Together for 14 years, these two lovely ladies met in London at a P!nk concert, way back in 2006. As Alli describes it, “Lauren travelled to London, from Northamptonshire, for our first date and never went home!” The duo were engaged for a whopping 7 years, waiting for the government to get their act together, so you best believe that by the time their big day rolled around, good times were abundant. Opting for luxe vintage-inspired bridal looks, Lauren went with bridal legend Karen Willis Holmes whilst Alli donned a lush wide-leg jumpsuit and cape, with both gals babin’ waves courtesy of HM fave Missy Veyret. Robert Meredith was on hand to capture all the treasured memories, so you are going to want to scroll all the way down…
THE VIBE “It was important to us that we maintained a sense of sustainability and therefore did a lot of DIY using existing materials and avoided the overuse of throw-away plastics. The only single running theme of the day was rose quartz, the stone of unconditional love. We had three huge pieces on our signing table and every guest received a piece to take home, with a note about the properties of the crystal and the energy it had absorbed on the day, a way for our family and friends to take some of the good vibes with them. The soft pink colour was a nice offset against the other darker edgier tones we used on everything else.”
FAVOURITE DETAILS “We both love music and have spent the best part of 14 years going to see artists we love, or sitting at home listening to our vinyl collection. So, instead of table numbers, we custom made table names using 7” vinyl records with the faces of our favourite female artists. It injected a subtle dose of girl power and it was fun to watch people make their way to the Amy Winehouse table or the Stevie Nicks table. This was complemented by our DJ only playing vinyl records all night. Some of our earliest memories as a couple are centred around us both DJing at clubs in London, so the music was extra important.”
THE JUMPSUIT “I [Alli] saw my jumpsuit online about two years previous and knew from the minute I saw it, it was what I wanted. I ordered it and it fit like a glove, job done. Still, to this moment, I believe it was the perfect choice for me and I felt so comfortable in it. I added some antique rhinestone jewellery to elevate it. At the last minute, I felt I needed something a little “extra” so reached out to my friend Amy who is a fashion designer and she suggested a cape. Immediately, I knew it would make me feel like Wonderwoman, so her and her gorgeous Mum, who also works in bridalwear, took me shopping for the materials. The cape was a talking point on the day!”
THE DRESS “I [Lauren] had always been nervous about finding the right dress as I have curves. I spent some time online looking for Australian made dresses that were made particularly for those of us with curves (not just those bridal stores that offer plus sizes of their dresses). I saw that Karen Willis Holmes had just launched a curve range and immediately fell in love with one of their dresses named Bobby. I made an appointment to try some dresses on with my close friend, Alli, and my Mum who was visiting from the UK. I tried Bobby on first and instantly I knew it was the one. I tried on about six other dresses but went back to Bobby and ordered it that same day.”
FAVOURITE MOMENTS “I [Lauren] have so many treasured memories from this night. One that I really love is when I was waiting with my Dad to walk down the aisle. My Dad is very English, and by that I mean he is very stoic and held together. He could see the tears rolling down my face before we even started walking, and he looked at me teary-eyed also and said ‘ We can do this’. It seems silly, but I think it is one of the first times me and my dad have shared an emotional moment together.”
LITTLE LOL “At the reception, in an attempt to encourage everyone to connect, we made little games and cards with instructions on them. The instructions would say things like “approach two people you don’t know and take them to the photobooth” which resulted in some funny photos and new friendships. Another one was “approach the closest plant, stroke it’s leaves and tell it it’s beautiful until someone asks if you’re OK”. People did it, and it was hilarious as it all unfolded.”
Like what you see? You can find more from Lauren and Alli’s legendary vendors Missy Veyret here and Karen Willis Holmes here. We recently blogged Karen Willis Holmes’ brand spanking new Elope collection, perfect for city nuptials, which you can find right here. But first, be sure to scroll down for the goods…
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Robert Meredith Photography Florist Aisle Of Eden Venue & Catering Porteno Cake Rizzo’s Patisserie Desserts Nutie Donuts Wedding Favours The Rock Crystal Shop, Cave Cookies Photo Booth Undisposable Entertainment We Play Records Celebrant Barbara Dent Rings Eliise Maar (Lauren) BRIDE (Lauren) Dress Karen Willis Holmes Loungewear Glamour + Grace Bridal via Etsy Shoes Ted Baker Earrings Ella Rose Accessories Hair Missy Veyret Makeup Isabella Schimid Bridesmaid Dress Chancery BRIDE (Alli) Dress Jill Stuart Cape Amy Badikovich Loungewear Glamour + Grace Bridal via Etsy Shoes Ted Baker Belt Amore Treasure via Etsy Ring Uberkate Hair Missy Veyret Makeup Isabella Schimid Bridesmaid Jumpsuit Amelius