A WEDDING onboard a beautiful old Northern Territory pearl lugger nearly ended in disaster when the bride fell 3m into the engine room - followed by the groom.

Paramedics refused to help the couple until a police escort arrived because so many of the guests were drunk.

The man and his bride were released after being treated at Royal Darwin Hospital, the NT News said.

Volunteer Coastguard commander Tony Butler said: "Thankfully, they weren't seriously injured.

"They had nasty falls and it could have ended badly."

The celebrations began to go wrong when the wedding boat Kim broke down in Darwin Harbour about 8pm on Sunday and police were called for help.

The coastguard's Arafura Guardian was dispatched with a replacement battery.

But as the rescue boat headed across the harbour, the lugger radioed in news that the bride had fallen vertically through a hatch to the engine room in her wedding gown.

Mr Butler called paramedics and then began ferrying passengers from the stricken Kim to Cullen Bay.

"The bride was lying on her back on the engine room floor when we arrived," he said. "She went into shock.

"We didn't try to move her because we didn't know if she had spinal injuries."

As the Arafura Guardian ferried passengers ashore, news came through to the coastguard vessel that the groom had also tumbled down the hatch.

Mr Butler said the paramedics were worried when they arrived at Cullen Bay to find drunken passengers milling around and insisted on a police escort out to the Kim.

"We took the paramedics and police over to the lugger," he said.

"The couple were then brought to shore and taken to hospital."



For local updates on this and other stories, please visit the NT News.