Country Style Wedding - Polka Dot Bride

Lauren & Aaron

Today’s country style vintage inspired wedding won my heart pretty quickly. The bride re-imagined her mother’s wedding gown with Valentino flowers, the couple served amazing cheese, married at an amazing country homestead and they served their favourite wines. The sweet romance of today’s wedding is nothing short of overwhelming and beautifully captured by Kelly Adams.

On how they met, Lauren tells, “We met at an ‘after exams’ party when we were at uni. One of our good friends Ali who was on the bridal party introduced us.”

Lauren wore her mother’s wedding gown, explaining, “The dress was very special! It is my mother’s dress that she wore for her wedding reception. It is tie-dyed parachute silk with a french lace top. Mum wore it hippie style with a leather belt. My mum, Toni (who is a special family friend, like a second mum to me) and Vanessa my gorgeous dress maker re-designed it to have a vintage flare. We added the Valentino silk flowers to the skirt.

My cousin is a milliner and made my headpiece out of the fabric from my mother’s wedding dress and the Valentino flowers.” Lauren’s bridesmaids wore different gowns from Living Silk.

Lauren and Aaron chose the beautiful Gabbinbar Homestead for their wedding. Lauren telling, “The ceremony, photos and reception were all held at Gabbinbar Homestead in Toowoomba. It is a wonderfully restored homestead that used to be the home a previous Queensland premier and was the summer house for numerous Queensland governors. The surrounding gardens are immaculate, there’s a croquet lawn, horse stables and another building that used to be a school on site. We had dinner in ‘The Conservatory’ with glass ceilings and there is a separate ballroom, two sitting rooms and a bridal retreat.”

For the walk down the aisle, Lauren chose ‘Space They Cannot Touch’ by Kate Miller-Heidke.

Jim Tannion 0418 715 844 officiated the ceremony which including a hand-fasting ritual. Lauren remembers, “We had a hand-fasting as part of our wedding ceremony which is where each guest places a ribbon over our clasped hands, tells us a wish they have for us both and then our mothers tied the ribbons all together. It gave us the opportunity to have a special moment with each of our family and friends and have everyone involved in the ceremony. This was a really special memory from our wedding day.”

Of their photographer, Lauren tells, “Kelly Adams was our gorgeous photographer. The photos speak for themselves! Simply stunning, we are so happy with them. Kelly was such a delight to have on the day to capture those special moments and to share a laugh with as well!”

Celebrations continued in the conservatory, where plenty of good food and wine was on the agenda. Lauren remembering, “We had two fantastic reds – 2006 Peter Lehman Shiraz and 2008 Brands Laira Cabernet Sauvignon from my father’s cellar!! It was very important for Aaron and I to have good wine and food. My father also supplied the cheese platter for after dinner with a d’Argental creneux, Comte and Roquefort.”

The wedding cake was made by a close friend, Lauren telling, ” One of my best friends Christine from medical school made the wedding cake. She made it and brought it on the plane with her from Sydney!”

The wedding had plenty of handmade touches, Lauren remarking, “My mother made a fabric bunting and all the hessian and lace table runners. My father hand wrote all of our wedding invitations, order of ceremony and menus. I decorated all the jars and bottles for the flowers on the tables. The girls from the bridal party made their own bouquets and I made mine.”

For their first dance, Lauren remembers, “We did the dirty dancing dance to Time of My Life! Well – attempted! We had 3 dance lessons and we did a shorter easier version. We did the lift – even if it was only for about one second! ”