Painted Boat Resort Spa & Marina

At Painted Boat, the water is never simply somewhere in the distance. Pender Harbour sits right beside the celebration, bringing the stillness and colour of the Sunshine Coast into a wedding from the moment guests arrive. Tucked among the trees in Madeira Park, the resort suits couples who want the day to feel intimate, coastal and a little removed from ordinary life.

Painted Boat hosts weddings of up to 60 guests using its waterfront Harbour Room, deck and green space. Spacious villas on the property allow loved ones to stay close, turning the wedding into more than a few scheduled hours. Customized catering can be arranged through the resort, while the spa and Serenity Garden offer another layer to a weekend that is meant to be enjoyed rather than hurried through.

There is a quiet luxury in keeping the guest list small enough that every face matters. Imagine vows with the harbour beyond them, dinner close to the water and the evening unfolding among people who have nowhere else they need to be. When the celebration winds down, there is no long goodbye at a ballroom door. Family and friends can simply wander back to their villas, carrying the day's stories with them into the night, leaving the kind of warm, romantic memory that feels almost storybook long after the last dance.

• On the water, or with water views
• Gardens and grounds