Throwback Thursday is here and we’re still reeling (impressed, but naturally had full body sweats till the end) over Lauren and Ben’s engagement story, originally published in the 2021 Real Wedding Special. “While [in France] we headed on a boat trip with my mum when Ben suggested a photo, during [which] he dropped a ring box over the side of the boat into the water,” Lauren told us. “We ran to rent a little motorboat to go back to the spot where the box had ‘sunk’. Turns out it was all a ruse and Ben had another ring box with the actual ring. He proposed in the middle of Lake Annecy on our own private boat. It was magical.” Just over a year later, these two tied the knot in the gorgeous town of Clunes, in the Byron hinterland, and Tennille Fink was on-hand to capture the whole beautiful thing.
THE VENUE “Once we saw the The Earth House we both agreed it was our favourite. We loved that it was made out of compacted earth, which got Ben’s engineering juices flowing and really complimented the natural surroundings of rolling green hills.”
THE DRESS “Dress shopping is definitely an overwhelming experience. I never really had a specific ‘look’ that I wanted. While my mum was over from the UK for three weeks, I booked in to as many bridal shops as I could. Luckily, I found the dress at Karen Willis Holmes. I would never have envisaged that I would wear a sequinned gown for my big day but the way it fit and the reflections of the beading was beautiful.”
LITTLE LOL “The whole ceremony was a highlight and the funniest part of the day. We really didn’t want a stuffy traditional ceremony and wanted to keep it light and jovial. My brother [our celebrant] managed to do this perfectly, including inappropriate jokes, a poem he wrote himself and his own spin on the vows.”
WE’RE GLAD WE… “Had a wedding planner. We got the month out package with Roxy from Frank and Joy, and it made all the difference. It took so much stress away and she had so many useful suggestions. I didn’t have to think about anything on the day except marrying my love.”
REFERENCES “Hello May magazine and blog, of course. As well as lots of wedding fairs and Instagram stalking.”
STANDOUT VENDOR “Tennille Fink was fantastic – she went with the flow, took the most gorgeous photos and most of the time I forgot she was there!”
These Byron Bay nups sure weren’t short of rockstar vendors. To assemble your own dream team, head to our directory. To see more from Tennille Fink, click here, Karen Willis Holmes, head here, M.J. Bale, here and Natalie Marie Jewellery, right over here.
CONTRIBUTING VENDORS Photographer Tennille Fink Event Planner & Stylist Frank and Joy Florist The French Petal Stationery Paper Source Ceremony & Reception The Earth House Catering 100 Mile Table Cake Quince Fromagerie Cellar Hire Items Events Party Hire, Frank and Joy, Northern Rivers Plant Hire Lighting Hire Byron Audio Cake Topper & Signage Etsy Celebrant William Reddington-Smith (bride’s brother) Rings Natalie Marie Jewellery Transport Byron Bay Double Decker Bus THE BRIDE Gown Karen Willis Holmes Veil JJs House Robes Jasmine and Will, Homebodii Shoes Tony Bianco Earrings Chosen by KHYA Hair Clare Moriarty Makeup Clare Moriarty (bride), Erin Forbes (mother of bride and bridesmaids) Bridesmaid Dresses Shona Joy Bridesmaid Shoes Bridesmaids’ own THE GROOM Suit & Shoes Aquila Shirt & Tie P. Johnson Watch Mr Simple Groomsmen Suits M.J. Bale