A N D Y + L A U R E N
{ Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel }
After Andy’s underwater marriage proposal, which Lauren describes as the”most adventurous, thoughtful and fun proposal ever”, the couple tied the knot under a beautiful big fig tree overlooking Watsons Bay. The relaxed wedding reflected Andy and Lauren’s laid back personalities. They even learnt to row a boat during their wedding photos!
F R O M T H E B R I D E
We first met…
Our paths crossed at a party. Andy came and introduced himself to me and my friends. My friends were kind enough to slink into the background and let us chat.
We knew it was love…
We both knew fairly quickly that there was something special between us but neither of us admitted it to the other for a really long time!
The proposal…
I’m a hard person to surprise but Andy pulled it off. Probably because he proposed under water during our first scuba dive together. I was so focussed on staying alive, the last thing I was thinking about was a proposal! Andy has been a scuba instructor in a previous career and when we first met I had just started adult swimming lessons. Very embarrassing to admit. Andy has been pushing me out of my comfort zone ever since, to the point that I finally got the courage to go scuba diving with him. I’m just so glad I didn’t swallow a whole lot of water when he pulled out the ‘will you marry me sign’ underwater… Most adventurous, thoughtful and fun proposal ever and I loved it.
T H E W E D D I N G
Our dream wedding…
We really wanted a very relaxed, chilled vibe… Which I think we achieved. Andy and I were super relaxed all day and hopefully our guests were too!
Ceremony location…
Under a beautiful big Fig Tree at Watsons Bay. The park ceremony was coordinated by Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. My good friend Katie Randell is a stylist for Megan Morton so she helped me with the ceremony set up. After the ceremony we stayed under the tree with all our guests and ate Luke Avenue cookies and drank champagne.
Reception venue…
On the Top Deck at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. The sun was setting over Sydney Harbour right when our guests made their way from the beach to the deck… it was so dreamy.
Pre-wedding celebrations…
My family, bridesmaids and I all spent the day in my family home getting ready, drinking champagne and eating loads of yummy food. My family made me a photo book of my life and each wrote me a letter. It’s a really special memory for me.
Our wedding photographer…
Jordann Wood was our photographer. We chose her because she is a friend, super talented and a little bit quirky. She has this stunning sense of style that translates to her photography. Plus she is fun to be around, which is plus when she’s by your side for 8 hours straight.
The bridal party…
I had four bridesmaids, my two sisters and my two best friends and Andy had three of his best mates as groomsmen.
The bridesmaids wore…
Full length halter neck cream dresses from Hartland & Co.
The groomsmen wore…
The groomsmen all wore suits they already owned. We didn’t want them to have to buy something just for our wedding. We bought them all matching socks and bow ties to help coordinate the overall look.
The groom wore…
Andy looked so handsome. He wore a blue suit with a crisp white shirt and bow tie…
The dress…
I was determined not spend more than $1000 on my dress, but struggled to find anything I liked in that price range. 5 weeks out from the wedding my dad found a dress he thought I might like online for $420. I ordered it the very next day and had it slightly altered by Sami & Sita (who also made my veil) just in the nick of time. My dad is actually a legend. My dress was a strapless, fitted gown in white. It was very simple and I loved it.
Wedding flowers…
Andy is from South Africa and I’m Australian so I chose protea’s and added some gum leaves for a simple and meaningful bouquet.
Reception décor…
The Top Deck at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel didn’t need much decorating. The view of the water and city was enough! They had fairy lights come on as it got dark and it made the evening so romantic.
Our friend Corey McAndrew’s of McCakes made our stunning wedding cake. A little local florist did my flowers for me. I loved having friends and locals be a part of our day.
On the menu…
We had a cocktail reception as we wanted the evening to be really relaxed and social. To this day people still comment on the food, it was so yummy and there was so much of it!
Bomboniere…
We gave each guest a cactus or succulent in a tin cup with a personal letter attached. We wanted to give them something they could keep.
I sourced the old tin camping cups from various stores and ebay sellers and bought cactus’ and succulents from Bunnings and planted them with my family.
Memorable moments…
Andy didn’t ask for much during the wedding planning process except that I have French nails (I didn’t even know he knew what that was!) and to have photos together in a boat out on the Harbour. So I did everything I could to make sure those two things happened. The day we booked Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, we got chatting to a guy down at the beach who owned a dingy. He offered to be there on our wedding day so we could use his boat for our photos, and sure enough, he turned up and helped us into the boat and pushed us out into the Harbour. Once we were out on the water he yelled out to ask whether either of us had rowed a boat before. We hadn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as I did in that moment and the photos turned out amazingly
Wedding soundtrack…
We had friends sing and play guitars during the ceremony. I had one of my closest friends sing ‘Amazing Grace’ while we signed the register. That song meant so much to me. And then it was all about the 90s at the reception
M A R R I E D L I F E
The honeymoon…
We stayed at our friends villa in Bali…Awarta Luxury Villas. It’s paradise there.
Future plans…
We are trying to buy an apartment in Sydney, no easy feat, and hoping to start a family at some point in the future.
In 40 years we hope to…
Be surrounded by our family and friends celebrating 40 years of marriage!
W E D D I N G W I S D O M
The engagement…
Enjoy being engaged, there’s no rush for the next step….
Planning…
Don’t overthink things, it’s okay if things don’t look exactly how you’d imagined. Everything will work out how it should. Oh, and listen to your groom, he’ll have amazing ideas. They might be a bit left of centre, but they’ll make for an incredible day.
On the day…
Everything is done so relax and enjoy each moment. Also, grab a couple of minutes with your groom to connect, it makes for a very special moment.
Photography: Jordann Wood Photography / Reception venue: Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel / Event planner & stylist: Rebecca Goulding and Katie Randell (friends) / Florist: Wild Rose at North Sydney / Ceremony venue: Under the Fig tree at Robertsons Park, Watsons Bay / Cookies after the ceremony: Luke Avenue Cookies / Cake: Corey from McCakes / Cake topper: ‘The Adventure Begins’ cake topper FromTheOwl (Etsy store) / Wedding favours: Bride’s DIY / Signage: Liz Taylor (friend) / Entertainment: Hannah Christie (friend) and Living Saik (friend) at ceremony, Chris Rogers (friend) and Nick Orton at the reception / Celebrant: Georg Pingel (friend and pastor) / Rings: Excel Jewellers at Ashfield / Bridal gown: Elle Zeitoune / Bridal alterations and veil: Sami & Sita, Paddington / Shoes: Sportsgirl / Hair: Jool Hair Boutique in McMahons Point / Makeup: Makeup by Anneke / Bridesmaid dresses: Feather Child Maxi Dress from Hartland & Co / Barber: DD&CO