Sara Rosentreter and Justin Nichols wedding and photos

Some quirky things have brought couples together and that was the case for these newlyweds.

Jane Armitstead

@JaneArmitstead

4 min read

December 5, 2024 - 2:38PM

QWeekend

The wedding of Sara Rosentreter and Justin Nichols. Pictures: Sam Wyper Photography

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Qld’s biggest weddings of 2024

Three years after they met and realised they shared a love of fantasy films, Sara Rosentreter and Justin Nichols tied the knot in an intimate hinterland wedding.

The couple married on June 27 in front of 55 guests at the Gold Coast hinterland venue, Bower Estate, in a celebration fuelled by the environment with a “natural” theme.

The couple choreographed their first dance – “so we wouldn’t be so nervous” – to Snowman by Sia.

The wedding of Sara Rosentreter and Justin Nichols. Pictures: Sam Wyper Photography

How did you meet? We met online in 2021 and bonded over a love of Lord of the Rings and instantly decided “this is the one”. Our first date was a walk at South Bank in Brisbane where Justin was living at the time and then a lovely dinner together.

In the first few months we spent most of our time hiking together and trying different Asian restaurants and developing our shared love of food. It wasn’t long before we were living together along with Sara’s son, Joshua, 15, and their cat King Ralph on the Gold Coast. We have recently bought a home together in Pimpama.

The proposal? In 2023, Justin planned a romantic weekend away to Maleny where he planned to propose. Little did Sara know, he had already asked both her father and her son for permission to do so and bought a ring. Justin proposed while sitting next to the fire.

Honeymoon? We spent an extended weekend at Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat.

Theme? We wanted to stay with a natural theme. We liked the idea of classic colours (green and white), so had baby’s breath and white flowers combined with a lot of native greenery right throughout the ceremony and reception.

Why did you choose your wedding venue? For the views. If we could have taken our family and friends to a waterfall, we would have. We loved being surrounded by nature.

The wedding of Sara Rosentreter and Justin Nichols. Pictures: Sam Wyper Photography

What was the wedding budget? $60,000.

What would you spend more or less on? We loved every moment of our wedding and to add or take anything away would change that experience. We have no regrets on what we did or didn’t spend money on.

How did you go about choosing your wedding dress? I went to three different shops and tried on dresses. I also did a lot of research online about different types of dresses. We had a winter wedding so I knew I needed something warm (although it ended up being a warm day!). I picked the dress I felt the most comfortable and confident in …. and it had pockets!

What did you think when you saw Sara for the first time in the aisle? I was thinking “don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry”. I didn’t cry when she walked down the aisle … but I did when I saw how emotional Josh was. Having him as a huge part of the wedding meant a lot to me.

What was the most stressful part of wedding planning? Justin: Managing Sara.
Sara: The weather and not knowing if it was going to rain during the outside ceremony.

Any unique details? It stormed during our speeches which was perfect timing as everyone was inside. We do love the rain so we embraced it and got some beautiful photos.

The wedding of Sara Rosentreter and Justin Nichols. Pictures: Sam Wyper Photography

What was the standout moment of the day? Sara: Josh’s surprise speech. My parents organised to hand over the mic to him to finish off their speech. It was the most adorable and meaningful part of the whole wedding. We also enjoyed the time spent alone together between the ceremony and reception just sitting on the chairs and looking at the view.

What was a wedding non-negotiable for you? The Bower Estate. The venue made the whole experience stress-free and it was already so beautiful that we didn’t really need to try.

Best wedding gift you received? We had a wishing well which took the guilt out of spending money on our honeymoon. We really enjoyed reading everyone’s messages and well wishes while cuddled up on our honeymoon.

Bridesmaid/groomsmen protocol? I think limiting the events in the lead-up made it easier. We didn’t have an engagement party or bridal shower, just the hen’s and buck’s nights which made it more reasonable for everyone.

What would you do differently? Just sit and enjoy the moment more instead of hosting.

Top wedding hack? Choose a venue that has everything all in one place!

Best advice for others planning a wedding? Just do what you want. We have no regrets on the traditions we kept or the ones we threw out. We invited who we genuinely wanted there. Being surrounded by friends and family who are just happy to be a part of your day and celebrate you takes a lot of the stress away. Oh, and get the band … the atmosphere is the best.