Seaplane, snorkelling and whales: Dreamy wedding 40 years in the making

The bride arrived by seaplane, guests were encouraged to bring their swimwear and whales breaching in the background. This has to be one of the most idyllic island weddings.

Jane Armitstead

@JaneArmitstead

4 min read

July 15, 2025 - 5:00AM

QWeekend

Brett and Mel wed on Lady Musgrave Island on the Great Barrier Reef.

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A Burnett Heads couple, who grew up together in southeast Queensland, celebrated their wedding in the middle of The Great Barrier Reef in what has to be one of Queensland’s most idyllic weddings.

Melissa Tree and Brett Lakey tied the knot on Lady Musgrave Island, off the coast of Bundaberg, on September 7 last year.

Mel making a splash off the pontoon in her wedding dress.

Their unique reception for 120 guests was held on Lady Musgrave HQ’s pontoon, anchored in the lagoon of Lady Musgrave Island.

The couple are behind tourism company, Lady Musgrave Experience, with Melissa the general manager and Brett the director, and run reef, dive and whale-watching tours as well as a sleep-on-the-reef experience at the pontoon.

The day was full of epic moments including Melissa and her bridesmaids arriving by seaplane, guests snorkelling and swimming throughout the day and Melissa making a splash by jumping into the ocean in her wedding dress.

The ceremony on the sand.

How did you meet?

Melissa: We have known each other since we were children, as Brett’s sister Nadine was my best friend in primary school and through to high school. We grew up together at Morayfield, living a few streets away from each other. We met in 1981, when I was eight and Brett was 14. We reconnected in 2018 in Burnett Heads and started dating in 2019 although I was living at the Sunshine Coast and Brett in Burnett Heads. In 2020, I moved to Burnett Heads to be with Brett.

The proposal?

It was in June, 2023, at Lady Elliot Island on the beach at sunset with Champagne and nibbles.

First dance song?

Millionaire by Chris Stapleton.

Brett surprised Mel by singing Michael Buble’s Everything and Nobody to Blame by Chris Stapleton to me at the reception.

How did you choose your wedding venue?
We love the Southern Great Barrier Reef and had the unique opportunity to use Lady Musgrave HQ Pontoon to celebrate on the ocean. We both work on the reef and wanted to celebrate with our friends and family in the most beautiful location we could imagine.

What was the budget for your wedding?

$100k

The arbour at the ceremony.

Guests were encouraged to bring swimwear for snorkelling.

How did you choose your wedding outfit?
I actually purchased the first two dresses I tried on. I walked into Blush Bridal in Bundaberg and was hoping to get an idea of the style of dress I wanted. I ended up walking out with those two dresses, one being a Tania Olsen Lake dress and the other was a Tania Olsen hand-beaded dress that I wore at the reception after doing a dress wreck (jumping into the ocean in my wedding dress).

Mel after jumping into the ocean.

The couple said it was a perfect, stress-free day. Mel is pictured above in her second wedding dress, following her dip in the ocean.

What was the most stressful part of wedding planning?
There really was no stress. We had an idea of what we wanted and just let professionals take care of the details. We were focused on having a fantastic party with great music and lots of swimming. Our bar staff made an incredible cocktail menu and catering was fantastic. I think the most stress we had with the entire wedding was securing a photographer as the dates seemed to clash with a lot of the available photographers.

Any unique or surprising details about your wedding?

We encouraged all of our guests to bring their children and their swimwear. Everyone went snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef while celebrating with us. We flew in via seaplane supplied by SeaAir and the Lady Elliot Island team, who we are friends with. This was really fantastic as it allowed the groom’s party to be at the island and the bride and bridesmaids to arrive via plane. Everything on the Lady Musgrave HQ pontoon was so stunning from the decorations to the music and food. We had a cold fresh seafood buffet as well as roaming bamboo baskets of warm foods.

The happy couple after tying the knot.

Did anything unexpected happen throughout the day?

On the return journey from Lady Musgrave HQ pontoon our guests were all treated to some amazing whale watching. We had whales breaching right next to the boat. We couldn’t have planned it better if we’d tried.

Mel’s reaction as Brett sang at the reception.

He surprised her by singing two songs.

What was the standout moment?

Melissa: Brett surprised me by singing Michael Buble’s Everything and Nobody to Blame by Chris Stapleton to me at the reception. It honestly felt like it was just the two of us in the room.
Brett: Mel flying in on the seaplane was a standout and set the tone for a magical day.

Mel arriving by seaplane.

Standout moments from the speeches?

Mel: My dad gave a beautiful speech welcoming Brett to the family, it was heartwarming.

What would you do differently?

Nothing at all, we really had the most magical day.

Top wedding hack?

Don’t sweat the small stuff, focus on celebrating each other, not on making everything perfect. I did not have a clue what it would all look like or where they would put things, the reception was as much a surprise to me as it was to the guests.

Best advice for couples planning a wedding?

Do something you love. Don’t get caught up in doing what is easy or has been done before.