Real Wedding – Lawson & Zayda, Maffra VIC
On a night out, Zayda’s good friend pointed Lawson out to her and joked he could be her soulmate. Six months later, when they crossed paths, she figured she should at least find out – the result is written in the joy and elation of their vibrant wedding celebration.
Against the always stunning garden backdrop of Mewburn Park, the ultra-talented Caitlin at Paradise Hunter styled the day around harmonious personal touches and a colour scape of vivid warm crimson, soft pinks and accents of lilac – a palette that contrasts the surrounds to perfection.
Add in Zayda’s jaw-dropping lace-embossed Raffaele Ciuca gown and Lawson’s sleek black suit by YSG Tailors, and you have a vision of fresh, modern fun.
Zayda gives glowing reviews to her stellar vendor and venue team for their ability to bring her vision to life so seamlessly, and support them and their guests so impeccably on the day.
Read on to discover the stories behind each of their styling and planning choices, as photographed by Peter Ingamells.
The meeting.
We met in April 2023 on Bumble, but prior to that, I (Zayda) had actually first noticed Lawson playing at a gig for a mutual friend’s band back in September 2022. My friend with me (Brooke) pointed out that Lawson and I were wearing almost matching outfits and joked that he might be my soulmate. I never spoke to him that night, but when I later came across his dating profile six months later, I recognised him and figured, why not take my shot now? It worked out very well!
The one.
Probably six months into our relationship I knew Lawson was the one. About two months into dating, I went on a two-month around-the-world solo trip that I had planned prior to meeting Lawson. I thought this could have gone either way with our relationship. But Lawson was consistent, we chatted every day, had intentional dates over FaceTime, and he never made me question how he felt about me. When I returned home, our relationship picked up from where we left off, and I felt complete peace. He was also the first guy I could be my authentic, goofy self around without judgment.
The proposal.
Lawson had mentioned wanting to get engaged after dating for around eight months. I had said I wanted to wait at least a year before getting engaged.
Lawson ended up proposing the day before our one-year anniversary.
Lawson had arranged for my friend Brooke (from the gig) to ask me to come to a ‘pottery class’ with her. On the night, Brooke’s partner and Lawson had set up fairy lights at the 1001 steps in Berwick, right near where we had our first date. Brooke drove me to the steps and I was a bit suss over where this pottery class was. We walked up for part of the steps until we reached the main part of the hill. I noticed the lights and then noticed Lawson walking up towards me. Brooke mentioned I looked cold and passed me a jacket, which I realised was the jacket I wore on the night I first noticed Lawson. He was wearing the same jacket too. Lawson then walked me over to the lights and popped the question.
Planning process.
We wanted our wedding to feel like us and the things we love, including music, people and colour. We explored many venues to get ideas of what style of wedding we wanted. Lawson also works in the wedding industry as a musician (Selah by Sidney), and he wanted to get married somewhere he had not performed before – which was a bit of a challenge.
We definitely were overwhelmed at times, if honest, but overall we loved every minute of it. We were so lucky to have an amazing team of suppliers who were incredibly helpful in bringing our vision to life.
Style inspiration.
Our style was bright and colourful with a touch of black tie. We had the amazing Caitlin from Paradise Hunter style our wedding, and she went above and beyond. We had bright colourful flowers with fruit flowing throughout the ceremony and reception. We had a floral arrangement in the middle of our reception venue, which was a highlight. We also included many personal touches such as a banner made by Daydreamer Creative in the UK with a quote from one of our favourite songs we sang together while dating.
We didn’t look at many wedding magazines, but enjoyed researching weddings that were similar to our theme through social media posts and wedding pages.
The ceremony.
We wanted to have personal touches in our ceremony and centre it around our faith. Lawsons’ stepdad built the arch that was behind us, and Lawson and I played a couple of worship songs together during our ceremony. We had planned for my uncle to be the celebrant, but he sadly passed away in the lead-up to the wedding. It was hard not to have him there, but my cousin stepped in, and one of my bridesmaids is an official celebrant who did all the official things.
Another thing we did at the end of our ceremony was choosing names out of a hat to sign the registry. It was a fun way to get our guests involved, and they loved the surprise element.
The outfits.
Lawson: Lawson’s suit was from YSG Tailors. He originally wanted to wear a green suit jacket, but when he tried on a black suit, he instantly fell in love with the classic look. Sam from YSG was very helpful in tailoring the perfect suit and including personalised stitching inside the suit jacket.
Zayda: I’ll be honest, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be! I assumed I’d fall in love with the first dress I tried on, but I ended up visiting what felt like every bridal store in Melbourne! Eventually, I went to Raffaele Ciuca in Brunswick after a couple of friends recommended them. I’d originally been set on a classic style, but a floral dress in the window caught my eye, and I decided to try it on just for fun. The moment I put it on, I knew it was the one.
Favourite moments.
One of our favourite moments was when speeches finished, and the sound of Mr Whippy was heard, before the van came around the corner to surprise our guests for dessert. They were absolutely excited!
Meaning of marriage.
For us, marriage means choosing each other every day and keeping God at the centre of it all. It’s about authentic love, faith, and growing together through whatever life brings our way.
Wedding soundtrack.
Each song had a personal attachment to our relationship, whether it was songs we listened to while dating or bands we loved together.
Aisle: Bloom by Paper Kites & Yellow by Coldplay
Reception entry: Dance the Night by Dua Lipa
First dance: Lover by Taylor Swift
Funny stories (or near disasters).
A couple of days before our engagement party, poor Lawson ended up in hospital unwell. Thankfully, he was discharged the day of the engagement party (I did wonder if he was trying to get out of setting up the engagement party!). He still made it to the party and spent the night being wheeled around to guests in a wheelchair.
Planning surprises.
I didn’t realise how emotional the process can be in the lead-up. Although I felt organised, I did get decision fatigue pretty early on. We learnt to focus on one thing at a time and prioritise the things that were important to us. We were also surprised how quickly the costs can add up especially more the smaller items than bigger ones (e.g. small decorations, hiring pieces, printing fees etc).
Words of wisdom.
A few tips that helped me include:
It is okay to feel overwhelmed at times, and everything does come together on the day.
Set up a joint email account. It made our lives easier to keep it together in one email.
Add personal touches to your wedding day that represent you both. You do not have to follow every trend that is out there.
ZAYDA & LAWSON’S VENDORS
Most of our vendors we found through wedding expos (One Fine Day and Valley Loves), recommendations and researching online. We loved each of our suppliers and they helped run the day so smoothly.
Ceremony & reception venue: Mewburn Park, Maffra VIC. We first discovered Mewburn Park through an Instagram post, and we loved the look of the venue and all the ceremony options. We had a video call with the owner, Julia, who kindly showed us around virtually as we live a few hours away. Her friendly nature and experience in the wedding industry put us at ease. We drove up a few weeks later and fell in love with the place. We also loved the idea of doing a weekend away with our guests.
I never imagined having an outdoor wedding, but Lawson was all for it. The moment we saw the homestead gardens at the property, I completely changed my mind. It was exactly where I wanted us to get married. We also loved that there was a great wet-weather option at the Farmer’s Shed, which could be styled beautifully and had plenty of room for guests.
Julia and Adam were amazing to work with throughout the whole planning process. They answered our many questions and helped us feel so supported. The day itself ran so well, and we were honestly the most relaxed bride and groom on the day, thanks to them.
Celebrant/Officiant: My cousin Michael & bridesmaid Kristen
Photography: Peter Ingamells Photographer. I have known Pete for a number of years through mutual friends, and he has photographed most of my friends’ weddings over the years. He has an easy-going and warm personality that makes people feel comfortable around him, and I wanted that in a photographer. He captured our day beautifully and loved the candid moments he took.
Videography: Directors Edge. Glen is an absolute legend! Our guests still talk about him. He is the life of the party and have never seen a videographer move the way he does. He collaborated with our vendors and captured our day so well. He even had our sneak peek ready by 7am the next day!
Styling & stationery / signage: Paradise Hunter. Caitlin was recommended to me by one of our mutual friends. I met her at a wedding she was styling, and we hit it off. She has so much knowledge about the wedding industry and helped bring my vision to life. She also has a graphic design background and designed our menus and signage. She has since become a great friend.
Florist: Blossom Club
Hair: Hair by Bridget Smith
Make-up: Ctwo Makeup
The dresses: Raffaelle Ciuca and Chosen by KYHA (reception dress)
Veil: Etsy
Shoes: Bared Footwear
Rings: Janai
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Aje, By Johnny, Billy J and, Flo and Frankie
Suits & bow ties: YSG Tailors
Catering: Little Prince
Bar: Mewburn Park
Favours: Love heart glasses from Temu
Entertainment: Sidney (Lawson’s duo partner) and Lawson created his own band using musicians he had worked with previously.
Hire:
Napkin and vases – Cloth and Confetti
Photobooth – Penny Lane Photobooth
Mr Whippy
Honeymoon: We had three over a three month period – just to be extra!
Local – Metung Hot Springs (one night)
Interstate – Daydream Island, QLD (one week)
Overseas – Switzerland, Croatia and Italy (four weeks)
