Throwing the rule book out the window, Lauren and Warwick created the perfect party wedding to celebrate their marriage. Supporting their friend’s and families’ businesses, spending time with their dogs and doing everything their way – there’s not a single thing they would have changed! And thanks to KLD Photography capturing all these beautiful moments, we can now share it with you!

Like many modern meet-cutes – Lauren and Warwick met on Tinder! Warwick was visiting a friend in Canberra and happened to open the app and stumbled across Lauren at the exact right moment. For their first date, Lauren set a subtle test for him, letting him pick the movie, and he passed with flying colours by picking her all-time favourite movie!

Warwick incorporated their two favourite things into the proposal – their dogs and a sunrise-inspired ring made by Michelle Cangiano Jewellery! Popping the question on a dog-friendly beach, surrounded by the picturesque sunrise on NSW’s Mystery Bay. “The dogs were certainly involved, playing a pivotal role in the unforgettable moment! The ring was inspired by sunrise as he loves to get me up for them,” Lauren explained.

Hoping to beat the 39-degree heat, Lauren and Warwick headed to Country Road to pick out this linen shirt and pants so he wouldn’t be boiling on the day. The cool, clean linen look perfectly created a neutral palette to pair with their colourful party wedding.

Lauren has always loved the Australian brand Aje, so it was no surprise that she ended up in one of their gowns for this special day. This hot pink number was picked out before they were even engaged! “I showed him the image of Melissa Leong in their bright pink campaign, asking him if he thought it would make a good wedding dress and a few days later, it arrived in the mail,” shared Lauren.

Many elements were DIY’d, like this welcome sign that Lauren’s sister-in-law created! “My cousin is also a chef, and I catered to the giant cheese board that took over a whole 10-seater table. I brought all the servings and decorations. I brought all my own vases for my other sister-in-law (florist) to use.”

Eleven Eighty was the perfect venue for Lauren and Warwick’s party wedding – with the freedom to create their own atmosphere among the venue’s beautiful outdoor spaces. “It was both homely and stylish with a really lovely open green area. We wanted our wedding to feel like we were throwing a party that just so happened to have a wedding ceremony kick it off,” they explained. “Most importantly to us, it was dog friendly!”

The idea of being ‘given away’ didn’t align with Lauren’s views, so instead, she walked down the aisle with her two dogs! “My parents were there to help ensure I was ready and help me with the dogs, then they let them go, and I walked myself down the aisle supported by our dogs.”

Forgoing a traditional wedding party, Lauren instead asked her best friend to get her celebrant certification so she could marry the couple! They also dressed the dogs with ribbons that matched the pink theme of the day. The final cherry on top of the cake was Lauren’s besties, all wearing their best Aje dress to celebrate her greatest loves (Warwick and Aje!).

Having her best friend, Catherine May Celebrant, standing beside her and Warwick was a dream come true for Lauren. “While there were no readings, she ensured there was lots of stories and was very personal. I let her have free reign and didn’t hold her back. It was hilarious. I didn’t want people sitting in the heat forever, so formalities were minimal, but she did ask for our family’s support, followed by “We do”.”

All of the gorgeous florals for this party wedding were done by Hey Petal. “I just wanted what was in bloom at the time with some pinks and reds to match the dress but just wanted to give the florist, my sister-in-law, freedom to jump on what looked good. My favourites are peonies and sunflowers, so she put in a few of them!”

Warwick and Lauren can both agree that the best part of their colourful party wedding was having their dogs as part of the day! “They free ranged, and also ate stuff they should not have so woke mum (me) late in the night with an upset stomach, total mood killer. But couldn’t even imagine without them. We also wanted a really casual, fun-filled day,” Lauren explained. “Our initial plan was to elope then come home and throw a party, but then thought we could throw the party we just happened to get married at – just happy and no formalities.”

The most important detail from the reception? Well, obviously, it’s this incredible cheese-wheel cake made by Chef Dylan! “We cut it straight after the ceremony so it could be eaten. We also had a bathtub filled with verve and an oyster buffet!”

The top five things that made this party wedding so special included:

“1. Our dogs being present the whole time and not tied up.

2. The freedom to make the venue our own on the day.

3. Not feeling held back by tradition or expectation, freedom to wear a pink dress, no tie, wear Converse for dancing, and all “wedding music” being vetoed.

4. Having family and friends contribute to things that were their thing (chef, florist, celebrant, etc).

5. Being able to have the venue the day before, get comfy with our family and able to stay after the wedding – very relaxing.”

Kristie-Lee Dickson was the photographer for Lauren and Warwick’s party wedding – and she was the best addition to the day! “Neither of us liked having our photo taken, and we told her that. We prefer candid photos and don’t like posed shots or spending hours away getting shots, and she made us so comfortable and relaxed. She was amazing. We were so at ease.”

When there are so many incredible photos in the gallery, it was hard for Lauren to pick her favourite – and we can see why! But she was able to pick out the photo above as her absolute fav. “There is a photo of us on the beach kissing, holding dog leads, and I look like Wonder Woman!”

As the time came for Lauren and Warwick to pick their first dance song – it wasn’t easy. “Warwick is obsessed with music and very, very picky. He’s the guy at a party of BBQ, totally hogging the speaker and critiquing others’ music choices, so he took longer picking the music than writing his vows. We landed with “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” by the Beatles, originally by the Miracles. Warwick hates being the centre of attention, so we knew this would be hard. In the end, we were getting photos done, and the band played “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae, and we had an impromptu dance. Luckily, someone videoed it as was well before the “first dance”. It’s not his pick of the song, but it’s the perfect moment I will treasure forever, proving that unplanned is best!”

A special detail Lauren added after the first dance was having the Baker Boys Band play her parent’s favourite song, “Have I Told You Lately” by Van Morrison, as a tribute to their love. “Growing up, they would always sing it to each other. When my brother got married, it was their first dance. For ours, it was straight after our first dance, so I could bring my family up to dance and have a dance with my dad.”

Congratulations, Lauren and Warwick, on this incredible party wedding! And thanks to Eleven Eighty for submitting and KLD Weddings for capturing this colourful day.