Kate & Jeremy

If there is one thing The Summer Issue has shown, it’s just how amazing a venue can be. From outback estates to churches and beaches and today? A sugar cane farm! Could a wedding be any more Northern Queensland?

Matthew Evans was behind the camera capturing every moment (and that gorgeous golden sunset) and the gorgeous Kate and Jeremy greeted their guests with a garden ceremony, before they celebrated in the old sugar shed, complete with an epic, memorable sing-along.

It was the most beautiful new beginning for the couple who met through a mutual friend and were led from the moment they met, at least in Kate’s eyes! Kate thought Jeremy was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. Jeremy? He doesn’t remember this at all and needed another meeting thanks to a cunning friend to cement it in! The rest was history! Until Jeremy popped the question!

Kate tells their story “We had just arrived on Stradbroke Island with our two dogs for a three-week long holiday. Having just returned from our first beach walk of the holiday, I was on the couch with a book in my lap, a beer in one hand and the other in a chip packet. Jeremy walked into the room, knelt down behind the couch and said ‘now we are finally on holiday, will you marry me?’. In a slight state of shock,I  removed my hand from the chip packet, wiped off the salt before answering yes.”

Ella Rosa designed the bride’s classic lace gown. Kate tells “I went dress shopping on my own as I was on holiday and it was a tad spontaneous. I knew I wanted something that was fitted around the hips and butt because Jeremy is a butt man. It was the 3rd dress I tried on and I knew it was the one. The style was exactly what I was looking for, the illusion back added a beautiful point of interest and my butt looked amazing in it. Shopping on my own was actually a really refreshing experience. I just focused on me and what would look great on me and fit with our venue.”

The bride walked down the aisle with her father to Ed Sheeran’s “Tenerife Sea”.

Kate and Jeremy found Laloli Gardens for their wedding online, Kate remembers “We found Laloli Gardens as a suggestion on a Cairns Wedding Buy Swap and Sell page. Laloli Gardens is a private property located in Little Mulgrave in Far North Queensland. The owners, Gary and Jeneve, enjoyed holding family weddings on the property so much they decided to let it out to couples in the dry season. The property contains stunning gardens, an expansive lawn and an old shed that has been converted into a reception hall. The moment we walked onto the property we knew we had stumbled upon something special. We held our ceremony under the Arbour and then moved out to the Western Lawn where our guests enjoyed Bocchi and cricket before heading into the Sugar Shed for the reception.”

The couple chose Darlene Woodward as their celebrant, noting “I started crying the moment the song started playing but as soon as we started walking, a calmness just seemed to take over. Jeremy was very nervous. We were both shaking throughout but held hands and kept eye contact the whole time. There were a couple of moments of laughter that cut through the nerves. We were about halfway through the ceremony and I noticed a thread on the side of Jeremy’s head and I knew it would annoy me so removed it to the amusement of those gathered. Also, Jeremy tried to put the wedding ring on my right hand and I had to subtly tell him it was the wrong hand and present my left hand.”

Kate found her bouquet at La Plume De Fleur. She notes “I decided very early on I wanted silk flowers so I didn’t have to worry about what was in season and could keep them forever. I really wanted proteas and Australian native flowers. I found La Plume De Fleur on Etsy and she had exactly what I was looking for.”

 

“My favourite part was seeing it all come together” reminisces Kate. “You have ideas in your head about that it’s going to look like but you don’t know if it will actually all work. We had so many hands on deck the day before that set up was done in 45 minutes (and that was with the groomsman buggering off to explore the venue). We furnished our lawn party with bean bags and cousins and high bars made from cable runners. We had backyard cricket and Bocchi for our guests to play (we joined in the cricket). We had custom stubby and wine glass coolers to keep the drinks cold and hands warm.”

The bride added something very special to her attire for the day. She explains “I wore a rose gold and garnet brooch that has been worn by at least 4 generations of women on my mother’s side on their wedding days. It was such a pleasure to wear and got so many comments on how beautiful it is and how special having such a tradition is.”

 

Of their photographer, Kate tells “I had seen Matthew Evan’s work around town. There was something about his photos that I was really drawn to. Matthew is very popular and I would have changed our wedding date if he had not been available. He was incredibly professional and never felt in the way. I look at some photos and I think ‘where was he to get that photo’. He made us feel at ease especially because having photos taken is not up there on our list of things we like to do.”

 

Guests gathered for a dinner reception in the on site sugar shed. Tells Kate “The owners of Laloli Garden were really fantastic. They were so involved, offered to help where they could and made us really feel like we were at home. We invited them to celebrate with us at the reception and their dog Belle wondered around during the festivities which we loved because we were unable to bring our own fur babies (they would not have been well behaved).”

Kate styled much of the decor herself but it’s the centrepieces that were her favourite. She tells “I have to admit I was proud of the centrepieces. I wanted simple so as not to draw away from the beauty of the venue. I came across the idea of books (Jeremy loves to read) and teacups (I love tea). I spent many months searching charity shops for hardback books and teacups. We placed the teacups on the books and filled them with flowers. They were a hit. One table had an old Guinness Book of Records from the ’90s which they got out and were reading crazy things, some guests even took some home with them much to our delight.”

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“The speeches were definitely a highlight” tells Kate. “The father of the bride had been keeping a story under wraps for 9 years just to share on my wedding day, the father of the groom really sold what a great man his son has grown to be, the best man gave a very heartwarming speech about their childhood together and the maid of honour cried the whole way through hers.”

Tells the bride “Jeremy is not much of dancer so we did not have a formal first dance. Once the formalities were over we opened the dance floor with ‘Moves like Jagger’ by Maroon 5 which filled the dance floor instantly.”

 

The dance floor? One of the newlyweds favourite parts of the day thanks to a little tune! Kate explains “Had we had the best sing-a-long you could ever dream of. Jeremy and his buddies love a good metal song (not that you can sing along to those) but put on Tenacious D’s tribute and you cannot keep them quiet. A group of grown men and women singing at the top of their lungs (not well) really was a very special moment, and the photos are hilarious.”

A big congratulations to Kate and Jeremy! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful day with us. Thank you also to Matthew Evans for today’s beautiful images.