Lauren & Andy

Before I launch into my introduction of Lauren and Andy’s amazing wedding, there really are only three things you need to know. The couple married at an old train station. They were married by Elvis. The bride wore a black sequin gown. Want to get straight into the day? Me too!

Today we have the story of the first meeting from the bride *and* groom! Lauren says “We met through Andy’s sister Kate, as we were good friends.” And Andy? “I saw Lauren at my niece’s playgroup one day and I had to see her again!”

Photographs today are by Goldsmith & Co Photography who create images with distinctly vintage feel but also a little modern take on their captures.

Shoreditch London provided the groom and groomsman’s suit. Andy added a pair of black Toms to complete his look.

Lauren wore a black sequin wedding gown by Rachel Gilbert.

The couple hired a stylist to ensure everything went smoothly with their very blank slate of a venue. Lauren recalls “Everything was built and hand crafted for the wedding by Lauren Adele Design. The site dictated the structure of wedding and how to approach the styling. Even though we had hired Muckleford Train Station, it is technically a public space. Our wedding went till very late on a Saturday night and we needed to start building 3 days before the wedding. Everything had to be weather tolerant, and hard to steal!”

Crate loads of old cooking jars had been saved by the couple’s friends in the lead up and fashioned into vases and vessels, wrapped with natural hessian and string.

Towering vintage ladders were headed with 6 metre long plinths that sat 3 metres high. Mix-matched fabrics were hung to create these amazing textured and patterned walls, giving the space definition. Lauren recalls ” A local man, Reg, let me raid his immense garden in the wee hours of the morning on the wedding day, taking oversized green foliage by the car load! ”

Lauren and Andy tried to incorporate the history of their surroundings with their wedding decor. Lauren explains, “The Maldon Steam train, Maldon Train Station, and Muckleford Train Station are such historic landmarks having been built in the 1880’s. It was so unique to be able to incorporate that sense of history in a modern day setting – our wedding. There is a rustic tooling shed at Muckleford Train Station that struck us as being so emblematic of country life. We used this as the point to build our wedding from and everything evolved from there. The tooling shed became our bar.”

Old French timber doors were stripped back to make distressed tabletops.

A huge ‘Just Married’ sign was made from cardboard and tomato stakes.

Hay bales were covered with paint drop sheets and tied with hessian camping ties for the ceremony seating, intermixed with old church pews.

Little hand typed signs were strung up and pegged around the ceremony & reception.

Really long strips of fabric were tied from tree branches, which effortlessly moved to the breeze.

Guests were transported to the wedding by steam strain. Lauren explains “The wedding guests arrived at Maldon Train Station in the historic town of Maldon, Victoria. Our guests were met by the Victorian Goldfields Station Master and sipped on pre-wedding drinks before being taken by a private steam train to Muckleford – a journey through a box iron bark forest in an historic mining region that took about 20 minutes.”

Lauren’s stepmother made the wedding bouquets.

Lauren walked down the aisle to Radiohead ‘Fake Plastic Trees’.

Lauren and Andy were married by Elvis [Daniel James) who surprised the guests by signing his way in. Lauren explains “Our Elvis celebrant was amazing. It was his first time in costume. We had to convince him to take on the job, but he embraced his inner Elvis and it was so entertaining. He played guitar and sang intermittently throughout the ceremony. It was hilarious when just before the ‘I do’s’ he broke into ‘It’s Now Or Never’, and even funnier when he announced us as husband and wife and sang ‘A Little Less Conversation’ as we walked back down the aisle with our guests showering us in dried rose petals. We have a fun household at home and humour is a big part of us, so we wanted our wedding day to be the same.”

Lauren describes the day as “Beautiful, relaxed, rustic, honest, incredibly fun & funny!”

Lauren loved ” Having my maid-of-honour Cress staying with us from Perth in the week leading up to the wedding ” Lauren’s maid of honour wore a black lace gown from Lover.

Of their photographer Lauren says “Brett Goldsmith is an amazing person, an ace friend, and a talented, accomplished photographer and artist. He is a true professional and loads of fun – his shots are stunning.”

The wedding was truly a community affair, Lauren remarks “One of the local committees lent us lighting. Our friends and family lent us objects. It’s wonderful living in a small community, everyone is genuinely willing to help and be kind. ” As wedding favors, the bride made homemade tomato relish.

Guests danced the night away to “A five-piece jazz band playing trad & hot jazz of the roaring 20s.”  Once the last tune had been played, guests boarded the train for the journey home. Lauren recalls “The journey back from the wedding in the steam train – the lights failed and it was literally like being in the 1800’s. Our guests were very jolly by then and the trip in the dark will be one we never forget – we have never laughed so hard, it was unreal!”

Congratulation Lauren and Andy! Thank you for sharing your wedding with us! Thank you also to Goldsmith & Co Photography for sharing today’s photos!