Lauren & Matthew

Today’s gorgeously glam Maleny wedding is the wedding of Lauren and Matthew. Not only have I fallen in love with today’s celebration through the stylish moments,but Lauren also included polka dots in her DIY items! Win-win don’t you think?

Lauren and Matt met through work! Lauren says, “Matt and I met in February 2007 through working at Carpet Call. I was in Insurance and Matt was a salesman in one of the stores. We went out on Valentine’s Day for our first date and we just clicked. Moved in together 2 weeks later and now we have our happily ever after”.

Lauren and Matt chose an intimate celebration for their wedding day. “The wedding was of 64 people including children. We had only close family and our nearest and dearest friends. I think this was one of the best things about the day because we knew that each and every person there meant so much to us, loved us and were there because they supported our relationship and our marriage and were genuinely happy for us. It just helped make the day so personal. We actually had the partners of the Bridal Party at the Bridal Table which was really nice. The table was full of love”.

Today’s photographs are by Call of Calli B Photography– whenever I see Calli’s name in my inbox I know it’s going to be a beautiful wedding full of style and today’s celebration doesn’t disappoint! Calli has a way of capturing each couple’s personal mood and wedding vibe and doing it with such personality!

Lauren wore a stunning lace gown by Elizabeth De Varga, her stunning burgundy Tony Bianco shoes set off her burgundy touches for the day. Lauren’s hair was styled by Sandi from Rolling Scissors “She did an amazing job with the hair and I just adore her. We had a couple of car problems on the day getting to Maleny Manor so Sandi drove me and the bridesmaids to the venue! It was very sweet.”

Lauren and Matthew held their ceremony on the ground of Maleny Manor, they were married under the large Ash tree which overlooks the ocean. Sarah Wrightson – ModeLS – Weddings by Design helped plan the wedding day.

One of the funny moments from the day involved Lauren’s bridesmaid. “Well, one of my bridesmaids, Melissa (my cousin, she has the short brown hair – third in line at the ceremony) tripped at the movie cinema on the Saturday before the weekend and popped out her knee cap. The poor thing was in a knee brace for the next two weeks. She braved it on the day and took lots of pain killers and wore a pressure bandage but she was carried down the aisle by my Dad before the ceremony started as she wasn’t able to walk down the aisle quickly enough during the start of the ceremony”.

Lauren’s bridesmaids wore a replica of one of Lauren’s favourite gowns made by Regent Taylors in Queen St.

“My sister, Emma, was my Maid of Honour and my best friend, Katie, and cousin, Melissa, were my bridesmaids. Those girls were absolutely amazing. To have the 3 girls who mean the most to me and are so important in my life behind me was just beautiful. I was a little puddle of nerves and excitement on the day and the girls took care of everything, solved all of little hiccups so I could just take in the day. Emma was my pillar of strength the whole day and was so amazing during the planning. She came to every trial, every fitting, every meeting and every chocolate tasting!”

Lauren walked down the aisle to Alexi Murdoch “All my Days”. During the ceremony, Matthew’s sister did a reading. Lauren recounts, “Matt’s elder sister, read Regina Hill – “Foundations of a marriage”. It was a beautiful reading that really spoke to both of us. We chose Jen to read for us as she has been such a huge support for both of us through our relationship and Matt is very close to her.”

The ceremony was one of Lauren’s favourite moments. “Ashley Burgh was our celebrant. He was magnificent! He has such a great sense of humour! He makes a huge effort to try to get to know you before the ceremony so he can get an idea of who you are and your relationship to make the ceremony special. He made a couple of jokes during the ceremony to help keep us smiling instead of crying! We had a lot of comments from people about the ceremony and that it was so personal and very much ‘us’.

We both wanted the wedding to be a reflection of us and really represent us as people and be personal. So we decided to write our own vows. They were unconventional and Matt’s were quite funny (he is known as the joker!). We didn’t read each other’s vows or let anyone else read the vows so when we read them to each other and made those promises it was just so very personal and unique. It was very emotional and so special.”

The floral creations were designed by Mondo Floral Designs. Lauren and Matthew held their reception at Maleny Manor . “Maleny Manor was amazing. Marlene was so professional, helpful, understanding and made both of us feel very comfortable. She communicated with me throughout the whole planning process which was great. Marlene was fantastic on the day as well, liaising with Emma (MOH) before and after the ceremony to check on the little details without me even realising which made the experience relaxing so I could enjoy it

The food was spectacular! I am still getting comments from people as to how impressed they were with the food. Maleny Manor was very accommodating in regards to dietary needs, child care and other needs for people and also had accommodation on site so Matt and I and some family could stay at the premises which made it even more enjoyable with breakfast the next morning.”

Lauren made a lot of the wedding details herself! Including the stationery. “I made almost everything with the decor. I collected jars for almost 1 year for the flowers and candles – we ate a serious amount of mayonnaise. I painted the stand and all of the frames for the table seating chart and I also made the guest board myself – again inspired from Polka Dot Bride. I found floral prints on the internet and used them for the pieces of paper and then I cut them out into little cards and individually hand dripped them in coffee and dried them with a hair dryer. It took me a day and a half just to do the pieces of paper! I also made the lolly garden for the lolly table and I made the boxes for the kids”

“Our first dance was to Al Green “Let’s Stay Together” – we didn’t practise before the day. We completely forgot! So just before we were announced to the reception, after photos, we had a little dance outside. It was really lovely.”

Thank you Lauren and Matthew for sharing your wedding day on Polka Dot Bride! Congratulations! A big thank you also to Calli B Photography for sharing today’s images!

Photos by Calli B Photography