Lauren and Joshua

I love to end off the week on Polka Dot Bride with something local, so when this lovely Australian wedding (Montville to be precise) popped into my inbox I knew it was the perfect way to end another week of gorgeous inspiration on Polka Dot Bride.

Today’s wedding is such a delight and the best part is, every moment of the day is retold by both Lauren and Josh- so you get the entire story and all the little moments from each of them (always my favourite part).

Lauren and Josh explain how they met. “We met at a mutual friend’s party and later that night we ended up playing an epically boring game of cranium (Joshua thought the game was boring…). We started hanging out together with our friends and playing bare foot bowls, camping trips and many dinners. After a few months, Josh asked Lauren out and she said NO!! A few weeks later she then said yes ;-)”

Photos today are by Jonas Peterson. Jonas, again, captured today’s wedding so beautifully – so true to Josh and Lauren and full of the photographs I have come to love – moments, atmosphere and unexpected beauty. Alex Ball shot a wedding video of the day.

Lauren and Joshua had funky personalised invitations designed to match the style of their wedding. They recall “Our invites were designed by Joshua’s sister Emily who is a graphic designer with (Emily Weier Designs) — she’s still designing her site). She did the most awesome invites and we were so thrilled and lucky.”

Lauren wore a gown from Hilde Heim. Julie, Lauren’s mother handcrafted a vintage lace top for Lauren to wear. Lauren’s mum and grandmother also made the bridesmaid’s gowns in Autumn colours using dupion silk.

A secret surprise was gifted to the bride on the morning of the wedding. The newlyweds tell “Joshua the ever-so-sneaky-one surprised Lauren with a wonderful gift. Lauren dearly loves sewing and all things crafty, so the morning of the wedding Lauren’s mum dropped over a very large surprise on behalf of Joshua… a Bernina sewing machine. Holey Moley!”

Lauren and Joshua held their ceremony at Secrets On The Lake. They remember “After many hours of travel in and around Brisbane, when we saw Secrets on the Lake we instantly knew this was exactly what we were after! The owner George and his wife and staff were delightful. The setting was just like a Disney movie… magical! All the treehouses, walkways and gardens are handmade by George. Honestly, you have to see this place to understand its magic.” The bride travelled to the ceremony in a sentimental vehicle. “Our friends Dean and Trudy lent us their mini – the one Joshua borrowed on the day of their epic adventure date that led to Joshua proposing to Lauren!”

Lauren’s brother James composed a supremely beautiful piece for Lauren to walk through the garden and down the aisle to.

The couple were married by Geoff Cake (0438 797 253 ) “We honestly couldn’t have asked for anyone more supportive and Godly. This man is a legend! We prepared and memorised our own wedding vows. They were very powerful words which will no doubt echo through the rest of our lives. ”

On of the funnier moments of the day was an unexpected scoring. Joshua and Lauren recall “After the first kiss, the groomsmen held up little scorecards that they had hidden in their pockets. Perfect 10’s except for Nathanael who rated our first kiss a 6 ¾ – but after the second kiss, decided it was worthy of a 10! We had a lot of cheers.”

There is nothing like that moment you’re pronounced husband and wife, the newlyweds agree. “We found the person to love no-matter-what until our hearts beat no longer. THAT is a good feeling.”

The newlyweds made use of the beautiful surrounds for their photographs. “We got to take the wooden rowboat out on the lake after the ceremony and that was just a treat. Our ever-reliable wedding party helped us get into the boat safely. That was brilliant.”

The groomsmen wore pants and vests by Jack London, and Joshua wore pants from Jack London and a vest from Scotch and Soda.

The bride did the floral arrangements with her bridesmaids ..and one lone groomsmen “We did our own flowers ! Purchased from Rocklea flower markets in Brisbane, arranged and wrapped in ribbon the evening before the wedding by bride, bridesmaids and one groomsman who happens to love flowers more than most girls (Hi Bevan!).”

Lauren and Joshua held their wedding party at a hall in Montville. They remarked “We had our wedding party at the old Montville Village Hall. The hall is heritage listed and was built in 1898. It was perfect for what we wanted – a blank canvas for a DIY extravaganza with old worldly charm.”

The couple infused their wedding with plenty of DIY details. They explain “Our whole wedding was pretty much handmade. Seriously, EVERYTHING… right down to the tablecloths. Lauren’s dad was the mastermind behind the hanging candle chandeliers. Joshua’s mum grew over 100 little succulent plants and potted them into 100+ small glasses that we bought from Ikea to give to our guests as a present. SO cute!

Joshua’s love of beer was turned into a specially crafted beer bar at the reception. They explain “Andrew and Gavin (two of Joshua’s groomsmen) handcrafted the special boutique beer and was served from Andrew’s specially made serving fridge, complete with gold plated Italian beer taps.”

The hall was littered with personal details, put together with the help of the newlyweds. “Our bridal party and families came to Montville the day before the wedding and spent the whole day with us preparing the hall. It was really important and meant the world to us… the last day of bonding before the wedding day. We are eternally grateful to them, we love you guys!”

One of the funnier moments was the results of the couple’s homemade photo booth. “We set up our own photo booth in the hall where apparently many indecent photos were taken. I guess if you leave the photo booth in the same location as the beer fridge, you get some pretty interesting pictures!”

The couple had their reception catered by Spoonfed Catering and explain “We chose not to have a cake. Instead we had platters of petit fours: home made lemon curd/chocolate ganache with seasonal fruits, clotted creme, Parisian fairy floss almond praline & passion fruit coulis. An assortment of mini pavlovas with orange and hazelnut and chocolate chunks with dollop crème. And lastly, delicious espresso shots!!! “

For their first dance? “We ripped it up with our friends and family to some Shem Allen dirty jazz,” which was really reflective of their attitude for their entire day. “We did it our way – regardless of traditions, conformity and all the boring bits in between. … we put our own spin on it.”

Joshua also surprised Lauren and performed a song he especially wrote for her. Lauren scored it a perfect 10! They say “During the wedding party Joshua snuck outside and tested out his song on Andrew and Gavin (groomsmen). After swooning the two, he got the green light from both. Andrew then told Joshua he and the band would back him up. That was the first time he’d ever really played with a band on a stage. Nervousssss!! ;-)”

At our wedding party, the band was mostly comprised of our good friends from Skinny Jean. The first half of their set was improv jazz, the Beatles and others. The second half was quite loose and our friends went a little nuts on the dance floor. Good times.

The best moment of the day? “At the end of the wedding day, we felt ridiculously loved. It was really overwhelming.”

Congratulations Lauren and Joshua! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us on Polka Dot Bride! Thank you also to by Jonas Peterson. for sharing today’s images!

Stay tuned, we have an extra special treat from Lauren and Joshua’s wedding coming up in an hour or two!

Photos by Jonas Peterson