When an onlooker was in danger, nurse Naomi hitched up her bridal gown and went into action.

Few brides would forget their wedding day, but Adelaide mum-of-two Naomi Dunning has an extraordinary reason to remember hers – she saved the life of a bystander.

The 32-year-old nurse found herself giving CPR to onlooker Beryl Wilson, who had just been pulled out of shallow water alongside the Glenelg jetty where Naomi and her new husband Josh were having their photos taken.

Beryl, 55, was watching the bridal party when she lost her balance and fell off the pier. Naomi and Josh, who have a two-year-old daughter, Madison, and eight-month-old son, Noah (both pictured above), were preparing to make their way to their reception when fate took a highly unexpected turn.

“We were walking down the pier for our photos when I suddenly saw our groomsman, Adrian Ackerman-Harvie, jumping into the water in his suit and Josh sprinting down the jetty as well,” says Naomi. “I saw Adrian pulling someone out of the water, then all I remember is throwing my bouquet over my shoulder, hoisting my dress up and sprinting down the beach.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Naomi launched into action. “They’d pulled Beryl out and put her into the recovery position,” she says. “When I got to her, she wasn’t breathing – she was blue. Instinct just kicked in. I turned Beryl over and started mouth to mouth and the photographer, who’s also a nurse, gave her chest compressions.”

Pictures by Donna Solowij at SimplyBeautifulPhotographix