Lauren & Lachlan

Wild flowers and romance were in abundance at the gorgeous wedding of Lauren and Lachlan, held in Queens Gardens, Townsville. With DIY touches sprinkled throughout the reception, a large timber arbour hung with macrame and a very happy bride and groom, we have been swept off our feet! Leah Cruikshank Photography captured the day.

Having met through a mutual friend and having knowing each other for some time, Lauren and Lachlan became a couple. The groom’s proposal was an absolute dream, the bride sharing, ”Lachlan proposed to me at sunset when we were on holiday in Lake Como, Italy. We had been enjoying swimming and drinking wine in our own private pool all day, listening to music and relaxing after a few weeks of hectic travel. Lachie was so nervous that he didn’t kneel properly, instead just hovered awkwardly next to where I was sitting.”

The bride was not keen on shopping for her wedding gown, ”It was my least favourite part of the wedding planning!” She found just the one in Townsville. Lauren shares, ”I would have adored a Rue De Seine or Rime Arodaky dress! But it just was not meant to be. So I met with a few dressmakers before finding Tracy Skalecki at Townsville Dressmaking last minute. Luckily she is incredibly clever at making a beautiful dress in next to no time! She helped me to find the material, and by going off of a design I chose she began it the week before our wedding – I picked it up two days before!” The groom and groomsmen all wore Wil Valor jackets, which were light blue with wooden buttons, each lined with a different fabric. They wore these with cream chinos, brown leather shoes and belts, wooden cufflinks and navy ties with light blue spots.”

The ceremony was held under a large tree in the gardens, in front of a gorgeous wooden arbour, hung with macrame and framed with white flowers. Lauren shares, ”The ceremony was short and sweet with no readings, but our celebrant let us choose the wording that we found most relatable to our relationship. We also each wrote our own vows to one other which made it feel very special! I walked down the aisle with my father to ‘Dreams’ by the Cranberries. I have loved that song for as long as I can remember and it seemed so fitting because Lachlan really is a dream to me.” Lauren was so pleased her grandma was able to make the wedding, she stopped on the way down the aisle for a quick kiss and cuddle.

 

Such a beautiful day takes a lot of planning, and the bride and groom were thrilled to see it come to fruition. They say of their favourite moment of the day; ”It was finally getting to be with each other! We are best friends so it felt strange being apart from one another, especially for such an important day. It was amazing finally getting the day started together after we had been planning it for so long.” The couple were also thrilled with the blooms for their garden wedding, saying, ”The flowers were divine. Even the guys were in awe of how amazing they were. Claire from The Secret Garden Floral Studio is the best in the biz, and absolutely nailed our vision: unstructured vines and greenery with white roses, blue sea holly and delphinium, black privet berries, plus a few gum nuts.”

A dusky sky and golden fields framed the newlyweds perfectly as Leah Cruikshank Photography captured images of the bridal party. Lauren tells, ”Leah was amazing. We really cannot recommend her enough. She is the most incredible photographer as well as being so lovely and easygoing. On top of being so clever with her camera she was amazing at giving a helping hand with all things wedding. She can tie a tie, do up dresses, attach buttonholes, and keep to the schedule all while still capturing those special moments.”

Lachlan was on the ball with their reception venue, the bride sharing, ”Our reception was at Allure Events, which Lachie got to see before it opened. He immediately sent me a heap of photos and messages saying that we had to have our wedding there. We weren’t even engaged at that stage! It feels like another world in there – so enchanting and moody with the rainforest feature wall, hanging vines, fairy lights, and also a bit regal with the red leather couch, and gold lanterns and mirrors. We had a lot of natural greenery with gorgeous white and blue flowers, hints of macrame and hessian, candles, and wooden furniture. Plus a lot of Lord of the Rings-esque vibes. It was stunning, fun, and uniquely us!”

DIY touches were sprinkled throughout the day, with Lauren crafting the place cards and coasters, and painting the cake topper. She shares, ”I sourced nearly all of our decorations and favors off of Etsy, so most were still handmade and I was able to customize every detail to what we wanted. My talented uncle also made our wooden cake stand. My favorite colour is teal, so although we wanted our wedding colours to be very natural there were sneaky pops of blue everywhere!”

Wanting to ensure their guests ended up on the dance floor along with the newlyweds, Lauren and Lachlan chose ‘Blood’ by The Middle East, covered by Gang Of Youths for their first dance. They tell, ”The original song is such a special song to us that we have both loved in our own right, and Gang of Youths are one of our favourite bands. It is such a beautiful and powerful cover, and we knew the crescendo would bring all of our guests on to the dance floor – which it did!”

Thank you to our incredible bride and groom for sharing your gorgeous wedding day with us, and congratulations. Thank you also to Leah Cruikshank Photography for your beautiful images!