Real wedding – Ally & Laurie, Yandina QLD
Ally and Laurie’s wedding priority was creating a fuss-free and relaxed celebration with their favourite people by their sides.
With a beautiful river backdrop, relaxed styling and a venue that offered all they needed – the loved-up pair wed in laid-back style surrounded by stunning mountain ranges and natural foliage.
From their emotive speeches, a dance floor filled with revelry and delight, to the gorgeous on-the-day addition of their pooch, Soda, Ally and Laurie’s dream day took a few turns throughout the planning process to land as perfectly as they had dreamed.
Setting aside time for some couple portraits and to soak up all the love, we know you will fall in love with this darling day captured perfectly by Levi of Beaux Art Co.
The meeting.
We met through mutual friends at a house party. Laurie will tell you he knew right away, but I took a little longer to convince! Lucky for me, Laurie is so patient and romantic
The ‘one’.
Laurie would say he knew straight away! I knew when he got to know my friends who all fell in love with how caring he is!
The proposal.
Laurie organised a weekend away, with no input allowed from me. He picked me up from work and I established fairly soon we were heading to the Southern Coast – confirmed when we arrived at a beautiful apartment right on the beach at Burleigh. Now I get that contextually this would seem a little obvious, however I had suspected a proposal on a different trip the year before to Port Douglas and been very wrong (haha) so I was just enjoying the surprise!
As soon as we arrived, we put on some warmer clothes and headed to the beach for sunset. We walked along until we found a spot (once again, oblivious to Laurie’s determination to find the perfect one, about five spots later). We sat down and as we had a little cuddle Laurie dropped a box in my lap. From there it is a bit of a blur. I remember Laurie helping me up and working his way into a kneel, however I believe I may have joined him straight back down on the ground, too excited to let him spit out his words. We celebrated that evening with a delightful dinner at Rick Shores, in the best seat in the house. Poor Laurie could not eat because he was still too nervous!
The next day Laurie let me know that there was one more surprise left. In my head, I was convinced we were going sky diving (why?) so I was terrified. We were driving and he asked if I wanted to get a coffee, so we stopped at one of my fave coffee places in Currumbin named the Dust Temple. As we arrived, our friends Matt and Simone were there waiting.
At this point, I literally had no idea what is reality or not. They convinced me there were there visiting Matt’s cousin and this was a chance encounter. We all were very excited about the news. Now, this couple are our like “holiday buddies” and we had been on a trip together not too long before to my parents house in Currumbin. Matt asked if he could run up quickly and grab something he left and Laurie agreed it would be a fun surprise for Dad, who would be excited to see us. We made our way to our house and waiting there was my whole family as well as Laurie’s family. We had a wonderful lunch and it is still one of the best days of my whole life!
The planning process.
We wanted to keep it as stress free as possible, so we chose a venue that took care of most of the details for us. In saying that, we still wanted a point of difference to our day, so the Rocks was such a great choice!
Style inspiration.
We selected our venue on the Sunshine Coast to first and foremost minimise the chance of boarder closures etc. When considering the area, we have a long history of holidaying and visiting Coolum, so Yandina a little further inland seemed a perfect choice. I always wanted to be married on the beach, so the river set a perfect backdrop. We loved the laid back feel, surrounded by the stunning mountain ranges and natural foliage.
Style inspiration.
I really enjoyed real wedding stories, particularly for insight around location inspiration! I was set on a beach wedding but after seeing how wonderful a hinterland ceremony could be, I changed my mind!
The ceremony.
We kept the ceremony short but sweet. I loved that our celebrant created the perfect balance between our story and the formalities. Ultimately, we just wanted to be with our loved ones, so keeping it simple worked for us
The looks.
We both wanted to pick something timeless, that felt special but was not too extravagant. I’m the end, we didn’t do the bridal shopping experience, I actually bought my dress online!
Favourite moments.
- Taking couples portraits to have a moment to soak it all in on our own.
- Speeches! Full of lots of laughs and tears from our nearest and dearest.
- Dancing, so fun to let loose and shake off all the nerves and just enjoy.
Meaning of marriage.
Making the most of our time together, throughout the stages of our lives. We look forward to our future and making plans to fulfil our dreams together. All whilst having your best friend along for the ride.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle: First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes
Reception entry: You’ve Got the Love by Florence and The Machine
First dance: Green Eyes by Coldplay
Funny stories (or near disasters).
Our dog Soda was a not originally a planned wedding guest, but ended up being a great addition to the wedding party! In fact, Laurie ended up wearing Soda’s bandana as his pocket square, so she matched him with her bow
Planning surprises.
We had a thousand different initial directions, from eloping overseas to having an intimate dinner with only our closest friends and family. In the end we had a wedding that was larger but I’m so grateful that we did.
Words of wisdom.
Find your time! It will race past, and it is truly so difficult to remain present with all the adrenaline pumping. Don’t forget it is about you and not the itinerary, soak it up where you can
Be it a beachside bliss, urban city delights or an outback adventure, Queensland boasts so much beauty in the real weddings they celebrate all year round. See our selection of some dreamy QLD wedding days here.
ALLY & LAURIE’S VENDORS
Ceremony and reception location: The Rocks, Yandina
Florist: The Rocks, Yandina
Catering: The Rocks, Yandina
Bar: The Rocks, Yandina
Décor: The Rocks, Yandina
Celebrant/Officiant: Ross Burbury
Photography: Levi Caleb Allan of Beaux Art Co.
Hair: Frais Studios
Make-up: Noosa Brow Co.
The Dress: Max Mara
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Rings: Stones Jeweller (Elizabeth St Arcade)
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Zimmermann
Suits: Joe Black
Bow ties / ties: Pablo & Co.
Cake / Cake topper: Elle Tea
Entertainment: Isabel Wood
Honeymoon: ‘Get out of Dodge’ by Air BnB, Holiday Homes at Noosa
