease. I was twenty years old and had little understanding of the impacts this would eventually have on my life.
As my disease progressed it became clear that children would never be part of our reality. My new treatment brought severe side effects and many tears. However, Justin has a way of pulling out inner strength in me when I feel like I can't go on. That year we welcomed home our beautiful chocolate Labrador puppy Joplin, who is our fur baby. We named her after Janice Joplin our favorite singer.
As time progressed, it became clear a double lung transplant was inevitable. At the same time, I found myself daydreaming of multiple big weddings in different styles. The dress, the flowers, the guest book, our first dance, the whole works.
However, with my health declining this all felt so out of reach, let alone the cost of such a celebration. Having our dream day together felt impossible. I was dying, and all I wanted was everyone I loved to be there with me and Justin to share our love and honour our story.
September August of 2017 I was at an all-time low. My Hickman Line had been compromised and caused me to go septic. I found myself in the ICU fighting for my life, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the life I knew.
Justin never left my side and was the most dedicated partner one could hope for. It’s a hard thing to come to terms with at such a young age, our love for one another helped me gather the strength to keep fighting, because I wanted so badly to grow old with my man.
Within weeks of barely recovering I received the call from the hospital, and I had new lungs waiting for me in the transplant unit. After many hours in surgery, I spent the next two and a half months learning how to breathe, acquainting myself with my new body and preparing for recovery
Post-surgery I was intubated for 23 days until I could regain strength to breathe on my own. The whole while Justin stayed with me, holding my hand, giving me the reassurance I needed to go on.
When I tell my story to people, they always tell me how strong I am to overcome such plights, but I can only attribute my strength to the calm pillar of support Justin has been to me. Our love has been the best thing to ever happen to me and marrying this man means the world to me.
I am humbled that life has been so generous to not only give me a second chance but to give me a partner where we can experience life together. I feel like I had waited my whole life for him and still after almost eleven years together, it is a privilege to walk this path with him.” — Natalie
Photo & Video: Jennifer & Brian of Jennifer Picard Photography
Hair & Makeup: Save the Date Beauty
Florals, Table & Ceremony Styling: Save the Date Beauty
Cake: Sweet Athena
Rings: Kingdom Jewelry
Officiant: Marie (Natalie’s best Friend)
