If you want to guarantee your wedding guests a good time, follow in Courtney and Levi's footsteps and throw a surprise wedding in Sydney.

As two humans who love boat parties (but not a lot of fuss) it made sense for Courtney and Levi to host theirs on a boutique charter boat - namely the Zephyr Star.

"I’d been on Zephyr Star a few years prior for a friend’s birthday and absolutely loved it. The simplicity and beauty of the boat on the beautiful Pittwater with outstanding service - we knew it would make a perfect wedding venue. 

We both absolutely love being by the water and boat parties are our favourite, so it just made sense! We didn’t consider anywhere else!", says Courtney.

Captured by Wedshed fave Kyle Ingram, we encourage anyone looking to elope or host a small wedding to keep reading - this Sydney wedding was inspiring and thought-provoking in more ways than one (here's a hint). 


How did you and Levi meet? We met at a music festival in the UK through mutual friends. We got along straight away. Levi says he noticed that I could dance, and he can dance too, so we’re a good match in that way! 

The proposal: Levi proposed on Bronte beach at sunrise after eight years. A day that Levi had planned, with help from his friend Sam the romantic, and caught me off guard at 6am on a Sunday. Bronte is our absolute favourite beach in Sydney and we love seeing sunrise together, so it was perfect! It was a surprise, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day (oops!) but Levi soon turned it around. We celebrated with our friends at Coogee Pavilion straight after and Levi has organised a surprise dinner at Catalina in Rose Bay for the evening where we got a stunning sunset! 

The venue: I’d been on Zephyr Star a few years prior for a friend’s birthday and absolutely loved it. The simplicity and beauty of the boat on the beautiful Pittwater with outstanding service - we knew it would make a perfect wedding venue. 

We both absolutely love being by the water and boat parties are our favourite, so it just made sense! We didn’t consider anywhere else! 

The vibe: We wanted the day to be stress free, relaxed and fun and we knew the Zephyr team could help us make that happen. The vibe we were going for was relaxed, fun, and spending time together! We had neutural flowers with disco balls and mostly pastel colours for the guests. The boat is white and neutral which is the vibe we love. 

Traditions (adopted, adapted or ditched): Our wedding wasn’t the most traditional at all! It was a surprise for our guests, a small intimate ceremony with friends followed by champagne and then partied on the boat! 

During the ceremony we had a special part for my dad who passed away. Our wonderful celebrant, Kate Douglas read an extract from my dad’s diary about Levi and me (from an incredible trip we had together around Australia before my dad passed away), which was the “giving away” part. It was so special that we could include my dad in the day.

We also wrote our own vows. We had an incredible photographer Kyle Ingram and videographer Soda Films to capture the day. 

On the day we woke up together, got ready together at Barrenjoey House Palm Beach and traveled to the boat together to surprise our friends! Our families are in the UK so we celebrated with them separately shortly after, we had such a beautiful day with our families and played them our ceremony video at the event.

Hit (or near) miss: Everything went perfectly and the fact we managed to pull it off as a surprise was so much fun! We did manage to lose our wedding certificate on the day. We got a London bus back to Ivy Pool in the city and somehow lost it along the way, so we haven't got that to keep but we’ve got the official certificate coming in the post (which has already been returned to sender while we were away on our honeymoon, oops!)

We'll always remember... Levi’s favourite moment was standing at the end of the boat waiting for me to come down the aisle. The whole day was incredible, but there’s nothing better than standing in the Sydney sunshine next to the glistening ocean saying our vows to each other and making that commitment. Also a highlight was seeing our friends’ faces when we arrived! 

The outfit/s: For me simplicity and comfort was the most important thing. I bought an ivory simple dress from Bec & Bridge and then a week prior, bought another very similar. I wore one at the wedding on the boat and the other for our family celebrations in the UK. My shoes were simple white points with a sparkle strap from Badgley Mischka. 

Because our guests didn’t know it was a wedding, we knew we didn’t want to be too formal. Levi wore a navy tailored suit by Remy, with shoes from Remy’s shop too. We’d both seen each others’ outfits before the day. We felt like ourselves, if you know what I mean, simple, sleek and comfortable. 

Soundtrack: Surprise arrival song: "Kyle (I Found You)", by Fred Again. Aisle song: "Best Friend", by ADMT. Signing papers: "Beautiful Escape", by Tom Misch. Just Married and confetti: "Adore You", by Fred again. First Dance: "Me & U", by Tems. Party Starter: "I Just Can’t Get Enough", by Herd & Fitz ft. Abigail Bailey.

Words of wisdom: Make sure the day is about you two, not about everyone else. The less things that can go wrong, the better the day will be! Having a small intimate surprise wedding took the pressure off completely, it was stress free and we enjoyed every second!

The future: We had an incredible honeymoon in Europe after the wedding. We’re looking forward to the rest together as husband and wife!

CREDITS: Photos Kyle Ingram // Video Soda Films // Celebrant Kate Douglas // Venue and flowers Zephyr Charters //  Bridal gown Bec & Bridge // Bride's shoes Badgely Mischka // Suit REMY // Hair and makeup Facebygina // Confetti Confetti & T // Cake Little Lulu's Cakes // DJ Jake Jake Smith.