Sue Adams, 47, Gold Coast, Qld
Hearing the waves crash on the shore, I felt life’s troubles melt away. As the sun set in the distance, an orange glow filled the sky.
‘I feel so free,’ I smiled to my partner Jeff, 54.
We weren’t enjoying the beach in our swimmers though – we were completely nude. Being starkers is when Jeff and I are at our happiest!
I first met Jeff online two years ago. We clicked from the very first message and, as soon as I clapped eyes on him on our first date, I knew I’d met the one.
Jeff and I first tried out naturism when we went on holiday to Byron Bay.
‘Oh, I’m not sure, Jeff. I feel exposed,’ I laughed when we arrived at the nudist beach.
Physically taking my clothes off took a few attempts. But after I’d done it once, it was easy.
‘Doesn’t it feel great?’ asked Jeff.
‘Yes,’ I giggled, relaxing on my towel.
Even though we’d only been together for three-and-a-half months, it made us so much more comfortable with each other.
From then on, I couldn’t stop. So we booked ourselves in for another naked escape as soon as we could, planning to visit a naturist resort in Croatia.
Knowing I was going to spend most of the holiday nude made it a lot easier to pack!
In autumn last year, we visited Eagle View Naturist Retreat in Toowoomba.
While we were exploring, Jeff got down on one bare knee and asked me to marry him.
‘Yes!’ I squealed, leaping into the arms of my naked fiancé.
Our family and friends were delighted by the news and couldn’t wait for a big family wedding. We’ve got four children and six grandkids between us, so it was going to be a busy day!
But they were shocked when they found out we didn’t want a traditional wedding.
It felt right to get married in the place where Jeff popped the question – and we wanted to do it completely naked!
For my first wedding, I wore a traditional wedding dress and felt uncomfortable the entire day.
Then five years later, when I filed for divorce, I knew my next wedding was going to be different.
But now our relatives were hesitant to RSVP.
The very strict dress code of ‘Don’t wear clothes’ had scared them off.
My three children didn’t want to come to my wedding, and neither did Jeff’s daughter.
‘We don’t want to be naked in front of strangers!’ they kept saying.
While I was disappointed they wouldn’t be there, it was their choice.
‘Our day will be perfect, with or without them,’ I vowed to Jeff. Our relationship had been mostly in the nude, so why shouldn’t our wedding be?
So in April, I walked down the aisle wearing just my engagement ring, veil, blue garter and white sandals. Not picking out a dress had saved me so much time and money!
I could see Jeff ahead, wearing just a pair of flip flops, his glasses and a floral buttonhole stuck to his chest with double-sided tape.
Walking down, I realised I knew hardly anyone. Some of my friends had come, but the rest were strangers at the retreat.
Everyone was naked – even the cake toppers! This made our suited and booted celebrant seem even more out of place.
As we said our vows, I looked Jeff in the eyes and knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
‘I do!’ I proclaimed, as he slid the ring onto my finger.
After the ceremony, we had our wedding breakfast and evening reception in the nude. It was a perfect day, and being naked made both of us feel so free!
It was a true celebration of our relationship.