L A U R E N + M A T T
Lauren and Matt’s love story started with a haircut, blossomed when they moved 100kms from home and became lifelong in a gorgeous country chapel in Daylesford, Victoria.
We first met…
We met through mutual friends, in our hometown, Ballarat. Our first face to face meet, was when I was cutting his hair at work, and our first date, was a drive down to Melbourne to support one of my friends competing in a Ralph bikini Final. Lucky Matt.
We knew it was love…
When we both had made the big move to Melbourne, almost 7 years ago. We both instantly became each others rocks, in adapting and surviving, in our first move away from home! The amount of support, respect and encouragement we both gave each other, made it very clear that we were destined to be together forever.
The proposal…
We got engaged (finally :)) on the 2nd November 2014, at our favourite lookout point, Mariners Lookout, Apollo Bay. We walked up to the top, and there was miraculously nobody else there. Matt got down on one knee, and proposed to me with the most STUNNING, handmade ring, which he designed himself. I couldn’t be more impressed and in love with this ring if I tried! Shoutout to McAlister Jewellers, in Collins street, Melbourne. Amazing family owned business! Shaun was more than helpful and exceeded all of our expectations. (He designed our wedding bands as well, PERFECTLY)
T HE W E D D I N G
Our bridal party…
We chose to have 3 on each side.
My maid of honour was my sister, and Matts two sisters were my other bridesmaids.
Matt’s best mate was his best man, and had another close friend, and brother-in-law as his groomsmen.
Pre-wedding celebrations…
Both our families, and bridal party, stayed with us the night before. Us girls had one house, where we had a nice dinner and relaxing night in. The boys on the other hand, there house was very much alive until about 4am. Lots of alcohol and a Jacuzzi which ended up looking like a foam party, enough said…..
The bridesmaids wore…
The girls had beautiful ‘Allure’ strapless, chiffon, floor length gowns. The gorgeous shade of pink was called Blossom, and I purchased them from Brides of Melbourne, Essendon.
The groom and groomsmen wore…
Matt and his groomsmen’s suits were also from Brides of Melbourne, Essendon. They were a soft navy, with very light pink ties. All the boys had dark brown shoes from Aquila, with a matching colour belt. Very handsome 🙂
The dress…
I was quite open when it came to choosing my dress. I tried on about 20 at many different stores, but definitely felt most comfortable in the fishtail designs.
‘The One’ was chosen with my mum and sister, whilst visiting Raffaele Ciuca, Brunswick. It was Off White, with a strapless, sweetheart neckline. It was fitted, down to below my waist, where it had a large tulle skirt that puffed out, with a long train. In alterations, I had the back cut down a lot lower also. It was perfect. I also wore my mums veil with it, and it went perfectly. J
Wedding flowers…
Like most brides, the inspiration for my flowers was from Pinterest. I didn’t want a traditional round bunch of roses. I wanted something MASSIVE, with a mix of different colours, flower types and sizes, that was wrapped in hessian.
Sari, from Wombat Hill Nursery, Daylesford, NAILED the flowers. I gave her a few images, and then left the rest to her. I found it much easier trusting the professionals, and I was confident she knew what I liked. The end result, was even better than the images I gave her. Perfect!
Our dream wedding…
We both wanted something small and intimate, so we cut our numbers down to 100. We both wanted to be married in a church/chapel, and preferably somewhere that we could have everything at the same venue. Our theme was more rustic, with a touch of baby pink.
The location…
Everything was held, at the stunning Convent Gallery, Daylesford. Our ceremony was held up in the chapel, and our reception was held in the St Michaels room.
The photographer and videographer…
After countless nights of searching through Melbourne photographers (we were both VERY fussy and particular about our wedding photography), we chose the fantastic Joseph Koprek. His studio is in Collingwood, and his work is very relaxed and natural. He captured all the detail and emotion perfectly from our day, and we are absolutely smitten with all our photos.
One of our true highlights that we would also like to mention, aside from Joseph, is the videography company we chose. Moon and Back Co.
These guys, are truly worth EVERY CENT, and we cannot recommend them higher. The package that these guys put together for us, to keep and cherish forever, leaves me lost for words. Every time I watch our short film, I’m always left in tears. They captured our whole day so perfectly, and were absolutely flawless to deal with, every step of the way. Nathan captured our day for us, and we truly thank you for everything you have created for us, from the bottom of our hearts.
The décor…
Our reception room was filled with lots of rustic props. We had tree slices, lots of jars, crates, hessian, flowers and frames.
We had a candy buffet filled with all of our favourite lollies. A photobooth was set up for us and our guests to enjoy, thanks to ‘In The Booth’.
On the deck outside, we had the letters L.O.V.E set up, thanks to ‘Letter Lights, Melbourne’.
On the menu…
We had a three course sit down meal. The Convent are well known for there fine dining, and delicious meals, so we were in very safe hands here.
The menu was as follows:
Canapés: Pork sliders, Prawn fritters AND Vietnamese chicken
Entrees: Panfried Gnocchi AND Smoked Salmon on Roesti
Mains: Pork Belly AND Ox Cheek
Dessert: Lemon Curd Tart AND Chocolate Mousse
The cake…
The most delicious cake we have honestly ever eaten and seen, was created by Sharyn from ‘Black Bird Cakes’ in Woodend. We had decided on a semi-naked cake, but left the rest for Sharyn to guide us.
We opted for a 3 tier cake, which was made up of 3 different flavours, white chocolate mud with raspberry, marble mud, and lemon mud.
She delivered it to the venue for us, where her and our florist both decorated it and set it up on a large tree slice. Stunning.
Bonbonniere…
We wanted our guests to have something that was memorable, that they could take home and actually use. Despite it being a bit of work, the men received engraved glass beer mugs, and the girls received engraved stemless wine glasses. All were boxed and individually wrapped up in kraft paper, tied in string, with name tags attached, which were placed at everybody’s seats on their tables.
Memorable moments…
My sister, rapped her maid of honour speech. It went for about 10minutes, and she took parts of many different songs, and rewrote her own lyrics. VERY creative.
Wedding soundtrack…
The song that I walked down the aisle to, was Shania Twain – From This Moment. The lyrics were perfect, and when I was little, I always said I wanted this to be my wedding song.
All our music, we chose together. All are either sentimental songs to us, or simply some of our favourites.
During the ceremony whilst we signed our papers, we played Ed Sheeran – Tenerife Sea, and Christina Perri feat Steve Kazee – A Thousand Years Part 2
When we exited the chapel, we played Rachel Platten – Stand By You
Our entrance song to the reception, Calvin Harris – Feel So Close
Cutting of the cake, Birds of Tokyo – Plans
Bridal waltz, Ed Sheeran – Kiss Me
Father/Daughter dance, Mariah Carey – Hero (my dad’s favourite artist)
Bouquet Throw, Beyonce – Single Ladies
Garter Throw, Ginuwine – Pony
M A R R I E D L I F E
The honeymoon…
The day after the wedding, we shot to Koh Samui, Thailand for a week, for our ‘mini-moon’. It was very important to getaway, take it all in, and relax.
Our main honeymoon, we travelled parts of Europe, for the month of July. It was the perfect honeymoon, and memorable in more ways than one.
Future plans…
We are about to start building our family home, in Highton, Geelong. We cannot wait to raise a family, close to the beach, in a more relaxed lifestyle.
In 40 years you hope to…
Have many grandchildren, and years of travel behind us. We both look forward to watching our children enjoy the same special journey in their lives.
W E D D I N G W I S D O M
The engagement…
Enjoy the moment/day together, before sharing the news. It’s such a special and exciting time for you both, and you deserve to soak it all in together.
Planning…
Enjoy all the planning together. I was fortunate that Matt took a lot of interest in all the fine details, and we were both on the same page with it all which helped a lot.
On the day…
All the hard work is done, so enjoy every minute. Both you and your husband, make sure you sit back and take in and admire everything that you have both created. It goes super fast, so enjoy!
Videography by Moon and Back Co.
Ceremony and reception venue The Convent Gallery / Photographer Joseph Koprek Photography / Videographer Moon and Back Co. /Entertainment Dj Masters / Stationery Billington Street / Flowers Wombat Hill Nursery / Bridal Gown Raffaele Ciuca / Makeup Ebony Maize MUA / Hair Luxe Cutters / Boys’ suits and bridesmaids’ dresses Brides Of Melbourne / Bonbonniere Giftware Direct / LOVE sign Letter Lights / Photobooth In the Booth / Cake Black Bird Cakes