Real Wedding – Lauren & Tom, St Kilda VIC
When stylist Lauren, became engaged to the love of her life Tom, wedding planning was not a hard task. Equipped with her creativity and experience, Lauren and Tom created a day that is one to remember.
Using two of Melbourne’s most sought after wedding venues, they used greenery to tie their two venues together and gave their celebration an effortless feel.
They didn’t sweat the small stuff, and loved the process that lead them to the happiest day of their lives, and there to capture it all was Katie Harmsworth.
In Lauren’s words…
The meeting.
We met through a mutual friend!
The ‘one’.
I knew pretty early on! We had known each for a long time so when we started dating it all happened really quickly and naturally.
The proposal.
Thankfully Tom popped the question in our tiny apartment in Richmond. It was a total shock/surprise for me as we hadn’t been dating for very long at the time (one and half years). I cried for a really long time (happy tears of course!)
Planning process.
So much fun! As I’m a stylist, I’m always looking at inspiration for my clients and so for my own wedding, I had a million and one ideas! It was challenging to find a style that felt personal for us and unique. During the planning process, my amazing colleagues at The Design Depot surprised us with a concept, which we absolutely loved and rolled out into the big day. The rest of the planning fell into place pretty easily. A lot of our suppliers are industry friends, which made it really special.
Style inspiration.
We wanted something that felt modern and effortless yet still really classic, and it was important to make both venues feel like part of the same story. We absolutely love the greenery and tranquility of The Glasshaus and the old-world vibe of The George. To link both venues we decided to take elements of each and work them into the other. Bringing in palms, greenery and unique floral into The George, gave it a conservatory feel to link back to The Glasshaus.
The dress,
I ended up with a dress totally different to what I originally thought! I met with Sonia Cappellazzo and it was pretty much love at first sight! Her vision for my dress was insane and she was an absolute dream to work with. The process was so special and fun. I couldn’t have imagined my dress would be so beautiful (and comfortable!)
Favourite moment.
Marrying each other of course and seeing all of our family and friends so happy.
Meaning of marriage.
A lifelong adventure with my best friend.
Wedding soundtrack.
Aisle song was Crazy Love by Van Morrison (I am a huge Van Morrison fan!).
Recessional – Ain’t No Mountain by Marvin Gaye – both sung by Jake Fehily. Our reception DJ was Nicky Rutherford and our entry/first dance was Can’t Get Enough of Your Love by Taylor Dane with live sax by Dan Martin. The soundtrack for the night was our perfect mix of old classics, 60s disco and soul and party tracks!
Funny stories (or near disasters).
It bucketed during the hour we were taking our portraits – luckily my hairdresser was coming back to The George for a hair change!
Planning surprises.
Yes! How quickly the day came around.
Words of wisdom.
There are probably three things that stand out for me. When you make a decision on something, tick it off the list and don’t think about it again. Identify the main things that are important to you for the day and invest in those rather than trying to do a million little things. And don’t over commit with doing things yourself – enjoy the weeks leading up and share the load with bridesmaids, family and friends.
Finals words.
It was the best day of our lives!
Want more of the George Ballroom, then check out Rachel and Tim’s darling day.
LAUREN AND TOM’S TRIBE
Ceremony venue: Glasshaus Inside
Reception venue / location: The George Ballroom
Celebrant/Officiant: Matt Finch
Photography: Katie Harmsworth
Videography: Moon and Back
Styling: The Design Depot
Florist: Bouquets – Prunella & Venue floral – Glasshaus
Hair: Dimitri Kyvetos Hair
Make Up: Skye Isabella
The Dress: Cappellazzo Couture
Veil / headwear: Cappellazzo Couture
Bride’s Shoes: Senso
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Zimmermann, Nicholas and Bec & Bridge
Catering: Ceremony – Spoonful – Reception – Damm Fine Food
Stationery / Signage: Made by bride (me!)
Entertainment: Ceremony – Jake Fehily & Reception – Rutherford Entertainment (Nicky Rutherford – DJ and Dan Martin – Sax player)
Transport: Fiat 500
Décor: The Design Depot
Honeymoon: Europe – Ireland, Spain and Italy