With a golden wedding gown and bouquets of beautiful Australian natives, there was a distinctly Australian, yet relaxed and modern vibe to Laura and Jeff’s golden Brisbane wedding day. The pair knew what they wanted and ditched the rest, inviting guests to enjoy the buttery golden light, an evening of good food, wine and dancing and the perfect love story that is theirs. Every moment captured candidly by Cooper Brady

Drawing from their ceremony, executed by the dream team of Jamie + Cara – Brisbane City Celebrants and Cooper Brady, the couple’s story begins with a first date at a romantic restaurant. There was no question these two had hit it off immediately – their conversation lasting three hours straight without a breath! “Jeff’s first impression of Laura was she was a looker, a good talker and very funny to boot, as well as showing a talent for racing her Toyota Corolla like Michael Schumacher!
Meanwhile, Laura’s first impression of Jeff was he had good dress sense, let her talk for hours, laughed at her jokes and was Welsh!”

Jeff wanted to pop the question while the couple were holidaying at the Marina Sands Hotel in Singapore, the story unfolding “As the sun was setting over the rooftop infinity pool, Laura took the opportunity to grab some selfies, as you do. Meanwhile, Jeff disappeared to arrange some champagne and fetch a very important item from the hotel room. On his return, he leaned over while both were sitting on their deck chairs and started with ‘You know we’ve been together for a while now…..’ and ended with ‘Will you marry me?’ Imagine Laura’s surprise, not only at the proposal but when she saw the ring.

I know you are probably thinking was it a big diamond? An unusual colour, a custom design…. Even better – to Laura’s surprise, Jeff proposed with a potato chip from a bag of UK crisps! He had bought 4 bags in case one broke in the journey, ate one on the quiet but eventually found 3 that were unbroken that looked about right size.

Laura’s immediate response was to burst out laughing at the potato chip, known in the UK as ‘Hula Hoops’. After checking if he was sure Laura said yes, and Jeff slid the ring on her finger and amazingly it fitted perfectly! Laura couldn’t have been more excited and proceeded to announce her engagement and show off her potato chip ring to the other hotel guests.”

The couple worked with Forever Features to capture their wedding day on film.

Jeff wore a suit tailored by Stuart Suits. He shares “I choose to wear a suit jacket that my tailor (who had prior knowledge of my future wife’s gown) had chosen, with my input. I’m glad to say it matched perfectly! The suit jacket was a textured material paired with chinos and RM William boots.”

 

Laura dreamt of a golden gown and finally, after much searching found this beauty at the House of Ezis. She remembers “I’m not normally the glitzy type but saw some beautiful dress as inspiration on the internet. My search for a ready made dress in gold sequins was impossible. I was put onto the fabulous designer Andrzej Pytel at House of Ezis. On my first appointment with Andrzej he brought out a beautiful roll of antique sequined material advising he had just enough to make a wedding dress. It was fate!
As for the design of the dress, I went with what Andrzej suggested knowing I wanted long sleeves and a train. He coaxed me into a style I would never have gone for but looked absolutely fabulous in – low cleavage and high side split, done with style and class, almost like the old Hollywood movie stars.”

The couple chose Hillstone St Lucia falling in love with the plant-filled setting.

Laura walked down the aisle with her father by her side to “Plainsong” by The Cute. “I am a very big fan. Specifically, I chose ‘Plainsong’ due to the dramatic intro.”

The couple were married by Cara of Jamie + Cara – Brisbane City Celebrants. Laura explained “We wanted a casual relaxed feeling that was entertaining. Nothing too long. No readings.”

Sentimental touches were even brought to life during the ceremony. “We used two chairs from my mother and father’s formal dining set (only remaining parts of the set) for the signing of the deeds in the ceremony” explains Laura. “This dining table set was given to my mother and father for their wedding. It has a lot of childhood memories for me. This was a very poignant moment as my mother passed away when I was a young teenager.”

“What a special soulful man” rave the newlyweds of their chosen photographer, “We hit it off when we first met. He has so much love to give and it shows in his photos. Enjoyed his company on the day like he was a guest. Same with Tyrone Ryan from Forever Features. Such wonderful guys!”

The flowers on the day were styled by Garden Graffiti with the help of wedding planner Main Event Weddings. “I wanted Australian natives because simply they are beautiful, particularly ones with a deep red hue. Fortunately, our wedding stylist, Cassie from Main Event Weddings had fantastic taste and was able to combine these with gorgeous dusty champagne-coloured roses and snapdragons! We loved the idea of Australian flora with older-style flowers that reminded me of my mother and grandmother (both passed away).”

Laura’s wedding day advice? “Do not feel pressured to follow old traditions or pressure from family. Choose what represents you both as a couple. Do your research and put aside plenty of time to make informed decisions. You can have a special day on any budget. Also, have fun on the day!!” Jeff added “It was such a special day, one I shall remember for the rest of my life. To marry Laura in front of friends was incredible.”

Was there anything handmade for the big day? “Not this time” admits Laura, “I did when I married over 20 years ago and learnt that the stress associated with DIY (and suffering from perfectionism lol) was enough to ruin a day.”

“There are so many special moments. For me, the speeches were very special” notes Laura. “I learnt so much from my father and sister (what I was like when I was young) and of course, I learnt a lot more about Jeff from the best man about his youthful antics! You could feel the love in the room as each spoke. My father read out a special speech prepared by his dad and Tom read out another beautiful speech by Jeff’s sister Jackie. A beautiful surprise. The Welsh family were not forgotten although they could not make it on the day. Funny enough, my late mother’s name was Jacqueline; Jeff’s sister’s name is Jacqueline; she had a daughter named Laura (my name). It’s like fate wanted this union to happen!”

 

The newlyweds made their dance floor debut to two old favourites – “The Book of Love” by The Magnetic Fields, then “Cherub” by Ball Park Music. And then? The dancefloor continued, “We made sure we played a song requested by each of the guests and we danced with them when it played.”

    

Congratulations Laura and Jeff! How special it has been to be able to share your story. Thank you both and to  Jamie + Cara – Brisbane City Celebrants and Cooper Brady for working with us on today’s feature.